Thanksgiving Trip to Bama

Ethan and I took a trip to Bama to visit with family for the week of Thanksgiving. Unfortunately Russell had to work and had no vacation because he has only worked there a couple months.

So Ethan and I hit the road and spent the week in Bama. We really enjoyed our trip. On the way we stopped to see Tony the tiger. Tony is a tiger who lives in a big cage at a gas station at exit 139 in Louisiana. I believe they are trying to raise money to move him to a better place.






We were making such great time when the state of Alabama decided to do road work. We were at a crawl for about an hour. Ethan did very well on this trip. I think he only asked me twice if we were there yet.

We arrived safely to Melissa's house 10.5 hours after we left our home.

Fishing...

This past weekend Ethan could earn his Fishing patch for boy scouts. Bass Pro Shop has a huge pond that they stocked with fish. We got there right on time and spent about 2 hours and was not able to catch a fish. There were many many people there, so the competition was high. They also had snakes and other animals there to touch.

I asked him if he would put the snake around his neck and take a picture. He said no so I had to bribe him with $5 to do it. And as you see from the picture below I am out $5.


He loved it!

Halloween 2009

Its been a long while since I've posted. So I thought I would talk a few minutes to write an update.

Ethan no longer has long hair. My dad decided to cut it. Ethan came home after visiting grandpa's with no hair. I was not happy about it, but it is done and he is growing it back out.

Halloween was a lot of fun. We have started a new tradition with a good friend of ours. There are a few houses on her street that get together on Halloween hand out candy and eat hot dogs and snacks. This was the 2nd yr for us to go there and Ethan really enjoys it. Doug made a haunted house this year in the back yard and Ethan was very excited about going in it. This is what he looked like afterwards....

He didn't like the chainsaw at the end. After a few tears he was ok and we went trick or treating. After trick or treating I asked him if he wanted to go with me through the haunted house and to my amazement he said yes. And again he was crying at the end. So I guess we will see if he remembers this next year.

Naughty Juice works

A friend of mine as recently told me about Naughty Juice. When Ethan decides to not listen or say something naughty he would normally get hot sauce on his tongue. Well he has had so much of it over the past few years that hot sauce does not bother him anymore.

Naughty Juice is white vinegar. I've only had to tell Ethan that when he is bad he'll get it. That alone has been enough for him to behave.

We were visiting a friend Friday night and Ethan was playing with his little friend A. The phase they are going through right now is calling each other loser. We continue to tell them not to call each other names and to play nice. After having this conversation with the both of them...they were walking back outside and I heard Ethan say "you better stop it or I'll show you my middle finger". If you need to take a break and get up off the floor I understand.

I immediately said to my friend "where is the naughty juice"....I could see the fear in Ethan eyes when I told him to come here. I proceeded to put just a little on a spoon and told Ethan to not spit it out. Ethan held his nose and took it like a man until he tasted it and decided to act like he was going to hurl. He now understands Naughty Juice.

So I did have to find out where in the world he found out about the middle finger. He finally told me that he learned it from one of his friends at school. I will be talking to his mother this week.

Ethan came home sick today....

While I was getting ready for work, I received a phone call from Ethan's school. It was the school nurse saying that Ethan just threw up and doesn't have a fever that is registering and is there anyone to come pick him up. I said I would be right there.

Let me give you some back ground on Ethan. In all of his 6 yrs he has not thrown up very much and usually he does when he has a high fever and he ate something just prior to the fever. So I knew that this sounded weird.

Thank goodness Russell had the day off so he could watch Ethan. I decided not to tell Russell so that Ethan and I could play a joke on him.

I walk in the school and see Ethan laying down on the nurses bed and he just smiled at me. I mentioned to the nurse that this is very weird that he is sick with no fever. She didn't really say much.

On our way out to the car I asked Ethan "how do you feel? Is your tummy still upset?". He said "no" (as he is rubbing his tummy). I asked him "what happened?"

.....this is where it gets kinda of funny and sad. Ethan said he was going to the bathroom and noticed another child that had had an "accident" and Ethan noticed the "accident" on the child's socks and it made Ethan throw up.

So Ethan heads back to class to tell the teacher he threw up and she sends him to the nurse. He tells the nurse the story he told me and she took his temp and called me. I completely understand why she sent him home since the swine flu is such a worry.

When Ethan got in the car I said "Do you want to play a joke on Daddy?" He said "yes".

A little background. Earlier this week Ethan came home and said he had been bored at school and wishes they would stop teaching him things he already knows. I told him that they have to go over the same things to make sure he remembers it from last yr.

So I dropped Ethan off about 2 houses down from ours and told Ethan to go to the front door and when daddy answered it and asks him why he is there...tell him that you were bored and decided to come home. (we only live 5 houses down from school so its not a long walk)

Of course it went exactly as it was planned. Ethan let it play out for a few minutes and then told daddy what really happened. Russell said that was a good joke.

Russell was even talking about this at bedtime and how good we got him.

Meet Taco

This is Taco... He needed a good home. Someone didn't want him anymore and he was wondering around our friends neighborhood for a month or so. We took him to the vet and they said he is about 2 yrs old and in great health. He was definitely someones pet because he is very friendly.

He has made himself at home in our bed. We now have moved him out because he sheds way too much.

Questions, Questions, Questions...

I thought I would ask E a few questions today and then would ask him the same questions in a couple months and see how the answers change. As of September 8, 2009.

Q. Favorite Color
A. Blue

Q. Favorite Car
A. Camero (orange)

Q. Best Friend
A. Max

Q. Favorite Number
A. 1000

Q. Favorite Place
A. Lego Store

Q. Favorite Food
A. Ice Cream (fudge ball flavor)

Q. Favorite Subject in school
A. Science

Q. What do you want to be when you grow up
A. Pilot

Q. Favorite Smell
A. Orange

You'll have to check back in a couple months to see if his answers change.

A new hair style...

I've wanted to do something funny with Ethan's hair. Since he is growing it out I thought I would put it into a lot of little ponytails. It took about 30 minutes to do it. Ethan was a very good sport.

I do have to say that at the beginning of it Ethan kept saying..."I'm a boy mommy not a girl."

I thought I would share the funny pictures with everyone.

Friends calling Ethan...

You know your son is getting older when you answer your cell phone and the person on the phone is your son's classmate.

Ethan and Max exchanged phone numbers today at school. Max lives about 5 house down from us and they are in the same class. Max called tonight to ask if Ethan could come over and play.

This is what I hear Ethan saying..."No I can't watch sponge bob. Because my mother doesn't allow me to. But I did get to watch it today while my daddy was trying to get a job."

It is really funny to listen to Ethan talk on the phone. Apparently Ethan got to watch TV while daddy was interviewing at a oil change place today.

Ethan couldn't play with Max today because he had already taken a shower and I didn't want him to go play and get dirty again. I told Max that he could play tomorrow after school.

Happy Birthday Grandma....

Today is Grandma's 81st birthday. Happy Birthday Grandma we hope you have a wonderful day full of laughter and smiles. We love you.

1st day of 1st Grade

Today Ethan started 1st grade. We live just down the street from the school so we all walked today. Ethan is really excited about walking to and from school.

This morning the alarm went off at 6:55am and Russell went to wake up Ethan. I hit snooze thinking its already time to wake up. Not even a minute later Ethan is in the bathroom brushing his teeth. I had to really think about it. I said "who's in the bathroom?" Ethan answered "I am, I'm brushing my teeth". I told him he should eat breakfast then brush his teeth. He said..."oh ok".

I love these days of no complaining to get up for school. I know it will only last a few weeks but I'm so enjoying them now.

We all walked to school and walked Ethan into his classroom. He is getting older now and doesn't like me to take all the pictures. His face is priceless when I told him I'm going to take pictures this morning....I wish I had a picture of it.

Enjoy the pictures below.... I only forgot one picture...the one with his teacher. I'll get it later.

Ethan smiling at home before we leave

Walking to school

Ethan telling me not to walk backwards because I might fall down

His desk in 1st Grade

Ethan as a ring bearer

Ethan had the honor to be the ring bearer at cousin Leslie's wedding on July 24th. He did a really awesome job!

I asked him the day before the wedding...."what is one thing that you really really want?". He answered "donuts". So I told him he will get two donuts on Saturday morning if he behaved during the rehearsal, rehearsal dinner and the actual wedding day.

This included smiling for ALL pictures. We really worked on his smile. Another important point was to face and look at the bride during the wedding and try not to look bored standing up there at the front.

After the rehearsal and dinner I told him he earned 1/2 a donut. He still has 1 1/2 to go. He was really excited about getting two donuts. He came up with a Chocolate Covered Donut and a Donut with Sprinkles. I think Aunt Melissa had something to do with picking out the kinds of donuts with Ethan. We don't buy donuts at our home which came in handy for this event. Its amazing what a kid will do for donuts.

When the ceremony was over Ethan told me he gets two donuts now. I said no you have earned 1 1/2. I told him he still had the reception to go. You still have photos and must behave during the reception. He did really well.

At the end of the night I gave him a big hug and said to him "You get two donuts". He was so excited! Uncle Todd woke up early and had two donuts waiting for Ethan when he woke up. Thank you Uncle Todd!

Ethan was a little bored towards the end of the reception.

Patrick, Ethan and Gates waiting to take a family picture

Ethan stuffing his mouth with some sort of cake. I caught him red handed.

Cousin Leslie and Ethan

The Kids playing outside

The temperature was very nice on our trip. I took the kids outside to play and run off some of their energy. Ella decided to take apart the flowers. Ethan was practicing his head stands. Gates and Ethan were racing each other.

It is usually tricky to get pictures of all the kids. I've learned that they like to look at the picture after I take it. Praise God for digital cameras. Gates would look at me and say "Cheese" over and over....he loved his picture to be taken. I just had to show him every one.

Notice how long Ethan's hair has gotten.

The Gorilla, The Man, & The Gun

Our first day in Bama we were able to go to The Ramp for a christian concert. The Generation Band was playing and at the end they played a game. Basically like Rock, Paper, Scissors. The Gorilla beats the Man, the Man beats the Gun and the Gun beats the Gorilla. The last two people get T-Shirts. If both of you do the same one (ex: Gorilla & Gorilla) you're both out. The first round most people were out.

Melissa my sister made it through the first round. I snapped my camera right when she realized that her and the other girl had done Gorilla. The picture above was too funny not to post. We had a blast.

Vacation

We are having a wonderful vacation here in Bama. I have lots of pictures to post but have to wait until I get home to pull them off my camera.

We have had a fun filled packed week here. Ethan is having a blast with his cousins. I don't think he wants to go home. We are going to cousin Leslie's wedding tomorrow and we can't wait. It has really been nice to see so many people on this trip.

Check back soon to see all the wonderful pictures. I can't wait to scrapbook this trip!

Sweet Potato

This is what happens when you put a sweet potato in the pantry and forget about it. Russell found this today in our pantry. I couldn't believe it, so I had to share it.

A Day of Swimming

Our Friend Lisa called yesterday to ask if we want to come over to play and go swimming. All I have to mention to Ethan is that Lisa called....His reaction automatically is "when are we going over there?".

Her husband Mark always gets in the pool with the kids. Yeah Mark! Lisa and I usually are doing something in doors. I stepped outside to take a few pictures of the boys. This year is the first year that Ethan and Ashton are swimming without assistance. They are little water bugs.

When they saw the camera they were all about showing me how they jump in the pool. They were both doing Canon Balls. Ethan asked me to watch him...he stood on the side of the pool with his back to the water and feel straight back. Basically doing a back flop. I asked him if it hurt? He said and I quote "no, I'll show you what hurts".

So he walked to a different part of the pool and proceeded to do a Belly Flop. The first thing he said once he came up out of the water "See that is what hurts". See picture below. I got him in action.

Ethan Racing

Ethan likes to race down the sidewalk to see if he can beat my car to the end of the block. We live 5 houses from the end of the block and I was leaving the other day and he said "come on mommy lets race". I had to video it with my phone.

He was barefoot this day. I don't know how he runs so fast. I thought I would post the video it is too cute. Of course I let him win.

Putt Putt Golf

After we spent most of the day at the beach we played a game of Putt-Putt Golf. I really hadn't played putt putt in years. Ethan loves playing it online and now in person too.

This course was so much fun. Every hole had something fun on it. We played eighteen holes and Russell ended up winning by one point. Ethan got a little bored toward hole 13 so his score kinda went down hill from there.

The picture of the big shell was fun. You had to hit the ball inside the shell and hopefully it went through a hole. If not you could also go around the shell. Ethan loved climbing inside the shell.

Galveston

We went to Galveston this past weekend. We spent pretty much all day hanging out in the hot sun. Houston is going through a very dry spell right now, so we hit the beach.

You'll notice Ethan and Russell in the water they are actually looking for shells. Russell is a pro at finding shells. He found this really big shell. He is holding it in his hand. The only bad thing about hunting for shells...make sure you have lots of sunscreen on your back. Russell never reapplied it and is paying for it now. He looks like a tomato.

Ethan and Brittan made a sand castle and decorated it with some of the sea shells. They both were so proud of the sand castle.

Graduation from Kindergarten

Ethan Graduated from Kindergarten June 5, 2009. Look how excited he was walking up to the stage. He is the second one from the left.













His class did a couple little skits. He was Noah in one of them. He did a great job memorizing his lines.


















Now he is smiling big. I'm sure he is like WA HOO I'm getting off the stage.














He is still practicing on smiling. His hands are full of awards he received. He received an award for Excellence and a trophy for being a Diligent Worker. He also got 3 ribbons for track and field day along with his little diploma.














These are Ethan's buddies at school. Notice they all raked in the awards.















The school had a cake to eat afterwards. They had the class picture on it. What a great idea. The kids loved it.

Ethan's name is in the Bible

My cousin Sara commented that Ethan's name is in the bible. Thank You Sara! Ethan loved it. I flipped the bible open to Psalms 89 and showed Ethan his name and he had the biggest smile. I then noticed his name was in other places.



I think he really wants his name to be a book in the bible. I told him he can't have everything. :) At least his name appears in the bible.



So we have been working on memorizing the books of the bible. He is doing very well.

Bible Names

After church on Sunday Ethan asked me if his name is in the bible. I said "no, but there are a lot of names that are not in the bible". He asked because they are learning all the books of the bible at church. Five books at a time starting with the old testament.

Last night we were working on memorizing the books in order. He is suppose to learn 5 this week, but that is way to easy for Ethan so he is going to memorize all of the new testament books this week. So we were in the middle of working on the names and he started crying. I asked him why he was crying and he said "I want my name in the bible, its not fair that my name isn't in the bible".

So I had my bible in front of me and I took my pen and wrote Ethan's name at the top of the page. I then said his name is now in the bible. His response "not in every bible". I asked him if he wanted me to write his name in every bible I came across and he didn't respond just continued to cry. I just continued to tell him that my name or daddy's name isn't in the bible and we are okay with it. I don't think that helped. I changed to subject to bed time.

We shall see how today goes with memorizing. Hopefully he won't bring up his name not being in the bible.

Watermelon

I picked up a watermelon a couple days ago. Russell placed it in a cooler with ice for the past two days so we could eat it cold and it didn't take up room in the fridge.

Today was the perfect day to eat it. Russell and Ethan ate it outside and were seeing who could spit the seeds the farthest.

After we were all done eating it we had to empty the cold water out of the cooler. Russell had a great idea.... lets pour it on Ethan. Don't know if many of you know that we always play tricks on each other. So of course I agree to this one.

Russell started it with saying "Ethan come help me pour this out outside". Ethan actually caught on a little. I said out loud where is my camera. Then he busted out with "y'all are going to pour it on me". I quickly changed the subject and said lets pour it out front where we put a couple of pieces of watermelon that Ethan didn't finish all the way.

I grabbed my cell phone to video it. The quality isn't that well, but you will totally get to hear Ethan's response when he figures it out. Remember this video was taken on my cell phone and it is dark outside.

Russell didn't get the cooler up fast enough so Ethan did not get wet.

Twin Feet

I found the picture of Russell's painted nails. Ethan really looks a lot like me except the feet. He has Russell's feet 100%. So here is Russell's feet and look below to see Ethan's feet.

They have great nail beds for nail polish. :)

Painted Nails

So I was painting my nails and Ethan was watching and asking 20 questions. "Why are you painting that toe first?... Why don't you clip your nails before painting them?.... Why do you paint them red and not blue or purple?" The questions never stopped. So I had to ask him if I could paint his toes. Of course his first response was "no".

He finally agreed as long as I took it right off. He didn't know I would take pictures. When I pulled the camera out he laughed and then posed for a few pictures.

Ethan really checking out his painted nails.

He has daddy's feet. I guess that is a good thing since I don't really like what my feet look like. Now that I'm thinking about it I once convinced Russell to let me paint his toenails and I have pictures of them. I'll see if I can find them and post them. Their feet are exactly the same.

Ethan was a really good sport about it. I had to take off the nail polish immediately following these pictures.

Fishing Trip with Steve

All week Ethan has been waiting to go fishing with Steve today. Ethan stayed the night with Steve so they could get up at 4 am to go fishing. Steve is a HUGE fisherman.

I get a call about 9:30 this morning from Ethan telling me about his fishing trip. He said he caught two fish, one flounder and another one that I forgot the name. Steve is in a fishing tournament so I went and picked Ethan up where they were fishing so Steve could continue to fish.

We get in the car and I asked Ethan if he is tired he said "no". I'm thinking he is so tired he doesn't know it. It is now 10:45 am and remember he has been up since 4 am. So I continue with the questions and he tells me all about his fishing experience. Then I ask him "what did you do last night after I dropped you off at Steve's?" he said "Steve made chocolate chip cookies and we ate them". I said how many did he make?. Ethan said "Eleven, I had five and Steve had five and we split the last one". Now this is why Steve has no kids. Thats all I'm going to say. :)

Ethan was asleep in less than 10 mins down the road. I knew he was tired. I ended up making a few pit stops on the way home so he could sleep. He woke up about an hour later.