Fish Fry

Greg's cousin, Christopher, was in town for a visit this weekend so Saturday night was fish fry night at Mimi & Papa's house.  This is one family tradition I absolutely love, especially my mother-in-law's hush puppies.  Yes, they're kind of legendary around here.  So, I accomplished two things that night:  1.  An extremely full belly, 2.  Some cute pictures of Nicholas.  It was definitely a win, win night.

Cousin Eric was the biggest hit of the night.  Nicholas thought he was just about the

coolest guy ever and probably pestered poor Eric to the point of exhaustion. 

But hey, no one ever said being an idol was easy, now did they?

This 'n That

It's been business as usual around our house the last few weeks.  The weather's getting warmer and we're all starting to feel the pangs of spring fever.  We've been playing outside quite a bit and even managed to pull off a playdate the other day, which hadn't happened since before Christmas!  It just blows me away how fast time can get away from you.  Especially when you're stuck in the vacuum known as wintertime.  But it looks like long, warm, sunny days ahead and we couldn't be happier about it.  Bring. It.

Thunder Fan Appreciation Day

Another visit to the 45th Infantry Museum.

And a soldier is born.

Nicholas started going to his new babysitter this week who happens to my good friend, Abby. 

 It went great and she even sent me pictures of the boys playing together.  She definitely

 knows the way to my heart! 

 And his artistic creation:  Daddy on the left, Mommy on the right, a doggie on the top, and

a bag in the middle.  Impressive!  I've been noticing for some time that Nicholas still doesn't seem

to have a left or right hand preference, which has started me wondering if he might be

ambidextrous.  He apparently drew this picture in the same fashion which got Abby thinking

the very same thing.  We shall see.

P.S.  I really like that he gave me such long legs.  Ah, if only.

White Belt

Wednesday night was very exciting for us as Nicholas achieved his very first Karate milestone - the white belt.  I hope it's the first of many because the sense of pride and accomplishment it gave him was worth just about anything in the world.  I have loved this new adventure of ours and how excited we both get when Karate night rolls around each week.  Each lesson is 30 minutes, and while some parents catch up on work or play on their phones, I can't take my eyes off of him for one second.  He's reacting quicker to instructions now and you can physically see the confidence he's building each time. 

Mr. Cool on his way to his lesson...

And after....

I'm sure you could probably hear, but I started to whoop it up for him but stopped myself because everyone was being so quiet.  I resisted the urge to embarrass him this time but I'm fairly sure I'll get plenty of opportunities to make it up to him in the future!  Also, at the end of each class the coach gives the kids a stamp of different animals which Nicholas goes nuts for.  He always asks her to stamp the top of his foot and he stares at it continuously, which is what he's doing towards the end of the video.  Whatever floats your boat, son.

P.S.  I have to add just one more thing which has absolutely nothing to do with Karate.  From time to time, Nicholas says things that I know I'll never want to forget but get so busy and never write them down.  So, I thought I'd add his latest and greatest here because I know this blog will stand the test of time.  We were sitting in bed the other night, talking and singing before I tucked him in, and he turns to me and says "You're my Princess Mama".  Melt.  My.  Heart.  Seriously!  Well, I've been Princess Mama every since and it's a name I will proudly bear for the rest of my life.  This boy is learning at a very early age how to steal a woman's heart, let me tell ya!