Emma Graduates High School

Our niece graduated high school on May 22nd with honors and we are so proud of her.

Her graduation brought back a flood of memories that seriously just feel like yesterday.  I don't understand how the time has gone so incredibly fast.

We went to Missouri on Saturday evening and I went in to Andrea's to help decorate the garage for the big post graduation party.  As it turns out I still am not much of a decorator, so I mostly worked on laying out the food tables.

Sunday morning we putzed around mom and dad's house before we got all the kids prepped and headed into the graduation ceremony.

I'm biased, but isn't she a pretty graduate?

Emma received several local scholarships, which speaks volumes about her character.

The graduation ceremony was a great tribute to what seemed like a fun, loving class.  The gym, however, was sweltering.  We were glad to exit into the fresh air.  

A pause to pose for a few pictures...

Next we headed to party time.  The weather could not have been better.  Truly a beautiful day.  Andrea and Vance put together a great taco bar, and Grandma Num got the chocolate fountain flowing, which was a huge hit.

Emma is bound for ISU, so we all donned our gear to celebrate her acceptance and bright future!

What a tribe.  What a privilege for them to be ours.

The Beelers are ready for Emma to be an Iowan with us!

Evalynn is a huge Emma fan.  Wanted to take 1000 photos with her.  They are a cute pair.

Aww....let's flash this one back...

Too fast...it just went too fast.

My big kids played a ton of bags and had a good time visiting with some kiddos that they don't see very often anymore.

Evie went 100 miles an hour, loved Nannie's little food boats (nacho trays), and thought the chocolate fountain was genius.

Lauren made a beautiful video montage that was played at the graduation party.  I watched it Saturday night and cried a bit (okay, more than a bit).  So many sweet memories wrapped up.

We're so proud of you, Emma.  Thanks for letting us be a part of the journey!