Thomas the Train

We headed up to Strasburg Railroad today to see Thomas the Train. The boys were extremely excited and had a great time - but the day was not without incident. First off - the fields where you can park at Strasburg were flooded from all the rain we received yesterday. Therefore we had to park 3.5 miles past the railroad and were bused the grounds. This would have been fine, however it added 1/2 hour to an already 1 hour and 15 minute trip. (There was a lot of traffic) We parked in a high school lot - got halfway to the buses - and realized I forgot the camera in the car (and the umbrella too - but I didn't realize that until it poured later) Once we were on the bus and settled I grabbed my camera to get some pics of the excitement...and all I got was a message on the screen that read "No SD inserted" Ugh! It was in my laptop at home. So No camera, no umbrella, and now I had to go to the bathroom. (Thanks for the pics Uncle Danny) We almost missed our 12:15 departure time because of all the morning detours. Needless to say we did ride and the boys had fun. I would like to go back to ride the Strasburg Train and tour the train museum one day when it's not raining....

Preschool Already???

Braden will be attending his first day of preschool this Tuseday Sept 15th. We have been talking to him about it for weeks, and this past friday we attended his open house. We met his teacher, classmates and he got a tour of the school. He had a great time - and I am sure he will have no problems next week. I think I am the one you have to worry about. (More to follow about his first days) In the above pictures Braden is holding a letter he got from his teacher explaining what they will do this year and what he needs to bring to class. I could hardly snap the pics before Logan snatched the papers....

The beach continued.....

Sorry it's taken me so long to get this post added to the blog (for the three people that read it.) The boys have been keeping me very busy these days - but I wanted to make sure I captured some of our trip to the beach......before the fall begins and it's a just a distant memory. This year was special because I knew that Braden was old enough to enjoy the water, sand and of course the boardwalk. We had an extremely hot week (with limited a/c) but the boys didn't seem to notice at all. They kept us busy with building sand castles, digging holes, playing in the outside shower, and feeding the ducks. We were lucky enough to catch (with the help of my Uncle) four crabs. I grew up catching crabs at our beach house and this trip wasn't going to be complete without some crab. I think the kids got a kick out of it too!

We went to Island Beach State Park which is a preserved beach along the Jersey coast. It's extremely clean and can be very private if you know where to park. I think the section of beach that we were on had a a total of 10-15 people which was perfect for the boys - not to mention very easy to keep track of them. Braden LOVED the ocean and spent a lot of time in the water with daddy. The boardwalk was also a hot spot - all those rides, the kids had a blast.

We had a wonderful (exhausting) family vacation with lots of great memories and pictures....can't wait until next year!!

Summer Travels - Toms River

Busy Days

It's been a busy couple of weeks here at the Hardel House. Braden attended Summer Camp with Aunt Jody. It was a nice change of pace for me and he had a wonderful time. It also gave me a taste of what it would be like in the fall when he starts preschool. (Gosh - I can't believe how old he is getting) I think that Logan was happy to have mommy to just him (and Jake) for a few days.

MiMi, Uncle Danny and Aunt Erin moved into their new townhouse. The move itself went smoothly however there were some minor hiccups with the new appliance delivery, the Central Air system and Comcast. It has been over a week now and still they have no phone.

Darren and I now preparing to take the kids to the beach....can'twait to get there. Counting down the hours. Stay tuned for pictures.

Summer Fun

Trouble.....

I know I am in for it when I find my 15 month old jumping on my favorite chair in our living room shouting "non-ee" (which is naughty is Logan language)

Elmwood Zoo

The boys and I spent the morning at the Elmwood zoo with the cousins - Lily and Jake. It was perfect weather and the kids had a great time seeing the animals. Favorites included the old train car, prairie dogs (and tunnel) horses, bison and ducks. We had a great time.

Too Funny

Swimming

We took the kids swimming today. It's not the first time for the boys this summer - but it's the first time the camera made it out of the bag. So at the risk of looking like a blimp, here are some of the better pics. Logan loves the water and is able to keep himself balanced enough to paddle around. Braden enjoys the water too - but doesn't leave the edge of the pool unless he is holding on to someone.

Adventure Aquarium

We enjoyed spending the day at the Aquarium with family this past Sunday (Darren's Aunt, Uncle and cousins were in town) The kids had a great time looking at all the different types of "fishys" as well as the penguins, seals and let's not forget the Hippos.....they were super cool. The shark tunnel was also pretty neat - but not a great place to take pictures.

Swimwear and Fireworks

Waterpark

Recent Pics

Making funny faces at lunch time

Uncle Danny's softball game

Monkey Joe's

Playing in the pool (a favorite activity)

In the playroom