Fun at the playground

Chris and the monkey found a new playground this weekend and, of course, she found some things to climb on.  Not necessarily things that kids should climb on, but she did it anyway.

They sent me a video and the dialog went like this:

Monkey as she's climbing up on the roof:  "Doing it...doing it...I got it!"

As she's climbing over the peak: "Whoa whoa!"

And then slide down the other side and jump to the ground.  Oy that kid...

And after...

Wall color is from Benjamin Moore (seems to be a family favorite brand) Weimaraner is the color.  The photo is a bit dark but, the bench and table are both from Wayfair, coat tree is a cheapy from Amazon (can't really see it in the picture, but I don't really like it, so it doesn't matter), rug is from World Market, lamp is from a design store in Red Bank.

Artwork is a combination: local finds from Cape May and Bed Bath & Beyond, and a little known artist currently living in Ohio (we'll just call her Aunt Val); and a couple of pictures of the monkey.

There are still a couple of things we are going to do in this room.  2017 will be the soonest i can even think about it though...

Another before picture

This is the entry way (and part of the living room) as the previous owners had it.  Note the orange walls...so unsettling. 

Not sure if you can see it, but they had these cross-stitched gnome pillows in their living room.  And then bunch of gnome statues around the property outside.  Randomly, they left like three for us.  This was among the many other very random things they left when they  moved out (not one, not two, but three step stools; a sander; some sort of power saw; water shoes...totally random).  Anyway, back to the entryway.  Smallest area in the house, of course, but the first thing people see and since it is open to the rest of the house, we had to pick a good wall color that flowed through to the rest of the house, and also looked good in the living room since there was no break in the walls where we could change the wall color.  Anyway, first priority was to get rid of that orange!  

Such a hot week...

but everyone rallied and made a trip to Turtle Back Zoo.  Had to see the new giraffes! 

They're hard to see in the background, but they are directly behind the little monkey (by a few several yards).  Not sure if it was the heat or just her lack of caring, but, aside from the sea lions (that she could not get enough of), most of the day went like this:

One of us: "Ohhh, look at that [insert animal here]"
Monkey: "Wow...look at that! Let's go see another one." 

Not sure we looked at anything for more than 30 seconds....

And it continues...

...with a day at Sandy Hook

Well, a morning anyway.  Still have to get naptime in otherwise we would all go crazy.

Little monkey had to have her surfboard.  I don't think it ever touched the water, though.  After getting tossed around in the waves for a while, she and her dad built some sand castles, he buried her in the sand...you know, your typical sandy day at the beach.

"Stay cation" continues

Storybook Land!  One of our favorites because it's small enough that none of us get overwhelmed, and we get to leave by nap time since all the rides are ridden by then.

The monkey had a special fondness for this part of the park, mainly because there was this little elf out front and she got to say over and over again: "Granddad calls me Dopey!"

This one goes out to you, Old Man!

"Stay cation"

Our little surfer girl:

and after watching some of the olympics swimming events: 

Monkey:  "Put my hat on, and my goggles...'Merica!"

swim splash swim around in the tiny pool...

Chris:  "Did you win the Olympics?"
Monkey: "No!"
Chris:  "No?"
Monkey:  "No.  The crab taked my 'lympics!"

Still can't figure out how to do video, so that will have to suffice.

Just doing some spin art with my curly hair