Ice Cream Social

 After the graduation ceremony, there was an ice cream social. There were plenty of snacks, allowing Dexter to exact his sweet revenge on that button down shirt.

High Five!

Dexter and Daddy shared a congratulatory high-five after the graduation ceremony. We were very proud of Dexter and he seemed pretty proud of himself too!

Graduation Ceremony

 It couldn't have been any cuter! The children were adorable and  well-behaved. They each walked down the aisle, sang and held hands, picked up their graduation certificates, and sat through a slide show that was accompanied by a sentimental and emotionally manipulative soundtrack - mostly country songs about how quickly they grow up. I couldn't stop weeping.

Yearbook

Before the graduation ceremony began, the teachers handed out programs and yearbooks to all the parents. The yearbook had a page for each child with a photo and a caption about what they wanted to be when they grew up. Not surprisingly, Dexter said he wanted to be a guitar player when he grows up. At home, he very often grabs his ukulele, announces that he has to go to work, and goes off to the sunroom (his "teaching" room) or My Bologna's couch ( his "studio"), and proceeds to sing along while he strums away.

Graduation Prep

 Dexter had his graduation from Purple Pals last week. Dexter prepared for the ceremony by getting a ribbon pinned on, posing for photos, and hugging Purple Pal friends. All this after a total fit at home about getting dressed in a button down shirt.

Car Max Meltdown

We just purchased a new old car since we had grown out of the Corolla (or "White" as Dexter named him) and were concerned about its ability to manage any more road trips. I suggested that we donate White and take a tax break thinking that no one would offer enough money to make a sale worthwhile but Ben thought we should see what Car Max would offer for it. We shuffled off to Car Max with Dexter in tow and went through the appraisal process.  When we saw that the Appraiser couldn't open the driver's side door to get out of the car, we were sure we were sunk. Within a few minutes, the Car Max Rep told us our appraisal was ready.  He went through the standard process of low expectation setting, "we are taking into account the age of the car (ancient), the mileage (yikes), the mechanics (clink, clunk), and the exterior condition (have to get out of the car Dukes of Hazzard style from both front seats)".   When he said they would offer us $2,500 for the car, we were visibly shocked and thrilled! A few days later, we brought it back to drop it off and collect our check.  Everything was great until Dexter saw the guys driving White away and he lost it. He was crying and saying, "I will miss White!  White and Car (Ben's Civic) are friends and Car will be lonely in the garage without White! I want to drive White when I grow up like Daddy!" We explained that our family had outgrown White and that he would be going to a new family and will be happy.  It was quite the commotion but all the Car Max folks were very sweet and kind to him.  They said it happens all the time and it's way more pathetic when a guy loses it when trading in his sports car for a family-friendly SUV. Dexter still talks about driving White when he grows up like Daddy and we tell him that he can do that, he just needs to find him first.

Waiting On a Friend

 Dexter and My Bologna were very excited for a visit from Kim and Dylan.  They both took up posts at the window, watching and waiting for their arrival.