Jason's 35th!

We celebrated at Folk's Folly, which has become our yearly tradition.

We all ate too much, as usual.

Here's hoping your 35th year will be just as fun as your 34th was! We love you!

Halloween 2010

Halloween is such fun when you have a 2 year-old to trick or treat with! Obviously this was the first year that she was aware of all of the festivities and her reactions were so funny! Mostly she just walked around with a really wide-eyed expression on her face, like she was thinking "free candy? really?" At times, she had somewhat of a suspcious look on her face, like she was wondering what the 'catch' was going to be...

I dressed her up as a little black cat, thinking her level of cooperation would be minimal and this way, i would atleast be able to tell her "You look like Ehud now!" My scheme worked. She was pretty freaked out at first, especially when i painted her face but when we convinced her that she looked just like her BFF Ehud, she was more accepting. I did have to paint my face as well though...

We went to trunk or treat at church and then went to Zoo Boo. There were some people dressed up in scary/gory costumes at Zoo Boo, which irritated me mildly--after all, they knew there were going to be little ones there! However, these gory costumes irritated me far more than they scared her. Mostly she was just curious.

She called her trick or treat bag her "purse" all night and the funniest Halloween moment came a couple of nights after Halloween had passed. She asked me for her 'purse' and i knew she wanted some of the candy out of it so i told her "ONLY ONE, that's all!!" and repeated myself in Spanish to make sure she understood. She proudly choose Malt balls out of her purse and then reappeared about 10 minutes later. "ONE MORE, MOMMY--that's all!" It's probably not funny to anyone else but it was to us because it was basically the first time she's displayed her keen negotiating skills...

She surprises us every day with something new she's learned. This toddler stage is so tough at times but boy, is it rewarding!! Every day she gets funnier, more spirited, and more affectionate. As she was sitting in my lap last night and i held her, i thought "will it always feel this good to hold you? Or will that feeling diminish as you age?" Either way, we are loving every moment....

Love,

The Nickels

Caroline's Latest Accessory....

We'd recently started noticing that Caroline was crossing her left eye, sometimes her right one....It was so subtle that sometimes I would think I was seeing things. When I learned that Jason had noticed it, along with Paul and Barbie, I called her pediatrician who referred me to a pediatric opthalmologist. Dr. Byrd diagnosed Caroline with something called 'accommodative estropia', meaning she cannot focus on things that are close to her face without crossing one of her eyes. It is something that can be corrected with glasses, so she will have to wear them all the time.

After spending a couple of days being pretty bummed for her (2 just seemed so young to be in glasses!), I am now at peace with it. After all, there are parents at St. Jude's that don't know whether or not their child will make it through another day and I am upset b/c my daughter has to wear glasses? Snap out of it!!

She calls them her 'gasses' and every now and then, she will complain to her mommy (of course) that she wants to take them off. It's hard to resist but i know i have to be strong!!! Here she is modeling her new frames...isn't she cute? These were taken w/ my iphone so excuse the poor quality....

Love,

The Nickels

HELP!!!!

i discovered yet ANOTHER pest in my garden this a.m.

it seems that as soon as i get one pest under control (ie. squash bugs), another pest is identified.

this one seems to prey mainly on my tomatoes.it doesn't matter whether the tomato is green or red, this pest will decimate it.

it appears to be highly evolved. it has a knack for developing new entrances into my garden once it discovers that its other entrances are no longer useable. it is persistent.

it does not fear me or my wrath. it's desire for my tomatoes is so great that it is willing suffer whatever consequences may result.

i believe that this is the pest that was responsible for the complete decimation of my tomato plants last year.

it has 4 legs and a sandy-blonde fur covering.

any ideas on how to help will be greatly appreciated

Gardening and God....

This time of year, Nickel and I spend so much time working in the yard. Thanks to my mother-in-law, gardening has become my favorite pastime over the last few years. It is a such a incredible way to know Him better.

every weed i pull reminds me that He is ultimately the one that chooses which plants will grow in my yard. every deadhead i pick off one of my petunias or geraniums reminds me that He is always doing that same thing to me--pruning me in order to make me more beautiful in his eyes. every aphid/squash bug i remove and then kill from my veggie plants reminds me of the sin in our lives and how it quickly it can destroy us if we do not "remove and kill it" ie. confess and repent immediately.

every time i water the rose bush, i think of how that rose bush would die w/out that nourishment, just like i would die w/out my water--His Word. and every time i spray them for Black Spot, i think of how that Black Spot is systemic in that rose bush--just like sin is systemic in mankind. That rosebush will always have black spot and mankind will always have sin. If i did not spray the roses in order to treat the Black Spot, they'd likely wither up and die. If it weren't for the Cross, which was the ultimate cure for our "black spot", we'd surely die.

i'm a sucker for vines...every time i train one of my beloved vines to grow this way or that or trim it b/c it is getting too unruly, i think of John 15 and how i'm just like one of those branches..in fact, i am one of those branches and He is that vine...and I have to remain in Him if I want to flourish and bear fruit, otherwise i will become like the dead branches i just trimmed away.

the hostas and dragons-breath sedums and Japanese Maple that are thriving right now...they've never looked more beautiful. it's because they are positioned so perfectly..they get just the right amount of shade and just the right amount of sun. and When i look at them, I'm reminded that i too, need just the right amount of light to thrive--maybe not sunlight but His light. i have to position myself in His light if i want to thrive...what an awesome reality.

the azaleas that bloom magenta and the hydrangeas that bloom lavender...i've often asked Him "Lord, why do they only bloom for 2 wks? why do we only get to enjoy their true beauty for such a short time?" then He nudges me and lets me know that if they bloomed year-round, we would take them for granted like we always do, and never appreciate their beauty. or He nudges me and lets me know that those azaleas are like Abigail --He can spend one's whole life preparing you for a ministry that will last 2 wks. and that ministry will be the legacy that one is remembered for. just like He spends a whole year preparing those azaleas for that 2-wk bloom period, which is their legacy.

i could on and on...

here a few photos from earlier in the year when everything was blooming. the peonies are always my favorite! Will post some pics of the veggie garden soon.

Love,

The Nickels

More Summer Fun

Drinking lemonade out of a mason jar? All that's missing are the lightening bugs in the background.

Love,

The Nickels

Summer Fun!

We are very interested in art right now...she mainly just like coloring on herself and the furniture, if i would only let her get away with it. It does keep her occupied though--usually for a record time of 5-10 mins.

We are also very into popsicles right now...she would eat an entire box if I let her. Dixie is always available to assist her in case she needs any help eating the popsicles.

Yo Gabba Gabba is a nightly treat. and when I say 'treat', I mean that it's a treat for Mom, Dad and Caroline. It comes on at 9:30 and she watches it for 20 mins or so, which allows us a few minutes of peace before bedtime.

Her favorite books are anything that allows her to point out various kinds of animals and imitate the sounds they make. She knows the Spanish/English names for most of them.

She loves to 'help' me garden...pulling up weeds and digging in the dirt alongside of her mommy is amongst one of her favorite activities. I hope one day she will be half the gardener her Baabie is!

Every day, she continues to amaze us with new things she has learned..."muy intelligente", as Ana calls her. We are looking so forward to rediscovering the joys of summer with our funny, smart, independent toddler!

Love,

The Nickels

We have officially entered the 'Toddler Years'.....

and we are delighting in every moment of them. :-)

Love,

The Nickels

a few pictures of Caroline from this past weekend @ Shelby Farms. We are loving this warmer weather!

Love,

The Nickels

Spring has Sprung!

Sunday was sooo beautiful we couldn't resist the urge to take Caroline to the park. We ventured over to Overton Park, which is a city park that Jason and I have always enjoyed. However, it is a much different experience for us now that we have Caroline...it was almost like we were experiencing it for the first time even though we'd been there countless times before. Maybe we never noticed the gang members or the shady PDA or pot-smoking, drum-playing hippies. But we notice them now. It is with sad reluctance that I am finally admitting that moving out of Midtown is most definetly the right decision for us. It has never more obvious to me than it was that day at the park. As much as I love our ecclectic neighbors, historic homes and quirky shops and restaraunts, we would really like for her to be able to ride her bike around the neighborhood and play outside. So at some point in the near future, I guess we will graduate to the suburbs. But mark my words, I will NEVER drive a mini-van.....

Love,

The Nickels

Holy Neglected Blogsite, Batman!!!

I can't believe it's been so long since i posted.

We've been so busy living life that we've forgotten to blog about life!

Lots of great things and not-so-great things have happened over the last few months--

Jason turned 34.

a few days later, he got pneumonia and we spent Thanksgiving weekend in the hospital.

Jason spent much of December rehearsing for the annual Christmas production at church and as usual, it was a huge hit. The Bishops came up for the holiday and we all had a great time catching up, eating too much and opening gifts.

January rolled around and we lucked out and got several snow days so Jason and I got to catch up on some sleep.

February rolled around and we got a few more snow days. This global warming thing is working out pretty well for us this year, as it afforded us several much-needed days off from work. More global warming, please!

Caroline has continued to blossom into the warmest, funniest, smartest, most lovable child one could possibly imagine. Every day, she shows us new ways to love life. She is an animal lover--Dixie, Schazi and Ehud are amongst some of her closest companions. She is a social butterfly--she has not a shy bone in her body and can work a crowd better than anyone else in the room. She is a people person, a true extrovert--she seems to restore energy from being around people, which is something her mom doesn't relate to at all. She is affectionate with everyone--even people she just met. She is muy intelligente, as Ana says and at the ripe ol' age of 17 months, she understands more of the Spanish language than I ever will. She is a foodie, lol! I've not found a food yet that doesn't like though she does prefer to eat off my plate rather than her own. She is a dancer--if you hum a beat for her, she will groove to it. I pray she inherited her dad's dancing skills and not mine! She loves her books and for now, this is her preferred activity over anything else. We take full advantage of that opportunity and read to her as much as we can! She still sleeps in the bed with us but I know that dreaded day is looming where I will have to move her to her own room at night. I think I am going to cry more that first night than she will!

I must admit, I was never prepared for how much this little person was going to enrich my relationship with God. I pray to Him constantly on her behalf--it's almost a track that runs through my head every day and every night--'thank you, Jesus for her, help us to be Godly parents...' And to think, He loves her more than Jason and I do! and He is more concerned with her future and her Christian walk than we are! That's quite a thought to wrap my head around but what an insight into His love for us. I know she is approaching an age where we need to start talking about Jesus to her but I am still working out the ways in which I can make the dialogue simple enough for her to grasp. Any and all suggestions from Godly parents are welcome...

Hope all is well with all of our blog friends as we all approach Spring...

Love,

The Nickels