A Father's Day Together

 After spending our tenth anniversary and Daniel's birthday apart, the Crew was so excited to have our main guy home for Father's Day!

After nearly two weeks away from home, the boys and I got home on the same day that Daniel flew in!

No travel lag for us! We ran to the airport to pick up this handsome guy.

We painted signs before we left for our trip so the house was ready to welcome Daddy home

Niko finally stopped clinging to Alexander, instead attaching himself to his Daddy

The boys magically stopped bickering, whining, and competing over everything.  Our home was euphoric (for approximately 48 hours).

We celebrated Daniel's missed birthday with a penguin cake and a Nintendo Switch

Alexander was quick to ask for the game I cannot play with them - good ol' Nut Doodle!

We had fun with family activities with everyone home from school and work

We sent the boys to summer camp to enjoy some day dates

ZipQuest was amazing!

Our group and our guides were wonderful

Mr Clark and Rhetta have been married for 53 years and are using their motorhome to go coast to coast

I have ziplined many times, and love it every single time!

Just beautiful.  The scenery was nice, too! Teeheehee

We drove to Virginia on Saturday to visit with family and share memories of G-Momma.  It was small and intimate, and exactly what we needed.  We all cried and laughed and hugged each other tight.

In talking to Nikolai, he told me G-Momma had gone to be with God, but then continued by asking me when she gets to come back.  Our Crew sure loves G-Momma, and miss her very much.  Alexander said at dinner tonight how grateful he was that we got to see her so much this year.

Sitting with Great Grandpa

I didn't get any pictures of the boys playing in the giant dirt pile on Grandpa's land.  They played so hard and got so (very) dirty.  I was too busy swapping stories with Daniel's family, letting the boys be boys, but I do wish I had captured a picture!

Great Grandpa and Great Great Aunt Anne

G-Momma loved the beach, and had asked to have her ashes scattered there.  Her favorite spot was Myrtle Beach, one time swapping her plane ticket to end up alone in Myrtle Beach with no way home!  It seemed fitting to spend her 60th birthday with a day at Myrtle Beach, celebrating Father's Day and G-Momma and saying our goodbye.

The day was filled with laughter and good times

The boys built G-Momma a sandcastle - her eternal beach house!

We stood around the house and sang happy birthday

The boys played so hard.

My Sweet Potato Moments

(My favorite moments

Niko said repeatedly before we arrived that he was not going to swim or get in the water.  As soon as we got to the beach, he ran after Alexander, and kept going, swimming in his inner tube until he was the farthest swimmer in the water!  We had to keep pulling him back as he kept swimming deeper!

Being out past the breakers with our whole family.  I have vivid memories of my dad taking us past the breakers.  Having my family out there, all together, was something I will remember forever.  It was so beautiful, so fun.  We were laughing and being silly, and enjoying the beautiful day.  We needed this.

My Banana Moment

(My favorite silly and unexpected moment)

Alexander asked me if it was really ok to pee in the ocean.  I winked at him, saying, "I already did today!"  As soon as the words came out of my mouth, the ocean broke a giant wave against the back of my head!  It felt like an actual smack upside the head!  Later, Alexander told me, laughing, that he had peed in the ocean.  Again, a wave smacked me upside the head at that exact moment!  When I told Alexander I was about ready to head in, the waves got almost magically bigger.  One after another after another in a row.  The biggest waves we had seen all day!  IT really felt like G-Momma put on a show through the waves today!