F I F T E E N

January 18, 2013

Alleyway Red Repeating Doors BLOG
Tomorrow we will be celebrating the big "15"
Red Sneaks No Parking Zone BLOG
I can hardly believe that many years have passed since Nick entered the world and gave me the best job I could ever have... MOM.
Nick through the trees bottom of staircase BLOG
It has been a long time since I have posted and updated about him and what is going on in his life, so today, you are going to hear a proud Mom brag a little bit.
Nick from the corner BLOG
About this time last year he was faced with the decision of which high school to attend. We helped him lay out the pros and cons to both our public high school and the catholic school, but we left the final decision up to him.
Fifteen and Walking BLOG
He had been very decisive in saying that he wanted to attend the public high school, so that is where we enrolled him, but when it came time for 8th grade graduation, the reality of leaving his lifelong friends sort of set in.
FIFTEEN RED BLOG
We talked a lot this summer and made sure he understood that changing schools would always be an option and if he felt he made a mistake, we would stand by him and do what we had to do to get him where he wanted to be.
Nick Red Shoes Red Sign BLOG
Throughout all of those conversations, he always stood strong and clung to his belief that even though it would be difficult in the beginning, he felt the public high school was the best choice for him.
Nick in Phone3 BLOG
As the first week of school approached I think I was more nervous than he was....
He was going from an 8th grad class of 67 to a Freshman class of 832.
THAT IS A BIG CHANGE!!!
Nick ITouch5 Red BLOG
There are more students in his freshman class than there were in his entire school.
Nick Close Crop HS BLOG
Well here we are, just about halfway through his Freshman year and I am happy to report that not only is he doing extremely well adjusting socially to the new environment, but he is having one of the best academic years ever.
Nick YELLOW BLOG
Some of you many remember back when I started this blog, he had been diagnosed with dyslexia. Because of that, he has struggled with a lot of subjects. The catholic school tried to help and made some special arrangements when it came to testing, but it was still a struggle to keep up at the pace they expected. Nick worked very hard to do the best he could and we knew it. When his report card would come, we knew he would not be a straight A student, it was just not going to happen.
SteelStacks Nick Red BLOG
Imagine our surprise when he brings home his first High School Report card and he has all A's and 1 B......and that was a B+.
He is taking all College Prep classes and a some fun electives. We could not be more proud of him!!! He actually loves school and looks forward to going every day. He seems to enjoy most of his classes, but he was lucky enough to get his first choice in electives for the firs semester....Drafting. He is very good at it and I think he is starting to think about career path and where he will want to focus the next few years to set himself up for a good college education. They are selecting classes already for the next school year and he is looking into Engineering and Architecture.

Nick is an all around great kid.... I know I am his Mom, but we hear this from a lot of his teachers and other people who have the opportunity to spend time with him. He is very kind and considerate, has become extremely outgoing, and almost always has a smile on his face. He is the best son a Mom could ever ask for.....and an incredible big brother....I think you all have seen that with your own eyes! The love and adoration he has for his little sisters seems to come shining through in every photo.

The last 15 years have been quite a journey for Nick and it has been really something to watch him become the young man that he is today. Although we want to cherish the here and now with him, I will be anxious to see how the next few years of his life unfold.

Happy 15 Nick!
~We Love you~

You don't raise heroes, you raise sons. And if you treat them like sons, they'll turn out to be heroes, even if it's just in your own eyes.
~Walter M. Schirra, Sr.~
the long road



37 comments:

4 Lettre Words said...

Sooo exciting...and what a handsome guy! (We LOVE red sneakers around here, too.) Sure hope he has a wonderful year.

Number 6 and no more counting! said...

what a stellar first year at high school! And, a very handsome 15-year old!

lea
xo

Maureen said...

What a wonderful post. I can only hope to describe my own sons the way you describe Nick one day.

Jboo said...

Wow -- way to go Nick and happy birthday! What a great son and big brother! Have fun celebrating!


xoxo
janet

Laurie said...

Good for Nick and congratulations to all of you.

What a great set of photos-I think I see a couple begging to be printed on canvas!

Kerri Farley said...

Happy Birthday to Nick!! Such exciting (and stressful) times! My son is 22 with a son of his own now ... they grow up fast!

Briana's Mom said...

Happy Birthday to your handsome son! I am so happy to hear how well he is doing! He is a total rock star. :)

Buckeroomama said...

Happy birthday to Nick! What a fine young man you've raised.

(I love the quote at the end!)

Sharon said...

Happy Birthday to Nick! You're one lucky Mom, Lisa!

amy said...

Beautiful post...incredible photos...one blessed 15 year old to have you for a mom! So happy to hear he is having a great year and loving his new school. Wishing you all a wonderful birthday celebration...happy birthday to Nick!

*Spencer just told us last week that he wants to be an architect and we started researching what schools require...that day will be here faster than we think :))

Treasure the moments sweet friend!
xoxo
amy

Tiffany said...

Happy Birthday....what a journey it is to raise good boys! So glad his year has turned out to be so good for him.

Tiffany

Marla said...

Happy Birthday Nick, wow, 15?!?! I know your mom and your whole family are SO proud of the amazing young man that you are and your little sisters think you hung the moon. ;)

LOVING the red shoes, what a fun POP! Have a great time celebrating!!

Heidi R said...

Happy Birthday Nick! You will be driving alone in no time. Boy, your mom sure loves you.
Love the pics Lisa. The last one with the fence and the building was my favorite. Swoon.

snekcip said...

Beautiful photos Lisa! Nick you are inspiration to many young people. Your story should be shared amongst your peers. We hear so many "bad things" in the media about young people, it is refreshing to hear about the GOOD THINGS our young people are doing. Keep SHINING, Keep SMILING, Keep reaching for the STARS Nick!!

Unknown said...

You have every reason to be a very, very proud mom! He is a beautiful boy, inside and out. Happy Birthday!!

Oh, and wonderful pics, especially the close up portrait and the last one with the fence. <3

Tara said...

Oh Lisa, that was beautiful. I loved reading about your son and hearing how WELL he is doing all around! I'm so happy for you and your whole family. Struggling in high school is no fun... I'm so glad that he loves it too! Happy Birthday Nick!!! Enjoy your special weekend everyone! And congratulations on all of those A's!!!!!!! Hugs to you Lisa! ~tara

patty said...

happy birthday, nick! what a great tribute to your son. he's quite handsome, too, and your photos, always, are amazing.

we transitioned from a small private school to a larger public school freshman year, also. and i'm happy and relieved that mine did well, too. i think that smaller setting might have nurtured their self-confidence a bit. grateful for it.

my oldest is graduating this year, and i have yet to slow him down long enough to get his senior pictures done. my second born is right on his heals.

*sigh. ;)

patty said...

whoops! that was me! at findingserendipity.com!

patty

Sarah Halstead said...

These are awesome!! He is so handsome! Happy Birthday to him!

Gina Kleinworth said...

Oh my- it's so nice to hear that he's doing well. Hard to believe that our little guys are now bigger than we are & growing into such amazing young men. I know from hearing you talk about him that our boys would be fast friends.

We just had the talk last night about choosing a part time job or playing sports at the local school. The workload is heavy this year- he has been working on math from 8am-5pm each day. One day he worked through 400 complex problems. Also here he can legally get his license at 15- so lots of big changes happening here. So many huge decisions to make. I never imagined it would be like this.

the meaklims said...

What a beautiful piece, Mom! You should be so proud of yourself, raising this wonderful young man. It's exactly what every Mom wants.

H.B. Nick!

Jill

Unknown said...

What an amazing young man you have! So much to be proud of! What a beautiful post and a tribute to a wonderful son! Love all the photos esp the close up!!! Hope Nick has a great weekend!!!

Anonymous said...

Such a lovely post from such a lovely mom.

Honey Mommy said...

What a handsome young man you've got there! These pictures turned out fabulous!

Mary Gene Atwood said...

Mothers and sons. Something so special and amazing with this bond. You have every right to be over the moon proud of Nick. Booh yah!!

Dita said...

Happy Birthday to you, Nick! You are one handsome guy....we're so proud of you and your accomplishments this past year. You always bring a smile to our faces over here.

We love you.

Dita & the Darlings

Christina Klas said...

For some reason - I stopped blogging for a while, thus I stopped coming over here... I can't believe I did that!! You do such great work! I love it!

And a VERY happy birthday to Nick!

Mindi @ Simply Stavish said...

I hope he has a wonderful birthday. Fantastic photos. You really captured your son well, as you always capture your kids expressions. So glad to hear he is adjusting to school and succeeding!

Serendipityissweet said...

Gorgeous pics of your handsome guy! So glad he's having a fantastic year. Happy birthday Nick!!

Martha said...

hAPPY 15th to your sweet 'baby' boy! He is such a handsome young man!

Karli @ The Bonnie 5 said...

Happy #15 to your sweet boy!! Ridiculously handsome!! :-) I'm so glad school is working out so well... sounds like he's doing an amazing job.

Have a wonderful weekend!
xo

Shari said...

So nice to see you beaming with pride. Sounds like it was a great change for him. Happy Birthday Nick.

Diane said...

Hope you have the BEST birthday EVER Nick!!! Your red Nike's ROCK....as does you Mom's photo's:))) Have a fabulous weekend!!!
God Bless,
Diane

Unknown said...

what a beautiful tribute to your handsome son! You have so much to be proud of Lisa!! I'm happy to hear of the wonderful year he is having! and your photos are awesome!!

Mimi said...

Happy 15th Nick! You're a handsome young man, and a lovely person. No wonder your Mom is so proud of you.

Lisa, congrats to you and Pat on a fine job. It doesn't happen by itself, guidance and good example are a big part too.
My kids had a similar "big" transition to secondary (here) school, but they thrived on it too. Kids are remarkable adaptable and resilient, aren't they? My daughter said that in teen years a bigger pool of potential friends was better!
Have a good week!

Unknown said...

I haven't been following you for long Lisa, but I can see Nick growing into a little man before my eyes. That last photo is the bomb....but such a great series. Oh to have 832 kids in a freshman class...Austin's school has 4200+ kids...Glad Nick is happy with his choice of school. You have a beautiful family....hope you don't get tired of hearing that!

Christine @ 12,450miles said...

I love love love these! I didn't recognize the location until you mentioned it on my blog. (The downside of reading blogs on the iPad) Such amazing shots!