Nick & Kenzie's Grad

So these two gorgeous kidlets are the reason Sue and I haven't been blogging a heck of a lot this month.

They both graduated from high school this year....the last of the babies to graduate.

Yes.... we may have shed some tears.

We have been super busy preparing for the parties and overall shenanigans so haven't had too much time to do anything else. 

Anyway... we wanted to share some photos of the celebration and, of course, all of the food at the party afterwards. We have a lot of photos to get through so I will start without further ado. 

Let's start with prom night!

This is Kenz given her cousin Nick a peck on the cheek. Aren't they adorable?

There is Nick with his mama, our sister, Orra. 

Could her smile be any bigger?

Kenzie with Sue and her dad, Rob. Pretty good looking family I think.

Here's Nick with his Prom dates and their ride to the prom.

First off - Yes, I said dates... plural. (Lucky kid)

Secondly - Yes, that is a firetruck. Nick's dad is a fireman so they offered to take Nick and the girls.

And here is Kenz with her date and ride to prom. 

I would just like to say, Kenzie is 6'1" without heels and in this pic she is wearing 4 inch heels. Look how much taller her date still is. Crazy, right?

Oh, yes, and that car is suh-weet.

Last pics of prom. Kenz by her beautiful self.

I may be a little biased but, isn't she crazy beautiful?

Now, that is how you wear a tux.

Am I right?

Handsomest boy at the party, right there! (Again, I may be a little biased....)

Now, on to convocation.

Aaaawww....my babies are so cute.

And grown up.

How'd that happen?

Nick with his mama, Orra, again.

Like the signs she is holding?

We ordered a dozen of each of them and gave them out to family/friends in the crowd to wave whenever the kids were on stage. It was a surprise to them. *he he he* Oh the eye rollings we got from them. 

By the way, that gold cord around Nick's neck means he maintained an "A" average all year.

Mr. Smarty Pants.

Kenzie with Sue and Rob.

Those are some happy smiles right there.

By the way (again), see that gold sash around Kenzie's neck. Yup, that's right. She was the valedictorian.

Could we be any more proud?

Okay, I will share the one pic I got with them.

They called this the Aunty Jo sandwich. 

*Aaaawwww*

Now...on to the Grad BBQ at Sue's awesome house.

Cute little grad hat treat boxes.

We ordered these from Oriental Trading online. They made great table decorations.

Some Sesame Garlic Noodle Salad. You can find the recipe for that  HERE. 

This is a great salad to bring for a potluck or large crowd as it makes a lot.

Mom made her famous macaroni salad. 

We haven't shared this recipe yet but we probably should. It's amazing.

It's also great for a crowd as it is super de duper easy to increase or decrease the amount you make. 

Fruit salad.

Again, super easy to increase or decrease to suit your needs.

Plus.... it is delicious.

Some Broccoli Salad. Find that recipe HERE. 

Okay, pretty much all of these salads can be made to whichever amount you want....

Just sayin'

Pretty kale and mixed green salad with pecans and cranberries.

Spinach Salad With Strawberries and Pecans. Get that recipe HERE. 

The only thing different in this salad from the recipe linked up...is we used mushrooms in it instead of strawberries. It's pretty versatile and easy to change up.

One of Kenzie's favorite - Pineapple Jalapeno Poppers. Find that amazing recipe HERE. 

These really are crazy good. Everyone ALWAYS wants the recipe.

Salmon And Cream Cheese Stuffed Puff Pastry. We've made these several times and they are always a hit. You can find the recipe HERE. 

Our Aunty Pat and Cousin Karen spent some time cutting up all sorts of flavored cheese and meat for trays. Unfortunately I forgot to snap a photo of the meat tray. 

Trust me, it was just as pretty looking as this cheese one.

Sue made this gorgeous antipasto platter.

She made up a few skewers so people could just pick them up and go. 

But... because she is a super genius...

She also filled the tray with individual  antipasto pieces so people could make up their own.

Beautiful, right?

Okay, we had to make up some Donut Bacon Cheeseburgers.

It's not a BBQ until the crazy burgers start making an appearance. Get that recipe HERE. 

Of course there was ham.

Nick's favorite.

Aaaaand...some turkey. Light and dark meat separated for easier choice.

:)

BBQ smokies.

Oh. Em. Gee.

They are as tasty as they look. 

Sue and Rob are amazing BBQ'ers.

There was also an impressive looking BBQ salmon but, once again, I forgot to snap a photo of that.

And you know there had to be treats by the car load.

Above is our Rice Krispie Grad Cap.

We found this over at Hungry Happenings but will post a blog later about our experience making it. (Check back for link)

These adorable cake push pop hats we found at Michael's Craft Store.

We made our Vanderwolf's Family Secret Chocolate Cake for the cake inside the push up. You can find that recipe HERE. 

Yes, we cheated for the big cake.

Thank you Costco.

Great big thanks to friends, Holly and Taylor, for making these yummy sugar cookies. 

Love the way they are decorated!

And for those who wanted something not so sweet...

a selections of banana bread, scones, cookies, and lemon coconut squares.

These were the markers we put out along the roadway so people could find Sue's house.

It is in a rural area. 

So fun.

There's Sue's house with the guests starting to arrive.

Hmm.... just a few cars.

It got a little crazy.

A close up of the deck.

This was before the majority of the guests arrived. The inside of the house very quickly filled up too.

Does Sue know how to throw a party, or what?

There you have it.

We made it through the last of the babies graduating.

There is a photo of aaaaaaaaallllll the babies.

*Sigh*