Roots and Wings

Being a home school mom means I'm wearing more than one hat in a day.  Usually I'm wearing several hats at any given moment as I tend to the needs of my family, my home, my students, and myself.  Many people will say I'm crazy or that I'm a superwoman of sorts.  I assure you, I am neither--especially the superwoman.  OK, sometimes I think I may be a bit nuts for juggling all of these hats, but let's be real, if I didn't "work" at home, I'd be working somewhere else, so truly, my best benefit is to juggle the hats here and get the most out of the whole deal.  So I do.  And my end goal in educating my kids, both in school and in life itself, is to work myself out of a job.  That's not to say that my kids will reach a point where they will no longer need me as a mother, but that they will be intelligent and independent enough to create lives of their own that I do not need to orchestrate for them.  In this regard, graduation from high school is the first real jumping off point towards this goal.  Jozsef recently jumped.

I just wanted to note that the balloons we used for the decoration of the house and yard were from the same exact balloon lot that was used to decorate for my brother's high school graduation in 1996.  My parents were on the graduation event team for Daniel and my mom ended up with all of the left over decorations at her house.  We've been using them over the years, and these balloons found themselves at this celebration.  :-) 

It was a thrilling and busy day and the excitement buzzed as we set up our backyard in preparation for the ceremony and our guests.  The morning was hot and heavily humid but the rain that had threatened was no where in sight so we were content.

The guests filed in and Nikolas (who acted as our AV guy) cued the music to set the tone.

Nikolas was in charge of video taping the ceremony as well as using cool tech to give a live feed to Christi who couldn't make it in from Vegas 

Jozsef donned his cap and gown and once everyone was seated and as comfortable as possible, commencement began.

John opened the ceremony with a patriotic song and prayer.  The birds sang, the butterflies flitted, and the cicadas added to the general jungle feel (seriously y'all it was humid! and we truly do have a National Geographic vibe going on in our backyard.  Even a squirrel visited during the ceremony and I was surprised at how boldly close he came to me on the deck.). 

After the opening, John, as the School Principal, gave his speech highlighting the successes and failures of Abraham Lincoln and how his striving should remind us to always seek the good in life.

I really wanted to post video of the ceremony, but sadly, I could not get the formats to be compatible  :-( 

When he was done with his address, I gave my speech as the School Administrator and Jozsef's personal teacher.  I highlighted Jozsef's dedication to perseverance in learning and I charged him with moving forward in seeking and fulfilling the ministry God has placed in his heart and in his life.

Jozsef took the stage after me to give his own graduation speech.  He did a terrific job relating the story of  Peter and the Golden Thread and how that story sums up where he's been in the last year or so of his own life knowing that his childhood was coming to a close.  Jozsef charged everyone to cherish every moment. 

When he was done speaking, Jozsef was presented with his diploma and applause filled the air.

This is us.  All of us.  The last time we were all in a picture together it was at Daniel and Carrie's wedding.  So thankful for tripods and camera timers so that we could take advantage of being in the same place at the same time and being able to capture a moment.

Grandma and Grandpa McMahon with Jozsef

Grandma and Grandpa McMahon with the Bartoks

Jozsef with Uncle Daniel and his family 

All of the grandkids (Bartok McMahon).  I love that Jozsef is holding Easton--it's the perfect placement for bookend grandkids.  

We spent the rest of the day and much of the evening celebrating with good food, time together, stories, gifts, and games.  Though there were people that Jozsef had wished could be there (the move really impacted his senior year), Jozsef was (as were the rest of us) thrilled to have so many family members willing to travel so far to be present for his day.  It was truly special, and memorable, and we're all about making good memories.

The kids enjoyed playing games, like cribbage, with Grandpa and Grandma

Daniel "took one for the team" and napped with Easton.  I think everyone took a picture of this precious moment.  :-) 

The table was a buzz with rotating people and conversations

This cousin trio, they have a relationship unlike the rest since they spent more time together at a young age than any of the others were given.  It's kinda special.

So here's to Jozsef--our first Learning for Life graduate.  Our guinea pig of sorts.  :-)  We are overjoyed to have traveled this far with you Son, and we look forward to all that is to come.  Congratulations!  We love our Graduate!  :-)

Birthday Bash

Every now and then, you have a few milestones that just pile up one upon the other which culminates in a bit of chaos and a bunch of celebrating.  We just had such a weekend.  Jozsef turned 18 and then he graduated.  And because he graduated, the family felt moved to travel the country to be with us to celebrate.  And since the family came from the other coast, we decided to use all of the limited time we had to pack in all that we possibly could which included celebrations.  So this is the first post of our packed weekend.  It was crazy busy, but well worth the effort since visitation is much harder now that we've added thousands of miles between us.

My parents, as well as my brother and his family, arrived in our area on a Thursday evening.  We had originally thought we'd meet up for dinner that first night, but quickly realized what a pipe dream that was in the face of the reality of eight people of varying ages and abilities traveling across time zones and having to utilize the world's largest airport.  We settled for them getting their affairs in order and a meeting time the next morning when we'd all be rested up and ready to roll out the weekend.

Friday morning, after a decent breakfast, and a bit of traffic, we welcomed each other at the open of the bowling alley for a birthday bash. After rounds of hugs and some settling into our lane at the alley, we dove right into two games of pin knocking fun sprinkled with a little wager--if you got a spare or a strike Grandpa had a small cash prize for you, and if you had the high score for the game, you got an additional cash kicker. The kids were stoked and the competition flags went up.  There was plenty of chatter and cheering while bowling balls went hurtling down the lanes.  By the time we were done, everyone was ready for lunch so we packed up and went down the road for a relaxing refueling session at Buffalo's Cafe. 

Connor was ready to roll

All the kids loved the chance to talk with Uncle :-) 

Carrie balanced baby care with family time #mompower

We caught a moment right before the family arrived

Hannah loved spending time with Grandpa

John prep the lane for bowling fun

Grandpa introduced Easton to John.  It is what Carrie calls "The Easton Show".  It's what happens when you're the center of much attention as the youngest member of the family :-) 

Ashlyn introduced Easton to Hannah

Kylee let me take a picture of her and John :-) 

Nikolas and Uncle grab some talk time

Nikolas prepared the lanes for competition

With our energy renewed we returned to the bowling alley for round two of the birthday bash.  Both Jozsef and Ashlyn (our birthday celebrants) really wanted to play laser tag so we rounded up the crew, strapped on the gear, and headed into the glow-in-the dark battlefield for laser charged fun.   It turns out, Kylee and Nikolas had the best shot accuracy.  Laser tag was truly a blast but all of the giggles and running were a bit tiring, and hot.  So, those who played laser tag (which was everyone from Riley on up) joined in the arcade fun where everyone else was after two rounds of blasting each other. 

Stretch before the big game :-) 

Connor was laser ready

Equipment checks

Elise and Jozsef were geared up 

Kylee demonstrated gun use

Sonja was excited to play

Opposing team players but both winners

The arcade was small, but packed with some great games.  Riley could barely contain himself when it came to the Jurassic Park game.  It was just at intense for him to play it as it was to watch it.  :-)  The other arcade winner was a game called Typhoon where you sat in a roller coaster seat and chose one of six different ride experiences like race cars, jets, and mining cars.  The added benefit to Typhoon was the wind jets that were there for ride effect, but were great for both riders and spectators to cool off a bit.  :-) 

The littles enjoyed playing games with Grandpa

This was the infamous Typhoon.  See uncle enjoying the wind? :-) 

Grandpa discovered Typhoon when he tried it out with Hannah

Brothers in law

The thrilling Jurassic Park game

Silliness

John promised to make Riley's day by playing Jurassic Park with him

Riley was beyond excited

Uncle loved a good chat with a kid--especially the littles

Riley and Uncle took the Typhoon challenge

Sonja rode Typhoon with Kylee while Grandma watched and laughed at their reactions

Carrie and Easton joined the girls in Skee Ball 

Hannah got Grandpa into the photo booth <3 td="">

They had so much fun! 

Before leaving the bowling alley, Nikolas was sure to spend some time at the billiards tables with Grandpa and Uncle.  The rest of us visited while they played.  Once all of the eight balls were sunk, we packed up and headed to our house for birthday cake. 

Nikolas picked up some billiards tips

Jozsef and Ashlyn were treated to cupcakes with candles, singing, and gifts, and we all had a good time catching up while relaxing at the house. 

Jozsef celebrated his 18th birthday while Ashlyn celebrated her 17th

We ordered Chinese take out for dinner so that we could continue to spend more time together and less time at tasks. 

Each of the children were excited to meet and to hold the youngest cousin.  Thankfully, both Carrie and Easton were happy to oblige.  

Here you have the oldest and youngest grandchildren 

Sonja enjoyed tickling Easton with Carrie's guidance 

The kids enjoyed dinner on the deck 

This is a hilarious comparison.  On top you have a photo of my family when I was about 13 and Daniel was about 10.  On bottom we have a photo where Connor looks almost exactly like Daniel at the same age.  Who even needed Photoshop?  Connor is a mini-Daniel.  :-) 

Before you know it, the night had grown long and it was time to close up for the evening.  There was much to do before Saturday's graduation ceremony.  :-)