Jeremiah: Class of 2020!

Well, we officially have a college student. Not just because he had his graduation this past weekend, but because he is already enrolled in an online summer course at the local community college. This kid. It's been an emotional week and the day of graduation was especially emotional. It's still hard to believe we've come this far. Jeremiah is an adult. He has a job. He's paying taxes. He's already voted in the primaries. He's enrolled in college. But, sometimes, I still see that hard-headed two-year-old that refuses to take a nap. Alas, he's 18, and he's come a long way since those obstinate toddler days (which really don't feel like that long ago).
Thanks to the Rona (the nickname my nurse crew has for Covid-19), graduation looked a lot different for his school this year. But, I am grateful they did what they did and it actually turned out to be a unique and enjoyable experience. It was a drive-thru ceremony. We had time periods we could sign up for to see Jeremiah receive his "diploma". We drove into the school parking lot where they had various spots for photo ops. Then, he walked up onto a stage where he grabbed the diploma and posed for a professional photo. Then, after moving his tassel, he walked by all his teachers through the lot and then got back into our car. It took maybe 20 minutes total from the time we arrived. It was actually nice not to have to sit through 400+ other students, speeches and awards. No fighting for seats or struggling to see where he was. It was pretty fantastic. I'm sad his grandparents and other loved ones couldn't be there, but they had a live stream and everyone got to watch. Overall, we were all impressed and now, we officially have a high school graduate!
Here are a variety of photos commemorating Jeremiah's graduation journey. The first set is from the photo shoot for his announcements. The second set are from the big day itself. If you can't tell, we are bursting with pride!
Congratulations, Jeremiah Lennon! Class of 2020! 🎓🎓🎓

(He really didn't want to do this pose! 😂)

Too Cool For Elementary School

In June, our baby girl "promoted" from 6th grade to middle school. We can hardly even believe it. She received several awards, including the President's Honor Roll, which means she maintained a 3.75 or greater GPA for 4 years in a row. Jeremiah had received that too, in the 6th grade. It's pretty special. She also received a couple other scholar awards and a citizenship award. I think we've done good by her. My parents came up to celebrate with us and we had a fun night.

We're so proud of you, Alayna! You're becoming an amazing young woman! We love you!

And, now, she's off to middle school in 4 weeks!