Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from our clan to yours!

Tatum's 5th Birthday Celebration

After a whirlwind, but great, trip to Rome we returned home just in time to begin the celebration of Tatum's 5th Birthday!  How she is already 5 we do not know?!  We began the Birthday celebrating with a party for Tatum and her friends at Divertilandia, a local indoor-gym type place where the kids played and worked up a big sweat while the adults chatted and had some beverages. 

The requested "Princess Castle Cake"

After her Birthday party, Tatum had a small celebration at school followed by cake and ice cream at home on her actual Birthday, Wednesday.  Here's to hoping for a fabulous year to come - we love you Tatum!

Dressing up with Kelsey and Alyssa who came over for cake

Columbus Day in Rome

What seemed like far in the future came and went in the blink of an eye: our trip to Rome with Grandma Liz.  We enjoyed a fast-paced and fun-filled 96-hours in the "Eternal City" touring all the top sights, enjoying some great food and wine, and sneaking in quality family time with Grandma.  We arrived on Friday afternoon and quickly hit the ground running until we said our goodbyes and boarded the plane home on Monday.  Our hotel, Hotel Alimandi Vaticano (http://www.alimandivaticanohotel.com/), was located directly across the street from the entrance to the Vatican museums which made our 0800 am meet-up for our Saturday morning Vatican tour just perfect.  Overall it was a great trip and we thoroughly enjoyed our time in Rome; being able to see so much history through our own eyes is an amazing opportunity.

Inside the Vatican

One of Raphael's Rooms in the Vatican

Michelangelo's "The Last Judgement" in the Sistine Chapel

St. Peter's Square

The Pieta by Michelangelo

Inside St. Peter's Basilica

Tartufo - a chocolate ice cream truffle with a cherry and whipped cream - yum!

A mullet that Mike needed to get a picture of (oddly enough, we saw this man 3 more times over the next 2 days!)

Inside the Pantheon

Exterior of the Pantheon

Enjoying the Roman Colosseum

Sibling love at its best!

The Roman Forum

The only original remaining door

The Trevi Fountain

The WAY TOO CROWDED Spanish Steps

9 months and counting...

Our sweet MJ is 9 months old today - it is hard to believe how quickly time is flying!  We love her more and more each day.

Tatum rides a two-wheeler

What else can we say other than "way to go Tatum!"  We are so proud of her and this new accomplishment.  She has been practicing on Owen's balance bike (which he will not get on) for the past week and it seems to have paid off.