Daddy graduates!

We had a very exciting weekend this past week. Daddy graduated from UNL with a degree in Construction Management.  We are so proud of him and how hard he has worked.  And we are definitely proud of how well he did, especially considering he had some challenges most other students don't have to worry about--or at least not all at once!  (Like a mortgage, a job, a wife, a 2-year-old and a new human on the way...)  It's hard to believe that this time in our lives is over--we feel like we've been in the school mindset for so long--but it is finally done!

Isabel and I dropped Daddy off with his cap and gown at 8:30, and then we headed to meet Nana, Grandpa, Grammy, Popper, and Gigi and Grandpa Harms for breakfast.  The ceremony started at 9:30, but I figured we weren't in a rush to get there given the fact that I was going to force a 2-year-old to sit through something that most grown adults find to be a form of punishment.  We got there around 10 as the graduates were finishing filing in, so Mommy got a chance to cry at the graduation song (what is it about that song?!).  Luckily, T had staked out a whole row of seats for us--literally furthest at the back and highest point of the arena.  Though it was a trek for this pack mule of a momma to get there, they actually turned out to be perfect seats.  We had plenty of space for Caden, Isabel and Avery to run and  we didn't have to worry too much about our noise level.

The sweetest thing was Izzie sitting on that giant seat, 4 billion feet above the graduates, and pointing her little finger as she said, "There's my daddy!  You see my daddy?"  My darling girl made it through the first 2 hours of the ceremony without incident (thanks to snacks and a build-a-bug app on the iPad), but she was a bit of a wreck for the last half hour or so.  Luckily, Daddy was one of the last to walk across the stage...  So, although she was really excited to look for Daddy at the beginning, by the time he did his dance she was in a crumpled ball on the cement floor crying and asking to go home.  Not quite as charming and sweet as I pictured it in my head, but that's real life for you, right?  Haha.

"He's right there!'

Apparently you don't need sound for movies...

She was still tired, hungry, bored, etc. as we waited for Daddy to come out, so our family picture was also a little lacking in the cute department.  However, I joked with my husband 5 years ago when he started this journey that he would have a screaming 2-year-old and a pregnant wife in his graduation picture.  And here we are...

When Bellie got up from her nap that afternoon, she told Grammy that we were having a party for Daddy because "He went to school and worked hard and now he's done!"  So apparently she listens sometimes.  After sitting through a breakfast and (most of) a graduation ceremony, we then asked this child to sit at a restaurant for dinner.  But this time there was cake and other kids, so that helped.  Bitty girl was up until almost 9:30 partying hard for Daddy, and then gave Mommy the best Mother's Day present ever by sleeping in until 8:45 the next morning!


We are so happy Daddy is done with night classes and homework so we can have a more normal schedule.  And to add to the fun, in exactly one week Mommy will be done with school and is taking next year off--so we will have lots of family time to enjoy together soon.  We are so thankful for the way God has taken care of us through this and blessed us so much--mostly through our amazing families who have supported us and helped us through this whole journey, but also for giving Daddy the opportunity to start a job that he is really excited about and allows him time with us!