Day 1...Journey to St. John

The journey to St. John is not easy and involves a few modes of transportation. Add to that 2 children under the age of 3 and 2 carseats, 2 strollers, and all of our baggage and it can be chaotic. Totally worth it when you reach the island, but chaotic! We also experienced some plane trouble the morning we left, which meant we had to sit on the first plane for over an hour at the gate and then disembark and get on another plane an hour later. So we were a little behind schedule for the day and BP and BB had to be extra patient. We flew from JFK to St. Thomas, took a taxi to the ferry, a ferry to St. John, and finally rental cars to the house. We left our house at 3:30 am and arrived at the house in St. John at 6ish. About 16 hours of traveling all together, and I am only pointing that out because The Barefoot Princess and The Barefoot Baby were troopers, awesome, and more patient than we were at times. Above are some pictures from the journey. The first two were taken when we first boarded the airplane. The last two were taken later that afternoon. As you can see from the last two pictures both BP and BP were still smiling about fifteen hours into the journey. It is not easy to travel with two young children, but I think totally worth it and can teach them so many great life lessons! I am so proud of our two little adventurers!

A Big Fish

One of the highlights of our vacation for BP and BB's Daddy was catching this big fish. He went fishing early Sunday morning with Papa and Uncle T. It is a Horse-Eye Jack. (Interesting name for a fish.) He caught a Kingfish also and brought that one home for dinner.

This is what the Kingfish looked like later that night after Uncle T's adorable and sweet friend "Chef Lauren" worked her magic. It was delicious with spinach salad and cheesy potatoes!!! Yummy!!!

Las Brisas Caribe

We are packing and preparing for our trip to St. John. We leave very, very early tomorrow morning. We are all excited to visit paradise. BP wants to see the lizards and the turtles and fly on the big airplane. BB has no clue what is going on. Daddy needs a little "zen" as he calls it. I cannot wait to see the aqua water, the calm ocean, and feel the tickle of the Carribbean breaze. I also cannot wait to experience the island through the eyes of BP and BB. Lots of pictures promised when we return...

Fit Flops

Trying to decide if I should add these to my shoe collection... and wondering if they really work. Can a pair of flip flops really tone my legs and buttocks and combat cellulite? I am not completely convinced, but I have seen a lot of people wearing them this summer. Do they know something I do not?

Couldn't Resist

While walking in Cape May, I saw this plaque on a house and I could not resist. Funny thing... Mama and Papa looked at this house before buying the lavendar Victorian just down the street.

My Wipey Wallet

So clever and crafty, why didn't I ever think of this? It is a Pampers travel wipe container which someone decorated and turned into a sophisticated and stylish 'wipey wallet'. The store that I found them in had all different materials and designs it was so hard to choose.

Barefoot Beach Fun

8 Months

The Barefoot Baby is 8 months old.

Some of her favorites...

Being held, of course.

Chewing on her toes.

Clapping and waving.

Trying new finger foods.

Pulling herself up on anything and everything.

Holding, kissing, and chewing on BP's Bitty Baby.

Smiling at everyone all day long.

Talking, babbling, and screeching.

Crawling, but only backwards and side to side.

Snuggling her white silky satin blankie.

Splashing water, in the bath, in her babypool, or on the beach.

Watching and studying her big sister with awe.

Freda

BP's Daddy sometimes calls her "Freda"... as in "Freda from the Catskills." Here is a perfect example why!
She insists upon accessorizing with such pizzazz. Is the pink potty considered an accessory?

4th of July Parade

Mom Confession #4

My sweet obsession... Mickey D's sweet tea!!! I am addicted. If you have not had one, you must! Just $1.00 for a huge cup of cool, refreshing sweet tea that tastes like it came from your Grandmother's sunny summer yard. I am sure this drink is seasonal, so I am making sure I get at least one a day!

Red, White, and Blue...

A few pictures of 4th of July decor that caught my eye while walking in Cape May.

Happy 4th of July!!!

Hoping to beat the traffic, we are leaving today for the beach. While we are there we will celbrate BP turning 2 and 3/4, BB turning 8 months, and myself turning 30. (Yikes!!! That is really the first time I acknowledged it.)

Happy 4th of July to all our friends and family. Have a wonderful holiday. See you in a few days.

(picture from Martha)

Spaghetti

The Barefoot Baby enjoying spaghetti for the first time. We are entering the world of real human food, slowly, very slowly. She likes everything so far. We are not surprised by this at all!

The Bling Ring...

Here is The Barefoot Princess with her dear friend Grace or "Race" as she calls her. They are sitting outside our local toy store showing off their new rings. The sign above them in the store called them... "Bling Rings" and you can see why. Well, these two little cuties who love all things fancy and sparkly and girlie could not refuse the enormous "Bling Rings." BP has been wearing hers for the last three days straight. Oh, and how could I forget to mention the other two girls in the picture... Baby Shush (Grace's Baby) and Bitty Baby (BP's Baby).

BP's Mani / Pedi

As a treat for overcoming her fears of going #2 on the potty we decided it would be nice to treat BP to her first manicure and pedicure. We were thinking of rewarding her with an expereince rather than a material thing. She loved every minute of being pampered at the local nail salon. She sat so still and was very patient while her nails dried. She chose pink and then the nail tech asked if she would like little daisies painted on her nails and toes, and of course BP could not refuse that. Then the nail tech asked if she would like glitter over the top, and you know the answer to that one too. She stared at her digits all afternoon and beemed when others noticed them. The funniest part was when our neighbor commented on her nails and toes and she told her exactly why they were painted... "because I go poopie on the potty." Oh, BP!!!

Feeding Time...

This afternoon The Barefoot Princess fed The Barefoot Baby her lunch. We had A LOT of laughs! They both thought it was hysterical and once we started giggling we could not stop. BP acutally did a fine job feeding her little sister. I realized that BP is capable of so much and is totally my little helper. Clean-up took a little longer, but it was worth it!

Strawberry Picking

Yesterday morning we went strawberry picking with our friends Allison and Grace. It was a beautiful day, not too hot and not too cold, as we crawled through the berry patch searching for ripe strawberries. There were so many to choose from. While BB napped in her stroller, we picked two baskets of strawberries. BP and Grace picked a bunch and then had more fun transferring them from basket to basket. We left with $7 worth of strawberries... I was surprised how much $7 bought at the farm... alot more than in the grocery store! I froze them last night to use in our smoothies this winter. Thanks to Allsion for coming up with this idea. This is definitely something I want to do every June from now on.

Red, White, and Blue Strawberries

Red, white, and blue chocolate covered strawberries are easy to make and so festive. I have made them for the 4th of July a couple times and they are always a big hit. Who doesn't love a choclate covered strawberry? So if you need a dish to take to a picnic this year I highly reccomend these.

All you have to do is melt the white choclate chips in a double boiler. If you do not have a double boiler just put them in a glass bowl over a pot of water and melt them that way.

Then dip the washed strawberries in the choclate and sprinkle with blue sprinkles. I prefer the blue crystal sprinkles because they look so pretty, but you could use any sprinkles.

Enjoy!

So Lovely...

A sweet pea flower from our garden. Every time I see them I think of my little sweet pea, The Barefoot Princess.

Plight of the Bees...

We are doing our part to support our local honeybees. My husband won this garden bee skep on Ebay for me. When it came in the mail I was so excited to open it and add it to our garden. It was the perfect finishing touch!
Bee skeps encourage bees to make a home and then to visit the flowers and veggies nearby to pollinate them. Many plants, such as apples, blueberries, broccoli, carrots, and onions require pollination to grow and produce. For the last couple of years honeybess have been mysteriously abandoning their hives and disappearing, never to return. This puzzles and worries scientists and farmers, who fear their disappearing act may be the result of pesticide use, a dwindling food supply, or a virus that is attacking the bees' immune systems. Whatever the case, honeybees are important to our food supply and flowers and since honeybess do not sting they are very welcome in our garden! Oh and BP loves honey on her cheeiros... just another reason to welcome the bees!

Genuine Kids

Shopping at Target is oh so fun, especially since I found Genuine Kids by Osh Kosh. I love this brand because of the coordinating patterns and cute girly styles. Oh, and because it washes well. I can buy the shirts for BP and the matching dresses with bloomers for BB. Of course, I love the really great prices too! I have not found this brand anywhere else. Even the Osh Kosh outlet does not sell it. Above are some pieces that I bought the last time we were at Target. I just cannot resist the floral, the seersucker, and great summer colors.

Happy Birthday Uncle T

Happy Birthday to Uncle T!!! The Barefoot Princess and The Barefoot Baby miss you and cannot wait to see you very soon. So do we! Have fun tonight and be careful.