Graduation Day!

Asher graduated today! 

Having learned a little something from Noah's graduation, we made sure to take pictures *before* the ceremony, when spirits were higher and cooperation was more likely. ;) I also pinned Asher's cords to his robe so as not to lose them like Noah did. And we had to cut the back of Asher's cap altogether to get it to fit on his head. 

So. These pictures were taken before the ceremony. Then we left Noah and Micah at home and headed to the event. (Only two guests were allowed per graduate.) Brothers watched the livestream of the ceremony and preferred that. :) I *think* you can see the recording of the ceremony here if you're interested. 

Here's inside the ceremony. Nathan and I ended up in a back corner, which turned out okay because it meant I could stand on my chair, lol. 

The graduates were in spaced out chairs in the middle, with guest on either side. Asher actually ended up on an end, so I was able to get a decent shot of him and see him during the ceremony...

(Yes, that's obviously from closer than the back corner where I was standing on the chair. During parts of the ceremony, I sat with a friend who had an extra seat and was closer to the "aisle" where Asher was. It was lovely sharing the event with her and catching up.)

All in all, the ceremony actually went really well. We enjoyed the speakers and the overall mood of celebration and resilience and pride. Asher's class had 233 graduates...who earned a total of 13,094 college credits (for FREE!), 151 associate degrees, and 88 certificates. The gold cords Asher's wearing signify those graduating Summa Cum Laude (4.2-5.0 weighted GPA)...there were 90 in the class. The silver medallion he's wearing was for having earned his Postsecondary Workforce Readiness Endorsed Diploma...there were 24 in the class. Asher also graduated with High Honors, having earned 60+ college credits and/or an Associate Degree. (There were 153 High Honors graduates.)

So very thankful for this program and so very proud of our boy!

A little sad to not have had more of a celebration right now but looking forward to summer and celebrating throughout in smaller groups. Also, I compiled a collection of videos from friends and family wishing Asher congrats or sharing a favorite memory or giving some advice...so he was able to watch that today and know that people were thinking of him. :) To all those who contributed, many, many thanks!

Four on Friday

Just a quick post with some happy things...

1. Micah got his first Pfizer vaccine shot yesterday!! He'd been closely monitoring the approval and recommendation process for months, as he's quite anxious to socialize even more and waiting until his 16th birthday seemed too far away. (It's in about 10 weeks.) Given his autoimmune stuff, he's now off his meds for a week in the hopes that the vaccine can work with his immune system without interference from his immunosuppressants. Fingers crossed that the arthritis doesn't flare up as a result.

(I'd been in contact with his rheumatologist for the past week verifying the plan about meds and such as we anticipated the approval for 12-15 year olds. Micah wanted to be sure to be ready to go as soon as he was allowed to get the shot, and the mass vaccine site at The Ranch opened up appointments yesterday morning.)

(He'll do the same thing after the second shot and then we'll also do an antibody test to confirm whether the vaccine worked for him.)

2. I actually earned the right to wear this shirt yesterday, lol. 

Okay, I've been running once or twice a week for awhile now but this was the first time I remembered I had this shirt. ;) For the record, I still don't really like running, lol. But I understand that it's good for me. Also, I sprained my wrist back around Easter so running works while I can't lift weights or climb. (It didn't heal for a month while I continued using it...finally went to get it checked a couple weeks ago and was told officially to stop using it if I want it to heal. At least, though, they verified that it's not broken or anything, so that's something.)

3. Noah finished his finals yesterday so now all of my guys are officially done with the 2020-21 school year. Woohoo! Also, whew! So incredibly proud of them for surviving this crazy year and managing to maintain their high academic levels throughout. They each had some different challenges but persevered. Looking forward to a more normal school year starting in the fall, as all three boys' schools have stated that they'll be in-person.

(Actually, though, one of Micah's classes will still be online, but that's great for us because it's only offered through the Front Range Community College campus in Boulder. So this saves having to drive the hour to Boulder twice a week. Yay!)

4. We've currently got this sign in our front yard:

The school provided them and Asher thinks it's weird, but I like it. :) And, for those who would like to follow along, here's the link to watch his livestreamed graduation ceremony on Sunday!

Thankful Throwback Thursday

This week's Thankful Thursday is also a Throwback Thursday. When I sent out Asher's graduation announcements, since we're not doing a party where I can display bunches of pictures of the boy, I included an extra card with pictures. It looked like this:

Click on it to make it bigger so you can read it. 

And then this was on the reverse side:

Just a bunch of pictures of my boy over the years. :)

So very thankful for this kid and the many adventures we've had over the years.

Done!

My Asher will graduate this weekend! As of last night, he's completely done with all his finals and coursework and is quite happy about that. :) As we finish out the week, I figure it's a good time to share his announcements. Like his brother before him, Asher was not a fan of official senior portraits or any of the official Class of 2021 merchandise. He finally consented to letting me take some pictures in February at a nearby park, and I made up these announcements:

The high school has decided on the indoor graduation ceremony on Sunday with only two guests per graduate. (To be honest, it makes us a bit uncomfortable since it will easily be the largest indoor gathering we've been to since March of last year. With that in mind, we deliberately made sure to get our vaccines as soon as we were eligible so that we'll be fully vaccinated before the ceremony. I worry about those who weren't able to get that process started in time, and we'll obviously leave Micah at home.) The ceremony will be live-streamed for those who want to watch. Also, we won't be having a party at this time. With Micah still unvaccinated and extended family mostly unvaccinated and travel being difficult/unwise at this time, it's just not the right time for us to do that. We're hoping to do something with his friends later this summer and will see various extended family members separately in the coming months. 

Regardless of the less boisterous celebration this year, though, we're so very proud of our Asher. His high school experience was anything but normal...starting out with a year of homeschooling, then a year of part time homeschooling and part time at CEC, then a semester of "normal" high school taking college courses at the CEC campus, then a semester of the same but interrupted by a pandemic and finished out online, and then a year of college courses taken remotely (except for physics labs). And, amid all that, he still managed to complete his Associate of Science as a straight A student!!

Along the way, he's also earned his second degree black belt, traveled to Costa Rica with a school group, completed a summer internship, done multiple job shadows (in person and via video call), volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, enjoyed parkour and karate and demo team, and traveled aplenty with us. He visited and applied to and was accepted at five different colleges and is starting to get excited about heading to Omaha this August.

So happy for this guy!

Happy Mother's Day

To all the moms...happy, happy Mother's Day! Here's a fitting quote I found:

There is no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one. -Jill Churchill

So, thank you to all the good moms out there...past and present! Here are some of mine...

My awesome mom in May 1976 when I came to the United States from Korea and she became a mom:

Nathan's fabulous mom in August 1975 when Nathan was born and she became a mom:

My mom's mom in 1952 (my mom's on her lap):  

My mom's stepmom in 1959 a bit after her marriage to my grandpa (my mom's third from the left):

My dad's mom with my oldest aunt (I think this was taken in the 1940s...my dad's mom died when my dad was five so I never knew her):

Nathan's mom's mom with her husband, his mom and their first four kids in May 1952 (Nathan's mom's the first on the left):

Nathan's dad's mom with her husband in 1940 (I couldn't find any of her with her kids when they were little):

And my godmother in 1976 when she became my godmother:

Very thankful for these women and the roles they've played in my life and my motherhood. Beyond those pictured, I also so appreciate my sisters, sisters in law, and friends. Moms rock!

Those who are no longer with us continue to touch our lives through their examples, accomplishments and love. Those who are currently part of our lives inspire, support and love. So many beautiful women...so many truly good moms.