My youngest turns 12 today. These twelve years of knowing him have gone by so quickly. Looking back at the pictures I still vividly recall every scene. He is just ten days old here. God made our hearts to love each child just as much as the others. And yet in some ways it is different. Maybe it is one of the ways we are made in His image. The ability to completely love many.

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Those big blue eyes were still blue at his friends birthday party. He was one year old here. A very happy boy he is. One of the things that has always been different about Nicholas is his tremendous ability to stop and smell the roses. His mother, father and older brother can tend to rush through life.

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At two he has a big boy hair cut. Started noticing his under bite. Is Orthodontia in our future?

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At three years of age he received his first big boy bike. His brother had his own and the competition on bikes began. In case you didn’t know, my boys compete in EVERYTHING.

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Little did we know what a future farmer he would be when he received is first cowboy hat at four years old. Still a happy boy. I believe God gave us Nicholas to teach us to slow down and enjoy the little things.

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Gosh do I love that smile. He is five and a handful at this point. For most of his life until now it was “do what Joshua does.” Now it is more, “I’m doing what I want.” He is his own strong willed person now.

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At six, he decided he wanted to dress up for church and special occasions. Dress shirts and ties were his favorite things to wear. Handsome guy! It lasted about two years.

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Our seven year old adventurer loves the snow. In Oregon, if we want to play in the snow every winter we have to go up to Mount Hood. Luckily he has a dad that is former ski patrol and an avid outdoor enthusiast. Adventure is certainly in his future.

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At eight he is a good swimmer. Both boys took swimming lessons from early on and then we joined a homeschool swim club which allowed them to improve as they swam for two hours ever Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. We were at the beach in this photo. The camera allowed me to not freeze to death in the pool. Someone has to take the pictures.

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His first Stetson at nine. He really is a country boy at heart. So handsome.

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For his tenth birthday we went to the beach and stayed in a cabin for a few days. He isn’t a fearful boy. Ok, I wish there was a little fear in him.

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Back up in Portland, we celebrated his eleventh birthday with family.

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Here he is the day before turning twelve. He just made that bow out of a piece of PVC pipe. Nicholas is definitely always coming up with new things to make. I think we have a future entrepreneur here.

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Happy birthday my dear son. We love you more than we can say and it grows each and every day. The world is a better place with you in it. We are thankful for you.

Love you, always and forever,
Mom and Dad