A Visit to the Nolan's "Short" House

We enjoyed a fabulous weekend in Ocean City, New Jersey at Aunt Amy and Uncle Paul's shore house! Lucy had a great time playing with Zoe and Ella. We also got to see Aunt Heather, Uncle Brian, Alex and Isabel who were down for their vacation week.

For me, the weekend was especially nice. We arrived on my 40th birthday, Amy and Paul really made my birthday very special and were wonderful hosts for a fun weekend at the shore. It was pretty quite since Labor Day has passed and people are getting back into the school year routines. So, it was just perfect. The weather was warm and beach within walking distance. We collected shells, relaxed on the beach, had some great food and went to the boardwalk to check out the rides. The girls even spotted a horseshoe crab on the beach! We couldn't have had a better time.

Lucy kept referring to the house as Aunt Amy and Uncle Paul's "short" house. Though I have tried to explain that it is a shore house, this seems to be an elusive concept, we'll keep working on it. Zoe and Ella were so sweet to Lucy during the weekend and it was so nice that they had so much time to play together. We are hoping to be invited back again next year! Thanks to the Nolan's for a great weekend get-away!
 

 

 

  

  

 

 

Vacation Time!

This year we headed to Atlantic Beach, North Carolina for a family vacation at the beach. Kenzie was able to join us, so it made the trip extra special. Atlantic Beach was a lot of fun. We spend time at the pool and on the beach at the Sheraton, we checked out a bunch of really tasty local restaurants - my personal favorite was Mosquito Amos - and we visited local attractions. Highlights of the trip included a ferry ride to Shackleford Banks, which is home to wild horses. We had a great time walking along the pristine beach collecting shells.  Then we ventured inland to find some wild horses. The beach there was so nice, we also enjoyed hanging out and swimming. We went to the Aquarium, a local minor league baseball game - with awesome fresh kettle corn! - and played mini golf. Lucy loved jumping repeatedly into the pool, so we all had to take turns catching her. The vacation was certainly worth the long ride! Here are some pictures of our vacation:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Magic Kingdom

Our trip to the Magic Kingdom was a magical marathon, that's for sure. We were there for 11 hours. Lucy and Quinn were troopers. They lasted the whole day without a nap! The beginning of May was the perfect time to visit. It wasn't really too hot yet, Main Street wasn't too crowded and the line for rides wasn't too long.

We made the most of our one day in a park. We took the ferry from parking to the Magic Kingdom. One of the first things we did was to meet Daisy Duck. Lucy was so excited. While we were waiting for Aunt Amy & Quinn to arrive, Lucy was watching Daisy meet other kids and she said, "I want to meet that duck." I wasn't sure how it would go, but since we were just hanging out anyway, I figured it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot. She LOVED Daisy and did really well. Lucy gave her a high five and posed for pictures. Luckily Aunt Amy & Quinn arrived while we were still on line so Quinn could join in on the fun. Quinn was a little more apprehensive, but also did well. Lucy couldn't stop talking about meeting DD, so she got a little Daisy to bring home. She was so cute holding little Daisy's wing out and saying "Daisy, I'm giving you a high five."

We spend a good portion of our day in Fantasyland enjoying the rides and toddler sized fun. We rode on Dumbo the Flying Elephant, It's a Small World, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Cinderella's Golden Carousel and The Mad Tea Party. Lucy and Quinn both LOVED the rides. They were totally entranced with all there is to see in It's a Small World. Lucy also joined Brian & me for Mickey's Philharmagic, an animated 3D attraction. She did a great job and kept her special glasses on the whole time. I think she was a little scared, apparently making a noise somewhere between a laugh and cry according to Brian. But she was very brave.

We had a great lunch at The Plaza Restaurant and got to see part of a parade. We made a quick stop in Tomorrowland so Brian and Amy could ride on Space Mountain and Frontierland for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We all visited Tom Sawyer's Island during our Frontierland stop. The girls had a great time exploring and collecting leaves along the way. They also enjoyed the rocking chairs at one of the resting spots.

We had an adventurous time in Adventureland riding The Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean and The Magic Carpets of Aladdin. Again, the girls had a blast on the rides. They were so patient while we waited on line, I was impressed with both of them.

I think that about covers all the rides and attractions. It was a full day and a magical time was had by all. Just before 9:00 we figured we better head out to beat the crowds who were staying behind for the fireworks. We took the Monorail back to parking and Lucy and I were lucky enough to be able to watch the fireworks from afar while Brian helped Amy get Quinn and two strollers to her car. I think Lucy liked the fireworks from a distance better than when we went to the baseball game. It was much quieter.

We were all so glad that Amy & Quinn were able to join us, it made the day all the more fun! We are looking forward to our next Florida adventure already.