Fun in Richmond and Charlottesville

Sabrina got a hula hoop from school, and it turned out to be a great shepherding tool.  When we took a family hike, I would put it over Clark when he would try to walk off the path and pull him back. He also enjoyed just holding it and being pulled along as we walked. It was kinda fun for me too. 

 The hula hoop didn't work as well for its intended purpose, but maybe we'll get better if we practice more.

These two love each other so much. 

This weekend we went to a  place in Richmond called Maymont, and it was super cool. It is a beautiful area with an Italian garden and a Japanese garden, and like a mini zoo as well as a nature center. It was a great place with lots of fun things to look at and lots of room to run around. Plus the weather was fantastic and Maymont was super affordable. 

Sabrina comparing her wingspan to  a bald eagle and some smaller bird, maybe a red tailed hawk.

Sabrina and Clark weren't afraid to play with this well-behaved bear at all. What brave kids. 

This is an enormous incense cedar that Sabrina could have played on all day. The green surrounding them is all from the same tree.

The video below is from Sabrina's year-end singing at her pre-school. It was hard to get good clips of her singing, so I hope you enjoy what we've got.

Opa and Oma Visit

Opa and Oma came for a visit, and we were so happy to see them! Sabrina had been talking about them coming for weeks. They were there for graduation, and I felt very flattered they would make the trip to see me graduate. Of course they are always looking for an excuse to play with their grandkids, too. 

This at Bodo's Bagels. We tried to go to our favorite breakfast place in town, but they didn't open until an hour later on Saturdays, so we went to Bodo's instead. It's a Charlottesville classic, so it seemed appropriate since our time here is winding up fast. Everybody seemed to think it was alright. 

A visit by Opa and Oma brought out the best in our ballet moves. 

Having somebody to entertain the kids during graduation was a lifesaver. They took a little break and then were back in it in time to see me receive my diploma. 

The kids were sad to see their Oma and Opa go, but we reassured them that they will see them again very soon.

Here is a video of Opa the Great's feats of magic. I didn't get the beginning of the first trick, and I have tried to edit the video so as not to give away any secrets, just in case other grandchildren might be watching. I apologize if the editing is a little choppy.

Graduation(s)

I graduated from Law School. Feels good to be done, I guess. I do feel blessed I was able to get into a great school and that I was able to get a good job lined up. It seems that law school has worked out really well for our family. I'd like to thank my wonderful wife for taking a chance on going back to school with me. It wasn't what she thought she signed up for when she married me, and I am so grateful she put up with three long years of it. Without a doubt, getting through law school was a bigger accomplishment for her than it was for me.

I remembered that this is my real diploma shortly after these photos and was grateful Sabrina didn't stick it in her mouth or roll it through the grass.

Clark loves hats.

Graduation didn't feel like a really big deal for me. I guess that part of the reason it was such a big deal for a lot of the graduates is that for most of them this represents the end of 20 straight years of school. Now they have to become adults. The other thought that came to me is that most of them hadn't graduated from Marine Corps Recruit Depot. I went to boot camp on May 9, and graduated from law school on May 19. That is totally insignificant, but I thought it would be fun to have some then and now pictures comparing boot camp graduation to law school graduation.

Thomas Jefferson is pretty cool, but I think my drill instructors earned my respect a little more than old Mr. Jefferson. They certainly demanded more - I think part of law school graduation not being a big deal is that once you are in law school you will graduate with very little effort. No struggle equals no sense of accomplishment I guess. Getting in to a good law school and getting a job afterwards are the real struggles. Believe me, there was plenty of rejoicing after both of those events.

I love these two pictures because they both show little ladies in my life who are always proud of me. Next to my wife these are the two most wonderful women in the world. 

The graduation robes looked nicer than I thought they would, but it is hard to beat a Marine Corps uniform. One point goes to law school uniform, though, since my mother-in-law kindly ironed my robes for me, whereas I had to iron my own shirt in boot camp.

Finally, here is a video from Sabrina's "graduation" from her first year of pre-school. She had a great year. We hope her school next year will be as good.

Softball and Outdoor Showers

Sabrina and I went on a daddy-daughter date to the last home game of the softball team. It was against Virginia Tech. Sabrina had been asking to go to a softball game, and we hadn't been able to get one to work out. Even though this one was past her bedtime, we went since I felt bad she hadn't gotten to see one yet. She had a lot of fun.

 That is actually a smile, no matter how it looks.

 Precisely one second after taking this picture, the hot dog fell out of the bun, bounced off my leg and landed on the dirty bleacher. Sabrina says, "We can just dust it off. That's what Mommy does." I wasn't unhappy the hot dog fell on the ground. They were free and I was just as happy with Sabrina not eating a whole hot dog at 8 pm.

The kids have taken to showering instead of bathing recently, which has actually been fun. Then a few days ago Sabrina was pouring water from her bottle on herself. I told her that if she stopped I would spray her with the hose after dinner. It was a blast. She and Clark had so much fun, and were plenty unhappy when we called it quits. Now Sabrina asks to do it every night.