true love

Ethan and Audi . . . so sweet.



It's All About the Shoes

Ethan's soccer team has been playing in a tournament over the last few days. Here he is in his new cleats which he insisted would make him faster because one of his teammates has the same pair and he is super fast. He was fast before but if the perfect pair of shoes makes him feel good, I can relate to that! They played hard and were the runners-up! They made the first-place winners work HARD for the title. A fun, proud day for all!

and the winner is . . .

Ethan earned a trophy for the science fair at his school and he is so excited! I am too! What a great feeling it was when I walked in the door today after work and Ethan (with a HUGE smile on his face) ran to show me his trophy. He worked hard on the project and the topic of asthma was very personal for him.

Last year, toward the end of the school year, he participated in an asthma education class taught by the American Lung Association. He learned a lot and felt empowered and in control of his asthma. He decided then that the next year's project would be about asthma. Usually Ethan changes his mind many times before settling on one idea, Halloween costume, party theme, etc. but he never changed his mind about this.

When we began to fine tune the project he decided to study asthma and exercise since he has had to deal with his asthma more as his soccer participation has increased. And in perfect Ethan style, he wanted to include his friends and turn it into a party!

We visited the American Lung Association to do some research and the women working there were so excited to have visitors. Ethan told them all about his ideas and they asked him to be sure and let them know how his project turned out. He is excited to write them a thank you note and send some pictures. I think we should pay them another visit since they seemed kind of lonely!

I am so proud of him!

Catching My Breath

The past few weeks have been kind of a blur! There were many moments I will never forget but it helps that I captured some memories with pictures:

Ethan's first day of third grade . . .

One arch of a double rainbow after a fast and furious rainstorm . . .

Emma lost her second tooth (one week after losing the first) . . .

My littlest munchkins started Kindergarten!

Alex and Emma's first day of school will always be remembered by the wild weather. An intense hailstorm woke us all up, then it continued to rain all morning. Last December they begged for umbrellas for their birthday. They had never really used them until that morning. That was almost as exciting as riding the bus and going to school with Ethan!

On Tuesday night (second night of school) the kids were dressed in their pjs and heading to bed when Alex announced that he wanted to write a story. He found some index cards and a marker and started to work on it. He was tired so I suggested he wait until the next day. Oh no, his mind was made up. He would start to write, then make a mistake and since he was tired he would get upset, crumble up the card and want to start over. Oh my goodness, it was like a flashback of Ethan at that age! I knew he wouldn't rest until his story was complete. So here it is, with a little help from me, when he was just too tired to write anymore.

Ethan lost tooth #9. It was kind of a bloody mess. Gross, I know. Ethan's teeth have never come out very easily and he has only pulled one out by himself. Since Emma pulled out her first two teeth without me even knowing it, Ethan's competitive side kicked in. He worked on this tooth for two days and finally pulled it out. With all these teeth coming out I think I should invite the tooth fairy to stay in our guest room.

Speaking of competitive or maybe just strong-willed and determined, here is Emma who can now tie her own shoes. We went shoe shopping a few days ago and she LOVED the Nike sneakers with the purple swoosh. They have laces and I told her I wouldn't buy them unless she could tie her own shoes. She said, "Okay, show me. RIGHT NOW." So I did and she did it. Just. Like. That. I'm pretty sure that girl will do whatever she sets her mind to!

Among all these fun milestones, we were saddened by the loss of David's grandmother, Elvira McWilliams, who passed away on August 25, 2010. She was 99 years old! We were fortunate to visit and spend time with her this past spring in Los Angeles. We have said many prayers for her to rest in peace and for Grandpa Stan, his siblings and the rest of the McWilliams family to feel comforted by their memories of her. It is always hard to say goodbye. We love you, Grandma.

Razzia FC Lightning

Ethan has joined his first competitive soccer team (the club is Razzia and the team name is FC Lightning) and he LOVES IT. Their regular season hasn't started yet but they played in the Murray Max tournament last week. They did a great job playing in their very first tournament. We will be doing the same thing again later in the week. It's a big commitment but very fun for all of us. The kids looked so cute and excited as they walked onto the field in their new uniforms.

Here is Coach Katie, along with Asst. Coach Rudy, giving them a pep talk before their first game.
.

Soccer

Our lives are full of soccer right now and probably forever. The kids love it and I love watching them. Here's a favorite picture of Ethan, taken two years ago by my very talented friend, Emily. Check out her blog: http://carpediemphotography.blogspot.com/. Her recent pictures of New York will take you away . . .

Just Something New

I'm not feeling any creative juices about a name for this post but I like the way Emma is snuggled up to Ethan in this picture while Alex is trying to pull one of his silly poses. That's harder to do while sitting down since he usually squats down a little and sticks his butt out, while pulling a silly face.

Words

Recently Ethan said to me, "I know what the "f" word is." I asked him what it was and he said, "I can't tell you! It's a bad word!" I was curious so I told him he could whisper it in my ear and I promised he wouldn't get in trouble for saying it. He was a little hesistant but said okay and whispered, "it's frockers." I couldn't help but laugh. Then yesterday Ethan said, "I know what the "s" word is." He knew he could tell me so he said "it's psycho!" I wondered if I should tell him the real "s" word . . . then he said "psycho is a really bad word because if someone doesn't like you AT ALL they say you're psycho and it's not nice!" I decided to leave it at that. Here's a picture of Ethan looking a little psycho (by my definition).

Versing

On Saturday the soccer teams gathered at their designated fields and Ethan saw his friend, Ian, on the opposing team. He ran over to me and said, "I'm versing Ian today!"

Ian is Ethan's new friend at school. Ethan is at a new school this year. He is outgoing and makes new friends easily but it has taken some time to settle in with some buddies. Last week he said he wanted to give his phone number to Ian and he had Ian's phone number in his backpack. Then at the soccer game Ian's mom recognized David. As it turns out, Ian's dad coached Alex and Emma's indoor soccer team last winter. Ethan and Ian played along the sidelines during the game. This was the soccer team when Alex and Emma regularly tackled each other during the game and pulled their baggy soccer shorts up so everyone could see their underwear.

At first I thought, "what a small world it is" but then as we were at Emma's dance class tonight I saw another family from school and soccer, a co-worker's husband and daughter and a former SLCC student and her kids. I realized, with a great feeling in my heart, that we are part of a community.

First Crush

Ethan is attending an awesome summer camp and it has become clear that he has a crush on his adorable counselor, Joey. Joey is 24 and she's a First Grade teacher. The developing story:

"Joey says it's okay if we trade food with other people at lunch, as long as the other person wants to trade."

Another day I found something in Ethan's lunchbox that I hadn't packed that morning. I commented that he must have traded with someone and he said, "Yeah, Joey. She likes the pretzels you packed for me."

Yet another day while packing his lunch: "I want to pack some Dunk 'Ems because Joey likes to trade those with me. She doesn't ask anymore, she just trades what she wants when I open my lunchbox." (I could tell by his small grin that he likes this daily ritual.)

On Sunday I made brownies and asked Ethan if he'd like one in his lunch the next day. He said, "Yes but can you please pack two so I can give one to Joey?"

Then on Monday I knew for sure . . . we were talking about how many colleges there are around the world--SLCC, U of U, BYU, etc. Then my little Ute said, "I don't really care about Utah or BYU anymore, I mean who wins." "Why not?" I asked. He shrugged his shoulders, trying to act casual and said, "Well Joey went to BYU." He said he still likes the Utes and will wear his red "U" shirt so all is well.

Further evidence . . . pictures from the camp website . . . he adores her and I'm so glad. It makes my heart swell to think of the affection he feels for her and how sweet she is to him.

I Gave Birth to Spongebob Squarepants

The new school year is quickly approaching and Ethan needs a new backpack and lunchbox. I opened the Land's End catalog and asked Ethan which color of backpack he would like. "Yellow! I like yellow!" Okay, now which lunchbox would you like? "Yellow!" "Are you sure? These will be yours for a LONG time and I thought your favorite color was red." "Yes! I like yellow!" Then I turned the page to some fleece jackets and guess which color he picked? Of course, yellow! I said, "Ethan, why do you want everything to be yellow?" "Because I LOVE Spongebob!" I ordered the backpack and lunchbox according to his wishes. As for the jacket, I will have to be creatively convincing so he'll be happy with another color. My fashion sense shudders at the thought of monochromatic YELLOW attire, plus I am pretty sure he would get teased by older kids (they can be so mean). So here's to Spongebob . . . whether I like it or not!

Arm Farts

Please excuse the title but I have been sitting here for a while trying to think of something else and my mind is blank. Forget all the reading, math, science, art and music that Ethan has been learning in first grade and check this out . . .

Impressive, huh?!

barely breathing

We did it. We survived another birthday party. It has been pouring rain here--not good for an outside biking party! Shortly before the party started the rain let up and the kids had a fabulous time riding their bikes around the park. Mother Nature definitely smiled on us today. I think about 23 kids have been crossing their fingers and saying prayers for no rain!

We are exhausted but it sure was fun to watch all the kids having such a blast. We count our blessings every day for all the wonderful people who are part of our lives.

Tonight's agenda: bubble bath, the latest issue of People magazine, sleeeeeeep

Lucky Seven

Ethan turned seven years old! Of course, the time has flown by. He was happy to pose for a picture by himself but as you can see in the next picture I didn't get much cooperation from the group. They endured the picture taking but I never got a "perfect" shot. I have to remind myself that perfect doesn't mean all three of them in a row smiling sweet smiles. A bit of forced enthusiasm would be nice . . .

Happy Birthday, Ethan!

Vegetarian Contemplation

Yesterday morning Ethan and I were talking about Farmer's Markets and I explained to him that the farmers pick the produce from their farms and then sell it at the market. He was impressed that they are all farmers. Then he asked if they have animals too and I said yes, some of them probably do. He said, "Mommy, did you know that some people raise pigs and then eat them?!" I said, "Yes, that's where ham and bacon come from." He was shocked. Then he started processing all of it and said he felt sad for the pigs. He also said, "Well, it's good that we don't eat cows." I reluctantly explained that one. Then I told him that some people choose to be vegetarian, either because they don't want animals to be eaten or because they feel like meat is unhealthy for them. He said, "I want to be vegetarian . . . but I love bacon and I like ham too!" I think he thought about it all afternoon/evening and then last night he told me again that he wants to be a vegetarian but he still wants to eat bacon. He is very conflicted about it. We will continue to talk about it and he can decide what feels right for him.

He was also perplexed by the fact that cows are called beef, pigs are called ham/bacon/pork but chickens are just chicken and turkeys are just turkey. I wasn't sure how to explain that!

On a related note, I received this today in an e-mail:



I don't think I'll show this to Ethan!

School Lunch!

I had lunch with Ethan at school today and it was so fun! I sort of felt like a celebrity. I was waiting in the hallway as the kids quietly lined up and took turns entering their lunch code into the machine. Ethan's friend, Jackson, walked by me and said, "You're here to have lunch with Ethan!" Several other friends said hi, then Ethan came around the corner and his face lit up with a great big smile. He waved and in a shy yet excited voice he said, "Hi, Mommy!" I got in line and the lunch experience began!

We got our food (corn dog for Ethan, chef salad for me) and I embarassed myself when I said, "May I have a cookie?" and the nice lady said, "Those are chicken patties." Darn, they looked like yummy peanut butter cookies. Anyway, we sat down and I met a table full of new friends. One girl said her mom is having a baby today then without a breath moved on to a new topic. A boy said I should come for lunch on my birthday and he will give me a present. They were all eager to explain everything to me.

Next up: recess! It is a sunny almost-spring-like day and we all cheered as we felt the sun hit our faces. We got to the playground and the kids wanted to play tag. There were about 7 or 8 of us but it must have looked like fun because soon enough there were at least 20 kids. Every one of them tagged me so I was "it" every other time. (Ethan told me if I needed to take a break I should say "time out"). No way! Then playground troubles started happening with some other groups of kids and since I was a grown-up, kids thought I was the "Duty". Here's a summary:

#1 "Duty, someone threw rocks in her face!" (girl is sobbing, she calms down and goes back for more)

#2 "Duty, someone said I am a lazy butt! It was her!"

#3 "Duty, he punched her (girl #1) in the stomach!"

#4 "Duty, he said the "B" word to me!"

#5 "Duty, she's crying! Someone tripped her and she fell on her bottom!"

#6 "Duty, he threw rocks at me. Yes, my arm is okay but it has a little scratch!"

You're it! Let's play freeze tag! Let's play stuck in the mud! [Oh my gosh, WHEN WILL THE BELL RING?]

Then finally, the bell rang and we headed back to the building. Soon I had one girl (our sweet next-door neighbor) holding my left hand, then another holding my right hand and everyone saying, "Come to our class! Come to our class!"

It is great being a celebrity, especially since they could care less what my hair looks like or how I'm dressed! Seriously, though, it was amazing to see how excited the kids were for me to be there. They also had respect for me, as an adult. They trust us. That's important to remember.

It was a great experience and I can't wait to go again. Mental note for next time: wear sneakers, not clogs and go pee before playing tag.

Love is a Wonderful Feeling

Ethan's project from school today was a cupid poster where he filled in the blanks. Here is what it says:

Love is a wonderful feeling when

your mom gets you a puppy.

your dad helps get balloons for your birthday party.

your friend comes over to your house.

Name: Ethan

Yes, it's a wonderful feeling, and I need a tissue . . .

Wish I May

Last night Ethan and I were driving in the car and there was a beautiful crescent moon shining in the sky. I pointed it out to Ethan and he exclaimed, "There's a star too! It's the first star--can I make a wish?!"

Ethan and me: Wish I may, wish I might, wish upon this star tonight

Me: Don't tell anyone your wish - keep it a secret!

Ethan: Or else it won't come true! How do wishes come true? Does Santa hear them and them just drop stuff out of the sky?

Me: Well, some wishes come true but if you wish for something outrageous it might not, like if you wish for a million dollars.

Ethan: Right. Or if you wish to be all grown up or to have a birthday every day. But what if you wish for a camera or a cell phone?

Side note: The camera wish may come true since Ethan has a birthday coming up and he constantly wants to take pictures with my camera. The cell phone? Not a chance! Being all grown up? No way - that would mean missing out on conversations like this.

A New Rendition of Jingle Bells

In December Ethan spent a few days at KinderCare while I was still working. He was very excited to spend time with his "old" friends. Apparently they spent a lot of time learning this new song . . .