Graduation night

 Graduation night was very lovely.  It was at the St  Mary's College  and was so nicely done.  It was kind of long, as all graduations are but I enjoyed the talks and musical  numbers and it was fun to see all the graduates.

 Cute J waiting her turn :)

 Ashley and Jenna

 Jenna, Cameron (who she used to date but who was clearly too tall for her ;) ) and Ashley

 Proud parents and the graduate.

 Yeah!  We made it!!!

Jenna and Brian after the ceremony.  Now they are off to project graduation at the base, and we are off to bed.

Graduation!!

We filled her room with balloons to help kick off the big day!!

Then we went to lunch with Nana and Abba and Uncle Brian!

Then headed to the wharf for some pre graduation pictures with friends.

Tonight we will watch her walk across the stage, get her diploma and finish this chapter in her life.  Congratulations Graduate!!!  

scenes of summer

Our neighborhood pool opened this weekend!  We missed the big hur-rah  but got our passes today and headed over to check it out.  I think it will be a favorite hang out this summer.  Several of E's friends were there swimming and they had a great time trying to drown each other.  H wished some of her friends were there but they weren't and she was stuck swimming with me.  Lu was just busy practicing flips, and strokes and touching her nose to the bottom.

When we got home H and I made Caribbean chicken with coconut rice while Lu went to the garden to catch frogs. She got four.  That little blue speck in the middle of the picture is her :)  This morning while we were walking to the bus I let the kids go on their scooters, which is unusual because normally I don't want to carry them back  home, but I was feeling nice and the temp was perfect and the sun shining brightly so I said they could.  Big mistake.  They both got ahead of me and then before I knew it Lu hit a bump or something and toppled over the top of her scooter and onto the sidewalk.  She skinned her knee and elbow, luckily she had her helmet on.  We had to limp home and get her cleaned up, then I drove her to school. Poor Lucy ballerina!

hello june!

Oh my goodness, I've been waiting for summer and warm weather and during the long, rainy, winter months it felt like it was never going to get here.  Now it's arrived.  The sun is hot, our flowers are blooming and the days are long.  We have been enjoying dinners on the deck, waking up to the sun shining through the blinds (even though it's only 6am) and wearing flip flops and shorts.
I turned the calendar on my bathroom wall and the new picture was one of a girl sitting on the summit of a rock looking out over a huge canyon, she is gazing at the horizon and I imagine thinking about all she has accomplished getting up there, and all that is to come. 
Of course it made me think of my two little chickies, ready to leave the nest.  In just 12 days we will be driving across the country and they will be starting new lives, grown up lives.  Did I do all I needed to to prepare them?  probably not.  They are awesome despite mistakes and omissions and the bumps and bruises of life. Hopefully also because of the love they've had, and the good things that have come their way. 
I lack the words to express the feelings in my heart.  I am so proud of them and excited for them.  At the same time I hate Utah, and how far away it is, and how it's taken all my girls...
I will miss them awfully terribly much.  I will miss laughing with them in the kitchen.  I will miss laying in bed and talking.  I will miss hugs.  I will miss playing "who is cuter Edward or Jacob?, William or Harry?, Eugene or the cartoon prince from enchanted?" and it's many variations. I miss the babies they were and the beautiful young women they are and how that is all wrapped up in my heart to make up Jenna and Sierra.  I will miss having them down the hall.  Really I can't even think about it.  Having done it once doesn't make it easier...in fact it's like facing labor the 2nd or 3rd time, it's worse because you know how awful and hard it is. The first time you are ignorant, the second time you know. 

little chef

Hannah loves to help in the kitchen and is always asking to help.  Today she wanted to make pork chops with thyme and oregano and apples and onions.  She did all the work herself and then plated it just the way she wanted it.  It was delicious!!  She served it with brown rice, and watermelon.  Yumm

goldilocks and one great big bear!

Home again

I had such a fun weekend visiting with everyone.  Last night after our bug bite rich, swassy picnic/fishing trip we came home and bathed all the babes and then tucked them in for some Disney fun.  We watched Pocahontas.  Reg was such a big boy and hopped in bed with Ethan and Lucy who had never seen the movie before.  There are a lot of classic Disney movies that they haven't seen.  Maybe we will remedy that this summer. 

This morning we woke up and had breakfast and one last turn feeding the geese then headed for home.  We really meandered along stopping for lunch, a very unremarkable Hardy's stop, and then had a two hour detour to Bass Pro Shop.  It was a lot of fun.  We looked at boats, do we want one?  and fishing poles, which one do we want? and fudge, we want it all :)

Jenna found a camouflage recliner and waited for us. I think she may have even napped, I know she texted Brian. (thank goodness for unlimited texting.)