Celebrating Dads

Carrie had this done for Daniel as a Father's Day gift and it's adorable

Our family weekend ended with a Father's Day celebration.  My family had rented a house instead of staying at a hotel so we visited them at "their place" for the day.  The house had a grill and a pool--everything we needed to enjoy our day.  We arrived early and left late trying to make the most of our last day together for who-only-knows how long.

We spent the hours visiting, playing board games, playing in the pool, and of course, eating. 

Cousins bond over board games

Daniel and Carrie gifted Jozsef an Ancestry package for his graduation so there was great conversation around the table about lineage and family stories.  Daniel and Jozsef spent some time on the computer updating the family tree while everyone was present (and my mom even got my Aunt Mari involved by text--technology is great) to secure information.  Nothing entertains like family history. 

Learning how to work on Ancestry

The pool was no doubt the center attraction of the day.  Thankfully the weather threatened storms but they did not come to pass and ruin the fun.  We get some crazy thunder and lightening storms out here and they are pretty frequent in the summer.  One neighbor told us we could expect a thunderstorm every afternoon in June.  He was right on the money for the most part.  We were happy the pattern was altered for graduation weekend. 

Floaties are fun!

There was activity everywhere and it was great

A ball in the pool is hours of fun

Big sister Kylee was a big help for a sleepy little brother

Bookend cousins/grandkids Jozsef and Easton capturing a moment similar to a photo we have of Uncle Daniel holding Jozsef as a baby

We topped off the day with recognition of Father's Day and the three dads we had present--my dad, my brother, and John.  We had gifts and expressions of love and appreciation for all of them as well as a yummy fruit tart and fireworks to cap off the night.  We are loving the freedom with fireworks here.  California was super restrictive and we used to love visiting Oregon in July so that we could experience pyrotechnics there.  But here in Georgia, the restrictions are even less than in Oregon so everyone had extra fun lighting our own boom and flash fun items.  :-) 

My Dad, My Brother, & My Husband--the dads of the day <3 td="">

They might fight a lot, but it's because they are cut from the same fabric and love each other loads

Girl cousins--Sonja loves her girl time

Nikolas was enjoying watching the guys read their love notes (cards) and open their gifts.  We also caught a rare grandma sighting in the background of this photo.  Grandma is a people watcher so she stays on the sidelines a lot.

Grandpa and all the grandkids

These kids had a great time visiting.  My brother and I often talk about how we never thought our kids would live so far away from each other.  Some things don't change, I guess--it was the same for us when we were growing up and our cousins lived in another state.  :-(

My brother finally has a son and he couldn't be happier.  :-) #TheMcMahonNameLivesOn

 Evening grew late and the morning would come too soon so we had to depart.  The family was set to fly out early in the morning and they had to get some sleep.  We cleaned up and said our goodbyes, piled into the car, and headed home. 

The time went by too quickly.  It always does.  We are super thankful that the family chose to travel out our way for graduation.  When you live so far you expect nothing of anyone knowing the cost, so when they make the effort, the time is extra sweet.  Of course, there are always the things, activities, and conversations you wish you could have squeezed in and you add it to the "next time" list not knowing when the next time will be. 

It's all quite apropos actually.  Jozsef spoke on enjoying the moment and living in the now reminding us all not to take a single event for granted.  I think we did just that this weekend.  We soaked it all in because we all knew that in a blink it would be over.  Today is a gift and tomorrow is not promised--cherish the day.  <3 p="">