Charlie the Dog

Nick's cousins Henry and Katie have a new dog!  We decided to put a gift for Charlie in the box of presents we sent to the family. 

On Christmas morning we got a text message with a picture of Katie and Charlie.  She said he loved our present, a little doggie chew toy that looks a little bit like him!

Santa Sighting!

On Christmas Eve, mom went to the boardwalk. 

There was a Christmas Tree on the boardwalk, and a man sitting on a bench looking at the waves.  It looked like the man was wearing a Santa suit.

It was Santa!

He posed for this picture in front of the tree.

And he posed for this selfie!

And then he ran away, probably to deliver presents!

Christmas Cookies

Every year we still make holiday cookies after we have put up our tree.  Here are some pictures of Nick decorating his cookies.

The LEGO Tree

Nick does some quirky things, and one of them is he likes to put his LEGO big blocks on the branches of our Christmas Tree.  Each year he puts them on and mom takes them off after work. 

This year mom let Nick do all the decorating, and he is happy to have his blocks on the branches.  But then one day mom saw that Nick put the LEGO cover on the top of the tree!  Mom said, "No, no, that is coming down.  You can keep your colorful blocks, we will have to compromise!"

Hello Christmas Tree!

In December, we plan a day on the calendar to go to The Dees Nursery to get our Christmas Tree.  As the day Nick was excited.  He wrote mom this note:

We have been going to The Dees for our tree for many years.  Nick likes to wear his Santa hat as we walk through all the trees looking for our perfect match.

Nick was very happy when we made our choice.  He watched the men cut the bottom and wrap up the tree to put in our car.

Mom suggested we make dinner first and then do the decorating.  Nick could not wait, he used his scissors to cut the string so the branches would open.

We did the lights together and then mom let put on all the decorations.  He had a big smile on his face as he took out his ornaments and decorated the tree.

November Sunset

On Thanksgiving weekend, mom and Nick had a lot of time together and we took walks through Long Beach and on the boardwalk. 

One night we had a beautiful sunset and mom took these nice pictures.

Halloween Dance

This year, there was a beautiful orange moon rising when we took Nick to the Best Pals Halloween Dance at the High School.  Mom tried to get a good picture, Nick was very interested in the color of the moon that night. 

Then we went in for the party.  Nick saw his teacher and Kristin who he has not seen in a long time.  Mom tried to get a picture of Nick and Dante because they have known each other for a long time, but those boys just won't stand still for a picture!

Surfer's Healing

Every year, Nick goes with his school to the Surfer's Healing event in Lido Beach.

This year mom went to meet Nick at the event.  Unfortunately, Nick was scared of the birds and was hiding in a tent.  Lots of people from the school were trying to help Nick get over his fear.  At the end of the afternoon Nick's teachers helped him walk to the dunes and back to the buses.

Mom was disappointed that Nick would not surf because he has enjoyed that in the past.  Mom told Nick he has to work on his fear of birds so he can have fun at the beach again.

Nick loves his Surfer's Healing t-shirt collection.  He has been proudly wearing his new shirt every week since he got it in September.

Silly Summer Selfies

Mom and Nick spend time together shopping, cooking, and going for walks.  Here are some of our summer selfies, taken at home and on one of walks though the West End.

Our Beloved Tree

Our Tree in front of the house stands much higher than our roof.  We can see it from far away when we are in the car.

We planted this tree 18 years ago.  Here are some pictures through the years, including the day that we planted it when it was a tiny stick. 

We planted it with grammy, and she loves to come and visit and see how much the tree has changed!  It is a reminder to us of the passing years and a very happy memory that we like to share.

Chicken Fajitas

On Sundays, mom and Nick make chicken fajitas with ingredients we have in the house.  We have a very simple recipe that we would like to share.

These are some of the things we use that are always in the house.

And here is our recipe. 

Hope you like them too!

The Grandchild Tour (2018)

After Nick's birthday, grammy continued on with her grandchild tour.  These are some of her favorite pictures that she shared from her trip.

These are birthday pictures and some fun pictures of grammy and Nick's cousins and Aunties.

And here are pictures related to beaches, pools, and the lake.