Graduate

Graduation Day 2016 arrived.

Two grandmothers.

   

Proud dad.

"Little" brother~who will be driving himself to school this fall...without his sister.

The outdoor ceremony had us all keeping one eye on the rainy sky.

"Little" sister.

Representing her high school journey~
"A panther on the outside, and bearcat on the inside."

Officially graduated from high school.

But not without a party.

Celebrating with photo booth fun!

A mother and her son.

A long way from the family farm where her deepest roots formed.

Family neighbors.

Our little girl is all grown up!

Sisters.

Kaiya is wondering (justifiably) about their sanity!

Crazy moments and somber moments filled the weekend~topped off with plenty of fun!

Congratulations, Miss Kiahra!

We love you!

A Day with Grandma

Grandma arrived to help us celebrate Kiahra's milestone~high school graduation.

So on a sunny afternoon, we piled into the convertible and cruised over to New Harmony

to explore small town Indiana.

The fresh leaves and new blooms make spring delightful here.

We did eventually find a few flowers to show grandma,

but the adventure was the best part.

It became a memorable afternoon~and I love these smiles!

Throughout life we will cross many bridges, but this day was a reminder to pause and enjoy the moment...

and appreciate the beauty of nature and passion of youth.

I loved her older sister's comment that this girl will soar.

 As a little girl, she loved to swing too.

Afterwards, we stopped for coffee and just chatted, enjoying the ambiance of the historic building and each other.

With the top down, we found our way home again with the wind in our hair 

and hearts full of happiness.

Then there was the rainy afternoon~but lunch was delightful.

Grateful for the memories of our days with grandma.

A Day for Mother

My kids will tell you that mom loves covered bridges. 

I think it is the history that intrigues me, but the quiet country roads are probably part of the magic for me too.

Shortly after we arrived in Pennsylvania, we visited several covered bridges on a Sunday afternoon for Father's Day. 

(If mother is happy, so is father ;).

As I look at our "little" kids with their father, I realize it has been a few years.

This Mother's Day I was in Columbus with half of our kiddos, 

and I struggled to think of what I wanted to do, and then I remembered Ohio is famous for covered bridges too, so a drive on quiet country roads it was! 

Disclaimer: We had shopped the day before!

This bridge had been preserved in a park, but we still weren't allowed to walk across it~

age had made it unsafe.

My son insisted on scoping out the stream for potential fish.

Just watching my children happily scamper around the park would have been a perfect mother's day a few years ago...and it still is. 

That mischievious look on Kade's face as he attempt to "throw" his sister off hasn't changed much either.