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Posts tagged as “Penelope”

Pumpkins 2024

Pumpkins 2024

January 31, 2025 |

Galleries and Photography

Our pumpkin patch plans were a little messy this year. We had an idea to take the girls to a new place (sorry, Mr. Peppers) and organized a bunch of folks to join us and Sarah took the day off of work… without checking if they were open that day. Whoops!

To save the vibe, we got some pumpkins at a garden center, brought them home, and painted them so it wasn’t just a complete bust of a day. The children never knew anything was wrong and the adults understood and everyone had a nice time.

The next week, we correctly scheduled our outing to the pumpkin patch. It was another fun day, until the children completely ran out of steam and moods soured. You can see the shift in the later photos. It was pretty funny and yielded one of my favorite photos of Penny as a vengeful Japanese ghost.

Enjoy the set after the jump.

> Continue reading...Pumpkins 2024
A Trip to the Playground

A Trip to the Playground

January 27, 2025 |

Galleries, Photography and Thoughts

I realize I am just a bit behind on posting photos of my children here. To rectify that, here is the first of a series of gallery posts from last year.

It was a beautiful day in September and it made sense to drag the children out in their finest rainbow dresses to the playground. Well, Cheeks didn’t wear a rainbow dress; she was dressed like a tiny Mrs. Roper. As one does.

Enjoy the photos after the jump.

> Continue reading...A Trip to the Playground
Mr Pepper’s Pumpkin Patch 2023

Mr Pepper’s Pumpkin Patch 2023

October 30, 2023 |

Galleries and Photography

It was a slow Monday close to Halloween when we finally made it to the pumpkin patch this year. We did manage to get some cute photos which is, really, the point. You can get pumpkins all over the place. You go to the pumpkin patch to get cute photos of your kids having a good time.

This year marks Penny and Bea’s fourth visit to this particular pumpkin patch; once in utero and three in cute outfits. This also marks Cheeks’ second visit; again, once in utero and once in a cute outfit. It’s become a bit of a family tradition, I suppose.

You’ve seen a bunch of these on Instagram already, but if you wanted to see the full pictures in a place that’s not your tiny phone then have I got a treat for you! The full gallery is after the jump.

> Continue reading...Mr Pepper’s Pumpkin Patch 2023
A Trip to the Zoo in New Jersey

A Trip to the Zoo in New Jersey

October 10, 2023 |

Galleries and Photography

The girls love an adventure. Who doesn’t, really? Sometimes “adventure” means a 2 hour long car drive to go to a doctor appointment, which is really stretching the idea of what you think about when you hear “adventure”. But sometimes it also means taking a ferry to New Jersey and going to a zoo.

Sunday was that second type of adventure. We loaded Penny and Bea into the van, left the baby home with a sitter, and got on the Lewes-Cape May ferry. After a boat ride and snacks, we loaded back into the car and took the girls to the Cape May County Zoo. They got to see lions, bears, monkeys, camels, goats, cows, pigs, alpacas, wallabies, kangaroos, and, coolest for dad, a bald eagle.

A bald eagle! Neat!

Of course, as one would expect with toddlers, the most interesting part of the zoo was the acorns and fallen leaves covering the ground. They behaved well, no one melted down, and Penny didn’t get motion sick a single time. Overall pretty successful adventure.

Enjoy some photos after the jump.

> Continue reading...A Trip to the Zoo in New Jersey
Half Birthday

Half Birthday

July 22, 2023 |

Galleries and Photography

The 20th of the month was the girls’ half birthday and Sarah thought it would be fun to have a half birthday party. She was right. It was fun!

She made them a cake and put them in cute outfits. They got a couple of communal gifts (all gifts are communal at this age for a couple of kids who share a birthday) and had a grand time running around being two and a half. Also, Beatrice is really working on her stink eye.

I took some photos because that’s what I do. Enjoy a pretty big gallery after the jump.

> Continue reading...Half Birthday
Funland Round 2

Funland Round 2

June 15, 2023 |

Galleries and Photography

The girls had so much fun Memorial Day weekend and Beatrice asked to ring the bell on the boats so many times that we decided to take them back on a Wednesday that wasn’t a holiday.

Unsurprisingly, they had a great time again. Because there were no crowds, dad’s anxiety was much better managed. Nice. And we left Wilbee at home, so we didn’t also have to focus on the infant and could engage with the toddlers.

It was a good day. Bea had so much fun that when we suggested we walk down the boardwalk for ice cream, she started crying and said “No like ice cream! No like it!” Which is not true. Once we actually got ice cream, she’d forgotten her protests. Rides are fun, but ice cream is also fun.

> Continue reading...Funland Round 2
Funland Memorial Day

Funland Memorial Day

June 8, 2023 |

Galleries and Photography

I hate crowds. Like, I absolutely hate crowds. I will stay as far away from crowded places as I can. I will choose the boring, tedious version of a day over the insanely packed option five times out of five.

A crowded bar on a Saturday night or for a sporting event? Leave me at home with a book.

Convention hall swarming with farmers, Mennonites, and sneaky weedlers? Take me somewhere quiet and put a beer in my hand.

Going shopping just before Christmas? A waking hell.

Times Square on New Year’s Eve? A nightmare to drive men mad.

The Rehoboth Beach boardwalk on a summer weekend? Shove a knife into my eyes.

So when our friends were visiting from Maryland and suggested we all meet at Funland in Rehoboth Beach on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, you can imagine that I was not exactly psyched to hike. But, we’ve also been pretty isolated and were sure that Penny and Bea would enjoy the rides. I put on my Big Boy Pants™, sucked it up, and went.

And while my anxiety from being surrounded by throngs of vacationers was through the roof, the girls had a smashing good time going on rides for the first time. Beanut has actually been asking for “ring the bell on the boats” since then. We made the right choice.

Enjoy a smattering of photos from the day. Nothing really superb here, but enough to give you a sense of how much fun they had. I’ll try again on a day that is less crowded.

> Continue reading...Funland Memorial Day