Big guy

We've learned one thing since school started - Pre-K is not for babies! During Sean's first month in Pre-K, he's been learning about apples and autumn, working on writing his name, and taking music and computer classes.  But that's not all he's been doing -

he's also gotten a black eye...

a major scratch on the arm...

and two tattoos for good behavior!

But seriously, Sean is having a great time in Pre-K. He really likes his teacher, his new classroom, and the new activities. His teacher thinks Sean is awesome (of course) - she really likes the stories he tells and how helpful he is in the classroom!

Autumn craft

We did a neat autumn-themed craft - we made our own leaves with crayons and wax paper! First, we spread out little crayon shavings (lovingly prepared by Mommy the night before) over wax paper - some of us kept the colors neat and tidy -

 

while someone else scrambled up her colors:

 
After the crayon shavings were in place, we covered up the colors with another sheet of wax paper and then Mommy (and ONLY Mommy) used an iron to melt the colors:

While Mommy ironed, Sean took control of the camera for a few snaps:

 

After a couple of minutes with the iron, we got our finished product!

They look a lot better when the sunlight streams through them - like stained-glass leaves!

By air and by sea

A highlight of our day in Cape May was visiting the Cape May aviation museum. 

The first plan we checked out was a Grumman F-14 Tomcat:

When we got inside the hangar, we ran right up the real air traffic control tower that used to be at Atlantic City's Bader Field.  After the tower, the kids spotted this mini helicopter - it used to be a ride and Morey's Piers in Wildwood - the kids couldn't get enough of this thing!

We were able to pry them away from the helicopter long enough to sit in the cockpit of this fighter jet:

After  a quick tour of the 1940's exhibit room and the Coast Guard Exhibit room, we went outside to go inside a few more planes and helicopters:

After the airplane museum, it was time to hit the road to catch a ferryboat to Delaware!  We had to wait a bit for the next ferry, so Thom John took Sean mini-golfing and Clare played on the playground.  Before we knew it, it was time to get back in our cars so we could board the ferry!

Ah, nothing like sunset on the Delaware Bay :-)

After sunset, the kids started to wind down, so we went inside to get a little rest.  Soon it was time to get back in the car and disembark in Lewes, Delaware. Once back in the car, the kids fell asleep pretty quickly and when they woke up, we were in our Labor Day vacation spot - St. Michaels, Maryland!

Apple Picking!

It feels like we were just at the beach, but this weekend we took the kids out for a fun fall activity - apple picking! While Mommy got the tickets for the hayride, Daddy and the kids browsed around for pumpkins:

Striking a pose:

On the hayride out to the apple orchard: 

When we got to the apple orchard, we had three types of apples to pick from - red delicious, golden delicious, and empire.  We got some of each!

The kids were good at getting the apples on the lower branches...

And thankfully Uncle Peter was around to help the kids reach the tallest branches:

After we filled our bags - almost 15 pounds of apples - and got back on the hayride.  We stopped off at the pumpkin patch to pick a couple of pumpkins for the kids.

After picking our apples and pumpkins, we got back on the hayride so we could head home and enjoy our apples!

Lighthouses and War History

After our wild evening in Wildwood, we started out fresh the next morning for Cape May.  But first we took a quick trip up to North Wildwood to see the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse:

The lighthouse was built in 1874 and designed to look like a grand home in the hopes of building up the neighborhoods since the lighthouse was built in the middle of a fishing village. After touring the inside of the lighthouse and enjoying the views from the top...

we took a tour of the lighthouse's prize-winning gardens:

 

 

 

After our visit to North Wildwood - which used to be known as Anglesea - we drove down to Cape May.  We stopped to see the Cape May Lighthouse. The kids recognized it immediately for a lighthouse since it looks similar to Barnegat Light. 

We went to the nature center next to the lighthouse and learned about the plants and animals native to Cape May. Then we walked up to the beach to see this bunker built during World War II as part of the Harbor Defense Project of 1942.  When it was first built, the bunker was 900 feet inland and covered up with dirt and sod so it looked like a hill from far away.  Due to the natural erosion of the tip of Cape May, the bunker is now on the beach and thanks to continuous efforts to replenish the shoreline here, the bunker is no longer in danger of washing away!

The meadows near the lighthouse:

Checking the map:

Next we went to see what's left of the S.S. Atlantus, one of twelve concrete ships built during World War I.  This ship was used to bring American soldiers home from Europe and for transporting coal.  After being retired in 1920, the Atlantus was bought by a private company for the purpose of ferrying passengers between Cape May and Delaware.  Unfortunately, right before the ferry opened in 1926, a storm hit and the Atlantus broke free of her moorings, causing the ship to run aground at Sunset Beach on Cape May.  Here's what left of the wreckage:

And to finish out our little tour of Cape May's war history, we stopped to see the World War II Lookout Tower.  This tower was one of 15 stationed along the coasts of New Jersey and Delaware to help defend the Delaware Bay:

Sean thought the tower was neat, but Clare has a knack for picking up pebbles in her sandals, so she kept busy while Mommy and Daddy tried to get their dose of history!