awwww!

OMG how sweet! Joseph says he may not be the best man she knows anymore! OMG that he is so sweet about that... and that he clearly sees what a man Steve is... oh just so many feels!

"And for a father, that makes coming in second worth it." What a lovely thing for Joseph to say to McG!

And then the two of em sang Proud Mary... or Joanie... for the baby! How much would we all love to see THAT played out on screen!

And then the icing on this birthday cake of a story... we get to see Mary embraced as family too, and little Joanie as the cement that's gonna hold em all no matter what. And I will NEVER get tired of UncTeeve and AnnCaf... I swear I get goosebumps reading about that kid with our couple.

This was like 2 or 3 stories in one. What a treat!

The Steve and Joseph bonding was so special...just...it was...loved it. It really left me kinda speechless. And the follow-up with Catherine at the end, well that summed it up for me. :)

Joan's 'birtday' party was too cute for words...that little lady is loved so much.

And once again, something that melts my heart...is how wrapped McRoll are. Joanie is going to be SO spoiled! I mean, Steve sang for her! lol

REAL world...McRoll on!

I really liked Steve and Joseph's conversation. That was particularly poignant.

It was very sweet all the preparations for Smokey's arrival.

Wonderful chapter! Loved it!

Wow, I loved the talk between Steve & Joseph, Steve knowing that Joseph fully accepted him in Catherine's life. I also really liked Joanie's birtday party, what a sweetie, wanting to read first. I know my kids were all about the wrapping paper & boxes more than the presents at that age. What a hoot, I can just picture Steve & Joseph singing 'Proud Joanie'. What an adventure, will be sad to see their week end.

Oh, the talk between Steve and Joesph was just marvelous! So meaningful and full of acceptance. A great moment. Thank you!

I think my favorite part was the conversation between Joseph and Steve while looking at the old notes. Nicely done!

Well wow... Just wow!
There was so much in this story I don't really know where to start!

The whole conversation in the living room at the beginning was lovely. It was so natural and so very much characteristic of the family they are all becoming while still providing glimpses of Mary's moments of insecurity. She is so much more secure in the fact she's loved by Catherine's family than she was at the beginning of their week together but still we get those moments. So perfectly written and so perfectly in character, when the self doubt creeps in and she doesn't feel worthy of that love.

Steve's potato salad interaction with Elizabeth made me smile. He's come so far from the man he was when Cath first introduced him to her parents and in that sort conversation we are reminded yet again of the history they share and actually how well Catherine's parents know Steve. No doubt when planning the party, Elizabeth and Joseph would have had a conversation about food and about how much Steve liked the potato salad and I can almost hear Elizabeth saying she had to make it as it was Steve's favourite!

The moment between Cath and Steve made me giggle... Her suggesting he nap and him saying he wouldn't without her... You can almost feel the way the butterflies would have taken flight in Cath's tummy with that comment! Their love for each other is deepening with every interaction (I know I've said that before... Lots) but this week, being in a relaxed family environment with her parents, you get the feeling they've taken a step forward in expressing that love in the simple 'public' gestures and that those gestures are coming more naturally when surrounded by people they trust.

Steve's afternoon with Joseph... Wow... Completely and utterly wow! Sharing those precious memories with Steve was a wonderful thing for Joseph to have done. To open those private moments he has shared with his daughter up to the man she is to share her future with was very profound I thought. The conversation that it instigated was incredible powerful and spoke volumes of the level of trust these two men share. For Steve to open up about the worst mistake he ever made to the man who in all honesty probably picked up the pieces took real courage and trust on Steve's part. For Joseph to then recipricate by sharing his biggest regret and how he truly felt about moving his family around the world was just breathtaking. Both men knew they could share those moments without fear of judgment or recrimination... A momentous moment I think!

Joseph giving Steve his unquestionable blessing for whatever comes next was just fabulous. I'm thinking Joseph can see how the feelings Steve and Catherine share are deepening and just wanted Steve to know that he would support them completely in whatever step they take next. I'm also pretty sure Joseph and Elizabeth will have discussed it and I'm sure Elizabeth is holding out for a wedding! I can also imagine how proud Joseph would be in that moment when he give his daughter away to the man he loves like a son!

The birthday party was lovely. Such a family moment and a real moment that will help Mary to truly trust the bonds that she is forming. Joan adores her extended family and they in turn adore her. The image of them all sat round in the living room trying to convince a toddler to open present was great. You can imagine the expectant expressions on their faces and Joan just lapping up the attention. Cath sat by Steve's legs was another one of those 'moments' for me. You could almost imagine her with her hand resting on the skin of his leg underneath his pants leg, just quietly keeping contact while chatting with family, completely content in the presence of people she loves.

I love how Steve doesn't share the content of his and Joseph's conversation with Catherine. He tells her enough for her to know that it was special but keeps those moment between him and his 'father-in-law' (I know he's not that officially but that's how the interaction kinda felt). The acknowledgment that the Rollins family just want Steve and Cath to be happy was great. They feel no pressure to be something their not or to make their relationship something it isn't. They know as long as they are both happy then Cath's family are happy too. The declarations of complete 'happiness' at the end was just the icing on the cake!

Fav moments with the Rollinses and Grandma Ang...

Catherine opening up to her mum about how she feels about starting a family in 'Not an abstract concept'

Joseph calling Steve 'son' in 'Thankful'

Elizabeth's teasing of Steve about the sofa bed in 'A relaxing morning' and in 'Nice to meet you'

Grandma Ang teasing Steve about his knife skills in 'Nice to meet you'

I could go on and on as I just love these characters. They are always so well written and bring so much to all the REAL World stories xx

Gotta love Christmas with Nonna's!

I love it so very much thank you!

Joan was as always adorable and I just love Cath's parents. Great work!

This was so sweet! I can't say this enough, I love how Cath's parents love Steve. Plus, you have to love the not so subtle was Joseph gave Steve his blessing. The party for Joan was a nice gesture and again proves how great the Rollins family is to Steve and Mary. Great job!

I skipped most of the parts but I really love Joseph/Steve conversation and the ending. Meaningful.

Oh Joseph made me tear up. It's so nice to see them accept Steve so completely although he knows he's gone down to number two of the most loved men in Cath's life but he doesn't mind because Steve is so awesome and so in love with his daughter. *sighs happily*

Joan sure gets a lot of presents on this trip. And so much attention and love from everyone too. I'm hoping we'll actually get to read about that play set construction trip and Aaron helping because that promises to combine quite a few of my favorite versions of Steve: Uncle, sweaty and hardworking, and big brother. It is going to be awesome!

FAV MOMENT:
Oh I think the often mentioned futon incident is up there for sure.
I also liked the flashbacks to Steve's earliest visits to the Rollins's family home, because he was welcomed and made to feel as a part of the family (for the most part) when he himself never really got that as an adult from his own biological family.