Sunday, July 11, 2010

We Love the Beach!

Our grandchildren light up our life!
We thank God for the gift of time together with the family at the beach. (John wasn't there, since he is studying in Italy.)
Catherine and Tom celebrate their 7th wedding anniversary on July 26; lots of love and hard work!
Jen and Matthew have packed a lot into their almost four years of wedded bliss!
Carolyn and Luis are going strong in their eighth year of marriage, and are a great team!
Greg and Ali will enter the wonderful sacrament of marriage on Sept 3. We thank God for them and look forward to many blessings!


Our friend Jackie kindly snapped some family photos.



The members of the "I married a Pierce" Club!











Happy 5th Birthday to Gabe- time flies!






We enjoyed the opportunities for nature study! Luis handled this live horseshoe crab carefully, and deposited him back in the ocean after the kids had a chance to inspect him. We also spotted dolphins several times.





John Paul liked the sand crabs, as well as every toad he could catch in the yard.

Right outside our backyard and before the dunes was our own personal "sandbox".

Our niece Mary Kate came to the beach with us. She was fun to ride the waves with, helped with the children, and took some great photos, including sunrise and sunset shots.



It's so much fun to enjoy the boardwalk rides with your cousins!


We rode bikes on the boardwalk one morning- the surrey is more work than it looks.
It was time for games once the kids were in bed.





We had some volleyball games in the yard and on the beach; we ranged in talent and skill. Ali was a great sport and provided helpful tips and encouragement!



Tom took his responsibilities to his volleyball teammates seriously!

Luis brought a kite and once he had it flying , let the kids have turns. Lydia concentrated on guiding the kite safely.
Some girl time was needed every now and then.


Frederick handed off the kite to John Paul.







This dead horseshoe crab washed up to shore, so we got very close and looked him over.

Enjoying Uncle Bill's pancakes!

Gemma was practicing for her driver's license.




The breeze in your face as you ride the carousel is one of life's pleasures! Watching your young child on an amusement ride is another!


Flume rides are great, especially on a hot summer day!




Grandad's favorite excursion was always a trip to A La Mode.
Alexandra enjoyed her first ice cream cone immensely.

We thanked God for the time to relax together!