tuesday

good morning.

the weather is beautiful,

our yard is freshly mowed,

i can taste summer.

i'm ready for summer, but i'm trying to figure out how to make it last forever, since boyd is about to start kindergarten. i know it will fly. my mama heart aches a little bit already.

today is wacky wardrobe day at school,

and i'm at a loss.

so this is what we came up with.
mismatched everything {which is sometimes the norm for us}, swim trunks, and a hat.

boyd slept in this morning, and was a little out of it when i was taking his picture. sweet thing.

 there's a little smile.

  is there anything better than coffee running down the side of the mug.
i don't think so.

 over the weekend, 

there was a lot of good play time outside, 

good food, fun groceries...the best kind, a date night with my handsome husband, alone time. 

it was just right.

boyd has loved eating at hooter's for a while now.

they really do have great food.

he used to call it the owl restaurant, we used to laugh.

we went the other day, and he looked at kevin and said,

dad, they sure are wearing tiny pants.

looks like his hooter's days may be numbered.

enjoy your day.
life is good.

love,
nicolle

tuesday

Boyd had Dr. Seuss day at school today.

He made this hat and had it on when I picked him up.

It's that time of year when I get really sappy, because he's about to have a birthday.

Then it didn't help today when I made out the check for school tuition, and I realized that there are only 2 payments after this one, and pre-school is officially over for us. 

To say this school year has flown would be a huge understatement.

I can't even wrap my mind around it sometimes. 

Time is tricky like that, especially when you are trying to keep your baby a baby as long as you can.

My mom came over this afternoon to hang out, and spend the night.

I snuck off to the front porch and had some coffee.

Kevin recently bought me some apple strudel coffee, and it's so good.

I cooked dinner for my mama. 

I made salad like my aunt does, with the lettuce in a slice, sort of like a wedge salad.

It just tastes better this way, not sure why.

Then I made spaghetti carbonara.

We rarely have pasta at home, so this is a treat.

It was delicious.
{recipe here}.

And I had time to take a picture, halfway through our meal.

My mom's phone rang, Boyd was dancing and singing,

he needed more oranges and cheetos and something to drink,

and I had to keep saying don't wipe your hands on your shirt.

Lots of interruptions, but we sure were laughing.

My mom was giving Boyd a bath and he tooted and said,
oops I backfired.

hope your night is good.

love,

nicolle

monday

We stayed home yesterday, except for groceries.

Kevin and Boyd played hide and seek, 

Boyd played with balloons,

toys were everywhere,

we watched golf and the races, 

I made a pork tenderloin and salad for dinner,

we had a major storm come through about 7 pm,

it was a good stay at home day.

Boyd had 5 balloons that he named, although a couple of the names kept changing:

table, chair, ball, butt, water. 

Butt was his favorite.

He didn't see the humor in it, it was just a name to him.

Kevin and I were rolling though.

Boyd kept saying, come here Butt, oh Butt where did you go, watch out for Butt.

Oh my gosh, it was so funny.

And then I think that Butt popped, but we convinced Boyd that is was really Chair, however he was still distraught.

This child is a mess.

 Today we ran to pick up a little birthday gift for one of Boyd's friends.

I just love this girlie sock monkey puzzle that we found.

Birthdays are so much fun.

This afternoon we met our friends at the mall to play.

Boyd had fun with his sweet friend Jonas.

Boyd LOVES all of his friends so much, 

and every time we leave,

he says how much he misses them.

Like, 2 seconds after we leave.

He also calls all of his friends his sisters or brothers.

 Boyd starts Pre-K on September 4th, he will be almost 4 1/2 years old.
He is so excited.
{I am so excited}.
He stays dry at night now, so I think we are just about done with all types of pull ups.
We buy his clothes in the little boy section now, not the toddler section.
{I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm going to miss the baby/toddler section at the store}.
He is such a big boy now.
It's all going by so fast.

Sometimes, but I'm better than I used to be,
I catch myself reading other blogs and thinking,
wow, I am so boring.
That's ok though.
This blog serves me well, it helps me record precious memories with my baby boy.
And, along the way, I've kept in touch with family and old friends,
 and made wonderful new friends.

 Even when I complain that I'm tired or have the blahs,

or that it's too hot or I'm feeling old,

or that I'm a crab-apple, according to Kevin and Boyd,

I know these days are so GOOD.

I'm off to make an iced mocha frappuccino.
{i think i spelled that wrong}.

have a good night.

love,

nicolle

cure for the blahs

We have been going over and taking care of our friends' guinea pigs,

while they have been out of town.

Boyd loves doing this. 

We would go 5 times a day if it was up to him.

We went today, he played with a few legos,

then he turned on their toy parrot that repeats what you say to it.

Boyd said the sh#@ word, to the parrot.

{Just warning you Whit, in case there is some kind of button you press,

that replays the last 10 minutes of conversation}.

 I had the blahs today, for no good reason.

I'm sure it's the heat, but I just couldn't shake it.

About 4 pm I told Boyd to hop in the car for some frozen yogurt.

We each got a little bit in our dish,

and he acted as funny as ever,

and we chased away the blahs.

I had red velvet with a dash of brownies,

Boyd had chocolate with sprinkles.

Feeling guilty for having the cupcake the other day,

and this, but we only got a little bit.

I am so lucky to be able to spend my days with this baby boy.

He is so funny, and he makes me laugh over and over again.
My sweet boy who collects junk wanted to know if he could take the empty yogurt dish home,
to use as a drum.
I'm so mean, and told him NO.
He got mad and told me, oh man you ruined my plan.
He did bring his orange spoon home though.

We ran into a home decor store, and I bought this sweet little bird.
Another cure for the blahs.

 On the way home I started singing this old church hymn,

which I love and every single word is so true.

Usually when I sing, Boyd yells, STOP.

Today he just listened and smiled, and then said, I like that mommy.

Made me melt.

blessed Jesus hold my hand,

I need thee, yes I need thee every hour.

through this land, this pilgrim land,

protect me by thy saving power.

hear my plea, my feeble plea, 

dear Lord look down on me,

when I kneel in prayer I hope to meet you there,

blessed Jesus hold my hand.

That sums up our day.

The sh#@ word,
{which we obviously don't encourage}
the blahs,

yogurt,
laughter,

and church hymns.

{reality}.

love,

nicolle

stay at home day

Boyd and I have been at home all day.

I've taken out a lot of trash, shredded many papers,

we've watched TV, played cars and read books, and had baths.

 You know that I've told you about Boyd The Collector.

It's a daily thing to keep up with his treasures,

and make sure they find their way to the trash occasionally.

His room is clean and tidy right now.

No hidden straw wrappers, q-tip parts, popsicle sticks, nuts and bolts that he picked up in parking lots, pieces of rubber bands, or clothespins that belong in the pantry.

He will eat a popsicle and ask if he can save the wrapper, 

to play with or use to hold his toys. ha.

We are breaking him of this habit, gently.

 I saw these snacks and had to try them.

I had a sweet tooth today, and these really hit the spot.

Recipe here.

She calls them no-bake energy bites.

They are delicious. 

I didn't have all of the ingredients that she used, 

so my version is below.

1 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/6 cup sugar free honey

1 heaping Tablespoon of flax powder

1 individual sized box of raisins

1 tsp vanilla

Mix in a bowl, chill, roll into balls or shape into little bars.

Boyd loved them too, and that makes me HAPPY.

Tonight after bedtime prayers with Boyd, when I said amen,
he said very loudly, aye aye aye.
I think we have got to work on that.

love,

nicolle

cupcake friday {and thai red curry chicken}

In an effort to try to eat even better,
I haven't had sweets in 10 days.
I'm trying very hard to go back to just a cupcake on Fridays.
Boyd and I set out to find cupcakes this morning.
We went to the Fort Worth Food Park,
where Red Jett Sweets food truck is set up on the weekends.
Boyd had chocolate {just the frosting of course},
and I had lemon blueberry.
{I ate all of mine}.
delicious.

I thought about swimming today,
but it's so dang hot.
We were able to visit my friend Whitney and her 3 kids,
for a while.
That's always fun to do, because we love hanging out with them.
It just always makes our day better.

..............

I posted this once before, but I tweaked the recipe,

so I just wanted to post the updated version.

We had it last night, and my mouth is still watering for more.
Thai red curry chicken.

7 or 8 chicken tenders

3 cans of unsweetened coconut milk

3 T red curry paste

{it's so much cheaper to buy the jar of this, than the packet}

1 can of shredded bamboo shoots, drained

 about 1/4 of a yellow onion, sliced into slivers

pineapple tidbits, about 1/2 cup

a few shakes of dried basil

Trim and dice and cook your chicken in a little olive oil, and set aside.

Mix your coconut milk and red curry paste in a stovetop pot,

and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add other ingredients.

Simmer, then turn on low.

We serve ours with quinoa,

some cashews,

and Sriracha sauce.

This easily makes 2 meals for us.

heaven.

..............

Last night I was praying with Boyd before bed and I said,
Thank you Jesus for Boyd, mommy and daddy,
our home and for groceries.
Boyd looked at me funny and said,
Jesus didn't give us those groceries,
we got them at the grocery store.

..............

On a more serious note,
I had a hard time going out today and being happy,
while that awful tragedy is taking place in Colorado.
I know bad things happen all the time,
but this just hit me deep down, and breaks my heart.
This world has gone crazy.
It's hard to reconcile all of the beauty in the world,
with a nightmare like this.
In a way I want to stay home and protect my family,
but things like this also make me say,
get out and LIVE,
each day,
to the fullest.
So that is what we are trying to do.

enjoy your weekend.

love,

nicolle

{Here is the video I mentioned to some of you.
Kevin was lucky last night.
Thank you Jesus}.

life {bad & good}

{the bad}

I came down with a stomach bug for a couple of days, and was just feeling wiped out, mentally and physically.
Couldn't get off the floor kind of worn out.
I feel better now. Some rest, lots of pepto, extra vitamins and some gatorade did the trick.

A childhood/neighborhood friend & classmate passed away on thursday.
Although I haven't seen her in years, it was sobering to learn this news.
Every time something like this happens,
I want to enjoy my life a little more.
I want to focus on the important stuff.
She has a twin sister.
She was 39 years old, and pregnant.
My heart goes out to her family and close friends.

..............

{the good}

cinnamon life cereal.



new flowers.





this boy, and his bike and his helmet.




We were getting ready to go somewhere the other day, and Boyd said to me,
do you still have to put on your mommy thing that you put on over your 2 belly buttons?
Then he pointed to his chest.

Boyd got mad and cursed Kevin out the other day by saying,
you darn guy.

I can't stop laughing.

love,
nicolle

so i can remember

We are in some really funny times right now with Boyd, and I don't want to forget them.

Boyd wakes up in the mornings lately, shuts his door and turns his lamp on, and plays for about an hour. He talks or sings the entire time. I love it. Sometimes Kevin or I sneak by his door and listen to him. It is hilarious.

Boyd telling me a knock knock joke.
Boyd: knock knock who's there? orange.
me: {not sure what to say} orange who.
Boyd: knock knock who's there?
me: orange.
Boyd: orange you.
{the end}.

Yesterday we were playing outside and I handed him some crackers. He said, thank you partner.


Boyd started pedaling on his bike, all by himself, for the first time yesterday. Then he would hop off and run beside it, pushing it along, yelling,
I'm coming momma,
over and over and over. I was laughing out loud. I mean, just the helmet makes me laugh.


Kevin made Boyd a sled out of cardboard and a string. The fun part is, we have to pull him around. Oh yeah. At least it's good exercise. Yesterday I got it out and Boyd was sitting on it in the driveway. He looked at me and said,
please pull me, it's always been my dream.
So I pulled him all over the yard yesterday. The neighbors were laughing. I guess they were just jealous, or something.
:)


Boyd was yelling at me to put something on tv this morning, that wasn't on. I didn't have it recorded and it wasn't coming on. I yelled back and said,
I can't help what is on the tv. It's whatever the tv man decides to put on.
How is that for an explanation?!

Today we are wearing rain boots with shorts. We picked up Chick Fil A and had a picnic in the front yard. He thought it was the best thing, ever.


And, the funniest one, to me anyway. I swore to my mom I wouldn't post this, but it's so funny. I promise he was not being neglected. A couple of weeks ago when I was down and out with a cold, I was in the guest room, and Boyd was supposedly laying beside me.
I look up and he is dancing on the table, next to the tv.


I need more coffee.