Rosemary

I love this sequence of pictures of Kyle and his little helper at Rea's farm.  This is becoming a routine for them ever since Kyle's scallops grilled on rosemary skewers has become such a hit. Livy holds the basket while daddy clips the rosemary.

  

Farm Girl

Yesterday I took Livy to visit Brookhollow Farm in Boonton Township.  It was a great place for little kids!  A big highlight was getting to pet a baby donkey and a 2-week-old baby Alpaca.  I was too busy petting them to take pictures at that point.  But they also had the most adorable baby bunnies that Livy fed carrots to.  We also saw ponies, pigs, goats, peacocks and chickens.  They had a big sandbox to play in, toy tractors to ride, and a little play house with a kitchen set.  Livy had fun playing with two other little girls in there.  After that we rode the fast, bumpy cow train pulled by a tractor.  Livy rode in the cow that was named "Olivia".  She thought that was so great.  I rode in the one behind her named Louise :).  We had a great time and when we got home she was exhausted but still fighting sleep.  She ended up asleep in the hallway and I had to pick her up and move her to her bed.        

Beachy Speechies!

Jamie, Anna, Sarah, Livy, Nina, Elektra

"Me and my shadow"

"Me and my other shadow"

We had another great beach weekend with Nina, Dimitri, Elektra, Michael, Jamie and Anna.  Nina and Jamie are speech therapists from my work who followed in my footsteps to have adorable baby girls (and took a full year off for childcare leave).  I'm so looking forward to this September when we will all be back together and things can start going back to "normal"!


My parents were nice enough to let us all stay at their house.  Livy had so much fun playing with Elektra and Anna.   It was like she had two little shadows interested in everything she was saying and doing.  She enjoyed "reading" books aloud to them and showing them how to scoop and pour sand, how to pet the kitty, and everything else that's fun.  

We had a wonderful time on the beach, in the pool, playing charades (of course because Dimitri was there :), making designs with easy cheese, having a mommy's day out, and shopping.  Kyle is getting really good at grilling and we had a feast including his signature scallops wrapped in prosciutto with rosemary.  Yum!

Dimitri and Elektra

    

Michael, Jamie and Anna

Opening mermaid dolly presents that we couldn't
help buying for them at a toy shop.

Let's Go Fly a Kite!

We had a relaxing weekend in Cape May with Mike and Jaime.  Sunday was windy and perfect for kite flying.  I love this little sequence of pictures with Livy watching daddy's kite go up, up and away!  They were so cute plopped on the sand next to each other for quite a while.  But I only captured the first part of the sequence...  The last part involved the kite handle breaking and the kite flying way up over the dune and landing in a tree behind one of the houses you see far in the background, across the street from the beach.  Kyle and Mike tried to get it down with the help of a neighbor, but to no avail.  Kyle was bummed and said, "I was just starting to really like that kite!"  Livy quickly consoled him saying, "It's okay daddy.  We can buy you a new kite someday."     

  

Our buddies, Mike and Jaime

Giggling in the warm sand with Jaime.

Chasing the sea gulls

When Livy saw this sky, she pointed and said, "God made that!"
Even a little child can marvel at God's creation.

Finns and fins!

My dad's friend from Finland and his family came to visit in Cape May this week.  Livy had fun playing with the kids, Anni and Emile (sp?), who didn't speak any English, but were still great playmates.  We took them to the Camden Aquarium on Saturday.  Livy loved it and at one point while we were there, I heard her say, "This makes me soo happy!"  Mom says she's just like Kyle because when she's enjoying something you can always tell.  She loves learning and experiencing new things.

The Finns were amazed at how many animals people were allowed to touch.  In Finland, they say, the aquariums don't allow touching.  Livy touched starfish (sea stars for you biology sticklers) and sea cucumbers and all kinds of squirmy stuff.  She loved it.  The only thing that disappointed her was that she wasn't able to pet the hippos or penguins.  Those were some of her favorites.  Afterward, we went on a two-hour driving tour of Philadelphia, but Livy napped through the whole thing.  

Livy's First Fireworks!

We went to see Lower Township Cape May's fireworks this year on the bay side.  As you can see in the first picture, Livy was nervous before the fireworks started.  I was trying to calm her fears by telling her how babies might cry when they hear the loud booms, but she wouldn't need to cry because she's a big girl.  As soon as the fireworks started, Livy squealed with delight and yelled out, "I don't even want to cry!  I don't even want to cry at all!"  She was yelling out all the colors she saw and pretending to catch them in her hands.  

The fireworks were spectacular and went on for quite a while.  It was past Livy's bed time and she was getting pretty tired.   But she even mastered the skill of clapping while sucking her thumb.   

Oh, and here's three little all-American sweethearts to wish you a Happy Fourth:

McGrails

We had a fun McGurfur reunion in Cape May this past week where Livy finally got to meet Kris, Tom, Heather, Mandy, Jake and Sam. She also got lots of play time with Meg, Mike and Milo who she has gotten to meet before.  Livy adored Heather, who took her on special trips in search of bunnies in the yard and pushed her around in the Cozy Coupe.  She fell in love with Grammy Kris too, who completely won her over by chatting and playing tickle games with her in the back seat of the car.  Livy also got to "help Grammy Kris cook", sitting up on the counter munching fresh fruits and veggies with Drew.  

She also loved being the center of attention for Tom Tom, Daddy and Logan who played catch with her.  They all clapped and cheered whenever she caught the football and Logan even demonstrated his victory dance for her.  Later in the week she had a great time meeting Mandy and cool big kid Jake.   She loved Baby Sam, who she still talks about when playing dollies.  She would pat his head gently and try to take care of him by bringing him a bottle or blankie.   She had a blast with Meg and Mike playing with her on the beach.   And last but not least, she got to play with her buddy Milo, who turned two during the week.  

They giggled together and played nicely with cars, toys, flowers, and whatever else they could find.  Livy liked him enough to even share a sandy chip with him.  She told me, "Milo sure is a nice boy."  And he sure is!  Anyway, now we are back home and I'm wondering how being home with me can possibly compare to being with all those fun people!  But I think Livy had enough big fun to last her for a bit.