it’s good to just be hanging out

popcorn in Split, CroatiaThree generations of men hanging out on the front stoop, sharing a bowl of popcorn. :) There are some more “posed” shots but I kinda like the casualness of this moment. The fact is, it’s special for these guys to just be hanging out, doing nothing special but being together. :)

Aki moved to the U.S. when he was 18 years old to go to university. A year later, he got his brother Dario to join him. Neither planned on staying longterm. Life! Skip forward over a decade later and they are both married to American women and raising kids in Chicago (Aki and me) and Florida (Dario and my sister-in-law, Melissa). The distance between Chicago and their town in Florida is big enough (17 hour drive) but then add that their sister, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandmother, and parents are all in Croatia, oh my. Family is a big deal for those two. Having everyone together is pretty sweet.

Last week Dario and Melissa arrived with their two cuties, Tristan and Adriana. We’re all going to be together in Split for the next month. Next week Aki and Dario’s sister Žeki will be back again for a visit (she and her husband Danijel live in the Istrian region of Croatia) with their two littles, Natan and Domagoj.

Know what that means??? The FIVE cousins will be together all at once for the FIRST TIME EVER. This family has five grandkids under 4 years of age! I know two grandparents who are going to be VERY happy. :)

By the way, there’s a little story behind that bowl of popcorn the boys are sharing. Before the men came outside, it was just me hanging out with Mateo and Tristan who were running around and being goofy. A neighbor thought they were being so cute, she made a bowl of popcorn and brought it out to them. I agree, they’re pretty cute. :)

As a sidenote: Oh man, do you know how hard it is to get five people, especially two little ones into a photo?? Tristan wanted to look for bugs (that’s his thing) and Mateo just wanted to eat his popcorn in peace. I think I’ll have to make a special post just to show the outtakes! :) Funny thing, the photo I ended up loving was this candid moment.

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5 Thoughts on “it’s good to just be hanging out

  1. Henna. I love this photo. I think it’s worthy of being blown up into a canvas and handed out as Father’s Day gifts next year. Seriously. Big hugs to little Mateo!

    • aww, you know what…This photo was actually taken on Father’s Day! :)

  2. Hi Henna :) That is a great photo indeed. I just got home from a trip to visit with faraway family last night, and just finished going through all my photos. I already miss them. It is very hard to be a long way from family, that’s for sure, but it makes it so special when you do have the chance to see them.

    Your little boy is a real cutie!

  3. Gifford Neill:

    See you soon.

  4. I love photos like this – there’s nothing worse than the ‘firing squad’ type pics you often end up with when you assemble the family!

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