A Master in the House!

On the way home today, Joel was saying that when people receive their doctorate, they are called, "Doctor" so now that he has his Masters, I should start calling him "Master Joel". Ha! ;) He's so funny! ;)

The fall after we moved back to Gresham, Joel started taking classes at Western Seminary. He has worked hard. Reading countless pages and writing paper after paper to complete his degree. We've been really blessed with it being part of his job description at Cornerstone. I've heard of more couples that have had to really sacrifice for the husband to get through Seminary so we are very grateful that his path has been smooth in that way. He worked hard though, studied well and graduated with a GPA of 3.83! I'm so proud of him!!

It's been fun to celebrate him this weekend. My man is so un-assuming and doesn't like to be the center of attention. Yet, this is a time when he should be the center of attention and be celebrated for his accomplishment! So he let me throw him a party today!...but stipulated that he wanted it small and for there to be no gifts. ;) I tried to honor those requests.

 Joel and I were able to go to a banquet the night before the Graduation Ceremony. We tried to get the kids to take a picture of us before and this is the best we got. ;) It was a nice dinner at a hotel by the airport with 6 different graduates who shared a story. All were interesting to listen to and shared from the heart. It was enjoyable!

 Western doesn't recommend for kids under 5 to attend the ceremonies, so we found someone to watch Caleb & Hannah and just brought Abby and Elijah with us for the Graduation Ceremony. I'm hoping it inspires them to pursue higher education later in life!

 We were all so proud of Joel!

 My Man who doesn't like to have a fuss made about him...love seeing that smile on his face as he enjoyed his graduation!

 We brought some activity books to keep Abby & Elijah quietly occupied.

 Love that smile!

 Elijah put Joel's cap on afterward...love his silly face!

 So I attempted to make a "plaid pattern" on the cake...there was one on his invitations. It didn't turn out so well, but oh well. It was fun to get out my cake tools and try something new anyway! ;)

 I put old Bibles and commentaries on the table...seemed fitting for the occasion. The Bibles are in English, French (My Grandmother's Bible), Czech and German.

 Joel's mom sent an "edible arrangement" for Joel! It was a perfect addition to the party food and a HUGE hit! The kids loved running up, grabbing a skewer of deliciousness and running off to enjoy! Thanks Mom! ;)

 Joel enjoyed sitting around with friends that came throughout the afternoon to celebrate with us.

This little selfie was taken on the phone as the kiddos and I were happily waiting for the ceremony to begin.

The final part of the ceremony, the Graduates go to a place to kneel and be prayed for. Joel's spot just happened to be right next to me! It was perfect!

Elijah snuck over to pray with him. At first I pulled him back since it was still part of the "ceremony" but Joel pulled him back to be with him, so I took a picture of the sweet moment.

All in all...fun day celebrating five years of hard work producing a Man who loves the Lord, his Word and people even more deeply! So very proud of you Master Joel David Woodard. ;)