Pre-Holiday Road Trip

 Because the suitcase hasn't seen enough action this year, the kids and I headed north to visit with friends in Connecticut. It's always good to go back home and spend time with so many who I miss all the time. 200 miles feels like 1,000 sometimes.
First stop: The Romaniellos.

Kacy and Ava were a good match.

And Miss Liv showed us her princess accessories.

Saturday morning, the road trip continued to visit with our friends the Maduris and their newest addition, Michaela. Kacy the baby whisperer was happy to be put to work.

Continuing on our way, we rendezvoused with a lot of mom's high school girlfriends at the Porcos, who were very generous in letting us descend.

 The moms.....

And an attempt at a photo of the whole kid clan. Some were more cooperative than others, with the two-month-old Colonies twins being the most cooperative. Ironic.

Each one is better than the last. Oh well. We tried.

Kacy was not very impressed with the twins (Aubrey and Christopher) being so cooperative. All she wanted to do was hold them. No luck this visit.

Quinn was very happy to share a cupcake.

The tour Saturday ended in Westchester, at our friend Tia's. Instead of a baby, Kacy got to dote on Ella.

After a long day, Daniel was happy to take a soak.

Followed by some Ella smooches.

It was a great visit with great friends....back home and gearing up for Turkey Day. Ready for food, family and fun. Bring it on! So much to be thankful for....

Happy Birthday, Kacy

And then Kacy turned nine....

This seems like yesterday. Instead of nine years ago.

She's still our sunshine--sweet, sassy and smart.

She celebrated with cupcakes at school, burgers at Abbey Burger Bistro (her choice), and completed the day with her first-ever flower delivery (courtesy of her Aunt Mary).

So now we head towards double digits. I'd love to freeze time but she's also so much fun to watch grown and mature. Here's to the next chapter...

A Very Zombie Halloween

The house was properly decorated (as scary as possible, per the kids and Dave) and ready for Halloween festivities this year.

The pumpkins were carved...

 There was even a Pinterest-worthy entry to the block party.

Our zombie/ninja. You know, anything with a sword will do.

And then there was our zombie tae kwon do girl. (Makeup and costume credit goes totally to Dad).

We crashed our friends' neighborhood block party, where our second (not-quite-as-Pinterest-worthy) offering, a graveyard cake, graced the dessert table.

Halloween should always be on Saturdays. Someone should do something about this.

Road Trip, Fall Foliage, Closing Out October...

We headed west.....really west....to the beautiful mountains of southwestern Virginia last weekend. We enjoyed a nice weekend at the Omni Homestead. They apologized that we had missed "peak" foliage. We were just fine with what was "leftover". 

Activites galore...starting with putt putt.

Swimming in the heated pool al fresco.

 Tea time.

 The kiddos went to camp and dad got to take mom clay shooting. She didn't do too bad for her first time. 

Heading back home with some Very Bad Kids. Not the actual kids. That's the French translation for Sour Patch Kids...a treat mom brought back from her overseas work trip.

And Then It Was October....

The heat's been turned on (and back off, for now). Boots are out and ready. Summer must be over.
But what a summer it was.
These Horne kids were two lucky tykes. The Outer Banks, Cancun, Indiana, Nashville, a week "camping out" on Grandma and Grandpa's boat, learning to wake board....some highlights. Not sure how 2016 can ever compare.

But back to September.

Actually, a little bit of August still to cover.
There's a new Horne in the brood. Cousin Emmitt was born on August 20, bringing Grandma and Grandpa's grandkid total to a whopping six.

Henry is just as interested in dinosaurs as his baby brother.

Labor Day weekend was good to us weather-wise. We continued our (new) hiking tradition and set out for Kilgore Falls. The kids had a blast swimming.

More Labor Day fun.

Grandma and mom took the kids up for some music and fun for one last "Good Life Thursday" at our favorite winery, Boordy.

And then last Saturday, we visited Hersheypark. Hurricane Joaquin was kind enough to stay off-shore, so that all we had to battle to enjoy a fun day was a bit of rain in the morning, then wind and chilly temps.

No problem. These warriors were ready.

Dad hadn't been on a roller coaster in almost 20 years (by his calculations). We made up for lost time, and enjoyed our first time on a roller coaster as a foursome.

Hanging with Peppermint Patty.

We met up with our Connecticut friends the Tomlins at the park. Marshall was quite the fan of both Daniel and Kacy.

So now we are caught up and speeding into Halloween and the holidays. Buckle up! Who knows who will end up where.