3 July 2010: Moses: The Next Generation

"We all grow up with the weight of history on us. Our ancestors dwell in the attics of our brains as they do in the spiraling chains of knowledge hidden in every cell of our bodies." ~Shirley Abbott

I went to our annual Family Reunion this year. I haven't been in several years and the older I get the more I am drawn to going. Why is that when we are younger, we can't be bothered with all the stories and history and as we get older, we can't get enough. Since I lost my mother to cancer at such a young age, I don't have the kind of access that many do and it makes me angry sometimes. As if my mother being taken from me at 17 wasn't bad enough, I sometimes feel like I have been robbed of our history. But then I realize, I have removed myself from it more than anything. My uncles and aunts are still around. My older siblings have more historical knowledge and stories. So as I get older, I recognize my place in this maze that makes up my family. I want to know more about the stories (good and bad). I need to understand where they came from to know where I came from.

So the photos above are of the next generation. The young ones who don't have much of a choice about being at the party since their parents are there and they are having a great time as children can in most situations; but they also don't understand how important it is for them to engage in our family now as they will likely drift away for a bit as many of us do before we return eager to know the history. I loved seeing the kids who have grown up in front of me and the newest members that I had never met. We are all a part of the history, our great grandparents...grandparents ...parents...siblings...
cousins. The Middle Eastern/Lebanese family genes mixed with a plethora of other heritages have created the faces you see above and aren't they just gorgeous!

The Moses clan has come a long way complete with some bumps, bruises, laughter, tears of joy and sorry, successes, failures, but most importantly love and connection.

24 December 2009 Photo(s): Twas The Night Before Christmas...

Some people celebrate more on Christmas day, but in the Lombardo household, it has always been Christmas eve! We had 22 people for dinner at my sister's house which included the 6 siblings,spouses, children and a variety of extended family and friends. It was a feast filled with food, family, fun and reindeer antlers!

The 5 cousins, who have made their appearance in the blog before, are above in the official cousin picture of the year! It was pig pile on Jared year!

My niece went around putting her antlers on many people to get them to catch her infectious excitement...and with that smile it spread like the swine flu or the reindeer flu!

You will see money being given in multiple formats because when the kids say they want money, we can't just put it in a card and call it a day. No, we have to make it more fun. This year I made my oldest nephew play "Jeopardy" to get his money. He also got "dough" baked in Pillsbury dough because that's how he "rolls".

It was a great night and we have another year to recover before we do it all over again! I hope you Christmas was wonderful as mine!

26 November 2009 Photo(s): Gobble Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Birthday to my sister Anne Marie.

Bill and I don't always come to RI for Thanksgiving but decided to make the trek this year. I am glad we did. It was a fabulous day and the only thing missing was the birthday girl. My family is crazy and loud but I wouldn't trade them for anything. Here is the yearly picture of the "dead end kids" minus one. My oldest nephew left and was supposed to come by but he never did so I will have to photoshop him in at some point.

Before dinner, Bill and I took Angelee down to the beach..here is one of Angelee and Uncle Butterscotch, which is what she affectionately calls him.

19 July 2009 Photo(s): Beach Bums

Another day of being a beach bum was coupled with Bill's brother and his family heading down to spend the day at Misquamicut Beach. It was a perfect summer day with lots of sun for basking, big waves for riding, sand for castle building and the laughter and smiles of the kids.

7 March 2009 Photo(s): A Boy and His Dog

I had to make a quick trip to Westerly so that my brother could look at my car. In the short time I was down there, I took my nephew, Mason, and his dog to the beach. This was Harley's first trip to the beach and she loved running through the water and sand. The smell of the ocean and the crash of the waves makes me feel at home and it always will.