Cade's Celebration

Today we went to Cade's preschool celebration. The kids sang songs and we watched a DVD of the year. It was kind of emotional. Cade has had so much fun and has learned so much this year. He is ready for kindergarten. He told me the other day, "Mom, I'm going to kindergarten and that makes me happy. But I'll be gone from you all day and that makes me sad." That is exactly how I feel too. But we still have the summer and we will enjoy it to the fullest! Here are some pics of the day:

Cade and Friends singing songs

Gavin and Myla watching the show

Cade and Shayna
Cade says he's going to marry Shayna when they are grown ups. So cute!

Cade and Cole

Cade with his teachers, Teacher Cece and Teacher Hope
I couldn't ask for better teachers. They were amazing. They sincerely loved these kids.

Myla's Preschool Graduation

Myla completed her first year of preschool at Tiny Footsteps Preschool. She loved it! Yesterday was her super cute graduation. The kids all sang a couple of songs they learned during the year. Then each child was called up to receive their diploma. They told how old they were and what they wanted to be when they grew up. Myla said she wanted to be a mom. So sweet! Usually she says she wants to be a dinosaur. Hmmm, maybe that's in the same category as a mom in her mind. :)

Myla receiving her diploma from Ms. Lisa.

Myla loves her Aunt Jamie and loved that Jamie was her teacher too!

Myla with her other teacher, Lisa.

Myla and her cousin Bradley (or as Myla calls him, Brabley). They got to be such good friends. See that cute book Bradley is holding? Each child got their very own book with pictures and things they colored. They also got a DVD of their school year. Very fun!

Tiny Footsteps Preschool is registering for next year. They are holding two day classes and three day classes. Go here for more information!

Little Ballerina

Myla had her dance recital last weekend. She did a fantastic job! She was really nervous, but she did it anyway. I wish I could include pictures of her whole group. They were so cute! But I didn't have permission from the other parents. Here are a few of Myla:

Myla in her tap costume.

Myla in her ballet costume.

We are so glad we put Myla in dance. She LOVES her dance teacher and she LOVES dancing. She's showing me her moves all the time and tells me she's going to teach me how to dance. :) She already can't wait until the next session starts in the fall.

Kevin's Graduation

Kevin graduated!! Kevin successfully completed the nursing program at Scottsdale Community College. All he has to do now is pass the nursing boards and he will be a full-fledged RN! We are so proud of Kevin and all the hard work he has put into his schooling. Here are a few pics of the pinning ceremony.

The processional

Receiving his pin. They did a pretty cool thing here. They told a little bit about each graduate and what their future goals are. It was sweet.

Handsome graduate

I've learned a few things about Kevin throughout this whole schooling process.

* He's not a complainer. Kevin's first clinical rotation was in a long-term care facility (nursing home). Basically he changed diapers all day. Adult diapers. Crappy job. (Ha ha) But not once did I hear him complain. Not once! In fact, I had to ask what he did at the nursing home. He just does his job without complaint. I admire that. Because, believe me, I'd be complaining about changing poopy adult diapers.

* Kevin really loves his kids. Like really a lot. He didn't like being away from them so much. He made every minute count that he was with them.

* Kevin very rarely stresses out. He gets busy. Most of the time there were four or five different important things he needed to focus on, but he rarely gets stressed.

* Kevin was called to be the Elders Quorum president in our ward about two weeks before he started nursing school. He also worked 20-30 hours a week at his regular job. And he has a family. He was really worried that he wouldn't be able to give everything 100%. There were times when one job had to be put on the backburner so he could focus on the others. I know he has given his very best effort in all things. He had almost no free time. He was going, going, going. Always. He had endless amounts of energy. There were many times when I sat in awe of everything he was trying to do. We know that the Lord was strengthening him. And we are so thankful for that.

* Working hard is good for the soul. And for a family. I've said this many times throughout the past several years, but I'll say it again: Anything worth having has to be worked for, sacrificed for. Kevin has proven that.

* I always knew this about Kevin, but he is a very compassionate person...especially for a guy. He'd worry about patients long after he worked with them. He'll make a great nurse.

* Kevin is good at a lot of things, which is why it took so long to really find a major that he wanted to stick with. This came in handy during nursing school. For projects and presentations he'd write scripts, make movies and put all that computer knowledge to work. (Before nursing, Kevin's majors were computer graphics, screenwriting, drafting and pharmacy.)