Forgive me. This post is mainly for our moms.

Forgive me if I am being a Brag-y McBragerson here. It's just that I'm so proud of my brilliant, hard-working husband. He graduated from the University of Iowa last weekend with his PhD in Education Policy and Leadership Studies. I felt lucky that our children got to witness this. In case you're curious, his dissertation was titled "What Works in Collaboration: A Case Study of a Facilities Partnership between a Public School District and a Non-Profit Organization."

He began the program three years ago. We had just moved to the area. We had two young children. (Eli had just turned one when he started.) He had a brand new job. And yet, I watched him drive to Iowa City week after week, stay up late, get up early and just in general work his tail off. I am very proud of the way he strives to improve himself and for the example he has set for our children. Okay. Now I'll stop. Here are some photos from the day...

Jake's fan club:



The above photo is of Jake being hooded by his advisor. Jake got about 2 minutes in the spotlight. The entire ceremony took two and a half hours. What must that have been like for three young children you ask?

Oliver and Jake's mom were prepared with their sketchbooks.



Eli and Papa read, went on walks and batted a balloon.


Sinta, who has not stopped eating since we brought her home three weeks ago, ate.


A few shots after the ceremony:



My parents and grandmother took off a bit early to prepare for a little dinner party in Tipton to celebrate the doctor.

When we got to Tipton, Sintayehu was exhausted. Luckily, she found just the place to take a pre-dinner nap.


Dinner was wonderful. Things even got a little silly at the end of the night when our mothers channeled the royal wedding and styled their very own fascinator of sorts out of a piece of pummeled pinata.



I love these people. And, in case you didn't pick up on it, I'm very proud of my husband.