Apples, Adirondacks, Army football, and MISSY!

This morning, Finley found a picture of my parents on a bookshelf and walked around the house hugging it and asking for "Ata" until I finally gave in and called and woke up Dad in Arkansas so she could tell him good morning. Sometimes when she doesn't want to go to bed at night, we hear her appealing to "Gammaw" over the baby monitor. And she wants to say hi to Missy and the fish on her family gallery wall all the time now.

We've been so lucky to get to see our families as often as we have this fall, but before we had kids an empty guestroom was a much less heartbreaking proposition. It didn't make it any easier that Missy's visit was practically perfect in every way. (And so jam packed with fun that for the first time in ages, I missed a blog week. Pretty sure I didn't even do that when the kids were born!)

From one early morning race to JFK (and back in time to beat game day traffic) to a much less jubilant one a week-plus later, we enjoyed every second. True to Walters family vacation style, it was short on sleep and long on hiking, views, and "weather be damned" adventures. There was apple picking and cabin porch wine and pumpkin carving and pass the pigs. Missy made pilgrimages to our old house and the Bear Mountain Zoo, caught her first Army football game (a blowout), taught Finley to say "spooky" (which is hilarious), had a date day with each kid, found the truly amazing Wild Center, learned to use a baby bjorn, and handled toddler meltdowns with panache. We discovered- and fell in love with- the Adirondacks in the rain, and missed the rest of our siblings madly.

The trip to the Adirondacks was my first real vacation in as long as I can remember, and- not that we didn't miss Seth, who had work and another Army football game on his plate- Missy was just one of the gang, wrestling with car seats and carrying kids up mountains and speaking in whispers so Finley would fall asleep in our one room mountain cabin. I was and remain grateful. Vacationing with kids is a totally different proposition, and- although manageable- takes some getting used to. Unless you're Missy, for whom it was seamless.

I'm so glad the Walters kids are all living their dreams, but hate how far away from each other it's taken us, and am reminded that any time we get to see each other is a huge treat. (Mountain cabins and fall leaves are just bonus.) Thanks, Miss, for making the long trip.

Photos never do it justice, but we always give it the ol' college try anyway, and there are a bunch here. 

And now as fall winds down (it's been spectacular!) and we settle in for a cold and windy winter on top of Stony Lonesome, we've started the countdown to the next round of family get-togethers. Until then, sorry in advance to anyone Finley calls at odd hours. You're all missed (and she's figuring out the phone at an alarming rate.)