Jones Beach and Backyard Cookout 2013

A little more about all the fun we had on Saturday. Besides Jaime, Cory and Robin were also in town so we got together with Meagan, Lukas and Sarah and went to the beach. I have really fallen for Jones Beach. We tried Field 6 this time which I definitely like better than Field 2 for summer sunning and swimming because it's a shorter walk to the ocean.

Our friends sunning and drinking

Cory and Robin visiting!

Me and Jaime again

James and Sarah playing with sand

James hasn't gone in the ocean since last year, so I'm not sure how well he remembered it. He was really afraid of the waves at first and held on tightly to Kevin's hands, but little by little he got braver. Kevin and I took turn holding him near the water so that we could go into the ocean ourselves. James was so brave on my turn that I had to yank him out by his armpits repeatedly so he wouldn't get whisked away by the strong undercurrent..

Kevin showing James the wave

He loves it!

Mandatory family by the ocean picture

Getting him away from the ocean was tough, but eventually we persuaded him. He spent a little while playing with some other kids' toys near us. He didn't interact much with the kids themselves, but luckily the kids were very nicely mannered and let him fuss around with their buckets and shovels. He finally came back and hung out in a beach chair eating sandy apple

James chilling in a beach chair

Christina, Dan, and Hudson joined us for our cookout as well. It was so fun watching Hudson and James play together now that Hudson can walk. And they're still at that age where they have the same interests: climbing things, playing with water, and yeah that's it.

Kevin grilling out

Jaime and Christina taking a few preliminary tastes

Huson and James playing in our back yard

Hudson and James both love the water table

Sort of interacting

Chasing each other on the slide

Christina and Dan had to leave to put Hudson to bed, and I had to get James off to bedtime too. Afterwards the rest of us sat in the back drinking and listening to planes and trains go by. Eventually we came in for a semi-impromptu game night. It was so great to have everyone over. It's been a while since we had people over to go to the beach and cookout.

Eating dinner

Robin and Cory looking cool

James acting as the party DJ whether we like it or not.

Jones Beach- Spring 2013

Part of enjoying Long Island is enjoying the beach. We're so lucky to live just a few minutes from the ocean. Growing up in Northern New Jersey, going to the beach always meant a four-hour roundtrip drive. You don't usually think of chilly Spring-time weather being conducive to visiting the beach, but it's the best time to take a toddler. We're not the only ones who think so, we saw lots of other parents with kids James's age at Jones Beach.

In the summer, it can be very crowded and James doesn't have any sense of personal space. He immediately tries to interact with strangers and attempts to steal their food or personal belongings. He can get grouchy and overly warm, and we have to worry about protecting him from the sun.

Jones Beach, Field 2 goes on forever before reaching the ocean.

In the spring, a baseball hat is the only protection he needs because he's already bundled up against the ocean breeze. The beach is a huge empty sandbox where he can run free without his parents telling him to be careful or climb down from this or that.


We took him in April to run around Field 2 after our trip to The Cradle of Aviation, and we took him again in May and checked out Field 6.

Watching James write in the sand

Asserting his independence, April

Playing tag with Dada, April

James likes getting caught, April

Sand makes for a good place to fall, April

He loves Jones Beach!

After our trip in April, he started asking me to go back to the beach. I am a complete pushover for any displays of language, so as soon as we could we took him back in May to Field 6. There were tons of seagulls there that day and that led him over to the ocean. Once he was there he was fascinated by the breaking waves and foam on the sand. He doesn't really understand the concept of being washed away into the ocean, so Kevin stood by ready to pluck him to safety. As this was repeated a number of times, James decided that being rescued from the waves was the most fun game ever.

Kevin and James on Field 6, May

Looking at the ocean

Touching the ocean foam

One of many rescues from the waves

Loving this game!

Beach glamour shot

Jones Beach with Jaime 2012

Jaime came to visit and she's a big fan of the beach so we went to Jones Beach State Park. We're lucky that we have the most popular beach on the East Coast just 20 minutes from home. Since it's 10 miles long, it's not even that crowded

The last time we went to Jones Beach with Jaime was two years ago, and I was secretly pregnant and too tired to walk very far along the shoreline. She probably thought I was the most out of shape person in the world.

Me and Jaime at Jones Beach this weekend

This time we went by ourselves first and had a little bit of adult conversation time before Kevin and James joined us. Once James arrived the name of the game was tag.  We had to chase him to keep him from eating everything on the beach or attempting to go home with strangers. When we took him to the ocean he loved it.  Then he took a step away from us, wiped out, ate sand and ocean, and didn't like it so much anymore.

Yay! Atlantic Ocean!


I can do this by myself!


No, no, I can't.

Jaime Visits 2010

My friend Jaime loves the beach so we planned for her to come up this summer so we could hit a local Long Island beach.  Briggs came with us to the beach, and later we BBQed with Jaime, Briggs, and Jon.  Dinner of course had to involve debate over the future of newspapers. Because that's fun.  Jaime and I managed to sneak away for a little while and have dessert at Friendly's.  A pretty nice visit.

Me and Jaime

Jones Beach


Kevin and Briggs


Summer fun!