Mission Trip to Honduras: Post Five ...

I'd like to say I think I have survived this week. This time tomorrow I will be all snuggled up with my husband and will have all five of my babies under the same roof. 

They finished their job up today. 

The roof and the finishes will be added by the other men there in Honduras. 

Mrs. Susan said it rained every night, but each morning they woke up to beautiful blue skies. We are so thankful God has blessed this trip and made it fruitful! Yesterday I mentioned one of the ladies in the village was hit in the head with a hammer that fell off of the ledge where they were building, I am thankful to let you know this sweet lady is doing fine. She told Mrs. Susan she had a headache and was sore, but that she was going to be fine. Thank you for your prayers.

I am heading to bed knowing my house will be full again tomorrow. Until then it's this Momma, some Family Feud and a Nutty Buddy ice cream cone. It's all about the comfort this week ... 

Mission Trip To Honduras: Post Four

Y'all. I lied yesterday when I said that was the hardest day. Today has been rough. Can I just say I have no clue how in the world military spouses go without their mate for so long? My hat goes off to them because I cried about a thousand times today and my man has only been gone for a few days. Oh boy, Friday can not get here fast enough ...

(Kollin has enjoyed having a letter from me

 each night to read. And I enjoy hearing

 him read them to me.)

I guess there is no better reason to be missing the Hubs and Kollin than something like this though. Here is a picture of the progress of the church they are building. Looks great huh? 

Just like any other night this week, it ended with FaceTime. Kollin just can't stop talking about all of his new friends. He taught one of his new friends Arnold how to play Thumb War and Slaps. Travis said it's pretty funny to watch Kollin and the other children there communicate. I think they are all learning a lot from this week. 

The husband apparently got a stomach bug or something while he's been down there. On the flip side of that, Kollin said he had the "best chicken of his life" tonight. 

More shoes were handed out today and Travis said the kiddos were pretty excited about it all. Apparently, the brighter the shoes the better! 

"Please pray for one of the church women where we are building the church. She was walking by the church and a hammer fell off the wall and hit her in the head. It made a big gash in her head. One of the guys with us, Travis is a paramedic and tended to it but I know she is in a lot of pain. I am thankful it was not one of the children that was hit."

This note was posted by Mrs. Susan tonight on FaceBook. Travis said there are no hospitals there and there wasn't much they could do other than to clean it up really good. Please pray for this sweet woman from the village there.

Mission Trip to Honduras: Post Three

The saying is true people, "Distance makes the heart grow fonder".

I think today has been the hardest for me emotionally. Not that I locked myself in a room somewhere and cried uncontrollably or anything, but pretty much every thought that crossed my mind ended with just how much I'm missing my two boys. 

Kollin was beaming on FaceTime tonight. He was telling me all about how much help he was today in helping build the church. In his words he got to "nut and bolt things together" and "haul off wood in buckets". As much as Kollin went on and on about getting to really work today, the husband went on and on about these three little girls he met today and how they thought he was "muy guapo". 

Apparently, they thought my husband was cute. 

Some of our group went to visit the orphanage there this afternoon. Our group was

able to give 16 boys new shoes and socks!

(Those that were able to hand out shoes to the boys at the orphanage.)

There is so much work left to be done in building this new church there. Please pray

they are able to complete the project before Friday!

P.S. There is a PIZZA HUT in Honduras! I bet Kollin was shocked considering he asked

me at one point before the trip if they would have any normal food there.

Mission Trip to Honduras: Post Two

Who knew a 20 minute chat could calm one's heart so much? 

I pretty much watch the clock all day and count down to when I can talk to the husband and Kollin. And as expected, their voices, smiles, laughter and the sudden high pitch baby talk they do as soon as Khloe's face pops up on the screen made my heart super happy.

Kollin is doing so much better than I thought he would. Some of the Momma in me is heartbroken about that and then the other Momma in me is super relieved about it. I was really expecting teary phone calls and lots of "I wanna come home"s. But I haven't had either of those, unless you consider me crying a teary phone call. 

I was sure to pack several little notes for Kollin to have throughout the week. I packed one for him while he was on the plane ride, one for Sunday morning and one for Sunday night, one for Monday night, Tuesday night, Wednesday night and Thursday night, then one for Friday morning. Too much? 

(This picture was taken by Mrs. Susan yesterday.)

A picture like this one makes all my second guessing I did early Saturday morning fly out the window. God wanted Kollin in Honduras this week and I feel such peace in my heart about spending this time away from him. I am so thankful for pictures like these. 

They got a lot done today. This picture below is the progress from yesterday's end to today's end. 

Please continue to pray for our group in Honduras and for nice weather so they are able to complete this church before Friday. 

P.S. The husband survived the soggy fish.  

Mission Trip to Honduras: Post One

My kid is alright y'all. 

I mean he does look like he has grown quite a bit in the last day, but other than that he's okay. 

After only 700 attempts to connect on FaceTime, we were finally able to get through to each other. 

Kollin was so excited to tell me all about his adventures today. After their devotion this morning, they started work on building the church. He said there wasn't a whole lot he could do today, everything was "real heavy", but he was able to spend time with the children that are where they are building at. According to Kollin, he had three "little Hondurian girls" chasing him around all day. He also mentioned not having a clue what he ate tonight. Oh dear. 

(A few of the precious kiddos there, this photo is from Mrs. Susan who is there with our group.)

Then there was this other guy I got to talk to. 

Man, I miss him. 

Like ... bad. 

So here is to starting another 24 hour countdown until I can see them tomorrow night.

Please continue to pray for our ladies and dudes as they work in Honduras. 

(This pictures includes all the guys from the three churches there to help build the church, this photo is also from Mrs. Susan.)

And pray the soggy fish my husband ate tonight doesn't kill him ... 

Thirteen Hundred ...

My kid is 1,300 miles away. 

Thir-teen-hun-dred miles away y'all ... in another country ... for six days.

Kollin is on his very first Mission Trip.

Kollin is seven, emotional, indecisive and has one of the biggest hearts. With that being said, his feelings have been jumping around the past couple months about going on this trip. 

Kollin: "Aaaaah, I can't wait to go to Honduras Mommy!"

Kollin: "Mommy, how am I gonna be gone from you for six days? I don't think I can do it."

Kollin: "I bet riding on a plane is going to be awesome!!"

Kollin: "Mommy, what if my plane crashes and I never see you again?"

Kollin: "I'm worried about the toilets. Are they gonna be weird like Japan?"

Kollin: "What if I get lost?"

Kollin: "Building a church in a week is gonna be so cool!"

Kollin: "Am I gonna sleep on the ground? Like on the dirt?"

Kollin: "I don't wanna leave Kolt."

Kollin: "I know God is so happy about me going to Honduras Mommy!"

Seriously all over the place. 

And me? My feelings have been totally stable until I watched him hop on the church bus before the sun came up this morning. I hugged the crap out of him, smothered him in kisses, snapped a grainy picture in the parking lot, watched him turn away from me as he waved goodbye and literally ran to my car and lost it. I sobbed, sniffed and second guessed the decision of letting him go the whole way back home. It's tough. Letting go just a little bit is really, really, really tough. 

Kollin and I are always together. Other than a night away with family here and there, he's with me. He has never taken a trip without me. He has never been on a plane without me. My heart aches that I am missing out on such an experience in his life. I've never missed a first and today I did. And tomorrow I will again. And the next day and the next.

(Kollin and the hubs after boarding the plane this morning)

I will not be the one who sees these monumental moments in Kollin's life this coming week, but next to those selfish feelings sit feelings of being overwhelmingly proud of him. More than anything, this kid has been most excited about telling others about God's love in Honduras.

About a year or so ago while we were on a 19 Kids and Counting kick on Netflix, Kollin watched some of the older ones go on a Mission Trip to El Salvador. Ever since then he has wanted to be a part of one himself.

And now he is. Right now as I type this, he is fulfilling a dream of his. And I am on the couch eating delivered Chinese, watching Property Brothers and praying my husband will take all the pictures I asked him to.

(This is the group going from our church, Kollin is our youngest missionary)

I miss them already. I am counting down until I see their faces on FaceTime again and more so until Friday afternoon gets here. 

Please join me in keeping this trip and those on it in your prayers each day this week. Please pray for their safety, for a smooth process in building this church and most of all for others in Honduras to learn about God's mighty, unconditional love. 

My Purple Belted Ninja ...

Kollin had his umpteenth graduation this past Saturday and moved up to a Solid Purple Belt.

Kollin started just after he turned 5 in December 2011. He tried baseball and that just didn't get his mojo going. All he talked about was being a Ninja and doing karate. Travis and I had no experience with this department at all, but for Kollin we jumped right in. Right away we loved the purpose of karate, the motivation behind it and we loved the instructors. I have no clue what other studios are like, but Championship Martial Arts is very strict, but loads of fun. Children are taught to have "Black Belt" mentality at home, at school and in the studio. Without respect, self-control, motivation, determination and good behavior demonstrated everywhere, they are not allowed to move up to the next belt. Behavior reports are turned in to the instructors quarterly and are signed by the parent and the teacher (lucky for Kollin, I'm both). 

All of that to say, moving up to another belt is not just knowing forms, new kicks and new punches. It's much, much more. Travis and I are so proud of Kollin for all of his determination in continuing to move up each time. He has had his ups and downs and ins and outs, but overall he has kept going and plans to earn his Black Belt.

Here are some oldies from when he first started and some new ones from this past weekend. 

Y'all - he seriously needs to stop growing up so fast ...

His first graduation and this last graduation. Excuse the poor picture quality on the most recent one. It was an-iPhone-for-a-camera kind of day. Hopefully you can spot him. 

At graduation, each belt group is able to perform the new skills they have learned. The top one is Kollin as a White Belt and the second one is Kollin as a Green/Purple Belt. They officially graduate to their newest belt at the end of the ceremony. Can you spot him?

And you know - the traditional, good ole family shots at the end of each one. And yes, I was pregnant at the first graduation too. Don't judge.

Way to go Kollin! Mommy, Daddy, YahYah and your brothers are so proud of you! Keep focused, stay confident in yourself and determined and you will surely be a Black Belt in the future. 

We love you!

Kollin's Campout

Lately my brain has been in an overload function.

 I have missed being on this side of the screen for August Twelfth and every time something goes down or the Good Lord speaks to my heart on something to write, I get all tingly and excited. Then I never get to it. I promise I have good things to say and funny stories about my kiddos to share, it's just making my butt sit still long enough to do it. And that's just what I am doing right now - making my butt be still long enough to write and post some pictures of my sweet babies. 

Last weekend we celebrated Kollin's 7th birthday. (And yes. I am still in total denial.) What originated as him wanting a small campout with four friends to spend the night turned into glowsticks galore, flashlight tag, about 50 guests and 12 kids camping out in our backyard. Not to mention when I came home from grabbing last minute stuff the husband had moved our TV from our wall and mounted it to a dang tree!!

 The party was nothing fancy, nothing short of amazing and has been dubbed one of the best birthday shin-digs we Nichols have ever thrown. 

We had a simple hotdog, chips and pickles spread ...

This magnificent fire pit was designed and built by none other than my husband. It started with some free slate from our church after tearing down an old wall there. And a month later - wa la. Here it is. I know - he's a keeper. 

We had 20 glowsticks to give out, finger flashlights, 45 regular flashlights for several games of "Tag In The Dark" and cookie cake of course. 

Samantha should totally be rented out at campouts to make smores for people.  

Oh.Dear.Lord - They were delicious!

See the TV back there? (That white rectangle). Yep. It's mounted to the tree. We played The Croods and Shark's Tale, sat by the fire, roasted smores and enjoyed the cool night air. It was amazing I tell ya. 

The kiddos (big and small) all made it to the tents around midnight and I'm pretty sure they were all asleep by 12:30 sometime before sunrise. Nah, I'm kidding - all the boys were so behaved and everyone was out by 1:00ish. 

So I snapped a few pictures on the beloved iPhone and flashed everyone's eyes blind. Then went and crawled in my comfy, cozy, warm bed and slept like a baby. 

Sunday morning I fed and bathed (well, they showered themselves) 10 kiddos and arrived to Sunday School early. I know. I am a champ. Don't worry, I already gave me and the husband major kudos and bought myself some Chunky Monkey on my latest grocery store trip. 

Is it insane to say that getting 10 ready was easier than 4? 

Kollin - I hope you enjoyed your 7th Birthday Bash! You are such a caring, kind and sweet boy and to see you run around and have so much fun with your friends brought such joy to my heart! I love you baby!

Darn a full memory on my phone - I only caught half of it .. oh well - it'll be in my heart forever. 

Here's to another successful birthday party in the books - now I'm off duty till July ...

You Are Seven ...

Today you turned seven. And although I've heard you say it all day, I still can't swallow the words. Seems like just yesterday you were hiding in the toy room to poop in your diaper while sucking on your "Night-Night", all while watching Baby Einstein. 

And I am asking myself why this birthday seems so much harder than the last ones. 

In the words of my friend Nicole, something about seven is big.

Seven seems so much further away from babyhood than six did. 

Seven ...

Seven ...

Maybe if I keep saying it over and over it will become more real to me. 

Seven ... Seven ... Seven ... 

Then again - maybe not. 

Just go ahead and bring on the waterworks and tissues. 

I'll worry about making it more real to me tomorrow. 

I can't help but think that in seven more years from now you will be a teenager, saving for a car and wanting to be gone from me more than to be with me. Life is so bittersweet, kiddo and years go by way too fast. 

Over the last year I have watched you accomplish more and more amazing things ...

While you were six, you learned how to ride a bike without training wheels. And it was huge, I might add. YahYah took you to Toys R Us to pick one out for your sixth birthday. You chose an orange and black one with a mohawk helmet, wheeled it into the backyard and learned that same afternoon how to ride without any help. I have watched you go from wobbly, unsteady and unsure to confident, quick and cool. Reminds me of all the other wobbly things I have watched you master since you were a little bitty thing ...

So if you go back and read your last birthday post here, you'll read about being in your first Christmas play at church. And how you ran off the stage to sit with YahYah ... well, not when you were six. Sister Judy gave you the role of a RockStar this year and you rocked it kid! You had a pretty big speaking part and did awesome! You worked so hard to memorize your lines and gave it your all up there. 

While you were six, you accomplished your second year of karate. You have earned your solid orange belt, your orange/green belt and your solid green belt. This year you participated in two tournaments and although you didn't place this year, you still did your very best. And that's all we ask for. When you earned your green belt this year, you also earned the right to wear a black uniform (which is a pretty huge deal). Your kicks are getting better and better and you can do push ups better than Daddy. 

In the spring you decided to play a season of baseball. Being that God can be hilarious at times, you were put on the McDonough Gators. You sported that orange, blue and your flat billed hat like you were just IT. You really worked on your skills and learned a lot with Coach Brian. Although at the end of the season you decided you would just stick to karate, you still had a good time playing while you did. 

You learned how to tie your shoes and have become a master at making beds. Both which make my life easier. 

While you were six you became pretty smitten for this little lady at church. Her name is Sarah and every time her name is mentioned, your eyes gleam and you get all blushy and stuff. I'd say you have your first real crush. And just to add a quick funny to this, here's a little story. Sarah's family and our family have become buds the last few months. Her Momma and I were chatting and she was joking about how messy Sarah was and that I should warn you. (You and Sarah currently claim you guys are getting married.) So I did just that - warned you about her sloppiness and such. Your words: "Well Mommy. That's just the price I have to pay. She is beautiful!" 

Oh dear.

You became a First Grader this year! You are a great student and love to learn. I am so thankful for that! You have learned how to read and are reading well beyond a First Grade level. You love to read all kinds of books and your Lego magazines. 

The outdoors has become your best friend! You are constantly outside building random forts and traps and other boyish things. Between your imagination and Daddy's obsession with the clearance wood at Home Depot, our backyard looks nothing short of an episode of Sanford and Son. Right now, you and Daddy are in the middle of building a tree house.

Speaking of best friends, I have watched you and Kolt become just that over the last year. Rarely do you guys ever fight and I love it. You guys love to color together, play games together, jump on the trampoline together, play ninjas together, build boyish things together ... you love to be together. Makes my heart feel all warm and fuzzy inside. 

While you were six you found a passion in praying for others. You are growing spiritually every day and I feel so privileged to witness you being used by God in mighty ways.

You woke up this morning screaming, "I'm seven! I'm seven!!" 

Yes you are kiddo. 

You are seven ...

Maybe tomorrow I'll believe it too ...

Kollin and Kolt: Two Reading Machines ...

(photo credit)

Or watching your children learn to read. Or listening to them read aloud on their own. Or admiring their adoration of books, anywhere from the Bible to Ninjago. Or seeing their little minds drift to another place in their imagination when their nose is stuck between the pages. 

There is no homeschooling-Momma enjoyment like that. At least not for me anyway.

I am now teaching my second kid how to read. Which is so crazy for me to say considering I was a bundle of nerves when I was trying to figure out how in the world I was going to teach Kollin how to read a year ago. We started last year, right after he turned six and I regret not starting earlier. Alot of Mommas ask what I use in this department. I am here to proudly say we use Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons. And it really is just that, teaching your kid to read in 100 easy lessons. I have adored this book with Kollin and now with Kolt. Kollin was able to catch on quickly and grasped the concepts very well. After completing the book he is easily at a 2nd grade reading level. I am amazed at the books he will pick up to read and most times requires no help from me at all. 

I decided to start Kolt earlier than Kollin for two reasons: the first being that I fell head over heels in love watching Kollin learn and I was so ready to start again with the journey and two because Kolt was driving me batty to learn how. We are on lesson 40 and I have another book lover on my hands. Kolt picked up the material even quicker than Kollin, which amazes me. He equally enjoys picking up a book and cracking open the pages, of course he needs a little extra help from Mommy here and there. He still loves it nonetheless. 

The lessons in the book take roughly 10-15 minutes for each one. The book does advise parents not to rush the child and to only do one lesson a day. There are no sight words and teaches much differently than any other resource I have looked into. The lessons may seem redundant and will start out slow, but their plan of action is amazing when you watch the overall scheme come into play.  

I have watched their mornings go from a cartoon to a book - in particularly the Bible, which just lights up my world. 

To encourage this habit of reading in our home, I Nicole found these Reading Charts at 3Dinosaurs.com. I am gifting the boys something special when they reach their goal of reading 100 books this Fall. 

They are on a quest and I am loving watching them journey through it! 

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” -Dr. Seuss

Faith Like A Child ...

Dear Kollin ...

Son, you did it again. You have shown me, taught me and demonstrated faith and having a boldness for God. 

This week we are in revival and you and Kolt sit with us in "big church" as you guys call it to listen to the full message. We're still working out the kinks on getting you guys to actually sit still and listen, but I am completely convinced that although you may not be fully focused the entire time, the words are entering in and settling into your little hearts. 

As the preacher had everyone stand in prayer before the altar call, I lifted my head to see you had already gone down there to pray on your own. What a strong statement to make - you have no shame nor fear of the altar. What an amazing place to be at your age. You stayed knelt down and I debated on coming down there with you, something in my heart said to stay put. I closed my eyes and simply thanked God for the wondrous man you would become in Him. 

Out of the corner of my eye, this older man in our church hobbled his way down the aisle with his cane in hand. This man's name is Junior and he is such a sweet spirited man. He made it down there slowly and settled himself quite a ways from you on the altar. He is unable to kneel, so he just sat down on the steps. The preacher was still praying and everyone else remained in their seats with their heads bowed. 

I closed my eyes and listened to the preacher's words: Make us whole, not just cleansed - but whole. 

I lifted my head to see that you had walked over and taken the hands of this old man and began fervently praying with him. You wrapped your little hands into his big hands and I could see your little mouth moving. I could see that man's face, tears dripped from his cheeks. You prayed with him for what seemed like hours as I watched in awe of your boldness.  I nudged your Daddy and no sooner than he caught eye of you, he began to cry too. I watched Junior's head continually nod up and down, up and down ... whatever you were saying, he was agreeing with you. You didn't know his situation or his reasons for being down there, but you didn't care ... you prayed anyway in faith.

Thank you kid for your boldness. 

I love you. 

Love, Mommy

Filling Kollin To The Brim ...

These four little creatures the Good Lord has entrusted me with - I spend more time feeding them, bathing them, reading to them and so much, much more than I do pretty much anything else in my life.

 And in those hours and hours and hours together, you'd think I would know them front to back, top to bottom. And I like to think I do too. I'd like to think I know every little detail of their hearts and every inch of their soul. 

I'm learning though, that I don't. 

And I'm learning to listen more so I can get as close as possible. 

The past couple weeks Kollin has been struggling. Struggling with the feeling of the weight of having three younger brothers to lead, struggling with needing more alone time and struggling with Travis working way more than we expected this summer. 

I have found myself not really blowing it off, but not really listening either. 

I have shared with you part of my journey of preparing my heart for the Lord to feel an invitation to dwell there and in that preparation I am praying a lot more. My prayer life has grown leaps and bounds and I'm learning to pray about the little things too, not just the big ones. I am learning to make Him the focal point of all that I do. I've always prayed for my children's safety and health, but never really prayed for their hearts. 

A few days ago, I began to pray for Kollin's heart. I began to pray for direction on how to make him feel loved, nurtured and full. 

Saturday evening Travis and I were given the opportunity to make Kollin feel special. Kolt was away with my Momma and Kruz and Kohen headed to Parents Night Out at a local church. We let Kollin pick the place to get the grub and the place to have some fun. 

Chili's and Turbo. 

It.was.wonderful. Travis and I really had the chance to talk to Kollin, listen to his worries and fill him to the brim with some one on two time. There were no interruptions, no crying brothers and no "Hang on just a second"s. It was Kollin time. And Travis and I needed it just as much as he did.