Madison's Graduation

Madison finished her undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Education and Development!  She still has a semester of student teaching ahead but all her other requirements have been met.  Her parents and grandmother traveled here to Idaho to visit for the week and attend the ceremonies. 

 

Where's Waldo? Can you spot Maidson in the center of the picture on the left?  This was a few of the graduates getting lined up and ready to march.  The main ceremony was held in the BYU-Idaho Center.  The music was amazing! The Mancinis loved the music.  

 Madison with her parents Mark and Suzanne and her Grandma Mancini.

 We discovered that the main drawback to a winter graduation is that there is no good place to take pictures.  Everyone was trying to secure a spot in the foyer and it was total chaos.  After the commencement ceremony we moved to the Hart Building for convocation and awarding of the diplomas.

 Madison on the far right as her name is read.

 Shaking hands with President Gilbert.

 Receiving her diploma.

 Walking back

 Such a happy girl!

 Kisses for the graduate. Congratulations Madison.  It was neat to share this moment with her.  We hope her student teaching goes well and she gets to use all the wonderful things she has learned.

Graduation wrapped up late, about 9:30 p.m.  Rather than go out to celebrate, we said goodnight and made plans to swim at the hotsprings and have a family dinner the next afternoon. Madison was starving after everything was done so the Mancinis ended up swinging by Little Caesars for a pizza around 10:00 p.m.

 Annie wore her goggles the whole way there.  Tommy wanted his robe rather than clothes. We were the only ones at the pool for the first hour.  Joey loved the water.  His first time swimming was a success.

 The only hiccup we had that day was that I forgot to pack a bottle for Joey.  Thank goodness we had a water bottle. I was able to use that to feed him enough to satisfy him until it was time to go home.  Suzanne had never been in a natural hotspring before.  The Mancinis thought it was pretty cool to be able to swim outside in the winter time.  After a couple of hours at the pool we went home to rest and prepare dinner.

Madison was so excited about the food that she took pictures of the table.  Unfortunately, we never got a family picture. Madison planned the menu.  She wanted spinach and pear salad, shrimp scampi, spaghetti and meatballs, roasted asparagus, and my home made focaccia bread.  It was a wonderful dinner.  We loved catching up with the Mancinis and celebrating Madison.  We missed having the Wanners there though.

Congratulations Madison!

Before Christmas Catch-Up

 We got so busy with the holidays and family events that I haven't blogged for over a month!  When it gets to this point I start to feel so behind that I almost don't want to try and catch up.  But we had such a wonderful month that I just had to carve out the time and get our little bit of family history finished for the year.  On December 13 we celebrated Madison's birthday.  Brady was sick with strep so he had to say home and miss the party.  We made ham and baked potatoes and Madison's favorite chocolate cake.

 We were blessed with an abundance of snow to get us in the Christmas Spirit.  While Joey napped I took Tommy and Annie for sled rides in the neighborhood.  We had a great time! We even spotted a large white rabbit.  The kids were thrilled.  They tried to follow it but the rabbit got away too fast.

 As a Christmas gift to her students, Lily's teacher made peppermint sparkle playdough. It smelled so good.  Lily loved the playdough and wouldn't share it with anyone for a few days.

 Joey's favorite place is under the tree.  He can lay and look at the lights and decorations for a long time. He even falls asleep under there when the big kids aren't around to bother him.  He loves his first Christmas Season.

 Lily volunteered to teach Family night.  She planned a lesson out of the Friend magazine and did a great job teaching.  She was really nervous and didn't want to look at the camera.

 Lily was invited for a playdate to her friend Kayt's house.  They assembled and painted little wooden Nativities.  Lily was so proud to show us her work.

 Annie wanted to take cupcakes for her dance class Christmas party. Tommy was our taste tester.  That boy loves cake.

 We got even more snow!  After years of low snow pack, we are grateful for all this snow.  And the kids sure enjoy it.

 Annie's preschool class performed at an assisted living home as part of their class Christmas party.  Annie wanted to dress up and curl her hair so she would look nice for all the grandmas and grandpas.

 The kids were a little nervous but did a great job.  They sang four songs and passed out candy and handmade cards to the residents.  Then we spent some time visiting with a few of the residents. One of them grabbed Annie to pull her closer.  Annie was a little startled but kept talking and didn't try to get away.  I was so proud of her.

 

After their performance, Annie's teacher presented each child with a gift.  It was a little book.  Annie said it was a wonderful day.

 Lily still loves clogging.  Her class is starting two new routines. One is to the country song "If You're Gonna Play in Texas" and the other is to the disco song Boogie Fever.  She has a fun teacher and really nice girls in the class.

 It only took having a fourth kid to get one that looks a little like me.  People tell me all the time that Joey looks like me.  Hooray!  Of course the chubbiest of the bunch resembles his mommy.

 We had an early release from school on December 18 so my neighbor and I hosted a kids cookie decorating party.  It was a blast.  I made the frosting and everyone who attended brought cookies to share.  We had 15 kids and four moms decorating cookies.  There were sprinkles in my carpet for a couple of weeks.  And just so I'll remember what my entry way looks like during the winter months.  Here's the pile of friend coats and boots that frequents my house.

I love lazy weekend mornings.  Usually we have somewhere to be but every once in a while we get to sleep in and have family snuggles.  Love it!