Just in Case You Forgot . . .

. . . My husband is a law school GRADUATE! Even though he's already started his Bar-prep courses and we are back in a full-time-student-study-schedule, I still can't get over the fact that he's really done! To help us celebrate, my dear friend, Jessie, was willing to spend a morning following us around Ryan's school and working hard to get our kids to stay focused for some family photos (meanwhile, managing her own two kids as well!). She did a fantastic job. I am so thankful to have these (and there are many more!). Thank you, Jessie!

Trying on Daddy's hat

This one makes me laugh out loud - such innocence in his face!

We were just a bit excited!

The graduate and his proud parents.

Rooke and his Buddy James taking a little run-around break from the photo shoot

"Your sleeve is a little too puffy, Gretchen. Let me fix that for you."

Thank you, Sarah, for these pictures of my son. I like your view.

Sleeping

Do you take pictures of your kids sleeping? You should. My mother-in-law encouraged me to take pictures of Rooke sleeping when he was a baby and I'm so glad I did. Not only is sleeping a significant part of a child's life in the early years (at least that's the hope!), I think it's a rare beauty to see a child at such peace.

I Need a Vacation

My graduation present (yes, I got a present, too!) was a family trip away to the coast. I was determined to get the four of us out of Seattle for at least four days to relish in the joy that is law school graduation. We had a fantastic time. I read once that when you have small children, instead of trying to take a "real" vacation, just think about doing life somewhere else. That's exactly what we did and loved it. We took naps, cooked together, worked a puzzle, watched movies, threw rocks in the water, went for walks in the sun, watched the rain pour down on the water, played the piano, read, and overall enjoyed being together as a family.

The kids slept on the way there:

Rooke got right to work with his wheels on the back deck

Kicking back, watching a movie

Our morning rock hunt

One of my favorite parts of our get-away was getting to play the piano. Rooke and played and sang together a bit one morning, then I stepped away and Rooke practiced on his own:

Does the fun ever stop?!

The weekend-o-graduation festivities kept going at our graduation party! We decided that graduating from law school was a worthy reason to throw a party and our friends graciously hosted for us at their cute purple house! It was so fun to be with so many wonderful friends all at once! I did a little toast to Ryan: something along the lines of "He's Mr. Wonderful"! And he is.

Having Grammy Deb and G-Daddy in town made everything more exciting for the kids!

We love visiting Pike Place market with Kevin and Deborah when they come to town. Doughnuts, anyone?!

Commencement

The commencement ceremony was great - really! I think it helped that I had a cute distraction during the boring parts:

And Ryan's parents were there to help cheer him on! It was so special for them both to be here for the ceremony.

Ryan was on the aisle (and happens to be extremely good looking), so he made it on the big screen several times.

They took the time to "hood" all the graduates, which gave us a chance to cheer. You'd be surprised at how much noise three adults and a baby can make for one graduate! I was so overcome with excitement, I shouted, "That's my husband!!!!" The crowd laughed and I started crying with joy as my husband walked off the stage, a certified graduate.

Way to go, Ryan!