August.

Small Fry had a half birthday. Yep, I'm still doing the half-birthday thing. Buck rolls his eyes and makes a big fuss over how stupid it is EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Newsflash, he better get used to it. This year Small Fry got drums! And started drum lessons. Three words -- it is loud. Buck also got him a new bat for baseball (so while he poo poos the half birthday thing he participates!).

Brownies!

Gotta love a 1/2 birthday!

Speaking of loud, Fawn bought himself an electric guitar. He worked hard all summer for money (did jobs for Lulu, Aunt C, and Mr. Lance) not to mention some big, hard jobs at home. He bought the guitar used from Highland Music. They gave him a bit of a discount -- I think they felt sorry for him! Also, if I thought I was out of my league buying sports equipment at Dick's or Academy, that's got nothing on trying to figure out the world of music equipment. Thank goodness for Park at Mason Music who tries to educate me as much as possible.

Hey now, you're a rock star.

One final end of summer McWane trip. It's fun to explore McWane with bigger kids. We saw a show on combustion -- it was fascinating and very cool. And we got to go to lunch with Buck. Jimmy Johns of course -- Fawn's very favorite meal.

So funny that Small Fry looks as big as Fawn.

They played a game called Mindball where you had to think about absolutely nothing to win. Small Fry won every time. 

 Fawn has decided he's into golf. He's working hard to get better. I'm thankful for beautiful Pine Tree.

A truly beautiful view.

Class Of Pictures.

It's that time again. Small Fry's first year to participate. And wow does Fawn look big in his shirt.

First Day of School.

By the grace of God I survived the first day of school.

I am not a mom that likes the first day of school. In fact, I dread it. I love, love, love having my children home with me in the summer. While I'm excited for them for the first day of school, I am sad to have a quiet house when they are gone for the day. I also think the first day of school includes so much anxiety -- how will the new teacher be? how about the other kids in the class? will it be a good year or a not-so-good year for my babies? This year was extra, extra tough since Small Fry started kindergarten. I have to say it was a bit easier than expected (thanks to God's grace). I think because Small Fry was so very excited to be in big school with his hero -- his big brother.

The first day of school was a busy day for me -- I had a Kindergarten mom sip and sob or hooray. It was a nice way to start the morning. Then I exercised -- always good medicine and an emotional pick-me-up. And I went to Bottega for lunch with my IPC mama friends. Boy did I need that. And I am so thankful for those friendships and pray that they don't flicker out as our children go to different elementary schools. I got to pick Small Fry up at 2 so it was a quick day.

Without further ado, pictures of me not crying and of my precious children. (I did lose it not once but twice, though never in the presence of my children despite Small Fry's constant asking "Are you going to cry Mom?")

Aim high Small Fry -- he wants to be a "shark" on Shark Tank. Fawn has explained to him that that means he's going to have to make a lot of money first.

That's a proud face.

That is a tiny child with a backpack. Oh could I write a blog post about the backpack search. He ended up with a small Pottery Barn Kids backpack because he's just too much of a little guy for an Under Armor backpack. I promised him next year we'd try again.

Fawn wants to be either a lawyer with Buck or a MLB player.

Handsome child.

Guess which brother was excited about pictures with the other and which one wasn't?

How is he this big?

Oh I miss him so. The three years of one-on-one time on the back end of preschool were the biggest gift from God (as were the three years of one-on-one time with Fawn as an only child). Through God's perfect timing I feel like I truly got to know each of my children and bottle up precious memories of them as little ones. "But [she] treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." Luke 2:19.

Here's to another great year at BWF! 

Kindergarten Orientation/Meet the Teacher.

Well, we got our class lists last Friday. And it rocked my world.

I assumed that Small Fry would have Mrs. Davis. I love her so much -- she is a kind, gentle, woman of God. And I trusted her completely with Fawn. I thought I had made it perfectly clear to the school that that's where Small Fry should be. I'm kind of joking, but I had said how much I loved her and would love for Small Fry to be with her. But, I looked down her list and there was no Nichols listed. My heart plummeted. I kept looking and looking through all the Kindergarten teachers -- I made it to the last one until I found Small Fry's name. Mrs. Perry Wright. While it was nothing less than a gut check to realize that Small Fry wouldn't be with Mrs. Davis, I have heard nothing but amazing things about Mrs. Wright from two of my dearest friends. Her husband is a pastor and she is bubbly and adored. So I am hopeful -- and Small Fry is with some sweet boys I know so that is great!

I did not request friends for Fawn -- and he's not thrilled. He absolutely lucked out with his teacher placement. He's with Mrs. Caroline Strange. He and I both love her. She will be perfect for him. While most of his best buddies are in another class together, I truly think he's where he needs to be to have the best year possible. I go back and forth on the requesting friends thing -- I want to foster sweet friendships and for Fawn to be happy and enjoy school. But, I want to prepare him for life and for him to get to know as many people as possible at BWF. And, I don't want to micromanage his life to his detriment. I have to trust that the school knows best.

So today, Small Fry and I went to Kindergarten orientation. I was a nervous mess. I was actively not listening -- yes, that's a thing -- so I wouldn't cry. I just couldn't listen to a read aloud of The Kissing Hand without crying. So I stood in the back of the classroom and completely tuned the teacher out. That's called self-preservation. But Mrs. Wright, she's perfect for Small Fry. I love her already and I want to be her friend. He will do great with her. There are sweet parents in that class too.

After his orientation, we went to California Pizza Kitchen with Fawn and Mimi (who hung out with Fawn all morning). Then it was Fawn's turn. He and I went to Meet the Teacher, while Mimi hung out with Small Fry. Mrs. Strange was just as wonderful as I knew she would be. She and Fawn already have an understanding of each other that will make for such a smooth transition. Her room is one of independence and choices -- Fawn will thrive. And she starts the day with science. So although Friday was one of uncertainty for the upcoming year, today smoothed all things over and he can't wait for tomorrow.

And we're off. T-minus one day until Kindergarten.

Meet the Teacher -- she's precious!

Mr. Pitner and Mrs. Christian love Small Fry.

Could Mrs. Strange be any cuter?

They think Fawn is a cool kid!

Never too big for a kiss.

3rd grade here he comes!

Small Fry is FOUR!

It is mind blowing that our baby is FOUR. That seems so old -- almost to Kindergarten, and well past the baby stage. Small Fry has been a delight since the day he was born. He brings so much joy, happiness and laughter to our home. Oh we love him so! He rounds out our family in the best way. The rest of us can be quite serious and stuffy -- Small Fry is our antidote. He is silly, funny, loud, and exuberant all the time. He is a people magnet -- people love him and are drawn to him. 

He's much smaller than Fawn was at this age. That coupled with the fact that he's our youngest, he still gets babied quite often. He likes to be carried and loves to cuddle. He still gives the best hugs. But as he's gotten stronger we've had to teach him not to squeeze too hard. That survival instinct that he was born with is still there -- and he's a strong little guy on top of that. Basically, don't mess with him. He really can be the sweetest, kindest, snuggliest little guy OR a force to be reckoned with. He will fight back (a mom on a play date learned this when Small Fry slugged her after telling her repeatedly to stop bouncing a ball on his head). He was a late bloomer in terms of temper tantrums -- just the easiest going fellow -- but he has quickly made up for lost time. He's learning to control his own world and while it can be frustrating, we know it's time for him to grow up and assert his independence.

His favorite color is green. He loves any farm clothes, camo clothes, or Under Armor. He does not dress how Fawn dressed at this age. He basically dresses like a miniature version of Fawn, whom he absolutely idolizes. He just had to get tie tennis shoes because Velcro is for babies. He loves to play and is so content entertaining himself. His imagination is vivid, and he loves being at home playing in the playroom. His favorite toys are Power Rangers and Transformer Rescue Bots. He also is very mechanical and loves anything he can put together or build. He likes art, books, and stuffed animals. And he loves to play sports outside like "Shushton". He does Soccer Shots and MB gymnastics, both of which he enjoys and excels at.

He really enjoys school, though he's a complete skeptic and sandbagger. He doesn't understand why he has to do certain things and he definitely questions why it would matter how much he knows. He walked away from his 3k teacher when she started assessing which letters he knew. He point blank told her that there was no reason anyone needed to know which letters he knew and which he didn't. She warned me that we would have our hands full when he got to big school -- not because he's not capable but because he's so skeptical. Surely Buck will know how to deal with it since he was the same way.

Small Fry thankfully appears to be growing out of his croup. We still have the occasional episode but they are not nearly as bad as they were. Otherwise he is thriving (and finally growing!). He does have a speech articulation issue, but has started speech therapy through BWF and we are hopeful that he will be caught up by Kindergarten. And, the speech therapist has been so encouraging and is so impressed by Small Fry's vocabulary and intellect. 

For Small Fry's birthday, he wanted a party at school. So we took Power Rangers napkins, masks and favors along with Krispy Kreme donuts and a craft to school. It was super cute and all the kids had fun, especially Small Fry. Then we had dinner with our family -- also with a Power Rangers theme. Small Fry requested deer burgers, cheese curls, fruit and a cookie cake bigger than Shushton's. Ha! He got his wish. He also got great gifts -- a Power Rangers Imaginext Dino from Fawn, Rescue Bots, Books, Constructable Dinos, and Legos from Buck and me (Fawn got Legos as well), Power Rangers toys from Mimi and Pops, Bass Pro toys from Lulu and Doc, a robot set from Aunt C, and a knight dress up costume from Aunt Allison and Uncle Ben. It was a fun day celebrating our special boy.

Happy Birthday angel baby! While it is bittersweet to watch you grow so quickly, the light you shine in our lives gets brighter with each year. God knew what he was doing when he placed your precious self in our family. We are changed for the better because of you. We smile more each day with you in it. We love you to outer space and back. 

Fawn is SEVEN.

Fawn turned seven on January 26. I can still remember finding out that I was pregnant with him, finding out that he was a he and not a she, and going into labor with him like it was yesterday. But yet, it also seems like a lifetime ago because I simply do not remember life without him.

I am so proud of the big boy he is becoming. He is absolutely thriving in first grade. His reading skills have skyrocketed. While he can read to himself at night (even chapter books!), I love that he will still sit with me and cuddle over picture books. I know these days are waning so I cherish them. He's a little math genius and loves playing addition war with me. He is a curious, inquisitive little fellow and I just love looking at the world through his eyes. He loves when Miss Annie comes to first grade, Genius Hour, gym class, and art.

He loves hunting and sports -- he is all boy! Baseball is his favorite sport, but he also enjoys soccer and can't wait to play football. He intends on replacing Derrick Henry at Alabama. He didn't play basketball this year, but he really enjoys watching basketball on TV and keeping his own score (with Roman numerals). He indulges me by cheering on the Tar Heels. His favorite color is green, but by his wardrobe you would think his favorite color was neon. He wears lots of Under Armor, but also loves jeans with a polo and his Alabama belt. He's still sporting a grown-out buzz cut, and I feel like that will be his haircut for a good while. His favorite foods are popcorn chicken, grilled cheese, and pizza. He will eat absolutely any fruit and most veggies, though broccoli and carrots are his current favorites. We don't watch much TV, but he usually chooses Wild Kratts, a nature/animal documentary, Tom and Jerry, or Transformers (old school or new age). He will still play with toys -- Legos are his favorite, but he hasn't abandoned his beloved Transformers either. He (and his little sidekick Small Fry) went through a Pokemon phase in the summer which I could barely stand. But, as I knew it would be, it was just as quickly over (though it seems to be creeping back in....). He really enjoys art and drawing if I can get him to sit still! And, he loves his scooter and bike.

Speaking of bikes, he got a new (neon!) 20" for his birthday. He is proud and it is such a big bike. I mean huge...for a big kid! We got it the week before his birthday and let him ride it as soon as we got it. As for his actual birthday, he wanted Heavenly Donuts at his school. They made us our special order -- glazed donut and vanilla icing, no sprinkles. Small Fry and I took them to BWF at lunch time with some fun baseball napkins. Fawn passed out the treats (he was so sweet and polite!) and all of Fawn's friends sang to him. It was really fun to be there to share in that. That night, we had family over to celebrate Fawn. His request was a sports party with Davenport's Pizza and cookie cake. We had a wonderful meal, opened fun presents and ate delicious cake to celebrate our favorite seven-year old. Fawn got the deep sea Lego helicopter from Mimi and Pops, Bass Pro hunting/fishing toys from Lulu and Doc, a magic set from Aunt C, and real walkie-talkies from Uncle Ben and Aunt Ally. Small Fry surprised Fawn with some Imaginext Power Rangers and a Power Ranger Dino. Let me tell you what really happened....Fawn got a Power Rangers Dino for Small Fry's birthday (February 8) and looked so wistful and longing that I realized it was a great gift for Small Fry to give his big brother. Let me tell you, Small Fry absolutely loved picking out the blue ranger and his dino for his big brother. He was so proud! Since we'd already done the bike, Fawn just got a few small presents from us: books (of course!), a Robobug (he constructed his own robotic bug -- bizarre but he loved it!), a detective set, and a pretend shaving set. Small Fry got a shaving set too -- they just love those, and they tell me that they really need to shave their whiskers. Hilarious! Fawn absolutely loved his birthday. And it was headache-free -- I think keeping it low key was a great idea!

Speaking of headaches, they are so much better (knock on every surface known to man -- and Praise the Lord!). Fawn has been an absolute trooper with the diet. The vast majority of the time he doesn't fuss or feel sorry for himself. There are other occasions that are more difficult (I'm looking at you, Halloween, Valentine's Day, Easter, and birthday parties). But, he has shown incredible resilience, grace, and understanding for such a young child. I can see that God has used this experience to make him more empathetic. And, wow, he's the best patient ever. Sadly, I think compared to a terrible migraine, normal kiddo sicknesses pale in comparison. So when he stays home from school for a cold or virus, he is super easy and loving. We are so thankful for the progress in his health. We have had some really tough moments over the last year, but we have survived and he has thrived. We pray for more progress and eventually a headache-free Fawn.

Fawn has held my whole heart since January 26, 2009. Although I miss my baby, my toddler, my preschooler, my kindergartener, I am completely in love with and in awe of my SEVEN-year old. He is serious and thoughtful, but can laugh, joke, and be silly with the best of them. He loves life, especially all the adventures that life brings. He is a mini-version of his father in so many ways, but I also see glimpses of myself in his personality. His teachers and other parents always remark to me that he is so kind to his peers, and that is really what I've deeply wanted for him -- to treat others with the love of God. We couldn't be more proud of the boy he is or more excited to see what's around the corner for him. Happy, happy birthday sweet Bub! We love you NO MATTER WHAT, FOREVER and ALWAYS.

(PS, your mother is technologically-challenged so pictures will follow)

Back in the Saddle.

To husband and kiddos,

When you look back on this years from now, you will notice a bit of a blogging hiatus. While I plan to backdate blog entries and update our digital collection of memories, it will be sparse. This was a creature of the stage of life we are in. We are busy living, doing, going.

As you boys get older, I have learned through experience that what my veteran mommy friends have always told me is true: life gets busier, not calmer. It is a wonderful stage; I wouldn't trade these days for anything. While I adored being a mommy to newborns and infants (the love simply overwhelmed me), this new stage is even better. God just gives us better days after better days. I love watching you learn your way in the world. I love watching you struggle and triumph in learning new things. I love getting to know the fabric of you -- your likes and dislikes, your temperament, what makes you tick.

We've settled into a lovely rhythm as a family. There's lots of action (of course...I am surrounded by adventurous boys!). But I am so grateful that we have managed to carve out if not "down time" then peaceful time. It comes in hours stolen after school in Lego play or art projects, nights spent curled up with books, and long days at the farm or lake enjoying God's creation. This year I am thankful for those times with you. When our schedule allows us not to stop, but to really be and enjoy each other. To not go, go, go and check things off my ever-present to-do list. I just finished a book for a Bible study called "Sabbath in the Suburbs" and was floored to find we are already practicing the Sabbath in our own way as a family in these special times. It's the moments we truly see each other. For that and for you, I am so grateful.

So when the schedule allows, it's time to start capturing these memories for you -- and for your children. As Luke says, I have already pondered these things in my heart. Your footprints are all over my heart my dear boys. You have made me the person I am -- I love you.

Mommy