Graduation Day has arrived...

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm"...Winston Churchill  We have all over the years seen this very trait in Javier. We are so proud of all his accomplishments thus far in his life. We know that he will go forth with confidence in the direction of his dreams and strive to live the life he has imagined for himself.
Who knew that this day would bring a whole array of emotions for me. Happiness, so proud yet sad all in one emotion.. It was a bitter sweet day for me as I have realized that we are down to the last moments of having Javier all to ourselves. Of course Javier helped the day with his humor and fun nature. I Love you stud muffin!

The day started with Javier sleeping in.....oh summer is here at last... now get ready to go already!


When we arrived we were greeted by an Old friend... Miguel Kuglen... were talking way back when mom used to take the kids to Tecolote homeschool park day...


Rodd and I are so proud of Javier... But Celia watched him grow up too and will still be there when he reaches all his next milestones in life...she shares the feeling with us.


We all arrived a little early so we could get a good seat so there were some moments where boredom took over the kids... seriously..we had fighting, arguing and constant seat changes because one didn't want to sit next to another..and Elly.. she must of had a bucket of ants on her feet because they would not stop moving. Don't let this photo fool you.


Then it was time: time to watch the graduates walk down to the their seats.. It was a very special moment and as you can see Javier is very nervous..hehehe!


Star spangled banner was sung by all:


and they had a special musical number by one of the graduates... The climb by Miley Cyrus was sung.. If you know Javier then you know exactly what he was thinking at this moment.. :)


Javier was honored with a leadership award for his leadership success during his high school years...


Celia spoke of some his great accomplishments and pointed out that he would be attending BYU in the fall on a scholarship and plans to take his education farther after he returns from his 2 year mission for our church.


Then it was time to announce the new graduates and what is a graduation without throwing your hat up in the air..


Let the embarrassing photo moments happen:

DAD and his on again off again wife Pam..


Javier and all the kids.. (what could he be thinking about)


What is a graduation without your BFF


Well BFF's are great but a girlfriend takes the cake:


okay group shot:


Then all I heard was "can I take this dress off already".. fine but then how will people know it is your graduation when we take photos....well by my captions... so this is in the lobby after graduation with one of many favorite mentors.. NEWBIE!!


Then we all headed home to celebrate the grads special moment with a backyard BBQ..


Friends make the day so much brighter:


and lets not forget the many forms of love that were able to fit in an envelope..


we all know it takes a community to raise a child and Rodd and I want to thank all those who helped in raising this one.. We appreciate all the support of those who came out to celebrate with us and especially those who have entered his life and mentored him and supported his growth..

we ended the night with a movie..whew!!! ALL IN A DAY...


Congrats Javier..we love you dearly, always remember your potential, after all you are one of us...