Spotted Leopard

When Grandma complains about an out-of-date blog, you know it's really bad! Poor Grandma...we are so far away from her and she is in need of some new pictures of her littlest grandsons. No worries, Grandma. I think I am ready to deliver!

Entering the Multipurpose Room, hands nervously stuffed in his pockets.

Spotting a friend in the audience...

Our little leopard has earned his spots! At his school, the mascot is the leopard and the more spots one has, the better! A few weeks back, we had the priviledge of attending the First Little Nguyen's "Paws-itive Assembly" at school. He was the recipient of his class' award for academic excellence, and we were SO proud of him. While I have mixed feelings about awarding kids in public for this sort of thing, I kicked that to the side for the moment because it was my child! I know...that's awful, isn't it? When he entered the room, he was clearly nervous but relaxed a bit once he spotted his best friends. It was adorable as we watched him pop up when his name was called. He approached -- um, ran -- to the stage (imagine Bob Barker saying, "Come on down!") to accept his award and then take a seat.

Come on down! You're the next contestant on...

Award in-hand, ready to take a seat and be applauded!

Eventually, he dares to make eye contact with the camera!

The First Little Nguyen was not his normal, outgoing personality and was biting the inside of his cheek in an attempt not to smile. He was nervous and excited, all at the same time.

Trying desperately to suppress a smile...

...really hard!

Sharing his award with friends...

Finally, a smile for Dad!!! He is so proud of himself!

When he went back to his seat in the audience, he finally relaxed a bit and gave us a smile. It was so sweet to watch him share his award with friends, and I am sure it made his heart swell with joy when they congratulated him. We love you, First Little Nguyen! We see that you work hard and that you love learning. That's the best thing!