law school graduation!

We've had May 7, 2016 circled on our calendar for three years. Graduation day! André wouldn't let me make a paper chain, but the excitement was definitely there. The entire weekend was a blur, and it still feels a little surreal that he's really done with school (especially because he's still in the law library every day studying for the Bar). But he did it! André Kaiser, J.D.!

The weather forecast was a little dicey for graduation day, so we snapped some pictures around the law school a few days before. I'm so glad we did! We came out of the ceremony to a huge thunderstorm and torrential downpour, so everyone hid undercover while we waited for busses to take us across campus. It was a little chaotic, so pictures didn't really happen. And the few group pictures we took are lost in the shuffle, but we are still soooo grateful for everyone who came.

On actual graduation day, we managed a few pictures before the ceremony. Rhett was so excited for Daddy to graduate!

I regretted holding Rhett like this as soon as I picked him up, but hey, awkward family pictures happen.

Our traditional graduation jumping picture. It's now on hiatus until Rhett graduates. 

Just a junior weatherman hanging out  from the rain with Nana and Poppy 

We had a fun family BBQ (inside, rain) that night. We loved being around so much family and are so grateful for the Treasures and all the Kaisers making the trip to be there. 

I seriously can't believe we survived law school. I don't think I would recommend starting with a one month-old baby, but we made it! It was hard, it was grueling, it was rewarding (especially for André, but for the whole family too). I'm so proud of André and all the long days and nights he put into class, extracurriculars, internships, etc., while still being a great husband and dad.

cruising!

Our deal for law school has always been that we'd treat ourselves to a kid-less trip after Andre graduated. Well, the day finally came, folks, and it was magical! I don't think we're converted to becoming official "cruisers", but it sure was a fun and relaxing vacation! You want copious amounts of pictures? Sure, if you insist!

Walking onto the ship! I had crazy eyes of excitement for the first day.

This is right after we got onboard, but we recreated this scene every single day. Guy's Burger Bar was by far the best food on board (trust us, we tried.)

 Cruise food is no joke, but it's often quantity over quality. They kept bringing us extra food one night (an entire entree and two sides because our waiter said we "just had to try it") until there wasn't room left on the table. 

 Our first stop was Catalina. It was a little cloudy, but we loved checking out the cute little town. Golf carts everywhere! That's our ship in the background.

 Buffaloes everywhere! Andre was in good company. Apparently buffaloes run wild on other parts of the island, but we settled for the fake versions in town.

Our biggest vacation success was mastering the art of the selfie

 Palm trees! Beaches! Sand!

 This is what happens when it's your birthday on a cruise. At least Andre didn't have to wear a ridiculous hat while everyone sang to him.

 Andre also got roped (aka I volunteered him) to be a VIP in a big show. It basically meant we got to sit in the front row and he did the YMCA and a dance solo and it was amazing.

 Our second stop was Ensenada, Mexico. This is our new retirement plan. The beaches are gold!

Riding horses on the beach. Definitely our favorite part of vacation.

 We also loved La Buffadora, which is considered the most beautiful of the four blow holes in the world.

And because you can't go to Mexico and not eat tacos--they were as delicious as expected.

We spent an extra day in LA after our cruise and spotted a baby whale and its mom on our walk one night.

Definitely a trip for the books!

little moments: april

also known as "Rhett-isms". Having a toddler is a daily exercise in randomness and the unexpected.

Boulder boy excited after a hike

Biking boy!

He was motivated by a granola bar for the last few hundred meters, but he made it!

Rhett posing in front of our "General Conference Word Wall" He put a sticker on the card each time he heard the word and loved it!

 "I look like Nick!" (from Zootopia) when putting on a new church shirt. True, he really did.

Cookie Face with toddlers=serious entertainment

Just a bucket head kid

Fishing is serious business.

"Look Mom! I'm making a suspension bridge!" I should tell him to stop playing with his food, but what two-year-old talks about suspension bridges?

A perfectly sized ice cream cone.

Ice cream party to celebrate Andre's last day of classes.

Snow in late April + work deadlines + cranky boy = mid-day hot chocolate. of course. 

friday favorites

After another bout of snow, it's finally springtime in the Rockies! We're celebrating with some of our favorite things.

Andre had his last day of law school classes yesterday! This is madness. Now all he has is a few finals and job interviews before GRADUATION!

On a related note, we're getting kicked out of student housing in a few months and the Zillow Rent app is my new best friend. Seriously, I'm obsessed. But the possibility of getting to a place that is three times our current apartment and has a washer and dryer and air conditioning? Yeah, I like that.

We tried this recipe for Caesar Pasta Salad last week and it was surprisingly delicious. Definitely in our summer dinner rotation.

Our best motivation for Rhett lately has been that he gets to watch a truck song video from this YouTube channel if he has a good day. The songs are crazy catchy and a little dangerous.

Old news, but this SNL March Madness skit is on repeat (it's ridiculous and hilarious and we quote it to each other all the time).

We finally got around to watching The Grinder and it's hilarious. There's lawyer lingo and jokes for Andre and Rob Lowe for me (mmhmm).

little moments: march

sure, I'm a day late and a dollar short on this, but here are our Rhett's moments from March:

 So excited to ride the Buff Bus

An afternoon wearing Thomas underwear...it was short-lived.

A leprechaun trap for St. Patrick's Day--Rhett was less than impressed

But we all loved the green pancakes!

Pre-movie time. Rhett wouldn't take his eyes off the screen.

Future drummer in the making

Spring days are for bike rides!

Just another bow tie picture because they're my favorite things.

spring break and easter!

Spring break! Thanks to law school/work/our upcoming cruise (!), we stuck around Boulder, which gave Andre plenty of time to work on his Bar/job applications and still have time for some adventures. 

We went on a few outings with family housing, and we got to take the Buff Bus, which was a total dream come true for Rhett. After seeing them drive students all over Boulder, he could hardly believe that he actually got to ride on one. We could have just driven around in the bus and come home and he would've been super happy.

A future archeologist at the Nature and Science Museum--there was a great discovery area where Rhett ran wild and tried everything. 

In true Colorado fashion, our beautiful weather from the beginning of the week took a wintery turn when we got dumped with 16 inches of heavy snow on Wednesday. The snow finally let up so we could go on a walk and build a snowman, then it was time for cookies, hot chocolate, and Cars 2! (Rhett really got spoiled the entire week, all in the name of spring break!)

We took a trip to the aquarium, which was underwhelming. But there was a random tiger that was kind of cool, so I guess that was a win?

Two year old sass is very real. 

André and I got to see Newsies, which was a total dream come true for me. The songs, the sets, and dancing (oh, the dancing!)--I had to stop myself from singing along. 

The snow stuck around for the weekend, but we braved the egg hunt at our neighborhood toy store in our puffer coats (thanks, Colorado). The eggs had coupons that could be pooled for Bunny Money, which Rhett cashed in for a new excavator (of course). Definitely better than cheap candy! 

A not-too-creepy Easter bunny. Rhett was strangely obsessed. 

Snowy spring break weekends mean treat yo self, so we splurged and took Rhett to his first movie in theaters. Zootopia was charming and funny. I don't know how much Rhett got out of it, but he was mesmerized and talks about the animal movie and how it was a "really big treat."

Rhett joined me in bed for Easter morning scripture study. It sounds quainter than it was because he soon just wanted to wrestle. Oh well, baby steps.

We didn't really explain the Easter Bunny, so Rhett probably thinks a basket of dinosaurs and Toby the train just magically appeared. Oh well. 

I've had Rhett's Easter bow tie stowed away since last summer and we snagged the hat at the dangerous Target dollar spot. It took some convincing for him to wear it, but the complements were rolling in all day, which totally inflated his ego, but they kept the hat on. I was dying on the cuteness!

spring is here!

The sun, the breeze, the sunglasses. Be still my heart, spring is here!
Between extra work hours and the usual activities, we've tried to spend as much time as possible outside. Playdates, park days, family walks--spring is definitely our jam.

 Rhett's new favorite thing is pulling his green chair outside and reading books while he waits for André to come home. He's the cutest little old man you've ever seen.

 Swings. All day every day. We rotate the playground we visit nearly every afternoon, but Rhett has scouted out the swings with the best view of dogs and cyclists on the creek trail.

We made a monster truck at the Lowe's kids clinic on Saturday and Rhett is obsessed. Future carpenter? Or future monster truck driver?