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!

Karate Kid

Our latest adventure started one evening awhile back when Nicholas was practicing kung fu moves on Mommy and Daddy's bed.  It looked a little something like this:

Afterwards, it dawned on me that karate lessons might be just the thing for him to try.  I've been thinking the last few months that it might be time to get him involved in an organized sport or activity, so this idea came at the perfect moment.  I did a little research and now, a few weeks later, we just finished with his first lesson.  I am absolutely confident that we picked the right thing for him to do.  He was so proud and excited to be on the mat with the other kids, practicing kicks, hits, and of course his "HIYAH!"  But being the mom, I'm more excited about the imporant values he's learning - how to behave in a group, how to listen to adults, how to show respect by always looking people in the eye and answering "yes ma'am/yes sir", how to follow instructions....wow, the list just goes on and on. I really admire the disciplinary aspect of Karate and what kids learn while still having fun.  It's like vegetables - we don't have to tell them that it's actually good for them.  And, Nicholas wasn't the only one who got to have some fun.  I thoroughly enjoyed every second of sitting on the bleachers and watching him do his thing.  He wasn't the least bit hesitant about getting involved, although you could tell he was carefully watching the other kids trying to learn just what he was supposed to be doing.  Neither of us can wait for next week when we get to do it all again!!  You should have seen his sad face when he walked off the mat after it was over.  He didn't understand why it had to end and asked at least 100 times if we would be coming back soon.  I assured him that we most definitely would!

Modeling his new uniform.  It's not the traditional type but he's in love with it anyway.

  No belt yet.  That will come after he finishes his 3rd lesson.  

 Making new friends...

 Working his way through the obstacles. 

Nail biting concentration...

My ♥ Belongs to You

Yesterday was a terrific Valentine's Day spent at home relaxing with my boys. I fixed spaghetti and meatballs for dinner and we exchanged cards and little gifts afterwards. Nicholas has been begging his Daddy for a Happy Napper for ages so he was very excited to see that he finally got one. We always try to keep it simple by doing just the right amount of sweet and thoughtful for Valentine's Day without going overboard.  Shoot, I'm the happiest girl in the world every single day I get to spend with my wonderful husband and son, so Valentine's Day is just the great big cherry on top.  Happy V-Day to all of you!!

Showing off his half eaten, green heart ring pop.

My beautiful Calla Lilies.

And I haven't included any Instagram collages in awhile so here's a great big one!

Happy Birthday, Jilly Bean!

Whew, we did it!  We just finished our last of the three-in-a-row-out-of-town-birthdays with Jillian's celebration in Dallas.  Cindy threw together an adorable strawberry themed bash which included her traditional hand decorated cake that was not only beautiful but delicious as well.  It was a wonderful party and all the kids had an amazing time, especially when they got to decorate their very own sugar cookies.  Some were conservative, others were quite decadent.  No matter the preference, they all loved getting to pick just what their cookie needed to make it yummy and I loved the idea!  Unfortunately, Jillian wasn't feeling so good after her party but she kept her game face on and rallied through to the end.  I cannot believe both she and Nicholas are 3 now and growing quicker than a bolt of lightning.  By the look of things, tomorrow will be their high school graduations.  Nicholas is already asking me questions about when his birthday is and what we're doing for his party and all I can say is "SLOW DOWN!" I'm just not okay with this.

Look at that little baby.  Where did she go?