monday's mulling: weekend festivities

What. A. Weekend!

A couple weddings brought all my kids into town for three days of celebrating and the first time both the little grandsons were together. All the beds were full, the driveway looked like a parking lot, the fridge was packed with food, the living room floor covered with toys, and my heart burst with joy. 

We started off with a birthday for a soon-to-be two year old. Pizza, fruit, a chocolate cupcake with sprinkles, and balloons...that's all this little guy needed for a non-stop smile.

Saturday started out with donuts on the patio to celebrate the weekend and having both of our little grandsons together for the first time. The kids went to visit friends, Todd and I went to a neighbor's graduation party. We met this young man when he was a sweet, inquisitive three year-old, and now he's 6'3", a graduate of Virginia Tech with an oceanic engineering degree, soon starting a job with the Department of the Navy in Washington DC. Saturday evening took us to a wedding. Our daughter has a close knit group of friends that started when they were in 6th grade and the friendships have continued to this day. From unsure, goofy 6th graders to successful, confident 30-somethings, makes one feel that this generation will do some good for this world.

And then Sunday, Father's Day. This was our son-in-law's first Father's Day, our son's third, and Todd's 39th. All three of these men became fathers with the birth of their sons. My daughter put together the Father's Day breakfast and was up early fixing an egg and potato casserole and homemade chicken sausage. And then a few hours later, the time came to pack up cars and return to their homes in Cleveland and Chicago. A house full of 10 people returned to two. The silence was loud and the love warmed our hearts.