End of School- Celeste

Friday was Celeste's last day of Preschool! It was a great day! This girl has LOVED school since the very first day! It is sad that it's over- for her and me!! What a great program she had the privilege of being involved in- it's a Special Needs Preschool program, where she was chosen as a "peer model" for the year. She learned so much- and her teachers worked hard to make sure that all the children come out better in many different ways. Celeste even learned a lot of sign language this year- so lucky!!
I think I forgot to post her preschool pictures- so here they are first:

This one we did not buy:
These I took before school that day- much better, right?!!

Friday the preschool put on a program for the parents- it was super fun! Celeste had been practicing her songs for weeks!! She stole the show- honestly, parents were coming up to me afterward to say how wonderful and fun she was! It was hilarious- she danced and sang so loud! I loved it and she totally gets that from her dad! Here are some shots- and because we were running late- buying teacher gifts, I got crappy seats- so these are as good as they got:The Color Song by all the classes

The alligator is my friend song by just her class- this is where she was really into it!

Celeste and Ms. Jenni- her teacher

Charlotte, Ryne and Celeste with Ms. Cookie (yes, her real name!!) They LOVE her!!

Celeste and her BFF Charlotte

Celeste and her boy who is her friend, Ryne- these two are inseparable at school!

A really great, fun year of school for Celeste. Alex and Leah didn't go to preschool- I am not always an advocate for preschool for various reasons, but with this amazing program, I had to put her in- it was so good for her and me, too! I am proud of the progress she has made and look forward to a fun summer then off to Kindergarten!!

Blessing Day

So yesterday we blessed our baby. What a day!! I was overjoyed with every part of it! So many people came to see her- we added a good 25 people to the congregation! LOVE that my family is so supportive and involved in our lives- they came to see her and be a part of this special day. Dana gave her a beautiful blessing and then also gave a talk in church as well. It was perfect.
No special occasion is without pictures in this house....so, before church we snapped these:

Oh, and the dress she is wearing is my dress- my Aunt Trudy made it for me as an infant and then all 3 of my girls have worn it the day they were blessed. I am honored. It was perfect.
















I love taking her picture but the camera does not do her justice- honestly, she is just edible in person!!
After church, it was so nice outside, so we gathered our group and snapped some together shots:

And the first Elaina is in love with her too!!

We want everyone to know how blessed we feel! We are so grateful for all of our family- we love everyone!!

Braces Be Gone!

On Tuesday, Alex's braces came off!! Whoo Hoo!! He got them on in July of 09 and off in May of 11- nearly 2 years to work their magic! Here is a before picture, just to give you an idea of how badly his mouth needed some straightening- he had a cross bite before and they had to expand his palate- then work on getting some room in there for his permanent teeth. Mind you, he still has 12 baby teeth to lose, so he has permanent retainers in until the baby teeth fall out and the new ones come in. He will perhaps have to have another set to straighten them all together- most likely in High School. Let's hope not, right?!
BEFORE:
Cross-bite- a hot mess of a mouth!!

Look how young, too! He was 9 then!

I have lots of him during with his braces:

And now- without the retainer- which is clear and hardly noticeable, by the way...
He loves his new smile- we have to talk to the Dentist about bonding those little peg teeth he has up in the front. We will see- it is a process we need to think deeply about before making a decision. But here he is now:I can see this huge difference in his face shape too! Lookin' good, Alex man!!