My girl Chloe wanted to go to the beach today so we did. We drove to Point Pleasant beach which is about an hour and an half away and when we got there it was chilly. But that didn’t stop Ms. Chloe from running into the water! I guess she remembers her beach experience from last year. she LOVES water… except when I wash her hair and face. She still screams bloody murder every time.  

My boy Shane stayed close to me wrapped in a blanket for most of the time. We enjoyed the sun and the refreshing breeze sitting in the sand. He was watching his sister running around, collecting shells, throwing in the water, laughing and giggling with dad. 

What a b e a u t i f u l day.  We spent the day at the Battery park by the water and enjoyed the gorgeous weather. Chloe had her first popsicle!

I brought Shane to my work to show him off. Chloe visited me with Andrew here last year.

hanging with the ladies…

Shane’s room has been chosen as TOP KIDS’ ROOM at ohdeedoh.com. We were featured here yesterday but I just found out! I love the website and I get tons of inspirations from their site. Thank you for choosing my boy’s room!

After church, we decided to spend the afternoon in Sugar Loaf in upstate NY.

We had lunch at Barn Cider,

smelled flowers,

(I love the face Chloe makes when she’s smelling)

we then bought Chloe wings and she became a fairy,

and we found two rings that actually fit her fingers. 

We went back to the Ringwood state park and the Botanical garden to enjoy the gorgeous spring weather. We had a lot of fun as a family, enjoying a picnic on the open field where Chloe was able to run around freely and Shane was able to sprawl out on the beach blanket. 

All around us, Cherry trees were in full blossom and the botanical garden was situated at the basin of a mountain, filled with dinosaurs of all colors according to my daughter. 

Chloe at one point she grabbed Andrew’s hand and started leading him toward the mountain in search of pink dinosaurs. I mean come on, finding a dinosaur is impossible as it is, but a pink one?  That was the only downside for Chloe, no pink dinosaurs… yeah… 

I’d also like to thank everyone for their kind comments (online and offline) regarding Shane’s room!

Shane’s room is finally done! Every element in this room was designed and made by yours truly. My inspiration came from this amazing lamp shade by Tord Boontje. I LOVE and admire his brilliant installation art works. I have a couple more of his lamps and wall decor around the house which I purchased here. The decals are inspired by Olli & Lime. I drew my versions of them for the room but you can purchase the originals here. This room used to be our guest room with a queen size bed which I kept minus the box spring and the frame so kids and I can snug up in this area to read and play together. The theme of this room is Whimsical Fantasy Land. I wanted to create a fun, dreamy, amusing, flamboyant and virbrant room with a modern twist. I hope to build many more fun and precious memories with my kids here. This is for you Shane… 

and the drama starts here in the night time…

We spent a gorgeous (but very chilly) afternoon at botanical garden in Ringwood, NJ. It was huge. There were so many different areas to explore. We’re definitely going to come back here when the weather gets nicer. 

Chloe LOVES flowers. She spent a long time looking at every petal and smelling them. She asked me if we can plant flowers in our backyard. "Yes, of course!" …err, now I have to find time to garden too?? 

Chloe and Andrew had tons of fun chasing each other around. First him chasing her and saying "I’m gonna getcha", then Chloe chasing him around the green lawn with her arms stretched out yelling, "Daddy, I’m gonna getcha!"

Whenever I get a chance, I have been decorating my kid’s room. Here, in Chloe’s room, I cut up some pretty papers and made tree leaves. Chloe loved it! She hugged and kissed the tree with excitement. Then she gave me a hug thanking me!  

Shane’s room is almost done. Just some new blinds and it’s ready for a reveal. Stay tuned!