No more siblings in high school!

Ach! I feel so old! I was 12 when my sister was born. She's my only sister amidst a handful of brothers, and she's quite a bit younger than my youngest brother. She was a complete surprise to the family, and she was an answer to my prayers. We've always been incredibly close. And she graduated from high school!

Look at all those ropes and ribbons around her neck! That is one smart blond right there! ;)

The whole family showed up. We took up two complete benches front and center in the bleachers. It was awesome to be part of a large support group for her and to add my voice to all the others that were and still are cheering her on.

 I love this girl! But don't be fooled by this picture; she is actually shorter than me. Her high heels gave her the advantage here. Lol!

 As an AMAZING surprise, my father was nominated and chosen for the Friend of Education award. You have to participate and be active in sooooo much to even be nominated for this. And he has; school board, reffing, coaching, etc. etc. So much volunteer work. I can't think of a time when he wasn't involved in some way, and all of this while working two jobs a lot of the time. He totally deserves this.

Seth and Kai had a BLAST with their cousins! Look at these 5 beautiful boys having a sleepover!

 We had fun at the park, where we sang happy birthday to two of the cousins and Jason who all had birthdays around the same time.

 Grandma and Grandpa's backyard with Grandma, a couple cousins, and a couple uncles. So much fun family! Yay!

We had to go to Wyoming for this, so we couldn't take S with us, as she is a ward of the state. We asked for permission from her parents and they said no, which was a huge blow. Leaving her behind was devastating for everyone. And then it didn't go well, which killed me. That made the decision for me about the vacation we are taking in less than a month: she will not be left behind again. It will require some sacrifices if the parents won't sign off and let us take her out of state, but sacrifices are okay with me when it comes to the safety and happiness of S, or any child for that matter.