grandma patti

what a week! acutally, what a last couple of weeks! first...uncle deej and andrea came to visit for a week...grandma and grandpa arrived the following week and we headed to lake tahoe....we said goodbye to our dearest andy as he left for the air force...we also said bye-bye to grandpa as he headed back to omaha...but we said hello to grandma patti because she was here to stay for one more week! we had such a wonderful time having grandma all to ourselves. kyri loved every waking moment with her! we did lots of shopping...my mom came up for the day and we did more shopping...we watched a few good movies...kev and i went on a date and got to see the dark knight which was A-mazing!...we went swimming...and we did lots and lots of painting, coloring, and playing. i loved having patti here and having someone else to cook for. i made really yummy blueberry cobbler that i can't wait to make again! grandma patti is always such a joy to be around and she was a tremendous help with kyri. what a relaxing week in the hornacek household!

every morning kyri would come into grandma's room and wake her up. she was gracious enough to get up with her and let me sleep in. sweeeeet! probably the funniest memory of when grandma was here...kyri went to wake her up, laid down next to her and said, "yucky! smells like spider poop!" grandma apparently had some nice morning breath and my oh so honest two year old brought that to her attention. spider poop...not sure where that one came from, but its kyri's newest way of describing something that in her mind is well, yucky. i'm pretty sure every five minutes grandma was here, kyri said, "grandma, let's color!" poor patti. i'm sure she was getting sick of coloring by the seven millionth time, but it was precious time with her one and only granddaughter.

on tuesday, we had to take grandma to the dreadful airport. when we were telling kyri that grandma was back to omaha to see grandpa, she said..."no grandma, you stay here with me." knife in the heart! it was really hard to say goodbye this time...what am i saying? its hard every time! its a good thing toddlers don't have the concept of time because i'm sure this week would have been a nightmare after all of our beloved family had come and gone. when i ask kyri, "where's grandma?" she says, "grandma's at the air force." too many goodbyes for my sweet girl. all people so dear to her little heart. grandma and grandpa...even though we are far apart, we are so thankful to have you in our lives. thanks for always coming to see us. we just love making hornacek family memories with you! next time...we're coming to omaha to see you!

saying goodbye to our brother andy...

this is a very sad time for the hornacek family...we are saying goodbye to our brother andy tomorrow, as he leaves for the untited states air force. we had a goodbye party for him on saturday at the unfried's. all of his close family and friends in lincoln were there, including his parents. we had a potluck b.b.q. and i made chocolate cupcakes, which were made with dr. pepper (his favorite!) and were topped with oreo cookies (his other favorite!). they turned out super cute and super yummy! we also had lots of dr. pepper to drink...of course! i put a book together for andy, filled with notes of encouragement from all of his close family and friends. he couldn't read it when i gave it to him...it was just too difficult. we had a great night of fellowship before we say our goodbyes.






this morning at church, they had us come up on stage and we all watched a video of andy sharing his journey from moving to lincoln, being a part of the emmaus community, and now moving on to the air force. as a community, we prayed over our dear brother... trusting that our God will protect and watch over him. it was a very emotional time for all of us. i still can't believe he is leaving. he will be heading to boot camp for 6 weeks, in texas, and then training for another nine weeks. he will be back in november for a couple of weeks before he is stationed. the unknowns are scarey and the reality of him being so far away, hasn't really sunk in. i miss him already. the hardest part will be seeing how much kyri misses her "uncle anny". they have created such a close bond and even though she is only two, i know her heart will be sad when he is gone. we love you, brother andy. we are so proud of you. be safe and come back to us soon.

beautiful lake tahoe.

what a beautiful place to vacation...lake tahoe! we just got back from taking kevin's parents, dennis and patti, to lake tahoe for two days. andy went with us too and it was such a wonderful trip! sand harbor beach was our first stop and it was pretty crowded...when we saw the beach, we knew why! it was absolutely breathtaking. the water was crystal clear and we just couldn't get over the majestic surroundings. kyri was in the water right after we finished our picnic lunch and didn't want to get out. she had her shovels, her bucket, and the sandy beach...she was set. the water was chilly, but it felt so good wading in the sun. it was so great having grandma, grandpa, and uncle andy there with us. we could have stayed there all day, but 4 hours in the sun was long enough...let's go see our cabin!







after enjoying our afternoon at the beach, we headed to our cabin at tahoe vista lodge and cabins. it was was so adorable! we were actually upgraded to the biggest cabin that they had, at no extra charge. there were two bedrooms, kitchen, living room, bathroom...and an incredible view of the lake. there was more than enough room for all of us. i wish we could have stayed longer than one night! right before we left for dinner, kyri bonked her lip and received yet another lip injury. what is this madness? we went to a recommended local burger joint, char pit, for dinner and their burgers hit the spot. we stopped and bought must-needed ice-cream on our way home. ice-cream cones + being outside in the mountain fresh air = a great way to end the night...oh, and watching so you think you can dance!



we started our second day with breakfast, provided by tahoe vista, which was home-made waffles and muffins. so yummy! right before we checked out of our hotel, kyri was finally able to go poo-poo (she had to go almost the whole time we were there). i was never so happy for my daughter to go poo-poo in the potty! poor baby. our destination for that afternoon was the farmer's market at commons beach. that was the happenin' place and it was right on the lake. gorgeous! we bought some delicious fresh produce and let kyri play at the park. lots of kids...kyri was a happy girl. we grabbed a bite to eat and we were on our way to squaw valley. i knew everyone would be enjoy seeing where the eighth winter olympics were held...it is so beautiful there! we wanted to go up the gondola, but it was too expensive. the mountains, even without snow, are just an amazing sight to see. we just walked around, looked at the shops, and then got ben & jerry's. it was finally time to say goodbye to beautiful lake tahoe. what a relaxing trip with our family. this will be a new tradition with grandma and grandpa for every summer to come!

deeeeej!

kev's brother deej was just here for a week, with his girl andrea, and we just loved having them here! they came out so deej could spend time with andy, who is leaving for the air force next week, and so we could meet andrea. kyri was so happy to see her uncle d.j.! she made him play with her the entire time that he was at our house. it was very nice to meet andrea, who is super adorable and sweet, and to get to know a little more about her. who knows, maybe someday she will officially be a part of the oh-so fabulous hornacek family! (it was so neat to hear that she loves to read my blog...hi andrea!) kevin's parents just got here yesterday so we have lots of family around, which is just wonderful. kryi is in heaven now and really could care less about mom and dad. we all went to breakfast at awful annies before andrea and d.j. had to catch their plane. kev couldn't make it, but it was a great way to end their time here. it is always a treat to have you here, deej...we miss you already!

silly saturday

kyri "playing" guitar hero with her uncle andy. she was totally rockin' out...it was so cute to watch! the strap has to be on just right when she plays her princess guitar and she knows just where to put her fingers. she is such a rock star!

red, white, and blue.

what a wonderful fourth of july! we had such a special day as a family. we went to the parade in downtown lincoln and it was super cute! kyri loved waiving her two flags and saying "hi" to the horsies. she was too adorable in red, white, and blue...especially her red-painted toenails! after the parade, we picked up uncle andy and went out to lunch. kyri went pee-pee in the potty in her first public place! i was so proud of my big girl. it is so nice to not worry about diapers anymore. every time she went potty yesterday, she was so excited and had to show everyone! uncle andy came over after lunch and we played mario cart on the wii. for dinner, we had grilled hot dogs, baked beans, and berry fruit salad. for dessert, i made home-made ice-cream sandwiches...which were delicious! i'm pretty sure kyri loved every single bite of hers. we ended our delightful day with the lincoln fireworks. they are amazing every year! kyri was scared when they started and just wanted her daddy. by the end, we were all sad they were over. this fourth of july really was...just perfect.

4th of july shakers

craft day today! kyri and i made shakers for the 4th of july. a big "daddy" blue one and a little "baby" red one. they turned out super cute and kyri was having so much fun, shaking and waving them in the air. the silver streamers make a fun crinkly noise too. i will be sure and bring them to the 4th of july parade on friday!