these are the days

We thought Daniel was going to be overseas again this past week, so we had planned a fun week with the cousins, Nonna and Aunt 'Tine.  Mostly for the fun, but also for my sanity.  :)

Well, the trip got postponed (yay!), but they still came, and you can imagine Elli's excitement in the days prior to their coming.  She reminded us every morning to cut off a chain from her countdown, and since their flight got in around six in the evening, she was on pins and needles all day long that very last day!

 This girl could hardly stand the suspense while we waited for them to come.  She stood at the bottom of the driveway, and every car that drove by, she said, "Is that Daddy's car?" 

Day 1
Every great vacation begins in a bouncy castle, right?

Oh the joy! Oh the goofiness! Oh the static electricity!

These two are such good buds.

We snuggled, and played, and practiced looking absolutely adorable... not that they needed any.

In the evening we walked to a sweet little Italian restaurant for some dinner.

Here's the best picture I got of all four of them together. Precious kiddos.

Day 2
We visited the pumpkin patch our second day, and I'll save all those pictures (there are a lot!) for another post.

Day 3
  We walked to Elli's beloved "blue park" and enjoyed a picnic lunch in the perfect fall weather.  Okay, and I might be a little biased, but we have two of the happiest little babies ever.  Brynn and Caroline were so easy to take wherever we went.

 In the evening, Daddy/Uncle Dan helped them paint the pumpkins they had brought home from the patch.  Despite their cheesy grins, Elli and Micah took this project very seriously.  They were absolutely silent as they focused on their painting project.

 We were so sad to say goodbye (Elli cried heartbreaking tears as they backed out of the driveway), but we are even more excited to see them all again (plus everyone else we were missing) at Thanksgiving!