Last summer hurrah

We took advantage of the reasonably nice weather to head to the boardwalk one last time this year! September is our favorite time of year at the beach - smaller crowds, cooler weather, and free beach access. The girls both had a lot of fun and didn't want to leave!

Ellie playing in the sand

Audrey hated the sand and insisted on sitting in my lap the entire time so that the sand touched no part of her body!

Audrey went on her very first ride! It was so sweet - Ellie kept her arm around her the entire time.

Then Ellie went on a few rides by herself (enough of baby sister tagging along!)

Ellie was so proud of herself on this ride. She and I went on it together last time because she was afraid to use the handle and make it go up. This time she went alone and made her elephant go up and down the entire time. She kept yelling it to us whenever she went around. We told her that now she's ready for Disneyworld!

Ellie played her first game of Skeeball today!

We're sad to see summer go, but we've made the most of this one! Now on to apple picking, pumpkin picking, and Halloween!

Too much excitement!

Well, we had quite an exciting weekend! I had plans to meet two friends at Carlo's Bakery (of Cake Boss fame) on Saturday afternoon. I brought Ellie with me and on our way there we got into an accident. We were turning left and a car hit the front of our car on the passenger side. Luckily, the accident was right in front of a fire department and across the street from the mayor's home so we had help instantaneously! I didn't even have Ellie out of her car seat before three firemen were there and the police and EMT were there in less than two minutes. We were also fortunate that we were almost at my friend's house so she met us at the scene within a few minutes. When she got there, she informed me that the kind woman who came and sat with us on the curb was the mayor!

Luckily, Ellie and I were not seriously hurt. We were both very shaken up and I was terrified that Ellie was hurt and not telling us because she was scared they would give her a shot (that's all she kept asking). At the advice of the EMT, we spent a few hours in the nearby emergency room getting checked out (while Lori anxiously paced the floors back at home!). Today we're both sore and stiff but mostly tired.

Our car is repairable but not drivable. While we were in the ER, my friends picked up the stuff from our car and took pictures for us. The car will be towed tomorrow from a lot to a body shop, where we were told it will take at least two weeks to repair. My friend generously gave us her car to use this weekend and tomorrow morning we'll pick up our rental car. We are thankful for our friends and insurance coverage!

So after our visit to the emergency room, we weren't going to let an accident ruin our weekend and still made it to Carlo's! If you haven't seen the show, the cakes that they make are amazing. We all ordered samples of their pastries and they were delicious. We tried the creme puffs, napoleons, lobster claws, canoli, and chocolate covered strawberries - all were great! We won't be heading to that area for a while, but we'll stop there again next time.

Ellie and I outside of Carlo's - the line was out the door!

Ellie excited to see all the yummy treats

My friend ordering her goodies

Car accidents and emergency room visits - BAD!

Chocolate covered strawberries - GOOD!

Labor Day BBQ

Yesterday we basked in the cooler September weather with some friends at a BBQ! We had a wonderful afternoon with two of my friends (since high school!) and their kids. Among the kids, Ellie is the oldest and Audrey is the youngest with three little ones in between. Ellie loves when we see them, as do her parents!

The gang

Our sweet Ellie

Will and his best girls



Audrey sucking her baby's tag, as usual!



Our little speed racers






And back to sucking the baby's tag :-)


Enjoying another great dinner by Mike and Christine!

(Don't you just wonder what they actually talk about when they're sitting without the grown-ups?!?!)