License to Carry

Ethan asked his dad if he had a license for firearms. So, his dad answers. And, my sweet little Ethan responds, "Well that's good because I need a license to carry these guns" as he pulls his sleeves up to expose his "guns".

He will not be spending any more time "hangin" with the varsity football team.

Bragging Rights

Being in the first grade, Ethan has started taking tests...spelling tests, social studies tests, reading tests and math tests. So, when he came home talking about a math test on Wednesday, we thought nothing of it. But, when he came home on Wednesday and said that he didn't take the test with the rest of the class, I didn't know what to make of it. He said that he and another little boy had to do worksheets while the rest of the class took the test.

What does this mean I thought? Of course the mom in me automatically starts thinking, oooo he's advanced and they didn't make him take the test because he's so smart. Yes, we all think those things.

BUt then, the pessimist in me starts wondering if maybe the teacher didn't think he was able to complete the test. (Which, in reality, I knew wasn't true considering he's doing multiplication and division already). But, I e-mailed the teacher. E-mail is a wonderful thing...no worries about sounding this way or not sounding the right way. It also comes off as nonchalant.

What was the reason, you ask? The class takes a pretest on Monday, if the student scores perfect, they don't have to take the end of the week test, instead they work on more challenging assignments. So, for this time at least, the mom in me gets to be right! He is doing well! As if we had any doubts :)

The Bus is Not the Car

This morning I told Ethan I was going to take him to school. We live about 2 minutes from the school, he's the last picked up and really, if I take him, we leave about the same time the bus comes; so it's really a horse a piece just to take him but he LOVES to ride the school bus.

Anyway, I told Ethan to get his bookbag and lunchbox in the car while I ran up to get Rachel's pacifier. I came down, picked up Rachel and her "stuff" and went outside to put her in the car. Ethan was no where to be found. I yelled for him because sometimes he likes to play hide-and-seek but nothing. I ran through the house and couldn't find him.

THANK GOD that my SIL works for the school district driving a bus. I called her cell knowing that she would already be at the school delivering her kids (you can't answer when you're driving) and asked her to ask Ethan's bus driver if he got on the bus.

And, sure enough, the little stinker got on the school bus.

I ask him about it when he got home.

"I panicked, Mom" was his response.

Poor kid ;)

First Grade

My little baby has started the first grade. And, he really doesn't like to be called a baby anymore (or so he told me the other day). I've also noticed he isn't "snuggling" as much anymore without prompting. I know that this is all a part of growing up but I was hoping for a little more time with the "little boy". He seems to be enjoying his year and is excited to be taking Health this year because that's what his dad teaches...dad teaches 10th grade though...I'm thinking they cover some different material ;)

Here's a few snapshots that he let me take before the bus got there...I have to admit that I was teary-eyed after he left...

More about sleep

I also posted this on Rachel's blog but it's too cute to pass up. Ben asked Ethan to hold Rachel while he made a snack for him. Ben noticed it had gotten very quiet and when he went in this is what he found...

Sleeping

Someone once told me that Ethan has two gears--on and off. Well, when he finally does go into "off", he continues to make us smile. Here's why:

Ready Aim Fire

Our little bow hunter.
Ethan loves to go out and shoot his bow and arrow. He does a pretty good job, too. This also shows you our summer project of getting our yard fixed. Our house was moved to a vacant plot and they never did any landscaping. So, now we get to pick rocks and plant grass! Anyway, I think we have a little hunter on our hands.

Red Hot Radishes

Yesterday, Ben decided Ethan was old enough to start using a knife to help with dinner (supervised of course).

Ethan's assignment: prep the radishes.

He got his stool out and very carefully worked at his job. It wasn't until he was almost done that Ben actually looked closely at the radishes....

Ethan had taken a bite out of each of them to determine if they were hot and then separated them into "hot" or "not" piles. It was kind of nice for me because I don't like anything hot so I knew just which ones to put on my salad.

Way to take one for the team, E!

Bridge to Terabithia

Last night, Ethan, Ben and I all sat down to watch a good family movie--The Bridge to Terabithia. This is probably the first non-cartoon movie Ethan has watched the whole way through. Though an excellent movie, it was also very emotional. Well, after a certain part of the movie that involves death, Ethan found himself in tears and was very upset that a movie would make him cry. Of course we explained to him that it's OK to cry (both his dad and I were) and that many movies are made to cause you to feel something and that even though they were people, the movie wasn't real. Though he still wasn't too sure of whether he liked the movie, he says he understands the points we were trying to explain. But, for me, it's a sign that my little boy is growing up. . .

Taking a 6-year-old on vacation...

Taking a 6-year-old on vacation can be difficult. Will they like where you're going? Will they ask, "Are we there yet?" 17 million times? What about safety? You get the point. Well, we ventured off for about 2 weeks to DC and then on to OBX with both kids in tow.

The vacation began with two cars in the shop the day before we left and a decision to rent a car. That was revoked after discovering that they charge you an arm and a leg. So, we set off in Ben's truck which would have been fine except that about 2 hours into the trip, the air conditioning went. Now, hindsight is 20-20 and in that perspective, we would have parked the car and rented one--I can get used to using only one arm right? But, instead we decided to drive without. Then it rained which meant we had to roll the windows up. Oh, and did I mention it was 90 degrees? Great fun! But, Ethan and Rachel both did great. In fact, Ethan only once asked if we were there yet and that was on the way home after 6 straight hours of driving.

So, kids will be kids. Our first stop was DC where thanks to Sears Reward Points, we stayed for three nights for free at an incredible hotel. Though we saw the sights, ate where the tourists ate, etc. I think Ethan's favorite parts of the trip were riding the carousel, riding the Metro and feeding the pigeons. Though he did give our Capitol tour guide quite a run for her money. She told us she was impressed by how attentive he was and what good questions he asked. Ethan told us that the Capitol was his favorite part of the trip. He was very interested in the whispering room, the crypt and all the statues. He also liked the Air and Space Museum and the National Zoo. We were all disappointed that the Museum of American History was closed but there was much to do. The only sight we didn't have a chance to see was the White House. Though we decided that next time we'll call our Congressman a few months in advance and get tickets for a tour anyway.

Then, it was off to OBX, NC, and the ocean. Ethan was very apprehensive of going in the ocean for fear of sharks. And, once he saw how big the waves were, the fear increased. However, his parents are mean :) so we made him go in. By the end of the vacation, he was body surfing and using his boogie board to ride the waves in to shore. He also played all of us in foose ball matches, learned to play Dominoes (along with the rest of us who are now addicted, thanks Aunt Nina!), played putt-putt where he scored a hole-in-one (see below), rode on a ferry to Ocrocoke, and even ate frog legs and crayfish. What an adventure! As you can see by the one golf picture, Ethan was just about the center of everyone's attention. However, my brother's girlfriend became the center of his attention (sorry, Emily!)

All-in-all, Ethan and the rest of us had fun. In fact, on the way home he commented that he was ready for school to start because he had a great summer vacation.

We've done good :)

T-ball

This was Ethan's third season of t-ball and my second coaching. There is nothing better than 10 kids who are asking "Can I go to the bathroom?" "When will the game be over?" "Did you know I lost my tooth?" "So-and-so is throwing dirt" etc. for 14 games. They are die-hard let me tell you, our right fielder even fell asleep in the middle of one game. Now, Ethan and a few of the others are a bit different. They seem to actually grasp the concept of competition: They have realized and do not like the fact that everyone gets a single regardless of where they hit it. They want to slide into home. They want to know when they can throw the ball somewhere other than first base. They tag kids out...hard. The rest are in it for fun (or because their parents have made them play, which is what one 5-year-old explained to me). Though I would have to say across the board the best part of the season was twofold: snack after the game and getting trophies!

The Tape Recorder

Have you ever wondered if your kids are listening to you? Rest assured, they are but just not to what you want them to. "Wash your hands" "Make sure you wash your hands" "Before dinner wash your hands" "Did you wash your hands?" I feel like a broken record and then at the table, guess what he forgets to do...

However, then there's the things that you say once, think to yourself "I probably shouldn't have said that" and pray they didn't hear you, which inevitably, they did.

Case in point: We were sitting at the dinner table yesterday at my parent's house. We were discussing a local high school football rivalry between the HS where I grew up and the one that Ben grew up which is where Ben teaches and the district in which Ethan goes to school. (Ben coaches football so it's a common topic.) Ben and my dad were playfully bantering about how our team was going to have more yards this year than their team. Ben turns to Ethan and says, "What do you think, Ethan?" Ethan nonchalantly responds, "We're going to beat the crap out of them."

Go Tigers!

Introduction

Introducing, Ethan! Since I started his sister a blog when she was born, I figured I should start a site for Ethan as well. Since he is six and has learned to type and spell this year, he will be posting too.

Ethan a really great kid, very sweet and smart and cute if I may say so myself! He is just finishing kindergarten this week and has really taken off academically.


He loves to go "tromp through the woods" with his dad and loves to fish! In fact, Ethan usually catches the most and the biggest fish when we go.

Ethan loves spiderman, batman, superman and ninja turtles. He also loves to draw and look through his dictionary for pictures to draw.