Birthday Boy

We're Playin Basketball

Today was a big day for Ethan. He played in his first basketball game and didn't stomp off the court. Now if you know my son, he is strong-willed and gets easily frustrated when things do not go his way. I told him a few times this morning to not stomp off the court if the ball was stolen from him or if a team mate wouldn't pass to him (this has happened at practice and busted out the door).

He is playing for an organization called Upward which is ran by a church - very cool! They set-up a tunnel, turned on a strobe light and played "Let's Get Ready to Rumble". They introduced the cheerleaders first and then all of the teams playing during the first hour. It was so cool to watch the boys run through the tunnel as their name was called. All the parents clapped for every child - they loved it.

I was very proud of Ethan today as he played. He had to guard a child that was running in circles to get away from him and who really enjoyed putting his elbow to Ethan's head. At one point, David leaned over and said "Mom, Ethan's getting mad. I think he's going to hit that boy." Thankfully, Ethan remained calm and didn't hit that boy. The program doesn't keep score, it is 1st grade so I'm not sure if they do for older grades. But they do get to steal the ball.

All in all it was a good time for Ethan and he says they won.

Freeze!

Ethan's cub scout den toured our local police department this evening. There were 7 1st graders and the first thing they asked was "Can I see your gun?" The very nice Sergeant showed the kids all of her "tools". The tazer was very interesting as it can zap you from 21 feet away. She even let them hit her back to feel how hard her bullet proof vest is. The boys were able to see most of the department like the interview room which has a stainless steel toilet so that "criminals" can't break any parts on it to use as a weapon. Who would of thought of that? I left there being very appreciative of our law enforcement and all that they do for us.

Do Over

As we were getting ready to head to school, Ethan was telling me that there were only 2 days of school this week. He said "We have a re-do week at school". That made me laugh and ponder at the same time. Can I have a re-do week or re-do day? Sometimes it would come in handy.

1st of the school year

Ethan has come down with a cold - the first one for our house this school year. So far, no fever, just stuffy nose and a cough. As I went over the instruction of coughing and sneezing into your elbow, he informed me that the kids that sit by his desk don't do that, they just cough and sneeze on him and others. Nice. I so dread winter for this reason. Last school year, one of my 3 boys was in the doctor's office on average 1x a week from November to March. I joined them for my turn in February. Time to stock up on Vitamin C.

Fall Fun

Over the weekend, Josh and the older two boys went camping with the Boy Scouts. That left Ethan home with Momma. What should we do just the 2 of us? We went to Kings Island to ride some rides and enjoy their Fall Festival. Ethan was bummed when a few of his favorite rides were not open since it isn't the regular operating schedule. He did enjoy the Fall Festival set-up they had. He painted a little pumpkin, received some candy and trinkets and hung out with 2 of his good friends. A good day for both of us. We went to church on Sunday with our neighbors and enjoyed it as well as lunch out after. It was different just having Ethan - no fighting over which rides to go on, and it was easier to say "Yes" when asked to go out to lunch (cheaper on the budget). As soon as I get the camera software loaded on the new computer, I will post pictures.

No Yolk About It

My 6 year old's life just got a little crazier. He tested postive for an egg allergy. My husband has this also, but knows what foods to avoid. For our little guy, this is going to be hard. We don't know if he can have it in baked products, but a blood test will soon let us know how much he can tolerate. I am very proud of him - this morning he said he was going to have to tell his teacher so that Mr. G wouldn't bring in treats that have eggs in them. Ethan was happy to hear that due to his egg allergy, he can't get the flu shot. At least there's a bright side for him!

Another First

Ethan has learned to tie his gym shoes. It is a very exciting day in our house for our 1st grader.

Snaggletooth

"Mommy, is my tooth loose enough to pull?" This was asked everyday for one week. Finally on Friday it was.

"Mommy, I lost my tooth. I pushed it out with my tongue!"

He is now ready for 1st grade.

Sad Little Guy

Ethan has taken to saying he is packing his bag to leave when he gets mad. Last night he actually did pack a back pack with some clothes - ties, underwear, socks, shinguards. A little odd on his packing, but what concerns me most is what happened after that. After we calmed him down and got him to come inside, he really broke down. He wanted to leave because he said his brother's don't play with him. Sometimes they do. sometimes they don't - they are 4-6 years older than him. After some hugs from his brother and a request that they have a sleepover in David's room, he seemed fine. Out of the blue, he says "Where will I live when you and daddy die?" then proceeded to cry his eyes out. Not sure why he asked that, but Josh and I tried our best to assure him that we planned to be around for a very long time. But if God chose to take us home earlier than our plan, that his Grandma and Grandpa Florida would take care of him and his brothers. We just kept telling him to trust God and to be a soldier for God. Prayers for Ethan are appreciated.

Big Day

Ethan learned to ride his bike tonight without training wheels! He had not been interested in learning to ride since he got his bike one year ago. He tried last summer and was teased by some of the kids in the cul-de-sac - charming. But yesterday he asked his daddy to get his bike down when he got home from work today. I think he was motivated to learn since two of his friends down the street just learned.

We did the ride thru the grass thing about 10 times and then he headed for the sidewalk. He did fall once, but no major blood or fits! I am so proud of him for learning. Look out Maineville, here comes Ethan!