A boy and his cat

Ethan and Rusty continue to have fun together. Today Ethan came up with an idea...putting Rusty in the basket. At first I thought it was a terrible idea and figured the cat woould rebel. As it turns out, Rusty likes his little basket and happily allowed Ethan to carry him all over the house in it. After a while the pair of them just tuckered out :)

Ethan does Kung Fu

His Si Fu (instructor) says that Kung Fu is skill developed over time. Ethan has been working on his Kung Fu for the fall semester and is developing quite nicely. Check him out!

Happy To Be Stuck With You

This afternoon Ethan and Annelise had a sticker sticking frenzy. It all started with the one sticker that Ethan came home with. Annelise wanted one for herself so I gave her a sticker sheet and she stuck several on her tummy. Ethan would not be outdone, however. I'll give him this, when he commits to something he means business. Not half-way, my son :)

Please note mei-mei copying big brother :)









Not even the cat was immune. Pretty much if you sat still you got stickered. He didn't even complain when it was time to clean up :)

The Misadventures of Rusty the Cat

Rusty has added all kinds of excitement to our household. The other day James and the kids busied themselves putting up the Christmas lights while I documented.

We decided to let Rusty come out and enjoy the weather with us. I went inside for a few minutes and when I came back out James informs me that the cat is stuck in a tree.


Now, he's not just a little way up the tree...no, he is even with Annelise's window on the second floor. Not to worry, James is in the cat rescuing business (reluctantly I might add). He retrieved Rusty pretty quickly and all was well :)


You may think that it ends here...and it did that night. But that darn cat got himself up the same tree just a few days later. Unfortunately for him James was at work so he had two choices: he could sit up there until his knight in shining armor returned or he could figure it out himself. Rusty showed a spark of intelligence 45 minutes into the ordeal and managed to get himself down :)

For the record he has also fallen into the bathtub. I do have pictures, but I won't post them here ('cause my kids are in them). All of this and he has only been with us for about two weeks!

Things I am thankful for...

My son.

He is such a hoot. He was happy to spend the day helping ing the yard, "cooking" in the kitchen, and going out for lunch. When we asked him what he was thankful for this year, he replied "Being able to work in the yard with Daddy." He's a good kid :)

Forever Family Day

Last night we celebrated our first Forever Family Day anniversary. It was an event Ethan had no trouble getting on board with...first, there were presents from China. Ethan had fun getting a new dragon t-shirt and "lucky" coins. Then, there was the eating. Ethan has decided that he likes rice now and sweet and sour chicken. Plus, the Great Wall of Chocolate dessert...who can go wrong there!?! Not to mention being able to turn chopsticks in to lightsabers..what's not to love. But the best thing about Forever Family Day: being the doting big brother to his mei-mei. They are always fun to watch :) And so begins a new tradition for the family, I'm sure he'll be looking forward to next year!

Clone Commander Ethan

This year Ethan was Clone Commander Cody from Star Wars. He really got into the Trick-or-Treating this year, bringing home quite the haul. The most interesting part for him was when we met up with Obi Won Kanobi at Darth Vader's house. I told the bad guys that this was their big chance to take the Jedi down, but they opted for candy :) We made a much wider loop this year and Ethan was worn out by the end of the evening. Thank goodness he had a little chocolate to keep him going :)

And another one's gone...

c
The E-man lost his second tooth tonight. Not really lost it, so much as let me pull it out. He was quite brave to let such an inexperienced toothpullerouter near his mouth (I may have exaggerated my credentials a bit :) Honestly, I am also proud of me since dentistry generally makes me squimish (and this was no exception). Ethan reports that it didn't even hurt, but it did bleed pretty good. Mother and son are recovering nicely :)

1st Lost Tooth

Ethan lost his first tooth on Friday. It had been loose for a while. If you ask him, he will gladly recount the tale of eating his snack at school (goldfish on this particular day). He was almost finished with snack when he felt a really hard "crunch, crunch" and he said to himself "I bet that's my tooth!" Sure enough :) He happily reports that "it didn't even hurt" which is a good thing since he has many teeth yet to lose. He also informed me that he knew that your parents are the tooth fairy, but he did like the payout :) He has quite a cute little smile now.

Watching football is hard work :)

My boys, after much college football!

This is your chance Mommy!

Ethan has joined the ranks of the Cub Scouts. He is a new Tiger Scout. He wanted me to be his den leader and during the information meeting when they announced the need for leaders, Ethan turned and looked at me and said "this is your chance Mommy." So now I am an assistant den leader. We had our first den meeting yesterday and the two of us were all decked out in our uniforms :) He is so fun. I am blessed to be able to participate with him. It only took me 35 years, but I am now a Boy Scout :)

Ethan and the geckos

Several weeks ago I found a gecko in the house when I picked up some dirty clothes. This caused some screaming on my part which led to Ethan becoming aware of said gecko. He wanted to catch it and, after several failed attempts on his part, he begged me to catch it (which I did). The idea was to observe the gecko for the day and then let it go in the evening. Well, he became so attached to the gecko (bonding while playing at the park and letting it take a nap with him - seriously) that when evening came, he cried and cried. I explained to him that the gecko would die if we kept it because we didn't know what to feed it. He pittifully questioned "Can't you look it up on the in-ter-net" (please hear the sobbing gasps in that last word). I am a sucker for cute and cuddly critters and although geckos don't make that list, my son does. So I looked it up. I found out what it ate. We went to Pet Smart the next day and laid down money on freeze-dried crickets (something I never expected to pay for). A few days later I found a second gecko and (God only knows why) I caught that one and put in the cage with the first. Then we went on vacation. I fully expected these critters to kick during the week we were gone (and told Ethan as much). Much to my surprise they were still alive upon our return. A few days later I caught a third gecko (there must be some kind of 12 step program for this). The original 2 he named Fox and Grayson (after twins that are his buddies). For the record, the fast one is Fox. The 3rd gecko is Carter (Fox and Grayson's younger brother of course :) The 3 geckos lived happily in there little cage until today. Today Grayson died (Ethan's determination and I'm not sure how he reached it). Ethan was sad and he cried. He took the spoon and dug the hole to bury the gecko himself. We said a little prayer of thanksgiving for the time we had with the gecko and said goodbye. And then we talked about the other two. I told him that God just hadn't made these creatures to be our pets (dogs and cats are much more suitable companions). They weren't able to hunt insects and do what God designed them to do. I asked him what he wanted to do with the 2 that were still alive, and all on his own Ethan decided to let them go. So we set Fox and Carter free this afternoon so that they may continue their adventures as geckos. Ethan learned a little bit about loss and a little bit about compassion. I got to see a creature that creeps me out in a totally new light. In the end I thank God for the chance to catch geckos with my boy, it's what makes life interesting :)

Made it through the day :)

Ethan and his tie made it all the way through the day (although he did untuck his shirt). As soon as he came out the door at the end of the day he decided to get a bit more casual. His biggest complaint - the heat (well, duh!). He wanted to wear the tie with his t-shirt today, but decided to go to school in normal clothes :)

1st day of 1st Grade

The E-man went back to school this morning and he did it in his own unique style. He was hands down the best dressed kid at school. The only person who came close was the assistant principal who was also wearing a tie, dress shirt, and slacks. (He noticed Ethan and told him that he really liked the outfit :) For those of you wondering (and I am sure you are all wondering) why he is dressed like this, I can only say that it was his choice. When we were shopping for his first day shirt, he really wanted to wear a dress shirt and tie. (He helped James shop for some interview clothes a while back and has decided - apparently - that it is a good idea to make a good first impression.) He was quite picky before deciding on this particular shirt and tie (like father like son :) I am sure that by the end of the day he will be untucked and unbuttoned with his tie stuffed into his new backpack. I am sure that tomorrow he will return to his trademark Hawaiian shirts. But today he is the best dressed kid at school. He is unique and definitely a character. That's my boy!

You Scream, I Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream

Ethan enjoyed a bit of chocolate ice cream out on the deck after lunch. Annelise was very interested in this. Fortunately for her, Ethan was in a giving mood. They both enjoyed the cool ice cream on this very warm day :)

My 2 Boys

Ethan and James had fun doing sparklers tonight (OK, me too :) At first Ethan was a bit skittish. Then he really got into it and had a lot of fun. We each took turns with our sparklers until the big finale. Then all three of us went at one time. Not quite the grand show that will be playing out in cities and towns everywhere tomorrow, but we enjoyed it. Annelise slept through it all (though I'm sure she would have loved to join in :)

Happy 4th of July :)

Texas Rain Dance

How to make it rain when there is none in the forecast:

1. Plan a big craft with many children - not just your own.

2. Dress 5 kids ages 1-6 in their best clothes.

3. Take these same children by car to a "scenic" venue to take both individual and group photos.

4. When your friend notes the clouds, ignore her.

5. When the first drops of rain begin to fall, scoff saying that there is no way it could possibly rain.

5. Continue taking pictures despite the inconvenient moisture.

6. Stand there dumbfounded when the sky actually opens up and pours water down upon you, the camera, and the children in their very best clothes.

7. Admit defeat and enjoy watching your children be the best dressed kids ever to play in the rain :)

Why a triathalon?

Yep, I'm posting about myself on the kids' blogs. Seriously, I just did a triathalon :)

The first thing most people say when I tell them that I am doing a triathalon is WHY? I have lots of personal reasons to compete. Two very important ones are my kids. For each one it is different. Specifically for Ethan I want him to see his Mom do something that may seem difficult if not just down right impossible. I want him to see me try things that may seem a little crazy or a little scary, so that he knows that he can do crazy-scary things. I want him to see things as obstacle to be tackled not walked away from. I want him to know that anything is possible - you just have to move past whatever holds you back. Ethan is a worrier. He is going to need me overcoming my fears so that he can learn how to do it.

Today while I was racing I took a little bit of him out with me. It started with me wearing his helmet when I was training on the bike. We have the same size head so it works out well for me. Then I decided it would be fun to be the only woman out there with a Hot Wheels helmet. It made me think of him while I was on the bike and he got to see me wearing that crazy helmet and know that he was a part of it all. He has gone to all my road races and cheered for me. He is such an encourager. He gets better with each races that he yells for me :) He even prayed for me the night before, right after I prayed for him and his nightmares. He is an awesome son that I thank God for daily. When I asked him tonight what the best part of the day was for him he told me that it was coming out to watch my race. My prayer is that he will see in me what he needs to become a strong person as he grows up.

If you are curious about why I run for Annelise you will have to read about that on her blog :)

Slip slidin' away!

Ethan had a lot of fun on the slide at the pool today. It took some convincing to get him up on it the first time (ok - James had to go with him), but after he found out what fun it was he wouldn't be stopped. He was officially the last one out of the pool (and only because of the lightening - rain didn't stop him :) It was great!

My, how time flies

It is hard to believe, but Ethan has finished kindergarten. It seems like the year has just flown by. He has grown and learned so much. Hard to believe that he is now a first-grader. Here he is the last week of school with his teacher. If you look back to August you can see him on his first day of school. Craziness! He is really enjoying summer (and so am I). Laid back works well for us :)

Birthday Boy :)

Ethan has sucessfully completed another year of life.

This year's major accomplishements:

1. Becoming a big brother.

2. Completing kindergarten.

3. Growing taller and getting smarter.

4. Abounding in love.

He was a lot of fun at his party. Check out the trick candles his beloved father bought for him. He had to blow them out at least four times (when I finally just took them off the cake and ran them under cold water :) It was pretty funny. As we left he told us that his part was "a total blast".

If I ran the zoo.....

Ethan had his school field trip to the Austin Zoo today. It is the most unusual zoo - with more turtles and birds than anywhere I have ever been. Ethan and his class had lots of fun seeing tigers, monkeys, and bears. Finally we go to the petting zoo portion. One lone goat was the only creature choosing to accept the adulation and affection from the adoring kids (all the other animals chose to remain in the kid-fee zone). None the less, everyone had fun :)

The spice of life

Kids see things from the most unusual perspective.

For example, the other day Ethan scraped his knuckle. A little later on he was complaining about it stinging. I explained to him that it stung because he was sweating and some of the sweat got into the cut. He wanted to know why that made it sting, so I told him that sweat was salty and that the saltiness made it sting. He processed that for a few minutes in silence and then said:

"What in my body is peppery?"

You gotta love him :)

May the force be with you

Like any good Jedi, Ethan is teaching Annelise the fine art of using a light saber :) Maybe he thinks she's Yoda :)

Eggs-iting

Ethan had such a blast this Sunday at our Easter Gospel Brunch/Egg Hunt. I enjoyed seeing the changes in him as he is growing up. He has gone from a toddler randomly picking up eggs to a boy with a plan. He definitely knows how to move when candy is on the line :) One of my favorite parts was the impromptu egg-exchange that the kids organized on their own so that they could trade for candy that they liked the most. It was fun to see him and Annelise together - crazy to think that he was the littlest guy just 5 years ago and now he is a seasoned veteran. He even managed to come away without totally messing up his Easter duds (which I overheard him telling several people that he looked "stylin' " ). The kid cleans up good :)

King of the Mud

Ethan introduced Annelise to the joy of making mud pies the other day. They both embraced it with gusto. When I told him I was going to take a picture, he asked if he could put mud on his face - I said sure - and you see the result :) He is now the self-proclaimed King of the Mud! He had just as much fun playing in the hose while I took Annelise in and cleaned her up. Then I cleaned him. All in all a messy day, but full of fun :)