Moving On Up, sappy edition

I've lost my edge. This blog is all flowers, sunshine, and sap these days. Expect more of that.

Today Grace had her Moving Up/Kindergarten Graduation (no diploma, medals instead). Each class sang a song and the entire grade sang several songs together. The medals were distributed by class, and the ceremony closed with a sweet video montage of the year. Afterwards we picnicked in the gym (rainy weather kept us from the park) and laughed with Grace while we ate strawberries. It was good. Neither Craig nor I cried (miracle of miracles).

This has been a roller coaster year. I didn't share many of our travails because while we were going through it, I couldn't talk about it. Then I didn't want to talk about it. Now at year's end, I feel peaceful about her experience. By all measures she has excelled. We've grown too. We've learned to let a lot of stuff roll off our shoulders. We've learned how to advocate for Grace without hurting her, and we've learned to let go of her (at least a little bit).

By many standards, we're parenting outsiders here. Our values don't match up with many of Grace's peers, but I'm okay with that. I hope she understands our choices (after years of therapy) because while Craig and I may be different from other parents, we're exactly the same about the stuff that counts. We love our kid. More than she can ever imagine.

Below is a tiny clip from the event, and shows Grace receiving her medal. Craig shot extensive video but getting that from the camera to the computer won't happen for awhile (and really only the grandparents want that much detail).