Oliver graduates from Pre-Kindergarten! NEXT: Real Kindergarten

The proud graduate.

Oliver has been in a YMCA Daycare program since he was 3 month old. Zaeda as well. We love the staff at the downtown Portland school. It's near PSU and there are many energetic and devoted young teachers who provide a great program for our children. The location is just 5 years old, which means that Oliver's cohort, the boys and girls who have joined the program with him as infants and toddlers, are the first to go from start to finish.

On Saturday Oliver and his classmates graduated at a very cute ceremony at a nearby church. This marks for many the last days they will see each other.  Portland alone has 49 elementary schools, with that number again in the surrounding region.

The YMCA is just around the corner from Portland's Old Church, built in 1885. They rented the church for Oliver  pre-K graduation ceremony.

Before the ceremony, their teacher goes over the program with them.

Lining up to go out and perform for the crowd of family members. Only one kid in the room seems really jazzed about this.

Oliver will especially miss his crush,
Isabella (left, purple dress)

Off they go.

Goofing off with best friend Nolan and little brother, Sammy.

Next up for Oliver is being part of the first kindergarten group to start at the brand new Trillium Creek Elementary school, opening it's doors to the public for the first time next week.

POSTSCRIPT: After years of wonderful service and quite rough use by our budding little photographer, it is clear that the powers of our old Sony Digital Camera are severely diminished. I can't tell you how many times the thing has been dropped. But it's always been there for us.  We are ready to be doing some camera shopping today.

Dance moves

Another Anniversary in the Portland Rose Garden

Our 12th Anniversary, on August 12, 2012

Fourth of July

We really enjoyed a Fourth of July party hosted by our neighbors up the street. Lots of kids were very excited by sparklers and pop-its and especially the rockets that launch, explode, and send a plastic army man parachuting down.

Jenny handing lit fireworks to neighborhood toddlers.*

Oliver and Zaeda wanted to bring their bikes so they could ride around with the other kids.

Before

After

Meanwhile, we have some new next-door neighbors, including two boys exactly Oliver and Zaeda's ages. The boys do a lot of yelling and toy sharing over the fence.  They often come over to play, as they did on this early July day when we set up a sprinkler.

Hold this sprinkler. I swear I won't turn it on.

*Editor's note:  Jenny has just clarified that in the first photo she was taking away a firework that I had handed that child.