Graduation Parties

Only Ryan's hair seemed worse-for-wear after a long weekend of high school graduation parties. He did surprisingly well considering all of the in-and-out of the carseat and lots of people expecting a smile out of him (which he obliged, most of the time).  We had several Open Houses to attend on Saturday on Sunday and sure got our fill of punch, sandwiches, mints, and cake. I had punch at almost every one and give the punch award to Tessa's slushy orange punch. I honestly only ate cake at one and had one cream cheese mint, but loved the bright and colorful colors many of the girls used for their mints! My favorite treats were peanut butter M&M's, puppy chow, and EIFFEL bonbons that were prominently featured at two parties! Adam's favorite foods were of course Heath's famous pork loin sandwiches, frozen fruit cups, and root beer floats.  You may notice that one of us had "meals" in mind while the other of us views graduation parties as an excuse to eat junk food as meals for 2 days. I did have some awesome real food as well, but priorities are priorities and mine usually involve candy.

One thing we noticed about S-O graduations is that everyone holds them in their garage/tents on the driveway, or some use facilities like churches or the fairgrounds instead of in their houses. They also split up the parties pretty evenly between Saturday and Sunday and have LOTS of food.  One we went to had 3 sandwich options, chips, salads, fruit kabobs, frozen fruit cups, 3 kinds of cake, mints, candy, popcorn, nuts, punch and several other things to drink. Others had full taco bars, premium coffees, and enough candy to make a first grade teacher swoon thank her lucky stars that the kids will be crashing by Monday.  I feel almost guilty that all I offered at my high school graduation was soft-serve ice cream sundaes and cake. Oh well, when about 40 people had their parties on the same day, we viewed it more as a progressive meal that lasted all day/night instead of sitting down and having a whole meal at one Open House. The bummer about having parties outdoors is the weather factor, but at least the moms here don't feel the pressure to remodel/repaint their entire house "for graduation". I also like that many of the students displayed not only the customary photos and certificates, but also their art projects from school which were pretty impressive.

Our church does a special presentation to the seniors at the morning services and it was nice to see all 12 of them from our church talk about where they are going to college (all 12 of them!) and how they grew spiritually in their high school years. This group is special since they were the first class Adam taught in school and I also had them in Sunday School for a year. These kids were great at sharing their talents with the church and community:  we are proud of all the graduates and wish them the best in the future!

Play Ball!

I've posted photos and videos of Ryan playing with the "Question-a-ball" before and commented that maybe we should get him a less-toxic plaything, like something not covered in marker since he licks/attempts to eat the ball between catches and flailing "throws". I've looked at several stores but only found:

1. Giant kick balls that he wouldn't be able to see over or catch
2. Right size balls but they are made like giant tennis balls with fuzzy coating. Huge fail on the "something better than markered rubber to eat" search.
3. Deflated balls covered in dust that I just can't bring myself to buy an expensive air pump to pump up a $2 ball.

Good thing Grandma Sue had her eye out for "Ryan toys" and found the perfect size at Menards! Adam's parents stopped by on Saturday night after we were at a cousin's graduation party. After a long afternoon of graduation party-hopping, Ryan conked out on the 4 block ride home from the last one, so he spent some time sleeping in Grandma's arms, but woke up to see his new surprise! We played with it Saturday and Sunday and Ryan is getting good at catching the ball and pushing it back. Thanks, Grandma Sue! Now Ryan has a ball at our house, at Grandma Sue's (she got a matching one) and a textured orange one at Grandma Bette's! Let's Play Ball!

Laundry Time

I would say that Ryan enjoys "helping" fold laundry by sitting on our bed while I make piles around him, but the truth is he really has no choice in the matter. He can be quite content up on our bed whenever I'm cleaning or folding laundry in the room-he just needs a few toys or t-shirts within his reach and good "bounce" now and then. I probably shouldn't teach him to jump on the bed, but he sure likes it when we bounce him by pushing the mattress up and down right next to him. For now, it's a poor man's trampoline.

Hopefully in a few years he can actually help folding and putting away laundry, but we may need to start with towels or something easier first. His pincher reflexes have to develop a little more before he's ready for japanese t-shirt folding.

Ryan and Milo

My family had dinner at my sister's house today (delicious burger, by the way, Wade) and thanks for all your work, Abbie! Ryan had fun seeing his Aunt, Uncle, Grandpa & Grandma, Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa....and Milo!

Happy Mother's Day!

Uncle Andy's Graduation

Saturday was the big day that Adam's brother graduated from Northwestern College. Both of Adam's parents plus Adam and Kim (Andy's wife) are alumni, so I was one of the only non-N-dubbers of the bunch. I wasn't sure about bringing a 7 month old to a college graduation, but Ryan did just fine.

First, we found Andy before the ceremony started and wished him good luck. Ryan was still a little sleepy from the car ride.

Then, we went and found the seats Adam's parents had saved for us. I shouldn't have worried about how we were going to keep Ryan entertained for 40 minutes before the ceremony started.

I was lucky to get a snapshot of Andy walking in! Do not be fooled by the color of his cords. He is not an Iowa State fan. The gold cords are for graduating Summa Cum Laude and the red cord is for being selected as the Outstanding Graduate of the Education department. I told that kid to stop studying so much but apparently he did not listen to me.

Dr. Vander Brugge was the speaker and he was quite enjoyable. I don't have a picture of him or of Andy receiving his diploma but from experience (Adam's graduation, my sister's, and possibly my BIL's, which for some reason I honestly can't remember if I attended or not. Olive Garden has crowded out the timeline of that day) I know that trying to get that shot from that far away was a lost cause.  After Andy walked, Ryan and I took a little break from the action to change into a clean diaper and have a bottle. I feel the need to specify that both of those are for Ryan, not for Ryan and I, but I will admit the break was nice for me too. I got to watch a little Disney Channel in the RSC with the rest of the moms with restless kids.  Ryan actually did perfect-either sleeping or sitting quietly playing with his books and the program for the whole thing.

When it was over, we made our way to the gym. Tip for all NWC graduates--before the ceremony, pick a meeting spot with your family so you know where to find each other. I felt sorry for the poor saps climbing the bleachers with their eyes shielded, searching desperately for their missing party members so they could get on with driving to Sioux City to go to Olive Garden. (That was me 3 years ago.)  The SW corner is the best meeting spot. Also, when the entire audience tries to leave the RSC out of the front left doors--follow the orchestra through front right doors. They also lead to the gym. Just trying to help you out, here. This blog is nothing if not overly informational.

The gym is for taking pictures and losing/finding friends and family members. We were happy to get some good shots with the graduate!

Grandpa and Grandma Mol came down from Minnesota for the event.

After graduation, we had a delicious meal together at Adam's parents house and wished Andy & Kim well on their upcoming move to the Omaha area.  Although graduation was nice, I'm kind of glad I'm done with Northwestern graduation ceremonies.

At least until 2032.

Afternoon Off

On Tuesday, I took an afternoon off to spend with Ryan while Adam was in Ames for a conference. It was forecasted to be a beautiful day, but by the time I picked him up, it had become overcast and windy. We did our best to have a fun afternoon anyway! We played with toys, read books, played piano, and even took a nap while Ryan slept! I couldn't remember the last time I got to take a nap in the afternoon...that didn't even happen on maternity leave!

I had so been looking forward to getting outside that I decided to brave the wind and threatening showers to get some fresh air. Once we got the stroller (with dog attached) out the garage (thank goodness for breakaway mirrors on my car), it turned out to be a fine walk. Ryan entertained me with all sorts of babble (still no consonants) and blew spit bubbles as well. Always entertaining.  The wind didn't bother him too much as his stroller has canopies that can basically enclose him and though we stayed close to home, it never actually rained.  I love all the lilac trees around town and enjoyed spending an afternoon with my buddy!