American Dad

Yesterday, Stuart officially became a citizen of the United States of America. He got his green card years ago, before we even began dating, but now he is officially an American. The biggest difference is now he can vote. The ceremony was really very nice. I cried when a woman from the Philippines got up and tearfully thanked her parents for helping to bring her to the US so she could have the opportunities they never had. I was just overwhelmed by how much I take living here for granted. It was beautiful. There were also some who were honored for serving in the US military before they even became citizens. I was so grateful for what they did.

It was crowded and I had to stand in the back during the ceremony, but here are some of the highlights:

There is Stuart before taking the oath.


Lovely shot of the back of his head during the oath.


They played Lee Greenwood singing God Bless the USA. I'm sorry, but I cannot hear that song and not cry. I tried to get video, but Jack started fussing, so I had to stop before it concluded. If you listen closely, Jack is singing along.

The new citizen and his baby boy.

The whole family (yes, Jack is eating the American flag.)


When we left the court house, Stuart was cracking me up on the drive home. He kept joking about all the "foreign" drivers on the road. Afterward, we went to grab an early dinner to celebrate. Jack had missed his nap because of the ceremony and fell asleep before we got to the restaurant. He slept on my lap during the entire hour we were at dinner. Poor baby, I kept dropping food on his head while I ate.

Congratulations baby. I know you waited for this for a long time.