Graduation...finally!

This past weekend was a busy one as my parents and Derek's mom made the trip from Indiana to go to my commencement at Illinois State. After 3 and a half years I finally finished my Masters Degree in Reading! I walked in the ceremony because many of my classmates were walking and my research partner convinced me that I needed to walk. Thanks Kristi! :) I am glad I walked because it brought closure and made it feel real. The commencement was short and sweet. ISU splits up their ceremonies by the various schools so we were out in under 2 hours..thank goodness. My parents have been to quite a few of my commencements and are real troopers for making the trip up for this one. They and Derek's mom were a big help in helping with Adalyn. She spent much of commencement lying on Grandpa's shoulder, but got antsy at times and needed to do laps around Redbird Arena.

Addy checking out the view from her seat.

Resting on Grandpa's shoulder

Making it official

I appreciate all of the support my parents have given me through my MANY years of school!

Derek's mom has been a huge help throughout my classes.

After commencement we went out to eat at a restaurant in Bloomington. The restaurant had so many reservations that we were given our own private dining room, which was very nice since we could let Addy roam around to entertain herself. Our friend Kim met us at the restaurant to celebrate with us. She has been a huge help with Addy when times have gotten very crazy! We appreciate all of her help!

After lunch my parents took me flower shopping to several local nurseries for my birthday present. I ended up with a lot of different flowers and got them all planted in the beds and pots.

On Sunday we celebrated Mother's Day with my parents before they headed home to Indiana. Then Derek, Addy, Derek's Mom, and I headed to the Decatur Zoo for a special mom's day. The zoo was very busy, as they had special activities planned. It was a lot of fun and Addy really enjoyed herself. She got to ride the carousel several times and loved it.

We had a wonderful weekend! I am so relieved to be done and I am ready to start the next chapter in our lives. I have already started to make a list of the things I want to get accomplished around the house. I know that Derek and Addy are also relieved that I am done. No more papers, projects, deadlines, comps and research = a much happier mommy! I also wanted to extend a sincere thanks to all of our family and friends who have been so supportive during this process! I appreciate everything you have done to help us out! THANK YOU!!

Future Redbird:)

Spring is Here!!

It has been quite a while since we have posted and a lot has gone on since our last entry. I have now completed my masters degree. I have submitted my last assignment electronically and have prepared the manuscript to be sent to the publisher. Now, all I have to do is walk in the graduation ceremony next Saturday to make it official. Yes, I am walking...my research partner convinced me that I should. I invited our parents up for the weekend and promised them that this will be the final graduation ceremony they will have to sit through for me!

We are so happy that the weather has finally warmed up (hopefully to stay)! We have taken advantage of the beautiful weather by working a lot outdoors. We have received tons of rain lately so Derek has gotten into the swing of mowing, which is not his favorite activity. We also have some wildlife in our yard, which Derek affectionately refers to as varmints. Needless to say that he has been investigating holes all over our yard with the vengeance of Elmer Fudd! Adalyn loves the outdoors and always brings us our shoes so that she can go outside to play no matter what it's like outside--light or dark, rain or shine. She just doesn't understand that we can't be outside all of the time.

Addy is currently cutting lots of teeth--6 to be exact!! She has been very cranky for the past few weeks and has been biting and chewing on everything and everyone. She recently bit her best buddy at the sitter's which was a cause for concern.

Although she isn't saying many coherent words yet, she is making many sounds and tries to mimic the things we say. She is still dancing up a storm and loves turning in circles. She now tries to sing to the songs along with dancing to them, which is quite entertaining. She is quite the babbler. Addy continues to be quite the eater and has been successfully using the spoon for foods like mashed potatoes. Although the food on the spoon doesn't always make it to her mouth, she is making progress.

School will be over in about 4 weeks, which is both exciting and nerve wracking. We have a busy May filled with the end of a school year, my ISU graduation, Brian's graduation, and many other events. However, it looks as if June will be even busier as we have a wedding, graduation party, a baseball game, and Derek will be going on multiple business trips (several to tropical regions!). Hopefully we'll be able to relax in July:)