Family Camping Trip - Allaire State Park

We had a wonderful family reunion weekend even though the weather was not ideal. Please see Sheryl's blog for lots more good pictures. Friday morning we got reacquainted with Oliver who's grown and matured from a baby into a little boy in motion. He's happy and fun to be with. Then we picked Trenton up from preschool. He even introduced us to his teacher. Hmmm, how many 3-year olds would do that?!
Oliver loves to bounce in this seat. He feeds himself all kinds of finger food and isn't fond of baby food anymore.

Trenton is still an amazing vegetable eater. Here he's showing off the after-affects of eating beets. Jim and Sheryl have enjoyed another year of organic produce from a co-op they belong to.

Oliver pulls himself up quite easily now.

Sheryl's parents brought yummy baked beans and potato salad to go with our grilled chicken and Sheryl's veggies, so dinner was a complete success.

Sheryl's blog has Saturday's pictures of our hike at Allaire State Park. The weather was cloudy and damp but we were able to spend the entire day outdoors. Sheryl, Jim and the boys were in a yurt near us in the camper. The guys played wiffle ball, a family favorite. Jim, Jason, Trenton and I went to Allaire Village's Railroad Days where we rode on the train and saw some interesting train exhibits.

Then we drove to Brick for a hibachi dinner - my first. It was quite entertaining.

A nice family outing.

Oliver gets a taste of chocolate ice cream. Once he realized how good it was he opened his mouth eagerly.

Play time after dinner.

Sunday dawned bright and sunny so off to the beach we went. It was John's and my first time there this year. Everyone always says the Jersey shore is great to visit after Labor Day and now we know that's true. This summer we were in the Pacific and the Atlantic!

Trenton loves the sand and the water. He played non-stop for a long time. Right after this snack he collapsed on my lap, whining and crying for "Mommy hugs." Luckily grandma hugs worked, too. Poor kid, he had a fever and had to head home. We thoroughly enjoyed this long-anticipated weekend.