Beach or Bust!

 Kate has been asking to dip her toes in the ocean the moment she spotted water on the way down to OBX.  All she wanted was to go to the beach.  Unfortunately, she was fighting a cold yesterday, and although the water was very warm, the air was chilly.  So we though it best not to plan a beach day just yet.  However, she wore us down late afternoon, and we agreed to let he go walk on the beach and dip her toes in the ocean.  No swimming today though...

 Well the no swimming rule lasted only long enough for a wave to knock Kate over, and once wet, why not swim, right?  At least that's what she and Josh thought.

 And once wet, what better to do than throw yourself in the sand to make a sand angel. 

Papa Dan spent his time flying a kite, and Grandma Ann was excited to see the Atlantic Ocean.  She got her toes in the warm water too!

Off to the Outer Banks

We are taking our beach vacation a little late this year; however, there is something wonderful about the ocean in the autumn. Josh managed to work a business deal so that we got a week's stay at a family's home in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. The house overlooks the sound and is in a nice quiet neighborhood with beautiful walking paths and quick access to the beach.

Yesterday, Josh, Kate, Shayla, Auntie Shawna and Cousin Gabriella all went for a swim in the ocean, while mommy stayed homed and enjoyed a wonderful nap. Kate has loved flying kites with Daddy (Daddy bought her a small turtle kite just her size), finding shells, walking to the pier and playing with her cousin! She also enjoys chilling on the balconies and admiring the view.

Our niece, Gabriella, loves horses! So today Uncle Josh took Bri and her mom, Shawna, off on a wild horse adventure! The northern part of the barrier islands is a horse/wildlife sanctuary. There are Spanish mustangs that have roamed these parts of the beach for ages. A tour guide took the three of them in a jeep deep into the dunes and restricted access areas of beach in search for horses (and possibly some boars too!). It was a two hour ride through sand, dunes, and very cold winds. Katie would probably have loved the adventure, but pregnant Mommy and little Kate decided to wait the adventure out this year and plan on doing it another year down the road!

View from the jeep

State law requires humans keep a distance of 50 feet away from the horses. Must be tough to adhere to this law when you walk out your front door and find them munching on your grass!