Ethan with his dog and his girlfriend.

We had a combination graduation party this past Saturday with two of Ethan’s best friends.  It worked out very nicely.  The other moms helped out so much and it felt good to do a party that our boys wanted.  We supplied plenty of food and drinks and the teenagers spent time together  (all day and all night).

We held the party at my house and opened up the garage to serve the food.  We had a pig roast with pulled pork and hamburgers and hot dogs.

This is a photo of most of the teen boys who were at the party.  People sat outside on the patio and porch to eat their lunch.  My friend Kathy and I sat on a blanket in the shade with our girls.

We kept all the desserts inside the house in our air conditioned dining room.  (It was a hot day!)  There was strawberry cheese cake, cookies (on a fiesta three tiered tray!!), homemade pie, brownies, and chocolate chip bars.

We also had special a cake for these fine young High School men.  The guests of honor:  Ethan, Zachary, and Caleb.

Ethan will be going away to college (more about that on another day), Zach will be attending a college closer to home that he can commute to, and Caleb is going into the Coast Guard.  Please pray for these boys!  This stage of life is so exciting and we look forward to seeing what they do in the future.

I took this photo because these boys were leaving to attend TWO more graduation parties!

Zachary’s family helped host the party and did a lot of thoughtful things to make sure it was a good day for the boys.  Chris and Caroline are dear friends of ours and are like second parents to Jacob and Ethan.

Caleb’s mom made delicious baked beans, potato salad, and brought decorations, too.  As you may know, Grace is dating Caleb and the family has been very welcoming to her.   It’s been a joy to get to know them.

Grace (in the middle) with life long friends Tristen and Kaitlyn.

How many teenagers can fit in a canoe?

I took this photo of Zachary’s mom talking with Tristen and Kaitlyn.  Tristen actually went to Kindergarten with Zach and Ethan and also graduated from High School this summer.

Ethan’s Grandma and Grandpa (my parents) have done so much to encourage him as he grows up.  They drove all the way from NY to attend Ethan’s party.

On a hot day it was nice for the kids to be able to cool off in the pond.

I was especially thankful that my friend Kathy came with her kids.  We have been friends through these years as we have been busy raising our families and she came right on time to the party and stayed all day long, even helping us with clean up.  I love her so much…her presence was like a gift to me on this very busy day!

And we are raising our youngest girls to love each other, too.

Such happy and glorious days to be a mom.

“Let all that I am praise the Lord.  I will praise the Lord as long as I live.  I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.”  Psalm 146:1