Graduation!!!!!

Well, it finally happened. Ten years and three kids later, I got my bachelor's degree! Yay! I'm going to miss school, but I'm excited to have earned my degree and I'm looking forward to just being Mom. I can't think of a better way to make use of all the things I learned in my major (Marriage, Family, and Human Development). It's kind of a weird mix of emotions for me. On the one hand, I'll never be satisfied with stopping my formal education with a bachelor's degree, so it doesn't seem like that big of a deal to get it. I've planned on one day getting a doctorate for a very long time (I mostly just want to be Dr. Somers. Shallow? Maybe...). On the other hand, the unique situation of ours made getting this degree quite a feat! Let's recap.

I went to Utah State University for two years right after high school and then moved back to California and took about a year off. I went to San Bernardino Valley College for a few semesters after Brice and I got married, took a semester or two off to have Raelin, then went back for until I got my associate's degree. When we came to Utah for Brice to go to school, I started applying too. I got rejected several times until I finally went in and asked what I needed to do to get accepted. The lady looked at my records and simply put a note on my account to look at my trend rather than my overall GPA (didn't do so hot at USU--busy playing ;) ). I started going to school at BYU in January of 2008. I took 15 units that semester. Brice was also going to school with 12 units, but we were able to work out our schedules so that one of us was always able to be with the kids. After that semester, I attended Spring and Summer terms full time (12 units between the two). At the beginning of the Spring term I got pregnant with Alaina. I managed to muddle through my Spring and Summer classes despite morning sickness that lasted longer than it had with the other two and being really tired.

Fall semester was the hardest by far. I was taking 15.5 units and Brice had 14.5 (in case you can't add, that's 30 units between the two of us. 30 units of scheduling without overlapping and 30 units worth of homework and tests with two kids to raise while being pregnant--what were we thinking!?). Raelin started preschool this semester too (I had no idea there would be so dang much paperwork!). By the end of the semester, I was beat! I was sore and huge and tired. But Winter 2009 was my last semester, I only had 12 units left (I'd never had such a light load before), and the pregnancy was about over, so there was a light at the end of the tunnel. My classes turned out to be pretty easy and not too demanding, and one of my classes was the keystone of my education. My education would not have been complete without Moral Foundations. The things I learned from that course tied everything else together.

Brice wasn't getting along with the camera very well this day, but they had a photographer there getting pictures of all the grads, so I'll post that when I get it.

This is my good friend, Courtney. She and I have a lot of the same non-mainstream preferences with child-rearing practices and we had fun sharing ideas with each other. I'll miss her! Good luck, Courtney!

Yes, I wore pants to my graduation. Did you expect anything less? At least they were slacks!

So, for me, getting through school was asking more than for most. I don't know many other people that went to school at the same time as their spouse while raising two kids and adding a third mid-semester! Okay, I don't know anyone else that has done that (if you've done it and I just don't know it, you deserve some serious kudos--it's not easy! But it's worth it!). All in all, I completed 54.5 units in three semesters and two terms (one year and four months). And I got B+'s or better in all those courses. Okay, so I'm bragging. I'll stop.

This is the best family picture we got...

but this one has a bit more personality to it. I'm thinking about using this picture in place of the one at the top of the page currently. What do you think? It seems very Somers-esque to me.

But honestly, I couldn't have done it without my wonderful, supportive husband, my patient kids who have just had to suck it up and deal with it, and a sweet, easy baby.

But most of all, God is truly a God of miracles. I really do think that He added hours to my days and gave me answers on my tests (is that cheating?). I can't tell you how many times I was just going to skip an assignment and take my zero or partial credit when miraculously, extra time would appear. There were also times when there was certainly not enough time to do an assignment that should take at least an hour but I miraculously got it done in twenty minutes. Other times, answers to test questions I hadn't studied would just pop into my head.

It's really been a wonderful opportunity and I loved school (who says that!?). I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to finish my bachelor's degree and to do something just for me. I'll always look back on the last year and a little bit as one of the most enjoyable times of my life. Thanks to all of you for your support, kind words, and willingness to help with our kids!

Look at those big, round eyes! They are so funny-looking but I just love them!

Um, I have no idea. I wasn't there yet, so don't ask me what in the world he was doing. Being Rykery again I guess, and expending pent-up energy from trying (and failing--I could see him leap-frogging down the stairs from all the way across the Marriot Center) to sit through the ceremony.

This is not related to graduation, but it's worth mentioning anyway. Raelin wanted to make pancakes (with Bisquick, I might add), which she can do by herself, eggs and all. But we are such slobs (I should have taken a picture of the dishes she stacked up to make counter space for herself) that there were no big bowls to mix the batter in. This was her solution. Divide up the Bisquick between four small bowls and add an egg and milk to each. Funny, clever girl!