A ride on the canal

One of the things I had wanted to do before leaving Rochester was to take a boat ride on the Erie Canal.  We ended up taking the trip after school let out, because it was in the afternoon.  It was a beautiful day to go for a cruise…

We saw some neat buildings, like this one that I think is on the U of R campus:

Eli came to look out the window too:

We went through some locks:

Brian sat on the steps to the upper deck with some of his friends:

And on the way back to the dock, we got a nice view of downtown Rochester:

And let’s just forget the cranky it’s-my-naptime toddler meltdown that was going on by this time!

Graduation Season

A little overdue, but better late than never!  First up, in May, I had my “graduation”, our annual SHA brunch at Mario’s:

Then Calvin had his graduation, a dinner at a country club:

You would think there is a diploma involved, but they actually hand out a class picture:

And Calvin got the award for the best thesis presentation:

Next up was Eli, with his graduation from the 2x2 class:

They sang a special graduation song, had a snack, and played in a bounce house.  Fun times!  We were so proud of our little guy.  The teachers loved him, especially his big smiles!

And last but not least was Brian’s graduation from Camp Arrowhead!  This was the real deal, with caps, walking across the stage, and getting a certificate.  But before all the pomp and circumstance, there was fun to be had on the inflatable bounce things, just like the last two years. 

And on the playground with his buddy Cameron:

Then they lined up and marched around the amphitheater singing “Grand Old Flag”:

Then they were called up individually for their certificate:

And they stood together as a class.  Yes, Brian’s class this year was all boys!

They tolerated this as well as a bunch of 4 and 5 year olds might be expected to.  Then we had a BBQ lunch and went to play on the sprayground and in the pool!

If only all graduations were that much fun!