December Holiday Fun Ramp Up

 It was a fantastic Thanksgiving full of family, fun and food....Boots and Grandan even journeyed east for the festivities.

With Boots' help, we got the house good and ready for Christmas. It was (December) go time.

 December weekend 1: Two visits with Santa. The first courtesy of an overnight party at the Marriott Harbor East. Santa left cookies and a voicemail for the kiddos.

 And then our elf, Elvis, arrived with room service in the AM. *Minds blown*

 After some eggs and bacon it was time to give the big man the wish lists.

In an episode of when worlds collide....we celebrated our friend Dustin's 40th birthday in Washington, DC. Our friend Tomlin came down from Connecticut for the party, and our friend Vinnie who lives in DC also joined in.

 The warm December temps were a nice backdrop for BYC's annual holiday party for the kiddos.

All the Horne grandkids and their stockings, soon to be hung by Grandma's chimney with care.

 The unseasonably warm weather continued this past weekend. So we went to the beach to play for a bit.

 Daniel playing with blocks, cousin Emmitt working on tummy time.

 The older grandkids all put their personal touches on gingerbread houses.

So that's where we are at the nearly-halfway point of December. The fun train rolls along....

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.