Look who grad-umatated folks!

This is the pig that stands on my parents counter. He has stood there for years announcing the arrival and departure, special events, warnings and friendly advice to all who enter their home. Along the way someone put a cross around his neck. We are not sure who converted him to Catholocism but it works so we let him be.
I just had a most delightful week. I got to go away...all by myself. See, this is me all by myself.

A CONGRATULATIONS of the most loud and proud sort.
Mo (aka my mother) graduated from Brigham Young University.
She walked across the stage and accepted a diploma for her degree that she started 41 years ago.
Talk about role reversals...I have never seen so many adults trying to get her to look and smile while we waved frantically and snapped pictures left and right.
When the president of the college asked all of the graduates to stand and accept his bestowal of their degrees, there were tears by more than a few individuals. This is a woman who put her own education on hold to not only start a family, but then nurture them for 40 years...to raise them, and teach them and support each one of them through their own college experiences.
A few years ago she decided that it was time to go back and finish what she had started. I really couldn't be more proud of her. Each of my 6 siblings were there to celebrate (and eat out every meal...a true dream come true...and we're not talkin' Wendy's here folks...it was real good stuff.) My amazing mother-in-law came to take care of the kids, seeing as how Clark was supposed to still be gone. She came to watch my kids even though big things were happening at home (Congrats to my adorable sister-in-law Alexa, who had baby girl, Anna, last week!) Clark and his Mom got to hang out at night and visit and by day she took over in my hair-doin', meal makin', school folder checkin', fight-breaker upin', cuddle-lovin' responsibilities. I actually missed my children (until this morning when all those resposibilities came back to noogy me...I believe "the grass is always greener" cliche came into my head as I desired to be back in my parent's pampering care while listening to my kids argue about a Taylor Swift song while getting ready for school..."No! I am NOT the prince, I'm the princess!"...)
This is my brother, Chip in his fancy schmancy robes. He is a humanities professor at BYU and was there on the far end of the stage to hug my Mom when she crossed.
I'm not sure what his doctorate is actually in, but it is from Berkeley and has something to do with being smart. Don't you think I look smashing in his cap? Perhaps I should have gotten a doctorate. It would have gone perfectly with my glasses.
These are two of my very sassy sisters. I think they look like very chic bugs. (They are the sisters that when I go shopping for myself I always ask, "Would Carrie or Abby even try this on?" Maybe I should have a bracelet made...WCOAETTO?)

And this is a copy of a classic Oscarson pic taken back in the 80's...little did we know at that point that every single member of my family would get at least one of their degrees from one of the BYU colleges. We represent degrees from BYU-Idaho (before it was called that), BYU (the Utah kind) and BYU Hawaii. (I was being intentionally sassy in this picture...we had taken too many.)
Did I mention how much I love hanging out with my family? They are fun. I believe when I took this, the men had unintentionally segregated themselves and congregated in the family room for cigars and brandy (without the cigars...or brandy.)
I got to stay in my parent's apartment with them in downtown Salt Lake. This was haging on the wall at the foot of my bed. There is a poem about sleep at the bottom of the sign. My Mom is a little over the top...and I love every minute of it. (The band aids on my feet are from walking in cute shoes that I don't normally wear.)
And in other news:
We were all busy worrying about when Haley was going to lose her other front tooth (or for that matter, when she is going to grow in the one she lost over 2 years ago!!) when Abby went and did something totally unexpected...she lost her very first tooth. And I missed it while I was off being Emily, instead of Mommy. Clark said he secretly liked being the one home when something big happened and I was off missing it. A role reversal that made him happy.

AND

My baby can wear pigtails.