first day of 4th grade

i have the same pictures for the first day of school, 5 years running now.
i think it's extra special that kevin and boyd have this walk to school documented.
i love that the elementary school is at the end of our street.
i will love looking back on these pictures. and i will cry. but that's ok too.

my prayer for boyd is as always...keep him safe, keep him kind.
boyd, be extra nice to the new kids, and just say 'thank you' to the bullies.
get the best grades that you can get, you can buy ice cream on fridays,
and DO NOT get your folder signed this year.
we love you bubba.

love,
nicolle

football, 3rd grade

boyd started his second season of youth association football, in early august.
it was a rough start.
as much as he loves football, the heat was unbearable.
things have cooled off a bit, and he's back to loving it.

and, he started third grade, yesterday.
i didn't get around to getting him a fresh haircut for the start of school,
and i won't buy him the expensive shoes that he wants, although i told him we could possibly look for a knock-off,
and he cried a little when we dropped him off...
but he came home and said he had a great day. 

my daily prayer for him is to keep him safe, keep him kind.

love,
nicolle

football and 2nd grade

goodbye summer.
i'm not sad to see this one go.
honestly. i didn't get my groove this summer.
i'm sure it was 99% me, and a few other factors.
there are always a few other factors.
of course, i will miss the time with boyd,
because i know that there are only so many summers of his childhood.
i could sit and write how it was the best summer ever,
and the truth is i know i am lucky to have had this summer and all the good that it held,
but sometimes i get tired of the sugar coated fluff.
i don't want the whole, how are you, i'm good, how are you?
i like the real stuff, the meaty stuff, the true stuff.
 the part where you say relationships are hard and messy,
parenting is messy and hard,
the world is messed up,
neighbors are weird,
{myself included},
and sometimes your hormones are not in sync with your plans.
there were still many good times, and we will miss the lazy mornings, and cherished time with friends,
extra time with family,
and maybe in january we will say we miss the pool,
but for now the bathing suits are packed away, and i have no plans on seeing them for a while.
god changes the seasons in our lives just when we need it the most.

boyd started football at the end of summer vacation.

so far he's had conditioning camp and tryouts.

it was hot. it's still hot. but he started, and he's loving it so far.

football, in texas, is some serious business...even at a young age.

i was overwhelmed thinking about the commitment, 

but other friends are doing it and somehow surviving, so i know we will too.

and i love keeping boyd on the go. he has the energy. he was born busy.

plus, he looks like the cutest little thing in his gear.

and, 2nd grade.

this past monday was the first day.

except for a call on monday from the office about a very upset and boohooing little boy,

because there was a misunderstanding about his lunch,
which had me flying up to the school to make sure boyd was ok,

the rest of this week has been good, uneventful...which is good. 

as we walked boyd into school, i said my prayers for him.
i've made it a habit to pray over his school every single day.
i have a few friends to thank for this, who put this on my heart.

boyd and i watched an amazing sunset the other night,

and kevin even called on his way home to tell me to run out and catch it.

i love when kevin does this. 

so we watched the sky go from this...
 

 to this...
 

and it was so beautiful.

 the problem is not that you're imperfect.
the problem is that you think there's a problem with being imperfect.
~glennon melton.

 

love,

nicolle

1st grade, more banh mi

boyd started school on monday.

1st grade.

the first day was good, and uneventful.

yesterday, the second day, he cried in the morning, he cried at school, he cried after school.

he said he missed us, and he misses staying up late.

i understand baby boy. i really do.
i know it's hard to go from an unstructured summer, into a 7 hour school day.
it makes me sad if i dwell on it, so i don't. i just pray.

we tried to tell him all of the really great things about school, and i told him that after school today we will walk around the corner and see if one of his classmates can play.
this morning was better and he seemed happy to go.
one of my neighbors is student teaching at his school, in his grade, and so yesterday she texted me a couple of times to say that he looked happy, he was playing tether ball at recess, and he told her that he was getting ice cream after school if he had a good day. i was glad to hear from her.
obviously i know he will be fine, but dang it, i want to snatch him up sometimes and take away the tears.
and i know it's only 1st grade, but it's a crazy world out there.
some days i think, i'm ready to throw in the towel right now. and somehow i don't.
i pray that he always does well in school, that he is safe and happy, that he is KIND,
that he loves his friends and that they love him back. 

today i was on the hunt for another banh mi sandwich, like i had in dallas recently.
i found a place nearby that has them, so i drove over.
the sandwich was large and so cheap i couldn't believe it, but the meat was horrible to me.
there were several types of thin sliced meats, that i could not identify. i was bummed.
so i drove myself straight to the grocery store, and made my own.

thin breakfast pork that is already cooked, pan fry it with a little soy sauce and cut in strips

mayo and sriracha mixed together to make a spicy mayo

fresh sliced jalapenos

shredded carrots 

{they are supposed to be pickled and sweetened, i will do that next time}

cilantro

cucumber

bread, cut down the middle but not all the way through, remove some of the inside bread and discard

pack it full, and it's delicious.

suzette, i still want your neighbor's recipe.
and cindy, if dave makes these i want his recipe too.

that's all from here.

hope you are well.

love,

nicolle

kindergarten

boyd's first day of kindergarten was yesterday. it was a success.

i've dreamed of this day, and dreaded this day,
but God made it good.

such a bittersweet walk.

waiting to go inside his classroom.

at his desk.

after we walked boyd down to school and came back home, kevin was off to work, and i picked up some coffee. i came back home and stood in a really quiet house and went to boyd's room and the only tears i shed were those of relief. not that i had any doubts, but, we made it to kindergarten. this little pumpkin pie has worn me out, and has been my best buddy for the last 5 1/2 years, and it's all so weird that i'm handing him over to someone else for 35 hours a week now. this is just a small stepping stone in our lives, but one that we've worked towards, and it feels good, even if it tugs at my heart a tiny little bit.

i picked up the cutest cookies for after school. 

i met kevin for a lunch date at our favorite burger place, rodeo goat.

the beer battered onion rings were the best ever.

my burger was asian inspired and had a spicy peanut sauce on it. love.
it was nice to have a date with kevin in the middle of the day.
i felt kind of like a grown up.

 

boyd cried a little when i picked him up, and he told me that he missed me while he was at school all day, and he told me it was kind of too long to be at school, he told me about the restrooms, and about lunch, and that he didn't like sitting on the rug that long because it was uncomfortable.
oh he made me laugh.
he was starving when we got home, a little moody, and really tired.

in spite of it all, i think he had a good day.

day 2 of kindergarten, this morning.
i had to wake boyd up, which is a rare thing.
i think he's not real sure of what all is going on yet. he asked me this morning if we could go to the trampoline park. i know we've sucked the life out of the last 5 1/2 years, but this is the part where it's hard for me to adjust to everything as much as it is for him. i want to say, sure, let's go jump, let's do our own thing like we've always done, where we make the rules and have our freedom to do as we please.
obviously my thoughts and emotions are all over the place.
i walked boyd to school and sat with him in the cafeteria until his teacher came.
and then i worried about him getting lost in the hallway or crying or losing his water bottle.
i know he'll be fine, but that's just what mamas do.
i know he is going to love school.

in the blink of an eye.

it's so true.

love,

nicolle