Beach Action Shots.

When we participated in the kazoo band on the 4th of July, they gave Ellen some free passes for the Ocean Grove Beach (we would have gotten some as well, but we forgot to pick them up.)  So, off we went, with Ellen and her crew, to Ocean Grove Beach.

I really liked this beach, it was much cleaner than both Avon and Manasquan.  I am not sure why, but it was practically empty today, so we didn’t have to deal with a lot of beach traffic.   And we were able to find a location that was relatively close to the bathrooms (good for our newly potty trained munchkins.  Okay, Seth has been potty trained for awhile now.)

The only complaint the kids had was the waves were very mellow.  Of course, us Mommy’s were just fine with that!  There was only one mishap when Chloe and I were out in the ocean.  I misjudged the strength of a wave and it knocked me over while I was holding Chloe.  In my attempt to keep Chloe’s head above water, and try to get myself back to a standing position, I wrenched my shoulder and inhaled some sea water.  (I can actually still taste it in my mouth, I should go brush my teeth!)  Luckily, Chloe thought it was funny and it didn’t scare her at all.

She is getting a little too brave for my comfort, though.  Granted, the ocean was extremely calm today, but she wanted to go off by herself (The big kids were doing it!) and was upset that I told her I needed to keep ahold of her.  I guess in some ways I am glad she is challenging herself more.  But, that’s my baby, there is no way in HELL I am letting her go in the ocean.  Sorry, not gonna do it!

This has now happened to me several times since: the waiter at Old Chicago’s, the usher at the movie theater, and the guy who rang up my new shirt at Old Navy.  I was confused because I seriously needed a hair cut and I have the remnants of a cold sore.  Surely, no one would find me attractive right now.  And yet,  I kept thinking that they were flirting, they were just so overly nice.

Then I had the embarrassing revelation that they weren’t flirting, it’s just that we are in Colorado where every one is really nice and friendly.  I have gotten so accustomed to the abrupt and sometimes rude nature of New Jersean’s that I had convinced myself that nobody is that nice unless they are flirting.

Sigh, am I becoming one of them?  Please, say it ain’t so!

And here is where I am at.

Birthday’s were WAY more exciting when I actually wanted tangible recognition of age.  This is no longer the case.  Now that I have officially reached so called “adulthood” (as if) it is WAY more exciting for me to enjoy  the new experiences of my daughter.

Therefore:

We spent my birthday at Playhouse Disney.

John was able to get FREE tickets through work, otherwise we wouldn’t have gone.  But free is free, and Chloe LOVES the Little Einsteins with a fiery passion.

Much to our surprise, there are many OTHER characters in the Playhouse Disney line up.  We don’t watch live TV.  The only TV show Chloe watches is the Little Einsteins because we record it.  She has a couple of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofey, and Tigger stuffed toys.  But, other than being at a friend’s house when it was on, has NEVER seen the shows.  I think it is possible we saw a Winnie the Pooh show at Mama and Papa’s house, and I am positive she has NO IDEA who Hanny Manny is.  So, she was overjoyed to see the Little Einsteins characters, but was a little confused by the rest. When Pooh came on, she said, “Wook, Mommy, a bear!”

All in all, she loved it because it had dancing, pretty lights, and lots and lots of music.  But, I am trying to decide how I feel about that fact she didn’t recognize the other characters.  Part of me feels a sense of pride because she has latched on to a show that I feel has actual merit.  The other part of me, again, worries that she is missing out on a very important level of pop culture.

Seth loves Diego.  I think it is safe to say that Chloe has never seen a Diego show.  Jacob is infatuated with Mickey Mouse and Goofey.  Again, I don’t think that Chloe has ever seen a Mickey Mouse show from start to finish.  Julia wants to BE Minnie Mouse, and WAS for Halloween.  Chloe decided to be a pirate.

It amazes me, still, how different our children’s lives can be depending on what we choose to show them on television.

I am not going to say Chloe doesn’t watch TV.  Because, that would be a bold faced LIE!  But, she watches movies.  We have an extensive selection of Disney, Dreamworks, and Pixar movies.  She has probably seen movies that most children her age have never seen! (Cough: Incredibles, one of John and my ALL TIME FAVORITES)

Therefore, she can’t sing the title song to Mickey’s Clubhouse, but she can sing along with Ariel.

And, she was beside herself to see the Einstein’s Live!  All the other kids where like:  “Look, its MICKEY MOUSE!”  Chloe was like, “Wook, Leo!  Mommy, Wook ANNIE, Mommy wook QUINCY! Mommy, wook JUNE!”  Then Rocket appeared on stage and I flashed back to when I saw Micheal Jackson for the first time.  Yeah, it was that dramatic.

So, no.  I didn’t celebrate me on my birthday.  What I did was WAY better.

On Wednesday, we went to the Please Touch museum in Philadelphia.  It was AWESOME and I highly recommend it to anyone in the tri-city area who has a 2-7 year old.  Okay, so I know that’s pretty specific, but I do think it would cap out at about 7.  Chloe LOVED it, we spent four hours there, and anyone with a two year old can tell you that spending four hours anywhere is a real feat.

After her nap, we went to the local mall, where she built a pirate bear at Build a Bear, then we wandered and let her explore

Chloe’s new friend.

The ants go marching one by one, hurrah hurrah

The ants go marching one by one, the last one stops to hug someone

And they all go marching on…

Into the ground, get out of the rain, boom boom boom

Pumpkin Picking: