Well, our Jim (my partner's little brother)has graduated. It was a windy cold day in San Francisco the day of his graduation. It was held outside at a football field on San Francisco State Campus.
I was worried that Andrew would not want to sit still through the ceremony, but we were lucky that the professors kept their speeches relatively short. Jim looked fantastic in his cap and gown.
He came up to the bleachers to greet us (many of his family members attended) and he presented his brother (my partner) with a sash that is meant for parents of children that are graduating. I was so proud and I began to take a picture.
However, while I was taking a picture, Jim also presented me with on as well. I can't tell you how touched I was to get one too. I wore it proudly during the ceremony. I also got very teary eyed. 
Since the economy is not all that great specifically in the job market, Jim has decided to continue on to get his masters degree.
After the ceremony we all went back to the house and ate, and ate, and ate. I even had a couple of Heineken's :D
Graduation
Bilingual
My son Andrew has been grasping words quickly. He does not have full pronunciation of words but you are able to recognize the word. Our family is speaking both English and Tagalog to him.
We visit the Philippines ever year and since my partner's family is Filipino, we thought it would be a good idea. It's not as useful to know Tagalog than lets say Spanish, but I think the introduction to more than one language (no matter what it is), makes learning languages in general easier.
Many children of other countries speak more than one language, some more than two languages. Our children, grow up (for the most part) speaking English. I say this with a bit of hesitance because even our English is far from perfect.
I can hear Andrew say Tagalog words and English words and I think it's awesome. I hear stories that it can actually delay speech in children when you are teaching them more than one language. I think the only real delay for Andrew is his pronunciation. There is one word he can say perfectly, and it's CUP. Yeah, that's right, CUP. I think he knows he says it very well because when I point to things, he gives his best effort to say the word. (Ball) "bo", (bath) "ba, ba", (Shoes) "CHHHZK"...but when I say CUP, he screams...."CUP". He pronounces the c and the p with so much emphasis and it's so much louder than the other words he says.
I had taken him to the grocery store two nights ago. They have a Starbucks inside the store. He saw cups and screamed "CUP" all throughout the store to the top of his lungs. I got a few interesting looks and a couple of jumps from people we were behind.
In Tagalog to say "I don't want" you would say Ayaw ko, but with slang ayoko (eye-yo-ko). I could have sworn when I asked Andrew if he was ready to eat, as he shook his head he said "ayaw". That is just tooo cool to hear.
Are teaching your child other languages? Do you purposely buy toys that speak various languages?
Our Jim is Graduating College!
14 years ago, my partner's little brother stepped off his first plane ride. He had just arrived in San Francisco from the Philippines. It was very important for my partner to make sure his family was taken care of.
We all greeted him and off we went into the car.
At first, Jim was quiet but after he got to know you he would open up. His english was not great, but he understood a lot.
We wanted to give him a better life than what he would have had in the Philippines.
Jim, now 24, has grown into a smart, mature young man. He is a great son and brother and most especially a great Uncle to Andrew. Our son Andrew loves his Uncle Jim and get's so excited when he comes home. Andrew follows him all over the house.
For all those reasons above, we are so very proud of Jim but we are mostly proud because this month he is graduating San Francisco State with his B.A. I know that this happens every day for many kids...but he will be the first in my partner's family to graduate from a 4 year college.
Family from all over will be coming in next week for Jim's graduation.
This week, I dedicate FF to my partner's kid brother. We are so very proud of you and so very excited for your future.
I know there will be a time when Jim is going to want to leave his nest and start his own life. I hope it's not too soon. I don't think I'm ready for that. I think it will be harder on me than my partner.
Congratulations Jim! We love you and I personally thank you for giving us a test run so we know what to expect when Andrew becomes a teen. I hope we didn't make too many mistakes with you. (insert smiley face here). Also, don't be upset I used the above pic of you. It was one of my favorite school pics of you.
