Payday!

Parenting is not always a party, whatever stage of it you're in.  One one hand, there's Angie with the new baby, trying to catch her breath when little Grace latches on,  a little crazy from lack of sleep.  Then there's Chelsea who just can't seem to fit a growing baby inside and deals with the pains of enlarging and all that entails. Megan is planning a move to who knows where as she is getting closer to the "balloon" stage.  Then there's Heather, blindsided by an ectopic pregnancy and a near death experience who is left wondering, where from here?  And Rachel, who is not only chasing around her almost walking Will, but now has a wild child of a puppy and she's left refereeing all day.  Matt and Kim are at that blessed stage where they are looking at everybody else and planning, "Let's not do it that way", or, "This might work??"

We have all had some hard times.  Dad and I have had a few things come along in our days that we pray you all will never have to deal with.  You know about all of those because you were there.  Everything from visits to the hospital to visits to jail, unexpected flights home from Nebraska and weddings in a day, legs twisted the wrong way, testimonies shaken up and all kinds of sweet surprises. Then there's the smaller stuff, which is no less stressful, like watching Em, Braden and Sam struggling to salvage their grades when we take them out of school for a week just before it ends. 

But then there are those days that you can stand up and shout out, "Woo-Hoo!"  I have the greatest kids in the world and I love them so much and I am so priveleged to be their mom!"  We had a few of those days last week. 

Thanks, Jordan and Brent and lovely wives and hilarious children.  The meals were wonderful, the accomodations divine (love the tarp - I only wish I could have watched you get it up in those trees!), the company the best and the entertainers (all of our children) were in rare form.  My favorite was overhearing little Ben tell his big sister, Leila in the tent after her carrying on, "That's enough, Leila!" 

I am so proud of you.  And I tell my friends not to worry about their kids collecting papers in their lockers, or not turning things in on time.  I tell them not to lose hope because....

My boys graduated!!!!  Jordan is now an official M.D. and Brent can add to his previous title of MBA, an MHA.  

Congratulations, my wonderful sons!  YOU DID IT!!!!