Ready to go

Ready to go
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

It truly escapes me while i've waited this long to post this. But our sweet little punkin' Abigail started preschool last week. She goes 3 days a week to preschool, just up the road from our house. She loves it, of course. She was so excited to get a backpack and wear it to and from school. On most days Josiah and I walk to pick her up and it is so cute to watch her walking down the road with the little pack on. She is such a big girl! She's learning new things and meeting new friends. She is most excited about bringing home the sharing sack (for show and tell).

Beach beauty

Beach beauty
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

Sweet Abigail, a little wet from getting splashed by the last wave. Or that could be sweat, it was hot, but either way, she is so cute!

All in the waves

All in the waves
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

Everyone had a great time splashing in the water. Most days it was too rough for more than just the bravest to go in more than a few feet, but it was fun nonetheless.

Mommy and the kids

Mommy and the kids
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

The kids loved the water, more Josiah than Abigail, but she took to it by the end of the week. Here we are waiting for a wave to wash ashore so we can get all wet.

Mommy's shoes

Mommy's shoes
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

Josiah found the sand was pretty hot, Mommy's shoes work good for protection.

Daddy's shoes

Daddy's shoes
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

Abigail loved being buried, here she is burying her own feet in Daddy's shoes.

Diggin'

Diggin'
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

Abigail loved the sand, she could've just dug all day. Here she is filling up a truck.

That tickles Mommy

That tickles Mommy
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

Josiah getting his toes just a little wet.

At the aquarium

At the aquarium
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

Sorry for the delay in uploading vacation pics. We misplaced our USB cord while still on vacation. And once we found it were were almost home, and we've been so busy since we've gotten home. But I promise we'll get the rest on here soon. Here are some from the trip we took to the NC Aquarium on Wednesday of last week. It was a nice break, a little rainy, so we took a break from the beach and went. It was also nice because we are zoo members here in Pittsburgh, and could use our pass to get in free. The kids really enjoyed all the cool fish!

Checking out the turtle

Checking out the turtle
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

Josiah checking out the turtles up close, there were a lot.

Look at that big turtle

Look at that big turtle
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

Abigail really like the big sea turtles, she wanted you to make sure you knew where it was, so she pointed.

Kicking the fish

Kicking the fish
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

Josiah trying to kick the fish from his stroller, he's a funny boy.

Sea horse and shrimp

Sea horse and shrimp
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

This is a neat picture of a seahorse and a shrimp, he looked just like the one in the Nemo tank in the movie, the one that likes to clean.

OOOOO

OOOOO
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

Aquarium pictures are hard to capture but, I really like the green light in this one, and our little man just looking on.

Big shark

Big shark
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

By far the favorite of both kids, the HUGE sharks!

Yee Haw

Yee Haw
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

Abigail riding the big sea turtle outside the aquarium by the sound.

Ridin the turtle

Ridin the turtle
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

We finally convince Josiah to get on.

Daddy and Josiah

Daddy and Josiah
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

It's not every morning you can spend a sunrise on the beach with your kids. Josiah and I got to spend some time on the beach with no one around but Mommy. He loves the waves, the birds, and the sand!

On the pier

On the pier
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

After a wonderful dinner, Allison, the kids, and I decided to drive north to the pier and let the kids experience the ocean from out there. They liked it, but it got dark quick and we had to head back home.

From the pier

From the pier
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

Here's a look back at the beach from the pier.

Mitchell David Kline

Mitchell David Kline
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

Our niece's son, Mitchell, had such a wonderful time at the beach this morning. Here he is enjoying some play time in the sand and sun.

Mike

Mike
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

The waves today were really strong. Perhaps the strongest I (John) have ever ventured out into. Here is our brother-in-law Mike getting ready to go out into the surf. Moments later he was swept out to sea and we never saw him again. (Just kidding)

A whale spotting...

A whale spotting...
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

It's not very often that a trip to the Atlantic gives one an opportunity to go whale-spotting. Fortunate for us this year we brought our own.

I'm just kidding. This is Allison's niece Sonia. She's due in about a month.

Baywatch Josiah

Baywatch Josiah
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

Here's our little man taking a break from digging to China and looking up at Daddy.

Beautiful Beach Blonde

Beautiful Beach Blonde
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

Here's our beautiful girl on the beach.

What a mess we have made.

What a mess we have made.
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

Here is the mighty king himself looking over the mess made by all his cousins.

Sand Monster

Sand Monster
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

Abigail and her cousin Cynthia (who both look a lot alike) worked very hard to bury each other today on the beach.

Some help from Mommy

Some help from Mommy
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

In the midst of all of his business on the beach, Josiah gets some help from Mommy.

Sunrise

Sunrise
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

This morning I (John) woke up earlier than the sun, so I decided to sit out on the deck and grab a couple of shots. It was so nice to sit out on the deck and listen to nothing but the waves. It is fascinating to watch each wave crash in the same spot over and over.

It reminds me of the moment that God showed up in a whirlwind to speak with Job. In speaking of the ocean God says,

"And I placed boundaries on it
And set a bolt and doors,
And I said, ‘Thus far you shall come, but no farther;
And here shall your proud waves stop’?" - Job 38:10-11

Each wave can only approach and crash in the exact spot where He tells it to. That's pretty amazing. It was a good morning.

Look!

Look!
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

After being up for a while, Allison and Josiah joined me on the deck. Then we decided to walk down to the beach to watch the waves and the sunrise. When he saw the sun Josiah pointed and said "WOW!"

WHAT is that?

WHAT is that?
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

While we were looking at the ocean Josiah's attention was turned away from the sea and toward a bird. He loves birds. He is really intrigued by birds. So he gave chase.

The target

The target
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

This was the entertainment for the morning.

Sneaky...sneaky.

Sneaky...sneaky.
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

Josiah makes us laugh all the time. He has this way of "sneaking" up on people or things. He crouches down and says, "shhhh" as he walks. Here he is sneaking on the bird this morning. That bird has no idea the sleuth that is pursuing him.

Get that bird!

Get that bird!
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

Josiah says, "This bird is hard to catch!"

Get that bird!

Get that bird!
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

We eventually gave up and let the bird return to his morning hunt for breakfast. We think he was hunting for a Denny's.

Swimming

Swimming
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

Yesterday was a great day at the beach. But after a long hot day in the sun we decided to try out the pool at our house. Both Abigail and Josiah have never been much afraid of the water, so we all went right in. Here is Abigail enjoying some time with the pool noodles.

Swimming

Swimming
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

Here is Josiah enjoying some time in the frog. He had a lot of fun.

Daddy and Josiah

Daddy and Josiah
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

Josiah and I spent some good time just looking at the ocean. After watching Hurricane Hannah role through and seeing the immense ocean it gives you a shrinking feeling. It makes you realize how big God is and how small we are.

"Stronger than wild sea storms,
Mightier than sea-storm breakers,
Mighty GOD rules from High Heaven." - Psalm 93:4

Busy, busy, busy.

Busy, busy, busy.
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

Big waves and wind or not, Josiah loved his first time on the beach this year. I, John, took this shot as Josiah ran by me. He was running to show Mommy a shell he found. You can see the big waves in the background.

SAND!

SAND!
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

From the moment we hit the sand Josiah was a busy man. He found a seashell that was shaped like a scoop. He then proceeded to scoop up sand from high on the beach and go dump it into the ocean. Then he would repeat.

We think he was trying to fill the ocean back in. That would be something he would try.

Watching the waves.

Watching the waves.
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

Here is Allison heading down to test the waters. While a light cotton dress may have been a bad choice to wear on a windy day, she sure did look beautiful today. But eventually she wandered too close to the waves and got her dress a bit wet.

Beach bums.

Beach bums.
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

Abigail and Josiah have loved all of the fun things that Hurricane Hannah washed up on shore. The sea shells cover the sand. We have found orange, red, bright blue, and even purple shells.

Here they are running a new find back to their pile.

A WAVE! RUN!

A WAVE! RUN!
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

Josiah loves the ocean. Abigail is a little timid when it comes to the wind and water, but I suspect that if we let him go Josiah would run and jump right in to the waves. Here he is playing with the water. He would go to the edge and run way before the wave came, but he sure did like it. He did this about 20 times before moving on to another activity.

Beach Chairs!

Beach Chairs!
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

Abigail loves the big chairs out on the deck of our beach house. From the third floor deck we can sit and watch the waves crash and listen to the wind blow. This morning's passing of Hurricane Hannah made for some big waves and wind. The waves, which are usually about 3-4 feet were up to 22 feet last night!

Cheese and ham...

Cheese and ham...
Originally uploaded by TheReillys

As soon as the other members of Allison's family arrived Josiah turned on his charm. Here is a little picture of him playing the flirt with the ladies. He's so cute.