November 15th?!

Could it possibly be halfway through November already??? And I haven't even written on this darn blog forever!!! Sorry for my absence. We have been so busy...

The most exciting of our happenings... (drumroll please......) Daddy is a doctor!!! I really don't think he appreciated my taking pictures during his talk, so I only took this one!

"Congratulations Dr. Daddy" is what Owen kept telling Mike after we picked him up when he had finished everything up. My ugly cake does not do Mike's amazing achievement justice, but it was chocolate banana :o)

Mark Hersam, Mike's advisor, saying all kinds of nice things about him. I wish I would have videoed it!

I wish I would have taken this picture so you could see how darn thick Mike's thesis is! Mike, we could not be more proud of you and all of your hard work over the last 5 years. Owen and I hope we were more of a help to you than a burden as you worked to attain your PhD, though I'm sure that wasn't always the case :o) We love you! We are all still kind of in shock that everything is over and are still kind of amazed by the fact that Mike is done. We are definitely enjoying a less stressful lifestyle these days, which has been wonderful. And, seeing Mike again has been wonderful, too!

After Mike's defense, Em and Jim met us at Nevin's to celebrate. We spent the rest of the weekend relaxing, playing outside, and enjoying a wonderful weekend in which I was off of work. Highlights included breakfast at Walker Brothers(complete with pumpkin pancakes,) the Boom Shaka concert (a percussion and hip hop show for kids at NW, which Owen LOVED.

He was dancing and drumming throughout the show :o) and the Walsh family's return to Church (Owen was really good, too!!! We are excited to go back when we can and then re-start going weekly once I'm on maternity leave! FYI we had only stopped going for awhile and the top two reasons included our church has no cryroom and 2 year old Owen was mostly interested in running around and talking loudly during Mass. The last time we went, he actually ran out of our pew and out of Church- like outside- and our church is on a really busy intersection. Lots of fun...)