A much needed Spring Break

This year for spring break, we decided to venture down by Tim's parents for a good part of a week. It was a great time to spend time family.

On the way to Troy, IL (basically 30 minutes from St. Louis), we decided to stop halfway through the drive at Starved Rock State Park. It was a nice way to break up the drive and we were all able to stretch our legs and enjoy a picnic lunch. Then we took a fun hike up to  Starved Rock and a few other lookout points. There was so much to see and we were disappointed that we didn't have all the time we wanted to just keep on hiking.

When we finally reached Tim's parents, the kids were so excited to be at Grandma and Papa's house -- and they were excited to see their dogs too!

 

While we were down there, we visited the St. Louis Arch and enjoyed the museum while we waited for the time when Tim and the kids could actually take the elevator up the Arch.

The next day, we hit up the St. Louis Zoo. That's one of my favorite places to go when we're down there. The zoo is fantastic and it's FREE! (other than $15 for parking). It's always nice to visit the zoo when it's cooler out because the animals are a lot more active. Although, I think we caught a few of them right when it was naptime. :-)

After the zoo, Tim's parents took us out to dinner at a really nice Italian place. It was SOO good!!

Friday morning, the kids, my sister-in-law, and I made a birthday cake for Tim's brother who was going to arrive later that night. It was definitely a Willy Wonka cake!!



Then after lunch, Theo (Kelly's fiance) came over to hang out with us. We went to the park and the kids were able to feed the ducks (swans and fish too!) and play on the playground. The weather was so beautiful while we were there!

That night, we had a bonfire and roasted marshmallows. There might've been some singing going on too! hehe

Saturday morning was just relaxing -- some people played Wii. Tim and I packed up our stuff to leave after lunch. We sang "Happy Birthday" to Peter.

Caleb built one last tower out of Lincoln Logs and then it was time to go.

Can you tell that we're related?

Just another morning...

This morning was rough. Caleb was taking his sweet time getting ready this morning. He's awake before me, but yet I can eat, get dressed, get his lunch made, pack his backpack, and be ready way before him. Today was one of those really frustrating days of reminder after reminder to do this or that. Just as we're walking out the door, with 2 minutes until the last bell rings, Caleb says he needs to get his boots. He has been leaving his boots at school and has an extra pair at home so I really didn't understand why he was getting them especially with no time to spare. I found out that his boots at school went missing. I think someone stole them or hopefully they just got misplaced. Instead of being upset with the culprit, I became really upset with Caleb for not telling me sooner and just the fact that we were late didn't help with my mood.

So I walked him over to school.... or rather, I dragged him because he was walking so slow. Thank goodness he only has a half day today.

I came back home and was still really mad. I had to call Tim so I could try and calm down. It was pretty ridiculous that I let myself get so worked up about a small thing especially after I just taught on the topic of prayer last night at our Bible Study. Lord, I have a LOT of work to still do in my life. I took a moment to just cry. I felt horrible that I left Caleb at school where he was almost in tears. I definitely didn't handle that situation the way I should've.

While I was wallowing in my anger, God gave me a glimpse of joy that I needed this morning. Sonya and Ava, the girl I babysit, were having a tea party in the living room. As I watched, Sonya decided that they needed to pray before eating. It was so sweet and innocent and gave me a sense of peace that I was trying to find by browsing through Facebook posts instead of drawing near to my Father. What a wake up call! Then to make my day even brighter, Sonya was explaining what all of her foods were. She was just using empty Easter eggs. One of them was broccoli, one was a potato, and there was a new one that I've never heard her use before called "gock." I asked her what gock tasted like and she said, "It's kind of like peanut butter." I was cracking up inside. It was soooo funny! She proceeded to continue using the word. My heart filled with joy and happiness.

When Caleb gets home, I really owe him an apology for my actions. Hopefully we can find his boots. If not, I just pray that someone that really needed them has them. We are blessed to have an extra pair that Caleb can use for now and if we didn't have that, we have the money to buy new/used ones. Sometimes I forget about the blessings we have.

Thank you, Jesus for providing for our family beyond what we could've imagined.

My birthday girl

My Sonya Rose turns three years old today, February 13th, 2013. She was in the nursery for the last time at church on Sunday and it kind of made me sad. She was supposed to be my baby forever, but she's not anymore -- or at least she won't let me call her that. I can't believe how quickly those three years have gone by. She's turning into quite a lovely little girl now and I'm so proud of her. 

Just after Sonya was born

About 3 or so months old

Around six months old

Sonya at age ONE

Sonya at age TWO

TWO and a half

A few weeks shy of THREE!

I love Sonya's spunky attitude and her belly laugh. I love the way she acts like a little mother already with her dolls and with the girl that I watch a few days a week. I love the way she's not afraid to talk about Jesus. I love her desire to help especially in the kitchen. I love her creativity and the stories she tells. I love the way she sings -- changing the lyrics to songs and singing to a different sort of tune. I love the way she hugs and cuddles into me. I love reading her stories and having tea parties. I love holding her little hand in mine. I love playing with her hair even though she doesn't always like to keep ponytails in. I love the way she tries to braid my hair. I love the excited look on her face when daddy gets home from work. I love how compassionate she is. I love my little princess and I love being her mommy.

A Princess Party

Sonya decided on a Princess Party this year for her third birthday and wanted to invite a few of her friends over. So we had a small party several days before her birthday. Sonya helped with the invitation even came up with the design for her cake. :-) It was a fun party!

The Royal invitation

The cake

Playing with friends

More friends!

Playing the "Kiss the Frog Prince" game

It's P's turn!

M's turn

S's turn!

This Frog Prince received lots of kisses from pretty princesses!

The Girls!!

Silly pose!

Singing Happy Birthday!

Time to blow out those candles!!

Eating cake! Yum!

The brother of the birthday girl

Opening gifts

She got a backpack!

The kids were a little excited with gift opening

Daddy decided to rescue Sonya from the mob (and make a silly face)

Too much partying for daddy! haha

The aftermath (and a glimpse of our decorations)

Merry Christmas -- From the Nikolai Family

I sent out a Christmas letter with our photo card this year. However, I cut way back on the number of people that I sent it to. Mostly they went to family and friends that live out of town or out of state. So this is for those of you that I see often, but didn't get a card. I didn't forget about you!

-Michelle

Hello from the Nikolai Family!

Where has the time gone again? It seems like yesterday that I was shoveling snow out of my driveway and wishing for warm weather.  Now the snow has returned again — not that I mind. I love sledding and hot chocolate and making snow angels with the kids! Well, here’s a glimpse of the past year for those of you that haven’t been able to keep up with us.

This summer, we took our first family vacation and drove out to Colorado for two weeks. The kids did really well with the long car ride and we all enjoyed seeing more of Tim’s side of the family and we were able to meet my friends’ new baby in South Dakota. We did a train ride through the Royal Gorge, went rafting down the Colorado River, saw moose and other animals while traveling through the mountains, and hiked around Mount Rushmore. It was just amazing! We can’t wait to go back. 

The kids continue to grow like weeds. Caleb is still a little more shy while Sonya is at the stage where she’s not afraid to say hello to strangers. They both love to make others laugh with their jokes and overall silliness. It’s such a privilege to be a parent and watch how their character and personalities develop.

Caleb finished off kindergarten in June and celebrated his 6th birthday in July. It’s always so fun that he has fireworks on or around his birthday. During the summer, Caleb participated in swimming and art classes for their summer school program here in Port Washington. Then this fall, Caleb started 1st grade. He’s doing so well in school — excelling in reading and math. It’s a precious sight to see Caleb reading stories to his sister while they’re cuddled up on the couch. One of his favorite things to do lately is cut up paper into little squares and draw paws on them like the “paws” they have at his school for good behavior. I think he has over 200 of them now!

Sonya is 2 and 1/2 going on 3 in February already. Her imagination never ceases to amaze me. Tim and I love listening to her tell stories with dialogue and vivid details. She has some pretty entertaining conversations with her dolls while they have picnics in the living room or in the basement or in her bedroom. She especially loves to talk about Jesus. We got her a little nativity set of her own so she creates scenarios with Mary and “Jofus” and somehow baby Jesus dies on the cross too.  Overall, she is a very confident and spunky little girl.

Tim has been keeping busy with his job at the American Heart Association. He continues to work with schools to assist them with their Jump Rope for Heart events and also coordinated the successful Sheboygan County Heart Walk again this year. Outside of work, Tim has been having a blast with his Little Brother, Keshawn.  They get together a few times a month to go biking or hiking, bowling or swimming, and sometimes just to have dinner and hang out.

As for me, I’m enjoying being at home during the day with Sonya. You just can’t trade those moments for anything. I’ve also been watching a little girl 3 days a week so that keeps Sonya and I busy! Other than that, I have been co-leading a women’s Bible study with some ladies from church twice a month. It’s been a great challenge and learning experience for me.  I can’t wait to see what God has in store for us next year!

That’s all for now! Here’s to another very blessed year to you and yours.

- Michelle, Tim, Caleb, & Sonya Nikolai

Baptism

Sunday, November 25th, 2012

I grew up in a traditional church where my parents taught me the importance of a church family and being involved in the church. I learned about God, but didn’t always feel like I really understood things.

Throughout grade school, I was a shy girl with few friends, was teased a lot. I was constantly afraid of failing and just being rejected by others. So I aimed for perfection in everything – sports and school work. I lived on the praises of others. But it was never enough. There was always something missing and I often felt lonely unless I was lost in one of my books since I loved to read.

During my senior year of high school, I was dating a guy named Josh. He made me think about my faith and what it was that I believed.

• One night, he asked me, “If you died today, how certain would you be of going to heaven?”
• I said, “I’m pretty sure.”
• He asked another question, “What would you say to God if He asked why you deserved to go to heaven?”
• My response was, “I’m a good person. I’ve done a lot of good things. And I’ve never done anything really bad or killed anyone.”
• He replied, “What about the cross?”
• I was confused.  “What do you mean?”
• “I mean, do you believe Jesus died on the cross for us?”
• I knew that Jesus died on the cross since that's what we talk about at Easter. I said, “Yeah, sure I believe that.” But I didn’t really understand the significance of the cross until later.

Fast forward to college – I was invited to a Campus Christian Fellowship meeting and since I was single, I decided to go because I might meet a cute Christian guy there.  Well, I started going to the CCF meetings and visiting different churches. I was learning a lot and making new friends, but my life still revolved around me being in control of situations and being a perfectionist.

During the summer after my freshman year of college, all the things I had been learning finally came together. I finally understood the significance of the cross. It was no longer just a symbol of Christianity. I had been so caught up in myself and what others thought of me that I hadn’t realized that I was a sinner just like everyone else. I was a sinner who needed Jesus to die on the cross to pay MY penalty for the sins I had committed. He died for me so that I could one day be reunited with God in heaven. 

There’s nothing I could do on my own. Here’s a verse I’d like to share that really sums it up:

 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9) 

It’s all about Jesus and what He did on the cross.

After that breakthrough, I began giving more control to God in situations and stopped aiming for perfection that I wasn’t going to achieve on my own anyway. I realized that I have a bigger purpose in life and that is to serve God and glorify Him in all that I do.

Today, I wish to be baptized as a symbol of what I believe and to hopefully be an inspiration to others.