Happy Birthday Nicolas!

It sure is crazy to watch my little nieces and nephews grow up. How old is Nick today? 17 years old! He was such a little guy when I first met him, it’s hard to believe how grown up he is now. Nick spent his first few years in France. By the time he was born his mom, Sylvie, was speaking French fluently so Nick (or Nicky as we’ve mostly called him) didn’t get the same chance to learn English that his older brother Lawrence did. When Scott and I went to France for his dad’s funeral in 1994 we couldn’t really communicate with him that well, but he was the cutest little French boy you could imagine!

Sometime later, maybe a couple of years, Sylvie and the boys moved to California. We really enjoyed being closer to them and getting to know those cute boys better. It took Nick awhile to learn English and when he did he spoke with a strong French accent and would phrase things grammatically in a very French way. Oh my gosh, it was so cute!! I actually can’t think if he still has an accent. Either he doesn’t or I’ve just gotten so used to it that I don’t think about it. If he does it has definitely mellowed a lot.

Nick is just a great kid, very sweet and thoughtful. He’s always so good and patient with my boys when they are together. He took an interest in going to church and went many times even without his family. He got really involved in scouting and has been progressing toward his Eagle. Through his example he has gotten his mom back to going to church more regularly as well. He is a lot of fun to be around. My boys love spending time with him. We wish we could spend time with him today to celebrate his birthday!

~ by Kathy on June 5, 2008.