Gary, Beth & Kids

Less than an hour after we got home from camping on Sunday (July 20), Tim's brother Gary and his family arrived for a visit. Of course I ran right out to the car to greet Ian, oops I mean everyone, heehee!

Anita stayed for a few minutes to see them, then she was on her way home and our visit began. We spent nice time chatting together and Tim made dinner on the grill. You cant believe how adorable little Ian is - gets cuter every time I see him!


And of course Megan still loves him as much as ever!


As a side note, before we left for camping, we had found a nest of 6 baby bunnies (eyes still closed), but when we got home, only 1 was still alive. So Tim brought it in (no sign of mother) and we tried to care for and nurse him.
When we found them:


Feeding the sole survivor some Goat's milk:

After dinner, Beth & I went to ShopRite to pick up a few things, then it was time to start making our chocolate candy! Well actually Beth did all the work and I served as her official taste-tester! She made Chocolate-covered Strawberries, pretzels and mini-oreos. So Yummy! And of course we had some Pina Coladas to enjoy with our sweet treats. Meanwhile the kids watched the movie 'Meet the Robinsons' then they all went to bed. It was a delicious first night :)





On Monday, after breakfast, we went to Longport Beach from 12:30-3pm . Tyler and the girls ran right into the water - even though it was ICE cold! They made sandcastles, with the help of Tim of course. And they even turned each of the girls into 'Sand Mermaids' which was cute. Oh and their new favorite hobby is searching for sand crabs on the beach. Tyler and Tim went into the ocean with a boogie board and Tim's surf board, but the freezing cold water shortened their surfing jaunt to just a few minutes!




















On the way home, we stopped at Linwood Market for meats and rolls and came home for lunch. Then Tim took the kids in the pool for a quick dip. What followed was a relaxing quiet afternoon, in fact I even dozed off in my chair for a bit. Then showers and off to TGI Fridays for Kids Eat Free dinner around 7pm (till 9pm - slow service).

By the time we got home, the girls were exhausted and went straight to bed. Gary, Tim & Tyler played video games while Beth & I played online till late. And unfortunately, this is the day we lost our baby bunny :(

Tuesday was their last day here already. Tim & I took the girls to see Alvin & the Chipmunks (the free movie) while our guests slept in a bit. We got some snuggle time with Ian while Gary & Beth packed up.






Then we all went out for a nice lunch together at Charlie's where we got hot wings and cheesesteaks. Then they were on the road home around 4pm.

It's hard to believe that, after planning this visit such a long time ago, that it went so fast. Our next visit is planned for Labor Day weekend, where we're heading out to Harrisburg for some more fun together!

Camping Getaway

I definitely have a lot of catching up to do! I try to do well with updating, but I have really fallen behind lately, havent I?! This summer has been a huge whirlwind of fun and visitors, which leaves me happy but exhausted.
So, let's see where I left off...

We had a family camping weekend July 18-20 at Whipporwhill Campground in Marmora, NJ. Tim's mom (Grandmom Anita) came along also and we all stayed as one BIG happy family in our pop-up camper!

We arrived at the campground just before 4pm on Friday and set up our campsite:







After setting up, we went straight to the pool to swim! It was nice and warm (unlike our freezing cold pool at home).

We lit a fire back at our campsite and cooked hot dogs for dinner. It was really nice to have everyone stand around with hot dogs on sticks - this was the first time the girls ever did that. I think they thought it was kind of strange but they got the hang of it real quick!


Around 8pm we headed back up to the pool area for a late-night family swim. We also played BINGO and came close to winning the $130 jackpot by 1 number!




Then it was back to the campsite for another campfire - and this time we made S'Mores!! So Yummy!!

Grandmom and the girls went to bed at the same time, so Tim and I got some nice relaxing time sitting to chat by the fire.



Saturday started really early because Grandmom woke everyone at 7am when she got up for a shower. So Tim made breakfast, then we headed to the Craft house around 10:30am to make crafts. The triplets each made a treasure box and Kaitlyn made a wooden star wand. Anita begged Tim to make something for her too, so he sat with the girls and got to work!






We all got ice cream after crafts and cooled off a bit. I laid down to take a nap - I was getting real bad sinus headaches and needed to lay down for a bit. Tim and Anita took the girls to the pool. After swimming, we had a late lunch of ham & cheese sandwiches. Then Tim & I took the girls for a walk through the campground and played at the playground.





Tim & I made dinner (HoBo Chicken: Chicken, potatoes, Corn spices & butter in foil) and threw it into the fire (strange, I know!) Kaitlyn and I went to the pool for a bit while everyone else napped. Then it was dinner time & more S'mores!






It was another night of Tim and I sitting by the fire, which I really enjoyed!

By Sunday, we were ready for our camping weekend to be over. We were all tired. The canopy ripped off the camper when Tim was taking it down. "Some" of us were a bit irritable and it was time to come home!



Overall it was a nice experience and the girls really enjoyed themselves. We definitely brought home some special memories from our first (maybe last?) camping trip of 2008!