Grandparents and Grandchildren at OBX

The previous posts about Hurricane Arthur may have painted a negative picture of the family vacation, but the first few days the kids were there were absolutely beautiful. (Gift #646)

The sheer delight on the faces of these children will warm the coldest heart.  (Gift #647) I love to watch childhood (and Grandpa's) bliss in action.

I asked my MIL to line the kids up in the same order they were when we took a picture of them all at the beach 6 years ago and take an updated photo.  I was so pleased with the result, and though it was completely unplanned, I find it fascinating that each grandchild is looking in the same direction in the 2014 photo as they were in the 2008 pic.

The family got to hike up the Hatteras Lighthouse.  Ever since I wrote a lengthy history report about the coastal lighthouses in elementary school, I have dreamed of visiting them.  My kids got to realize that wish before I did.  Hatteras Island is America's tallest lighthouse at 198 feet, and they climbed all the way to the top!

Alas, all good things must come to an end.  We would never appreciate our sunny days if we did not have stormy days as our comparison, so in that sense storms are also a gift. (Gift #648)   By the middle of the week, the storm clouds rolled in close to the shore.