Where I've Been - Part II

At the end of July, I took the kids on our annual summer trip to NJ to visit my family.  I look forward to this trip all year long - there is nothing better then the Jersey Shore in the summertime!  This was Morgan's first ride on an airplane, and although I was extremely nervous, he did great!  We arrived on a Tuesday evening and left on Sunday afternoon - it was a quick trip for us as we usually stay for a week and a half.  We squeezed a lot in in a short amount of time - these pics are only a portion of our trip!

Naturally, our first stop was the beach - we were blessed with some great weather on our first day.  I love Long Beach Island!  The kids had a blast and got to spend some time with their Mimi, Aunt Nicole and cousin Brooklyn.

We attempted the beach again on Thursday, but by the time we carted everything onto the beach and sat down, we were being whipped with sand and decided it was too miserable to stay.  Not for loss though since I really wanted to take Addison down to the Barnegat Lighthouse (aka Old Barney).  It turned out to be the best idea - she loved it!  So, I was nominated to take her up to the top - all 207 steps of a winding old staircase.  Not gonna lie, my knees were knocking and about half way up I asked Addie if she was SURE she wanted to go to the top.  Of course she was - so up we went! 

They have a lookout pier, so once we were back on the ground (I was relieved), we took a little stroll.

Just down the road, there's a little shopping area - complete with souvenier shops, beachy decor and clothing, and a pretty amazing antique store.

This boat (which appeared to be from an old boardwalk ride) was sitting outide of the antique store.  We took some pics of the kids in it, as we got STARED down by one of the employees.  I guess they didn't want us in the boat, whoops!

One night we loaded into a few cars and drove on down to Beach Haven to go to a children's amusement park - Fantasy Island.  I love taking the kids there - it was one of my favorite places to go growing up.  So awesome that my kids and I will share some of the same summer memories.  When we arrived, the sky opened up and there was a pretty big storm.  We just hunkered down in the arcade until it passed.  Addison hit the jackpot on the faux slot machines - enough to win herself a prize!

There are many more photos to show, but I will spare you the rest.  You're probably sick of seeing my family vacations.  I will, however, leave you with this.  We went up to visit my older sisters and their kids in North Jersey - they all got to meet Morgan for the first time.  His aunts and cousins loved him, and dressed him up in a Mickey Mouse outfit that they bought for him.  We have his Halloween costume!

All in all, it was a great trip - looking forward to next year!!  Once we got back, it was time to get Addison ready to go back to school.  She started last Friday.  That brings us to now.  That's where I've been over the past month.  Relaxing, and getting things back on a schedule around here.  Looking forward to fall, and some projects and orders that I am dying to share with you.  Coming soon...

XOXO