Hot Dog Johnny's

My Dad came to see us this past weekend. His family lived north of us in north-west, New Jersey. We drove up to see the small town he lived in as a boy. We saw a farm he lived on and the grocery store my grandpa and great grandpa worked in. It was really amazing to see history in person.

On our way up we went to famous Hot Dog Johnny's. Here you can find deep fried hot dogs and birch beer. Delicious!

poor little bunny

Today was very exciting at first, but turned sad in the end. Our wild, little bunny was on our back step and close enough to try to get non-blurry pictures! I was so happy to see him near the house. Mid-morning I took the girls out to play and wanted to show Natalie the bunny's "house". He usually eats in a corner of the yard and seems to stay in the bushes. But, as I walked towards the house I saw bunny lying in the grass. He was alive, but not doing well. I put him in a box and wrapped him with towels. (carefully, for his sake and mine! no actual contact) Bunny didn't make it. I don't know what happened. He had a large lump on his neck. Maybe a tick? Maybe something else. Poor bunny. We are sad to see him go.

A busy couple of weeks!

Here is our back yard and the girls are LOVING it!

We have now lived in our new house for two weeks. The first week was a bit like camping since our furniture was not yet here. We bought a sofa bed which will be great for guests! And friends offered beds and blankets for the girls. We used the time without furniture to paint our kitchen yellow and Natalie’s bedroom pink. Both needed a face lift since the original color of both rooms was gray.

Now our furniture is here and I have really enjoyed decorating and cleaning up our home. It has been a lot of work, but the house is looking lived in and comfortable. The yard is the next big area to tackle! I think next spring will really be the time to plant flowers and a vegetable garden. It is warm here and with the humidity it is not the best gardening weather.

It is so pretty here and we love our new home. There are deer and bunnies and lots of birds and of course fireflies! We eat meals in the sunroom and can watch the animals hang out in the back yard. It is warm and green and sunny most of the time. Rain cools us off and is welcome when it comes.

The girls and I have been to two different play groups now and really enjoy meeting new people. We spent the fourth of July with a friend of Fred’s from engineering school and his girl friend. We also went to his company’s picnic on Natalie’s birthday which was really fun! We are also surrounded by really friendly neighbors and have received flowers and baked goods. Everyone here is kind and welcoming. I look forward to returning the favor and having guests over.

It is hard to get used to the humidity and some days it feels like the unpacking and settling in takes a long time. But, then the next day arrives and we meet someone new and discover a new place. It makes living here really exciting.

My dad visits us the 25^th of July for a weekend tour of New Jersey (since Howells are from here and there are Howell things everywhere and relatives I still need to meet) and my mom flies in the 27^th! They kick off the first round of visitors! Anyone else who wants to visit is welcome!

I hope your summers are all great. We miss you and think of you all. I will send pictures once we have internet at the house.