Grandma was ready for the graduation ceremony, but we had a little chunk of time before the babysitter arrived and we needed to leave, so Peanut Maximus brought her some books to read to him.

When Grandma Robbie was here for The Banana’s graduation, she fixed a stack of clothes for me. She even brought her own sewing machine, and Peanut Maximus was transfixed.

It has been a graduation party extravaganza for this girl, zipping off to one gathering or another for her classmates. In our community grad parties are spread out over the first few weekends of June (and maybe the last weekend of May). One Saturday she went to eleven different parties,…

The plum tree was full to the brim with blossoms this year, and it was beautiful!

By the time the delayed graduation ceremony actually ended and The Banana picked up her real diploma (they are handed just a blank folder on the stage) and packed up her violin, it was pretty dark out! It took us a few minutes to reunite outside the entrance of the…

We somehow lucked out and got the most amazing seats for the graduation ceremony, even though we didn’t arrive particularly early compared to lots of other families. We spotted a swath of seats near the bottom of the seating in a section not too far from the front, and in…

It has become a bit of a tradition to take some pre-graduation ceremony pictures in front of the white lilac bush at home before the graduate leaves for the ceremony (they have to be there super early!). Grandma Robbie made the long drive for graduation day, and we snuck Peanut…

Peanut Maximus found an oversized baseball glove, and he waited ALL DAY for Mr. TOF to come home from school so they could play baseball. Mr. TOF was happy to oblige since he did not actually have baseball practice that afternoon. “I strike you out!” he exclaimed when he threw…

Every spring for the past several years The Banana has posed for a portrait (or thirty portraits) in front of the blooming Rhododendron bush on the corner of the house. We almost missed the purple extravaganza this year because of a super hectic week and then very uncooperative weather, but…