Last week...

Sorry...still recovering from Wesley's graduation last week! I can't really party like I used to.

Daddy started to get emotional at the Teaching Parents Association Graduation rehearsal on Thursday night. He came in from the road just in time to attend. It was a long, confusing evening and our whole family was there. We didn't get in line fast enough for the ice cream social afterward. Ralph was crabby and Ruby was fussy so we left and went to the Dairy Queen for our own ice cream social. No waiting in line there!

Friday morning we had quite a frightening thunderstorm. The early morning storms scare me because we cannot hear the tornado sirens at our house. The wind was roaring and we thought we might lose some windows. We didn't. But, the cars were damaged a bit. So Friday was spent visiting the insurance office, finalizing the food we ordered for Sunday, getting kids' haircuts, finishing the cake, and...finding the perfect present for our graduate.

I don't know how my time got sucked up that day but I ended up hitting one store minutes before closing time and then wandering aimlessly through another one long after dark. I didn't find exactly what I was looking for, but close enough...a big old fashioned treasure chest. I wanted one that could be locked, but didn't find it. And (this was a tough decision) an LCD Hi-def TV! No, the cake didn't get finished.

Saturday morning flew by so fast as we tried to get everyone clean and presentable. We had to be at the church before noon. Somewhere along the way my mom arrived from Oklahoma. I had fun putting on pantyhose! I did my makeup in the car. Hectic!

At the ceremony the parents of the graduates lined up and filed in together. Then the graduates. It nearly killed me not to be in charge of the little kids! I was so worried that Ruby would start one of her crying fits and Ralph would yell. The big brothers and grandmas and auntie had everything under control, though.

We prayed and listened to a couple of fantastic instrumental and vocal performances. Then Senator Sam Brownback gave a commencement speech. He actually surprised us by shaking hands with all the parents as we were lining up beforehand. The speech was easy to listen to...full of nuggets of truth and good humor. I'll never forget what he said about running to someone in trouble instead of running away. It's not always the politically expedient thing to do.

In order to present the diplomas, the parents walked across the stage from one side and the students from the other to meet in the middle. As we walked, a short video interview of our child was shown on a big screen. It was a real blessing to learn a little bit about each one of the kids. As we met Wesley onstage, dad gave him his diploma and a great big manly bear hug. I hugged him and moved his tassel to the other side. We posed for pictures and walked back to our seats.

The kids all wore different colored caps and gowns. It was really very attractive and fun, especially when the class was presented and the kids all tossed their caps in the air!

It was 3 pm before we got out of there. I started making frosting when we got home. I really do my best work under intense pressure! Then we got the kids some pizza and left for the Senior Roast at our church. Chipper had the privilege of babysitting because Richard (a junior) was serving at the dinner and both grandmas and Aunt Linda came to the dinner along with us. Ruby came, too, and was a very good girl.

After the meal there were several cute and funny video presentations. Lots of people got up to speak at the open mike. The roasting was quite mild! I expected a little more heat.

I finally finished the cake after the dinner. Daddy wrapped up the TV and we made it to bed...I don't remember when, but it was late.

Sunday was Mother's Day! Of course daddy was scheduled to usher at church that morning. Grrr. At least he usually takes Ralph and Leroy with him when he goes early. Before he left he gave me a gift...a digital picture frame! What a surprise! I wanted to get one for the grandmas, but I never considered wanting one for myself.

Ralph had a Mother's Day open house in his Sunday School class. So, even though I was dead tired, I dragged myself out of bed and made it to church on time. The open house was just precious! Ralph headed to the story area and started passing out carpet squares when I arrived. He knew when to stand and when to sit and only needed a bit of help getting up and down. He knew all the action signs for the songs. I was so pleasantly surprised that it brought tears to my eyes.

A little later I was in tears for a different reason. The kids "hunted" for little felt flowers around the room and brought them up front to the teacher and the felt board. Ralph doesn't walk yet so I had to help him get around. The other kids hogged all the flowers before we could get to them. Grrr. Ralph doesn't care, yet. But I do.

I went home after Sunday School to tidy up the house for the party and fix a bit of lunch for the little kids. We all pulled together to finish getting the place picked up and the food set out. We had BBQ pork, coleslaw, chips, lemonade and tea. And cake! We had a great turnout. The house was packed for three hours with dear friends and family.

The treasure chest and TV were well received! Ralph got to help Wesley unwrap the TV. Wes has a real soft spot for Ralph. I just love that about him.

I was so relieved to have this fun weekend successfully completed. Monday morning I felt like a train hit me! Can't party like I used to...