Congrats Hannah!

Our niece Hannah graduated High school last week. She was in the top 10% of a class of over 600. That was pretty impressive to someone from a class of 52 (number of students, not the year, thank you). I had a different take on this graduation than I have before. After the ceremony, we went to Hannah's parent's house for food and presents. Howard and Alana had put together a slide show of Hannah growing up. It made me realize how fast things happen and that Abbie will be there in no time. I cannot imagine how hard it will be for Howard and Alana to let their little girl go. It breaks my heart to think of how to deal with that. I also came away from graduation with more respect for Howard and Alana. In the times that we live, they have done a great job in raising a wonderful, smart, and respectful young woman. I think being around more families like theirs was one of our main reasons for moving here. I think we have not expressed that enough. The whole evening was impressive to me, and I was glad to be a part of it.

Little Miss Sunshine

Abbie's last day at Mother's day out was Thursday. They had a little program to celebrate. Each class came out and sang a song or two for the audience. Abbie's class sang one of her favorite songs. She must have been overwhelmed with the crowd, because she did more staring than singing. The night before she had been singing her song a little differently than usual. She kept inserting the word "loud" at a certain point in the song. We figured they had been practicing and the teachers were telling them to sing louder as they sang the song. It was a real fun thing to watch, and it makes me feel like Abbie is growing up. She is talking more and more each day. One of her favorite shows is called "Signing Time." It is on PBS and is a cool show that teaches sign language. It has helped Abbie with new words and she has learned the signs, too. I think it is going to be another beautiful day today. I hope to get out and walk or go to the park so Abbie can play outside. She loves to be outside whenever she can. I hope everyone has a good weekend.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. I have to say this one was good and bad for us. It was good for Amber and I to spend some time together when I got home from work this weekend. It was bad because Abbie had an ear infection and we had to cancel our trip to see my Mom and their new house. Amber's mother was also very ill and bedridden today. It can really create problems when I have to work on the weekend. Abbie's little ear issues cause problems, too. I was very dissappointed that we did not get to see Mom and Dad. It has been tough to get time to see them since we moved down here. I am hoping that their moving will help with some of that. But I do hope everyone has had a wonderful Mother's day.