Aly's Graduation Weekend Part 2

 

Graduation was on Father's Day, so it was quite a day of celebration! We were up early and needed to be completely packed, dressed and out of the beach house by 8:30 that morning. We managed quite well considering there were 10 of us, 4 kids included. We parked and got into the stadium and secured 20 chairs in the back two rows down on the field. This turned out to be great. The kids (and adults!) could roam around a bit during the ceremony without disturbing anyone.

It's a good Father's Day when you actually get to spend it with your Dad! All four of us were together to celebrate our Dad this year! What a guy he is. Hard working, loving, supportive and encouraging. An added bonus for him this year was to have his youngest child graduate from college. I think Aly got the prize for best gift this year!

 

My Grandma (mom's mom) pulled my Dad aside after the graduation and was having a little heart to heart. She is so sweet, an amazing woman. Aly is her youngest of 8 grandchildren and she has attended every graduation.

Maggie seems a little confused about what is going on.

Tio, always ready for a picture!

Following the large graduation, we went to the College of Agriculture ceremony where Aly got to cross the stage. There was much rejoicing from our rowdy group of 20 or so!

We now have 5 Cal Poly graduates in our family. Pretty amazing! 

So proud of Aly for all that she has accomplished these past years! Thankful to call her my sister and friend. Her joyful smile, tender heart, and humble spirit are truly an inspiration to me! 

Aly's Graduation Weekend

A couple weeks ago we headed to California for my sister Aly's, graduation from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. We flew into Santa Barbara and spent a couple nights in Carpinteria before heading up to San Luis. It is always nice and low key in Carp. We walked downtown for meals, hit the park and the beach. Upon arriving there is this instant sense of relaxation, which is so nice. 

We drove north on Friday to Caucus where we would stay at my sister-in-law's family's beach house with my siblings for the weekend. It was great for all of us to be under one roof to have time to catch up and for the kids to get to play and run free. 

Matt had suggested that we drive to Cambria (just 15 miles north) to Cambria Pines Lodge, where we had our wedding reception following our ceremony in San Luis. We hadn't been back since we got married almost 9 years ago! The drive up there is just breathtaking. Highway 1 parallels the coastline and even on a cloudy morning it was beautiful. We took the girls with us and had breakfast, then toured the gardens. It was fun to revisit and reminisce! 

When we looked at venues for our reception, I loved this one for it's beautiful gardens and the fact that people could stay on site, since most people were coming from out of the area. We got married at the First Pres San Luis Obispo, then had cocktail hour in the garden area (pictured below, minus the chairs), and moved inside for dinner & dancing. I still remember some parts of that weekend so vividly & being there brought back more. Clara was taking it all in as Matt and I talked. It was really neat to be able to share with her! We took her into the ballroom and told her the infamous story about Tio Rojo (my brother, Andrew) starting a conga line to the song "Hot, Hot, Hot", a song that was specifically on my "no play" list for the band. When I heard the song start, I kind of laughed, then I looked over at the dance floor to see Andrew leading the line all around the room...I was somewhat horrified, but had a good laugh. I still give him a hard time about it. Clara loves silly Tio stories. =)

 Much to Matt's horror, Clara walked up and down the aisle a few times! We're in no rush to give her away!

This picture just brings a smile to my face. Three amazing blessings that bring such joy to my life!

Waking up

This morning I walked into Maggie's room and found her lounging in her crib. She is so happy to just hang out in her crib in the mornings and after naps. We hardly ever hear her, but when we go in she is usually just playing with her animals or lovey or relaxing against the bumpers which she uses for her pillows. She LOVES pillows. She LOVES to snuggle.

Seeing her in there this morning reminded me a lot of Clara, so I had to pull up the picture below and compare the two!

Clara at 11 months

Maggie at 14 months