graduation and the festivities

our trip back to Kirksville was an adventure! we were welcomed back the 1st night with tornado watches, so i spent the night awake in the hotel bed with the weather channel on the tv, just watching and making sure there weren't going to be any tornadoes headed our way. yikes!

the traveling was a major pain...but the trip was worth it in every sense of the word. we had 5 suitcases (one of which decided that 2 wheels was too many, so one of them quit working), 3 car seats, a stroller, 3 little girls, nate with a broken arm, my back was thrown out....etc. we were quite the scene going to and from shuttles, rental cars, etc... but we did it...and it was great!

we attended banquets, parties, baby showers, etc... it was jam packed with activities, and i can't even explain how fun it was to see amazing friends that we haven't seen in such a long time! our kids are growing older, and they had so much fun playing together now that they can appreciate each other. i wish i could store all my kirksville friends in my pocket and take them with me wherever life leads. :o)

ok, ok. enough jabber. on to the pictures: (and i mean PIC-TURES....so get ready) oh...and just a warning. emma's new thing is to refuse to look at the camera. so be prepared to see a lot of the back of her head. stinker.

nate was his class VP, so they were in charge of the 2010 class party. it was great...only we didn't win the grand prize...darn it! (although it may have seem rigged if we won and nate was in charge lol)

SAA banquet, i miss these girls!

abby, maeva, bella, caitlin.

(abby begged to be with maeva about every 2 seconds we were out there)

abs and maeva again. (and cute grant)

the cohort. :o) we're moving to utah girls...so anytime you go back to visit family i expect to see you!!!!! :oD and katie...come on up to visit when the summers get too hot!

the cohort-lets. (i'm not even going to attempt to put all their names on here) and yup...that's emma refusing to be in the pictures

CUTE braden being a boy. he had a handful of worms and was scaring all of the girls with them. including me!

brade, ems, hadley, libbs, caitlin, maeva, abs. cute! i think i'll take them in my pocket too.

senior banquet. yum!

he did it!

the 'hooding'

nice back-of-the-head emma

cute! thanks for cooperating emma. at least we got the FRONT of her body

i was overflowing with joy that day. and so were my eyes! it's quite a feeling when you (as a family as well) have worked so hard for something for so long...and it finally becomes a reality!

the parks' and us. we spent a LOOOOT of time together in kville. couldn't have made it without them! (jenny-i need you to email me a pic of you and i...i think your mom took one of us.)

the fantastic studyin' four

and the fantastic four fams...minus the roos'. we couldn't find tobey!

nate and his dad nate, justin, trever, jory

us, mellots, wilkins, bulkleys

couldn't have made it in az without you katie, going to miss you so much.

(beautiful hair emma)

the REAL graduates. LOL!

we did it! :oD

nate and his amazing parents.

THANK YOU for coming and making the weekend special! we love you guys.

the future graduate. (sad thing is this picture will be real all too soon!)

my wound-up girls, and an exhausted maeva

chloe (cait's bff from kirksville), abs, and caitlin

caitlin went back to visit her old preschool. this is her teacher miss karrie. those were the good ole' days.

overall it was such an amazing, exhausting, emotion-filled, wonderful trip! CONGRATULATIONS again to you Nate, for such a wonderful accomplishment!