It's graduation day! Well one of their graduation days. There was a ceremony for Zachary's department at GW and then the big GW graduation ceremony at the national mall but Zachary didn't care to go to those because of the logistics- the packing, the parking, the walking, the waiting... it just wasn't in the cards for us. I got Liam and Malia a spot at the CDC (still the child development center, not the Centers for Disease Control) 30 days in advance- I stayed up until midnight so I could guarantee that spot because I wanted to be able to sit in the middle of a row, not next to the door, and I wanted to be able to listen to the speakers, not spend the whole time trying to meet both children's needs before they were even aware of them to prevent noise that would compromise others' experiences. It would have been nice for them to be there but they were happier being able to play with toys and move around however they liked.
There were two good speeches- one about the importance of always learning- that what we know to be true today may be tested and proven false in the future- knowledge isn't static; it's always changing. And then one of Zachary's favorite professors gave the keynote speech and he discussed leadership which is what these students have been learning all about for the past year.
After the ceremony we headed to a child-free brunch at Iron Rooster. Then we snapped some pictures- I'm not sure when this first one was taken because the photographer was sneaky :) but I love it- candid pictures are the best.
The Blue Angels were practicing as we walked back to the car so that was.... interesting. I know a lot of people love watching them but it freaks me out. I'm not a fan of the noise or the lack of distance between them and me. So we picked up the kids from the CDC a little early on the way home- Grandma and Pops had to leave pretty soon after we got home so we got them an hour early so they could at least see them for a few minutes!
Grandma gave Malia her quilt and a matching pillow and gave Liam a matching pillow to his quilt she made for him when he was a baby- Malia loves her pillow:
He's done! Well he's kind of been done but graduation is tomorrow so the cohort planned a party- one the guys lives near this little park that has playgrounds and a tiny beach and a covered picnic area- it was so nice for the guys (and one gal) and their families to be able to hang out- my friend Amy had an idea that we get a picture with all the little ones- the sign that says "The Party's Here" had been taken out of the ground at its original location so I relocated it to this picture- they really are the life of the party!
And here are most of the classmates- a few weren't able to make it.
Liam had so much fun exploring the playground equipment- he loves slides so much. Malia had fun swinging- she hates being thrown in the air but loves swinging. But it was pretty hot and even though we kept coating them in sunscreen, we were starting to think their skin was looking a little red so we headed home. Grandma and Pops were on their way to Maryland for tomorrow's graduation and you can see how happy Liam was to talk to them!
