While Jim and Sheryl vacationed in Puerto Rico the boys were in good hands at home. Len and Sue took the first shift and we took the second shift. Please check out
Sheryl's blog to see all their pictures. They had a wonderful time, secure in the knowledge that the boys were well looked after. We arrived on Sunday afternoon and departed on Tuesday night. After the first 24 hours it became more like
grandparenting than babysitting, a very rewarding experience. It was bitterly cold most of the time. On Monday Trenton had his school pictures taken during school. In the afternoon he and I played outside for an hour, the fresh air was good for us both.
Oliver is happiest when eating! He makes the sign for eat (fingers to his mouth) and smacks his lips, sooooo cute! They both ate much more than we expected. It's amazing - they eat all kinds of fruits and vegetables.
It wasn't easy to get a picture of Oliver walking from the front, so here's one of him heading away from me. He's into everything now, wanting to do whatever he sees Trenton doing. My dad used to call that the "me too" phase.
Here we are enjoying our dinner on Monday evening.
Oops, forgot to put the bib on first. He devoured the tortellini at more than one meal. After he takes a sip of milk he
always puts the cup back in the cup holder.
Oliver walked over to Uncle Jay to play. Our 3-person team worked out well.
A few weeks ago Oliver wouldn't go anywhere near the tunnel, now he loves it.
Grampack, you are one funny dude!
We spent Tuesday morning at the Manasquan Environmental Center, just a few miles from their house. It was too cold to walk around outside but we had a blast inside. There are live fish, mounted fish and animals, fossils, plants, ecological displays, all pertaining to the area. There's a room just for kids, too. One of the things we love about the place is watching the eagles. There's a camera with a huge telephoto lens pointing directly at an eagle's nest. It was interesting to see the female rotate the eggs then trade places with the male. The nest is so far away across the water that you can't even see it by looking out the window.
Oliver clearly says fish.
This is the kids room. Trenton's playing with the puppets and the guys are looking out at the frozen lake. We've seen ospreys from this window. There are many fun things for kids of various ages here - fun and educational. There are benches by another window to watch birds feeding right outside.
Both boys enjoyed crawling into the big muskrat cave (a carpeted tunnel in the hallway). Trenton is just tall enough to peek through the plexiglass bubble on top.
The live fish and turtle pond is quite the highlight. There are also frogs and snakes in aquariums.
When we told Trenton we were going to the Environmental Center about 15 minutes before departure, he yelled with delight! After we'd been there a few minutes 4 mothers came in with boys Trenton's age and some younger siblings. They were a playgroup/mom's group taking advantage of a fun, free place to be on a cold day just like us. The boys welcomed Trenton into their group and they played nicely for 90 minutes! John and I were wondering how on earth we were going to get Trenton to go home for lunch but it was lucky for us that they packed up to leave at just the time we needed to leave.
The boys were happy to see Mommy and Daddy! Oliver looked long and hard at Sheryl's face as she held him. The souvenirs were a big success. Oliver's holding a frog magnet with springy legs. Trenton has a new t-shirt and a frog that says co-qui when sqeezed. Just what he wanted!
The grandparents' souvenir jelly was confiscated by the airport screener because the quantity was too large for carry-on luggage but we were happy with the coconut-pineapple treat as a substitute.
John, Jason and I met Jim and Trenton at Jenkinson's Aquarium in Pt. Pleasant yesterday. Poor Oliver had to stay home with Sheryl because he has bronchitis. 
Sandtiger shark
Grouper
This unusual looking fish is a batfish. It doesn't swim so much as walks, using both sets of fins sort of like legs and crutches.
Its gills are just a tiny hole along the side of its back above the fins.
Lion fish
We all loved watching the seals at feeding time. Trenton especially liked it when the seal came up to the window and seemed to be kissing him!
Jim's inside the diving suit. Trenton went in it, too but isn't quite tall enough even with the stool to get his head all the way up. The Aquarium has many interesting, educational exhibits. We also were able to see the penguins being fed. There are snakes, turtles, parrots, a marmoset, alligators and many fish tanks. We recommend this outing to everyone especially during January because it's half-price!
Uncle Jay is trying to master the art of reading two books at once.
Even though Ollie wasn't feeling well he was happy to see us and showed off his new walking skill! Sheryl had a wonderful bachelorette weekend only to return to sick sons. She's a nurturing caregiver. And just to keep her extra busy, she had to go to her class in the afternoon/evening. She'll have her master's degree after just a few more courses. 
