Happy Birthday, Nico!

Today is my grandson Nico’s birthday. He is turning 7.

Nico is a little boy who has captured my heart. He is sweet, straightforward, and sensitive. He is also a great protector of both his older sister, Luna, and younger sister, Lyla.

Nico often says things that make me smile. For example, I was trying to remember where I had put something and Nico said, “Have you forgotten because you’re old?” I laughed and said, “Well, I am old, but I think I’ve forgotten because we’ve been moving lots of stuff lately.”

When he started kindergarten, he got teary just before Sarah left. The little boy next to him in line also was a little teary. Nico turned to him and said, “Let’s hold hands so we can both be brave.”

Nico is a boy’s boy. He loves to run, jump, wrestle, and play. He is a good athlete and plays soccer and baseball. He is also tall, which is very apparent when he’s playing soccer and all of his teammates look as if they are a foot shorter. He loves Legos, superheroes, dinosaurs, and puzzles. He also is a big fan of food and can always be counted on to gobble up any of the honey-sweetened treats I bring to our family gatherings. For some reason, he has also decided that I make the best oatmeal in the whole world, which seems funny to me since I just follow the recipe on the back of the box. But I do add honey and cream. Maybe that’s the difference.

We will celebrate Nico’s birthday on Sunday, when we’ll meet at Sarah and Gregorio’s house for a joint birthday party for Nico, Liz, and me. We all have January birthdays so in the spirit of not wearing the family out with three parties in 2 1/2 weeks, we have one big celebration. Today, Nico and his mom, dad, two sisters, and a couple of friends headed off to Dave and Buster’s Arcade for pizza and cake. I suspect he had a wonderful time.

Here are a few photos of little Nico, one of the lights of my life.