Leah's Grad Party

 Grad parties are a BIG deal in Iowa. Since we moved here 12 years ago our kids have loved May because it means partying with friends! Last year Leah and I started talking about what she wanted her grad party to look like, and in May the highly anticipated day finally arrived! We had the party on May 10th, which made for a delightful stand-alone event that didn't have to compete with the excitement of graduation weekend. Leah had a great vision for a garden tea party-esque grad party, and I was able to bring it to life with the help of many friends and shopping trips. 

The 18 photos of her cute face lining the driveway were everyone's favorite-

The party ended up being on the first near-90 degree day of the year, so we were desperate for shade. 

These gorgeous cupcakes were made by a family Leah babysat for- 

And I spent a good portion of the week making and freezing Leah's favorite cookies. 

Not to embarrass her, but there were, of course, tense moments in all of the party planning, including one night when Leah saw me put milk chocolate chips into the mixing bowl along with the semi-sweet chips she prefers. They didn't get mixed up, and she insisted that we pick them all out, only to lament after the party that she didn't get to eat a single chocolate chip cookie. It's funny to look back on what feels so important in the moment- I won't say how many stores I went to to track down blue hydrangeas for the party, only to have 75% of them immediately wilt in the heat. 

But we were all too busy partying to really notice those small missteps. I only took a few pictures because we had a steady flow of so many people who love Leah and love our family coming and going for hours. It was so sweet to see how many people really make up our support community. 

Including Leah's 3rd grade teacher Mrs. Keese! She taught Leah how to knit! 

Emma's friends came too! 

And the Salts surprised us from Omaha! 

This might have been the best party Leah's ever had - she definitely felt loved! 

It was a perfect day of celebrating this sweet girl. 

Prom and Other Senior Things

 May was filled with all of the fun and hard and rewarding things that seniors do, including prom! I may not be a sewing master, but I was able to successfully turn these big sleeves into something more like Leah had in mind- 

Of course best sister #1 was on call and ready to help Leah get ready- 

and the father was watching the driveway for the date's arrival-

Leah looked so beautiful!

And Luke matched her perfectly.  

Their flowers were beautiful, and they were both so nervous about exchanging them. I was delighted to see that the three in straight pins have been replaced with stab-free magnets!

The blossoms outside were a perfect backdrop. 

Leah hated me for making them pose like this, but I was trying to get the gorgeous flowers up close!

Look at this radiant young lady!

And her gentlemanly date- 

My sweet girl Emma and I headed over to the capitol building to help with the picture taking- she was the happy flower holder. 

There is only one person Leah would recreate this cringy prom pose with- 

So many sweet friends in this group! 

And then they were off to dinner and the dance and an hour or so of rest at Luke's house before After Prom, all of which I have zero pictures, even though I was on the After Prom committee and stayed there until 2 AM watching hundreds of kids have the time of their lives! According to Leah's report, it was a wonderful night!

Leah lettered in music! 

The senior orchestra awards and recognition night was fun- Leah was awarded a scholarship! 

I love that bright smile! 

Each final performance was a little more bittersweet than the last one. I love watching Leah do what she loves on this stage!

Ms. Payer and Mr. Quinn were the very best orchestra teachers Leah could have asked for! 

The Staplin Performing Arts Center was her home away from home in high school. 

Leah also graduated from seminary - four years of waking up extra early to attend scripture study classes, two semesters of online seminary to accommodate early morning marching band, and more sweet seminary notes shared than I can count. What an accomplishment!

Leah attended a ceremony to declare herself a music education major, which was a fun moment of college recognition no matter what the future holds- 

On to great things, and she started here at Valley!

The senior recognition night was long but fun - Leah was awarded another scholarship! She has the confidence of her community that she is going to continue doing amazing things.