A New Beginning....

Let me set the scene: bright skies which eased into a cool, starlit night; a stadium filled with friends and family; seniors clothed in cap and gown; cameras ready and waiting.

Yes, graduation day finally arrived.

Just a few hours earlier, as I scurried around trying to get dinner ordered (for those staying behind), a frozen pizza made (for those leaving), clothes ironed, and nerves settled, Katie headed out the door to her final night as a high school student.



Friends arrived to hang with the girls, so we headed on out with a complaining boy. Why do I have to go? I don’t want to….



Well, he came but did not sit with us. And, trying to track him down later for pictures was a nightmare. But I’ll refrain from commenting on that, well, right now anyhow.

As luck would have it, we ended up sitting right near Catlan’s family. Perfect! Whatever pictures I didn’t get, perhaps Tracy did and vice versa.

After some superb and not so much speeches, graduation commenced. We were very impressed at how quickly the entire thing seemed to move. Wow. Now, I could have done without the air horns and other stuff but hey, this is the south.

Cat graduated before Katie. He received his diploma from a school board member who is a former Atlanta Braves player. Cool, huh?



And then Katie. Yep, how could she liven things up? Well, red sandals instead of white is a start. And then, all the way to the podium, what does she do? Talk. Yep, the whole way.




And on the way back to her seat.



We giggled the whole time. It didn’t occur to me to be teary eyed. Yeah for me!

The students were supposed to recess in nice lines. Well, the first three rows of students did that, but the rest? They did a mass free for all exit to the goal post.



Once all present, the music blared, and they tossed their caps. I, of course, missed that shot. Bummer. I also lost Katie in the midst of the chaos.



How do you find your kid in the mass of people swarming the field? Easy. You look for the tallest person on the field. I knew she’d be with Cat so it was just a matter of finding him. But that even took a while. Whew.



It is amazing that in the unreal mass of people, you can actually find your friends. Here are Nat and Tori with Katie…..all future college roommates. (note: Tori graduated earlier from another school within the metro area)



I shall spare you all the friend pictures. Trust me, it’s a good thing!

Then the mom “obligatory” pictures started. I had warned them at Baccalaureate that graduation would be worse…..don’t think they listened.






And in the midst of the chaos, I see this…



a very pensive look. I think she was overcome with the emotions of the night. She has been with some of these kids since first grade. Tears means she truly has had wonderful friends at school and knows that those times are over. A hard thing to accept.

Picture time over, we headed on out. Katie and Catlan headed to pick up their actual diplomas…..and I just happened to be stalking following them.



I will leave you with this picture. My favorite of the night. When my baby was so emotional, I look up to see this……



She has grown up and is no longer just my baby.

Soccer in the mud....

We interrupt this blog to bring you something new.

Lest you think we only have graduation events happening right now, I thought I’d do a quick post about soccer.

Soccer has been in our lives for a very long time. Both big kids played for years, although Alex much longer than Katie. Anna Grace had a short stint in playing when she was three, but guess what? She didn’t listen to the coach so her soccer career was pretty short lived.

But I digress.

This weekend, Alex had a tournament. I haven’t been to a game in a while. Dave is a coach so he’s always there (unless he’s in countries across the sea). And taking the girls can be….well, a challenge.

But I was determined to go to a game today. So we headed out after Baccalaureate for the final game of the season. Mind you now, it’s been raining for a while so the fields are complete mud. What a mess.




The boys ended up second overall. Very good showing!

And what did the little girls do while Alex played?




Play with sticks, play in the water, and torment unsuspecting bugs.

Ah, bliss.

Another milestone down.....

Ah, the beginnings of a new week. How did it begin? With an 8 am soccer game. Yuck. And no, I did not attend. Who wants to be on a soccer field at that time of day?

Today also marked Baccalaureate. In between soccer games today, we headed to a local, extremely popular church for the program. Now, we’ve been there before for other events but I’d forgotten what it was like.

To set the stage: we attend a Catholic church here in town. It’s pretty laid-back as far as Catholic churches go but still quite traditional.

This church we were in today had a huge stage, sound/lighting system, and two big screen TV’s on the wall. Nothing like we’d see each week.

So we read the program to see what we were facing. Turns out there were several songs we would all be singing. Okey dokey. So I browsed through the program to find the words to the songs. Huh, no words. Guess we’re all supposed to know them.

Then it hits me. The words will be on the big screens. Yep, karaoke Baccalaureate.

The high school pastor did a nice job with the service. So all in all, it was fine.

And…..I didn’t cry! Teared up a few times but I had on my waterproof mascara just in case.

When it was over, I headed to the lobby of the church to locate Katie. Not hard to do since Catlan is 6’4” (or more!). Just find him and I’m good.



Tracy, Cat’s mom, took this photo of us for me. You’ll notice Alex and the girls are absent. You think I’m crazy enough to take them to a church service?



You’d think we were trying to kill the teens. Pictures? Why? Are we done yet? No one else is taking pictures. And the comments went on and on.



Just wait until graduation. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!

Sunrise, Sunset

“Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
swiftly flow the days
seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers
blossoming even as we gaze….”

Senior week has begun. The next few days will be filled with parties, Baccalaureate, exams, graduation practice, and yes, graduation. Friday night will be here before we know it.

And our lives will never be the same.

Eighteen years ago, a beautiful baby was born. Her parents had many hopes and dreams for her. What would the future hold? Would those dreams be fulfilled? Would she blossom into a respectable kid and teen?

Hard to believe that time is already here. In some ways, the past eighteen years have gone by so slowly. But, now that we are facing graduation, I realize just how quickly time has flown.

When did this chubby cheeked baby



turn into this energetic, crazy kid?



When did this happy, blonde toddler



grow into this beautiful girl?



When did this perky preschooler



bloom into a fun-loving teenager?



When did this sweet six year old



become a gorgeous woman?



Did I miss all those days? I must have because now I can’t remember how she grew from a cranky baby into adulthood.

As the first born, Katie had to endure our first trials at parenthood. She was the one who taught us what to do and what not to do; she was the one who helped us grow into our role as parents.

And now my baby is graduating and leaving. Leaving for a life all of her own. Without me. What am I going to do?

My tiny baby has become someone I really count on. My chubby cheeked toddler has become someone I enjoy being with. My preschooler has become a reliable, responsible adult.

My little girl has become my best friend.

I love you, baby girl.

Happy Trails to You

Happy trails indeed. The trail to first grade. The trail to more challenges. The trail to a new school year.

Today marked another milestone in the life of a five year old…kindergarten graduation. Lucky me was the kindergarten teacher in charge of teaching the music. Yeah me. Can I just say that I am tired of the songs? If I hear Happy Trails to You anytime soon, I may scream.

Despite our poor rehearsals at school, the kids did a great job! I was very pleased. Even our little monkey cooperated……and believe me, I was worried.



However, I had to keep motioning to her to stop playing with her skirt!



Whew, we’re done!



On to the classroom. Anna Grace had her own little fan club with her. Daddy, Katie, Natalie (K’s best friend and future roommate), and Catlan.

Anna Grace received several awards including The Most Cheerful. Do you agree?



The official diploma giving



After the awards portion but before the party portion, the kids were allowed to go greet their guests. So what does Anna Grace do? Runs straight past Daddy and Katie and into Catlan’s arms.




Coming up next….Baccalaureate and senior graduation