The Joisey Shore

The Shore - 2011

Family and Friends - While Ocean City is a fantastic place, the best part of these summer vacations is spending time with the family. Kaden was in total agreement, he loved goofing around with his Uncle Paul, spending time exploring the beach with Gammi and Poppi, reading with Grammi Vick, and getting into all of Pop Richard's stuff. In true Shore fashion, Kaden made some new friends with whom he spent the evenings playing outside.

Teddy - Teddy was the biggest hit of the entire trip. Kaden loved playing with his cousin and, surprisingly, there were very few sharing meltdowns. Every morning, the two asked to see one another and for the rest of the day stuck together like glue. By the end of the trip, they were best buddies. To date, one of Kaden's favorite activities, is looking at photos of the two of them playing together. Watching them together made me even more wishful that we lived close to one another.

Lila - Miriam, Gabriel, and Lila drove down from New York to spend a weekend with us. The last time we saw them was in March. At that time, the kids recognized one another's presence but didn't really interact. This time, they were really into each other - summer lovin' at its absolute sweetest.

Beach - Last year it was almost too hot to leave the air conditioning, but this year we made it to the beach almost every day. Kaden had a blast jumping the waves, watching the clams dig themselves back under the sand, digging holes, and just generally exploring.

Goofing Around the House - The times we weren't at the beach, we just goofed around the house.

Rides - The Boardwalk was a favorite of Kaden's this year, the rides especially. We only went up a few nights, but each time we left he begged for more.

Junk Food - So much for the healthy eating habits I've tried to instill in Kaden. As soon as Poppi got ahold of him, it was all sorts of junk food. I guess that is what vacations at the Shore are all about though. Kaden happily enjoyed Brown's donuts (which are the VERY best donuts EVER), Italian Water Ice, and Kohr's Frozen Custard. Getting him to realize that these are special treats, and that he can't have them every day, proved to be a bit difficult.

Gammi made Kaden a photo book of his adventures at the Shore. He calls it his "Joisey" book and it is one of his favorites. Reflecting on all the fun we had makes it one of my favorites too.

Home Sweet KY Home

Thanks to Dad's work (a look at the Kingsford Charcoal plants near Lake Cumberland), we were treated to a quick trip to Kentucky! Gammi and Pop were more than ready for the impromptu visit - see photo of their basement turned play-room!

Kaden spent a lot of time outdoors with Pop. He loved the tractor rides, but thought it was a rather noisy machine. He also like using the wall outside to practice his circus routine. Of course, this routine is best performed in a semi-nude state!

The visit also gave us the opportunity to visit with some friends, and meet an even "newer" friend - Miss Ellis Stuart, Emily (Lalonde) Stuart's newest addition. The first photo is of Kaden with Emily's older children, Sadie and Everett, and Allison (Davis) Culbertson's little girl, Lucy. The second photo captures Kaden playing with Carey (Maggard) Briscoe's little girls, Lillie and Reese.

For July in Kentucky, the weather was pretty temperate and Kaden enjoyed spending time outdoors playing with the slew of toys Gammi borrowed from friends - thanks to all of those who donated their stuff!

Kaden loved spending so much time with his Gammi. Almost every morning, she took him on a walk to get the newspaper - the wagon was a big hit! He also got a big kick out of watering Gammi's plants and flowers, he thought her watering wand was so much better than our regular old hose. Since Kaden was, once again, not feeling well (this time it was a double ear infection) he spent more than a few hours snuggled in Gammi's lap. While she hated to see him sick, I don't think she minded the cuddling one little bit!

Speaking of snuggling, Kaden couldn't get enough of his Uncle Paul. He was, by far, the favorite this trip. Everything he said tickled Kaden's funny bone! I can't think of a better person for Kaden to be captivated by.

Some other activities K enjoyed - reading books with Daddy and Pop, driving Pop's car (with Marley as a semi-willing passenger), horsing around with Daddy at the Marriott, and watching Sesame Street with Pop (yes, we give him whatever makes him happy when he's not feeling well).

While the adults ate dinner, Kaden played happily with his cars. One night, half-way though dinner, he announced that he was ready for bed. This was the look he gave us when we didn't jump to take him upstairs. It's a little blurry, but you get the gist of his frustration.

The cherry on top, Ba Noi and Papa made the drive in to see Kaden. They stayed for the weekend making Kaden one doubly happy little boy.