Our Nicholas

age 7

age 3

age 1

Nicholas turned seven last month, and it's kind of hit me that he is no longer a "little boy." I guess with the oldest one, you always have this idea that they seem older than they actually are. I remember thinking he was big when he was three! That seems so little now. I suppose that in a few years, seven will seem young, too, but we are definitely moving into more of a "bigger boy" stage. The days of trains and trucks are behind us (with him anyway), and I now have to stay on top of all things Lego, Play Station, and Harry Potter. (The latter is no problem. We love Harry around here!)

What I really love about Nicholas right now is that he is getting so much deeper, so much more capable of understanding what makes things work (just like his dad), so much more logical. He has a new-found interest in chess, and will probably be very good at it one day.

More importantly, he is starting to put together the pieces of our faith. Just today, we were discussing Deuteronomy 5:16, which says, "Honor your father and your mother as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long, and that it may go well with you." I asked the boys, "Why do you think God wants us to honor our parents?" Nicholas' response really surprised me, "When we honor our parents, that is teaching us to honor God, too."

Wow. Perhaps we've made that connection for him before, but I can't remember saying it that way. God, in His goodness, sometimes gives us a picture of the fruit that His Spirit is producing in our children. I am thankful, hopeful, and excited to see what He has in store for Nicholas.