Play by Play of the Storm

It's raining and windy and thundery outside... so we're playing SOCCER IN THE HOUSE! Haha!

Adeline has learned how to kick an inflatable ball, and she's getting pretty darn good at it. But I get ahead of myself.

The fabulous Careen and her 9-month-old son Dillon came for a visit and we had a lot of fun around noon. Earlier the sun was shining here and there through breaks in the clouds and we went to a nearby park on a little walk and got some nice 10am sun and enjoyed the lovely spring smells. While Careen and Dillon were here, things got gloomier and gloomier outside from a look out on the balcony. As Careen and Dillon were leaving, it was getting windy.

And then the storm hit! We get pretty wild windy thunderstorms here (and tornado warning sirens!), but this one seemed unusually strong. Our balcony chairs were getting blown across the balcony and knocked over and stuff was flying around through the streets. The trees were pitching in the wind.

Careen had just barely left our third floor apartment so I called Careen's phone to see if they needed to come back in our building to wait the storm out. I got her voicemail so I hope she's okay.

Anyway, Adeline and I were beginning lunch and the lights were even flickering a little, so thinking ahead I got some candles out and lit them on the dining table by Adeline's high chair. She loved watching them, as I'm pretty sure she had never seen them before. We had lunch by candlelight! But the power didn't go out, so things were fine. Still, lots of strong rain and wind and lightning and thunder.

We finished up lunch and then we have been playing with her toys. I helped her kick the inflatable ball that she loves and we had a good time laughing and I was swinging her by her arms into the ball. Then we started kicking a swiss-cheese-like rattle that Adeline got from Lisa, it's in the shape of a ball. She liked that. But then she wanted to take a break and sit and play with my cell phone, so I started kicking the little pink rattle-ball against the couch, and she thought it was hilarious!

So I kept kicking the ball and it would roll back to me and I kept kicking it and she was laughing and wanting me to do it MORE MORE MORE! So I did. We played soccer in the house. And I got quite a workout! (And we didn't break anything!) And the thunder was going on outside and it was gloomy and FUN! I think this might have to become a daily tradition. :-)

The End.

Big News! Adam Graduated!

You should refer to him as Adam Rowley, Esquire, now. Or Adam Rowley, JD. Adam Rowley, Juris Doctor. Okay, maybe I'm more excited about it than he might be. He still has to take the Bar this July and has a lot of studying ahead of him. He's taking the Missouri Bar, as we are still waiting to hear about job offers and the like. It's been rough out there for new lawyers, particularly the last graduating class (2010) and this one (2011). Hopefully things will improve.

I'm going to have to post pics! Also, Adeline had her first birthday, and tomorrow we celebrate Adam's birthday (although his actual birthday is on Monday). No kidding, it has been a busy busy May. Mommy is tired. But pretty happy. :-)

PHOTOS!

Before the procession to the Law Ceremony




Family!





Daddy and Daughter





Waiting for things to begin and Daddy to walk across the stage. Hanging out with Grandma.





Bored. Time for a "crawling-on-the-grass" break.




Adam's name is read and he is presented with his Juris Doctor. The diploma is all fancy and all in Latin! Haha!




Adeline fits in a nap. Hooray!




Adam with friends: Heather and Samir!




Betsy!




Melissa!




Ryan!





Jacob!




Adam's Family Law Professor. He really enjoyed the class.




Photo with the George Washington statue. (Who the school is named for, of course!)




Photo with the fabulous photogenic Wash U arch.




And a few from Adeline's birthday.

Birthday girl with Grandpa.




With Mommy.




With Mommy and Daddy.




With her yummy monkey cake.



The end!