"We love because He first loved us." - 1 John 4:19

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Happy 11th Birthday Nicholas!


On August 11th, Nicholas turned 11 yeas old!  We held a family celebration at home with beef tacos for dinner and an ice cream Lego cake (built out of ice cream sandwiches), at his request.  He really wanted a huge (expensive!) Lego set which was more than we usually spend of birthdays so he chipped in some of his birthday money to help us get the set he really wanted.  And of course the other kids all created sweet gifts for him.
4800 pieces and he built it in a week, in the evenings after school!!
He sure loves his Legos!
Samuel was so excited to make this bookmark for Nicholas from  Perler Beads
And even a card for him that was Lego themed
In addition to several gifts she made him, Grace had also been planning his "party" for weeks - notice the banner she made for him.  I didn't get a picture of the other banner she made for the fireplace and the 3rd banner she supervised Henry and Samuel making. :-)


 Dear Nicholas,

At 11 years old, you continue to amaze on a regular basis.  You are so incredibly bright, have a memory like a steel trap, excelling exceedingly well at school and always making high A's.  You absolutely love to read and we often have a hard time getting your nose out of a book.  But you balance your intelligent side with a super warm heart and sweet tenderness with your family and friends which is what we love the most about you! You are a fantastic role model for your younger siblings and a good leader at school and cub scouts.  You love Legos, football, swimming, reading, and collecting baseball cards and cool rocks.  You love to have a good laser tag or nerf gun war with your brothers, toss the football with your Dad and also love to rough house with them.  You are a super friend to your sister who clearly admires and looks up to you so much.  You still love to give your Mom and Dad loving hugs on a regular basis.  You have formed great friendships with boys and girls alike.   You are a big thinker with a deep spiritual side.  You enjoy your quiet personal time but also can be quiet silly and playful.  We love every single part of you and and always will.  We are incredibly proud of you and pray for you daily that you will continue to discover and use the gifts God has given you to do great things, for His glory, in your life!  May you be blessed with much health and joy this 11th year of your life!!  We love you so very much!

Love,

Mom and Dad



NICHOLAS' LIST OF FAVORITES AT AGE 11

Stuffed Animal - Patch
Food - Steak Tacos
Movie - Star Wars IX
Show - Lego Ninjago
Clothes to Wear - Basketball shorts and a T-shirt
Game - Minecraft
Snack - Woven wheat crackers
Animal - Dog
Song - "Witness" by Jordan Feliz
Book - the entire Heroes of Olympus series
Friends - Connor Y., William, Caleb
Drink - Dr Pepper or Cherry Coke (which you hardly ever have)
Outside Activity - Play football
Sport - Football
Park Activity - Monkey bars
Inside Activity - Legos
Place to Go - Legoland
Fruit - Nectarine
Vegetable - Jalapeno peppers

What do you want to be when you grow up?    a pilot or a scientist

What gives you joy?    my family

What makes you sad?    unfairness

What do you think heaven is like?   whatever you want it to be, it's paradise and paradise is different for everyone.


First Day of School 2019-2020

On August 8th, the kids headed back to school for a new year!  We pray they continue learn and grow , becoming the best version of themselves that God has created them to be!
3rd Grade
5th Grade
Pre-K
2nd Grade
Nicholas and Joey are excited to be in the same class this year.
Grace is excited to have Mrs Benedetto!



A Visit FROM Missouri!

In mid July, we were blessed to have a visit from Kimberly's Mom and Mindy, Cody, Connor and Matthew.  It was a week full of laid back summer fun - picnics, pool, games, hikes, ice cream, etc. - we had no big plans, just enjoyed time with one another and it was absolutely lovely!  
We hiked at the Roswell Mill trail


We road bikes and scooters to the neighborhood pool
Fun times at the pool!
We played lots of yard games including ladder golf, touchdown frisbee, and croquet.



Henry and Matthew teamed up and were the yard workers all week :)

They were also good buddies in all things play
There was a movie night
And a game night

And lots of this..... of boys being boys
One rainy day the kids each built their own fort any where in the house they wanted, then we all took turns rotating to each fort and spending 20 min of reading time in each one.  The kids love it!
Nicholas' Fort of Creativity - complete with a "take a free bookmark" bin :-)

Matthew's Stanley Cup Blues fort

Samuel's The Best Lego Fort
Grace's Fort Old Fashion, complete with a library section where books are provided :-)
And Connor and Henry teamed up for the Fort of No Return - a spooky halloween fort 

Our big outing for the week was a visit to the Georgia Aquarium


















What a great week!