Over the Weekend

On Friday we excitedly piled up in the car to pick Nicholas up from school. We got there early to make a little visit to Jesus...I had to sit in front of Him and ask, or beg Him to keep Nicholas close to his heart. It is a new concept for me to essentially leave him in the care and guidance of another individual. The letting go and trusting God part though is a familiar yet always difficult concept.

Highlight of the day: Getting to hold the class lizard.

Him and Christiana were inseparable when he got home and disappeared to play for hours.

And these two are quickly becoming buddies.

On Friday night the school hosted a "Back To School Night" and featured the candy canon and a movie on the football field.

The white specs in the picture actually candy.



Comparing Treats

Trying hard to cover their ears and hold on to their treats.

Watching the movie...Avila stayed in that position all of 2.1 seconds.

 Saturday morning we said goodbye to Damaris leaving for college. Nicholas has a special love for Maris.

They will miss their Aunts!!

How great is this picture?

Saturday night we rang in Joe and Andrew's birthdays with dinner at a BBQ joint with some friends. It was perfect bonfire weather...and our teeny fire pit still provided us with a great fire and lots of good stories. ;)

The Birthday Bonfire

My Sunshine

My sisters will all attest to my ridiculously sentimental side...they have seen it take shape in many forms. So how appropriate would a "leaving for Kindergarten" post be? Very.

Oh, my love...these are some of my favorite pictures of you. When did you grow up? Sometimes I still think of you this way. I want to put 347 of your baby pictures up in that post, but I'll suffice with about 30.

I've thought about it all year and cried about it often...As I look back, every ounce of me loved you in every way I could. I am so thankful that I could be with you at every moment, to wipe each tear, hear every giggle and listen to each story. I had the privilege of being by your side as you discovered the world. Most especially, I loved sharing stories about Jesus and Mary and their love for you and see you try to do acts of kindness here at home. So I send you off...your childhood has brought so much happiness to my life.

I have relished every little conversation between you and Christiana and listening to your hours of playtime as you make up games with donkeys, little pig, cars, and trains.  I've savored each morning and afternoon full of baseball, basketball, and soccer.

The friendship between you and Christiana has grown deep and is my favorite thing to witness each day. You often ask if you can talk at night after we put you to sleep and you will tell each other stories or make up jokes just to make each other laugh.

You wake each other up and will always wait on the other to go anywhere. Christiana has developed a love for cars, trains, and fishing while you discovered you can enjoy coloring and dancing, each because of the other. I will always find you side by side and rarely do you fight. God blessed you with the gift of each other's friendship, the hardest part about you leaving for Kindergarten, is that she is loosing her best friend.

 So our little family life together will change, as life often does.
The upside is that Avila and Christiana will begin a new chapter together (when Avila grows out of her yelling and "I hate the world" phase)

I will especially miss all your little thoughts and musings throughout the day. Some of them lately:

"I'll be as quiet as a stone in church mom."
and
"It smells like Gaber, like yarn and honey."
and
"Mom, I just love you as big as the earth, I love you just too much."

Special Breakfast..."Mom, you're going to miss all the fun at school"

My heart aches to say goodbye, but I am excited for you. Nicholas, you are such a joy to my day. Like your father, you are always happy and in a good mood, quick to help if I ask. You try so hard to please us and are so full of goodness. You are my sunshine.


I told him to smile for a picture and he told me to wait because he needed to put his hands in his pockets.

You were so incredibly excited to start school and made it easier to send you! "Mom, going to school is more fun than staying at home."  Whelp...that made things so clear. So much for my sentiments...good to know he will be thriving ;)

Andrew wanted to walk him to school and wants to do so every morning.

I starred on the porch..shaking my head...it almost didn't seem real.

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch....
It was very quiet...I walked with a heavy heart, his little chatter was missing, but I was happy knowing he was having a ball.


Christiana received a "First Day without Nicholas Gift" ...

She painted ALL DAY and I don't think noticed too much he was gone, but did ask when he was coming back.

Somebody....else found a perfect little niche for her fat squatty body. She contentedly emptied out the contents of the diaper drawer and proceeded to empty out the wipes.

She also blew out of her diaper down the legs and all....twice. Nice teething phase.

What a day...side note: It was Andrew's 33rd birthday today! That's a whole other post. And so we start again tomorrow.