The Clark Money Family

Gratitude

2011-02-28T13:41:00.000-05:00

In my last post I talked about Happiness and how I plan to work on that this year. I've decided that instead of looking for ways to become happy, I should focus on being grateful for what I've got. Ethan and I have started talking each night about what we're thankful for that day. In order to track these discussions and more focus my intentions I've created a new blog - Grateful Each Day. Enjoy!

Happiness Project

2011-02-01T18:30:00.000-05:00

Cover via AmazonOne of my resolutions for 2011 was to "get back to Happy." Don't ask me when or where that is, just know that it's something I think is important. One of the ways I'm doing this is by being fully conscious of my attitude and taking steps to improve it through my words and actions. I'm thinking that if I can get myself Happy then everyone around me, especially my Monkey-Moo, will have a better chance at being Happy too!

Want to join me on this trip? I'm planning on getting Gretchen Rubin's book "The Happiness Project" for a little inspiration. Or you could check out the Toolbox - a great place to track your progress and share with others.

And to make myself even more motivated to get back to Happy, I've joined the 2011 Happiness Challenge. Check out the little widget thingy and sign up yourself. Maybe I'll see you at Happy!

Class Photo 2010

2011-01-08T18:43:00.000-05:00

Here's my boy and his classmates...

Christmas pics 2010

2010-12-23T22:54:00.001-05:00

Santa visits Ethan at Christmas party

2010-12-15T12:54:00.000-05:00

Ethan's best friend Brendan & his family had a Christmas party last weekend. His parents are friends with Scott & I (plus about 1,000 other folks in Jericho that we know) so we went and had a fabulous time.

After the 125 or so parents & kids finished munching on delicious food we had a surprise visitor - Santa Claus himself! Luckily many parents had *told* Santa what to bring to the party so there was a gift for every child. Ethan got a Mario vs Donkey Kong dsi game which he's played almost non-stop since receiving it!

Ethan had a wonderful time and I did my best to take good photos but I was using the camera on my phone and it was a very crowded room. Sorry for the fuzziness!

Ethan is grateful

2010-11-27T15:57:00.000-05:00

Ethan did some work at school learning about Thanksgiving. Each kid had to write on a Turkey what they were thankful for. Here's Ethan's:

If you can't read the letter here's what it says:

I love my Mom and I love when my mom help me with my homework.

The turkey's feathers say:

Mom

Dad

Kevin

Will

Nick

Abby

Emma

Jarrett

Kris

Danny

I'm sure he would have added everyone in the entire family if the turkey had more feathers...

Basketball Game 11/20/10

2010-11-21T07:31:00.000-05:00

Visitng Utah - June 2010

2010-10-26T08:56:00.000-04:00

I came across this picture tonight and realized I hadn't uploaded it anywhere. This is from the last day that I came out to Utah this summer to visit. Mom and I took Ethan to visit Grandma & Grandpa Clark's graves. Ethan told Mom & me all about how he had met them in Heaven before he was born. It was precious.

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2010-09-29T12:22:00.001-04:00

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Old Fashioned Harvest Market 9-25-10

2010-09-25T17:23:00.000-04:00

Today I took Ethan to the Old Fashioned Harvest Market in Underhill. It was fun. For about 15 minutes we stood watching kids climb a huge rock wall that the National Guard had put up. Finally he decided he wanted in.

Gettin strapped in...

Checkin out the climb


A little nervous

Gettin ready to shoot a real gun!

Learnin the rules

My baby shoots!

Check out his shots! He told me he wasn't even aiming and still got inside the bullsye ring!

Camping over Labor Day weekend 2010

2010-09-06T12:51:00.000-04:00

We took the boys to Silver Lake yesterday for some quality camping. Ethan and Kevin rode bikes for at least 6 hours. They had a blast! Now we just gotta get Ethan off those training wheels.....

Another excellent dentist visit

2010-08-27T16:21:00.000-04:00

Ethan went to the dentist yesterday. He had his 6 month checkup and everything went great. Xrays - check, no cavities - check, fun with Mr Thirsty - check.

This time there was a new way to get flouride - instead of the old tooth tray filled with goop the hygenist painted it on. I was happy. Ethan was not. The paint-on stuff doesn't taste like bubblegum. And it's not as fun for some reason.

But given my dental history I was happy with a "no cavity" visit regardless of how fun it was for Ethan.

He did get a new toothbrush.

And a silly toy.

So all in all it worked out great for both of us.

Congrats on having great teeth Ethan. Hope they stay that way forever!

Ethan has a new baby cousin!

2010-07-21T18:44:00.004-04:00

Ethan got to hold his newest cousin, Raymond Lee Hunsaker. Congrats to Judy, Dave, Jarrett & Kris on the newest addition to your family!

Ethan's trip to Grandma's

2010-06-24T22:00:00.004-04:00

So Ethan & Grandma left Vermont on Tuesday. Since then I've had 6 phone calls and 5 text messages (with pictures) giving me updates. I miss him terribly. It feels like a week has gone by, not just 2 days. But Ethan sounds very happy every time I talk to him and Mom says he's doing well. He also has Michelle Hubbs (and her daughter Rachel and son Steven) to keep him company so he's doing great.

Here's a pic Michelle sent me of Ethan with Rachel on an elephant at some random zoo in Virginia today. For some reason none of the programs on my Mac will rotate the photo so please forgive the sideways-ness of it.

Trophy Day

2010-06-12T19:07:00.003-04:00

Today was Trophy Day for the Little League in Jericho. Ethan played a great game (notice the very serious "ready position" in picture #2) and had a fun time. Thanks Mary & the girls for coming and thank you Emma especially for taking lots of great pictures!

Baseball Star

2010-05-22T13:30:00.001-04:00

Today Ethan had a fabulous game. He played catcher one inning and pitcher another. He went out there with such confidence and tried his hardest & really did a great job. While he was in the dugout he was the first one to get everyone cheering for their teammates and always congratulated kids for what they'd done. I'm so proud of my little guy!!!

And the results of the assessment are...

2010-05-20T14:08:00.005-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

...Ethan has ADD. Or ADHD - depending on which resource you read. He also has a specific learning disability in reading. And since his scores were borderline clinical in some areas he's right on the border of being diagnosed with some kind of emotional disorder. Thank you genetics.

But the good news...I've started making a chore chart so that he can be more organized. I've also decided to cut out going to all the kids' practices and games so he can have a more structured schedule. And we meet with his pediatrician next week to discuss the whole shibang.

I'm desperately trying to find a family therapist who'll take on our case - but this is next to impossible for some reason. Either everyone in the state of Vermont is in counseling or the therapists are cutting back on their hours. Who knows?

My #1 priority has always been Ethan and will continue to be - even more so now that we know what is going on with him and can take action to get him the help he needs. I'm meeting with the team at his school to create an individualized education plan (IEP) - pretty much just for next year since there's only 17 1/2 days left of school. He qualifies for special education services and I'm happy for him to get whatever help they can give him.

Cross you fingers, pray, burn a candle and throw coins in a well that we will get through this. It's going to take a lot of work but I know we'll make it.

Ethan up to Bat

2010-05-16T16:35:00.002-04:00

Ethan had his first baseball game of the season yesterday. Here's a video of him up at bat. Go Ethan!

Mom & Dad get iPhones

2010-03-16T22:30:00.002-04:00

Yes it's true. They've officially surpassed me in cool techno crap. I'm jealous. Enough said.

Valentine's Day playdate

2010-02-14T18:39:00.007-05:00

Today is Valentine's Day. It's also the day that Ethan's friend Brenna came over for a playdate. They played nerf basketball, went sledding outside and baked cookies. Brenna is in Ethan's class. She also plays basketball - every Saturday right before our games. These two love each other. Aren't they adorable?

Yesterday Ethan had another girl from his class over for a playdate. Her name is Emma. She is in love with Ethan (her words) but he is definitely NOT in love with her. He just wants to be friends. Here's a picture of them cutting shapes into the cookie dough.

According to Ethan these two girls both love him very much. The three of them eat lunch together, sitting with Ethan in the middle of course. The only time they don't sit together is in music class because they have assigned seats.

One day I'm sure I'll pull this blog post out to remind Ethan of how awesome he is. He's such a sweetie - it's no wonder the girls love him!

More Basketball 2010

2010-02-13T19:00:00.000-05:00

Basketball 2010

2010-02-13T18:48:00.002-05:00

Ethan played rec basketball this year - every Saturday morning...

He showed MAJOR improvement over the course of the season and even scored a few baskets. Here's a few shots from his games.

Ethan Plays B'Ball

2010-01-23T10:17:00.002-05:00

Building Snowmen

2010-01-23T10:10:00.002-05:00

I'm cleaning out the photos off my camera. This was a few weeks ago - probably early December. I bought a snowman kit and the boys decided to have some fun outside. The pics on the bottom row are from the boys rolling the snow into huge balls. Even though we've had some warm (above 30) days since then, those huge balls are still there...

Ethan Writes a Book

2009-12-11T14:35:00.002-05:00

So in Ethan's class they've been working on "publications." This means they draw pictures and write stories to match. Ethan seemed to think that his loose tooth was an important subject. In fact he's had 2 or 3 loose teeth so far this school year so I can see why it made the book. Don't worry, the hit he took from Kevin only slightly loosened his already loose tooth!

Ethan's Class Photo

2009-12-11T12:27:00.002-05:00

Isn't he adorable? Check out the kid named Jacob - he's almost as goofy as Ethan!

Visit with Kalli October 09

2009-12-04T15:20:00.001-05:00

Letters to Santa

2009-12-04T10:52:00.000-05:00

Does God know Santa?

2009-12-01T15:52:00.003-05:00

We've done a little Christmas decorating around our house this past week. Ethan and Kevin went to the Christmas Tree Shop with me and bought a few items that they thought were "perfectly beautiful" decorations for the house. Not exactly the items I would have picked out but they're excited and the huge gold ribbon wreath only cost $2 so what the heck.

Since the boys were so good in the store I let them each pick something out from the clearance rack for themselves. They both chose Christmas themed sticky notes. After we decorated they both decided they'd use their new notes to write letters to Santa.

Ethan's share day is on Mondays so he decided to bring in the sticky notes he wrote (all by himself - I will be scanning them in to share with everyone soon) to Santa for his share. He thanked Santa for Christmas. And then told him he wants Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 - whatever that is.

So it was very sweet last night when I put Ethan to bed and he asked if he could say his prayers (thank you Grandma). Here's how the prayer went:

"Dear God,

Thank you for this wonderful day. Thank you for Christmas. Please tell Santa that I love him. And I love his reindeer.

name-a-jesus-christ Amen."

Live Y'ers Carnival Camp

2009-11-26T10:27:00.000-05:00

Since there was no school on Mon-Wed I sent Ethan to the Live Y'ers camp each day. Their theme was a carnival. The kids went on a circus field trip, learned how to spin plates on sticks, juggle, and of course did some face painting. This is Ethan with his scary striped tiger face. Cute huh?

Ethan loves math!

2009-11-22T09:33:00.000-05:00

The coolest thing has happened since Ethan started 1st grade. Whenever I tell him to turn off the tv and find something else to do, instead of fussing or asking me what else can he posssibly do - he asks for math problems.

I'm not kidding.

I filled 3 sheets of paper - front and back - with math problems that Ethan completed. All of them. He loves it.

Thank you Jericho Elementary School!

oink oink

2009-11-17T14:04:00.003-05:00

Scott & I took Ethan & Kevin for their 1st of 2 flu shots the other day. Besides being about 50 degrees outside and making us all wait outside for about 45 minutes it went great!

The Science Experiment

2009-11-05T11:35:00.002-05:00

We had lunch at Chick-fi-la and the prize for the kiddos was a science experiment. Ethan was very excited because "My Grandpa's a scientist." So he and dad worked on the experiment - I believe it was maple syrup, oil and water. Num-num and Baby Num-Num stood guard while it sat overnight. I don't think the syrup ever floated to the top. We should have colored the oil - that would have made for a prettier experiment.

Pumpkin Festival - Alabama style

2009-11-05T10:53:00.003-05:00

It might not look like a pumpkin field but that picture in the top middle is where our hayride dropped us off. And don't you love the animals spray-painted on the big bales of hay?
All kidding aside - it really was a fun day. And you see Ethan & Steven flying down the bouncy castle slide? That's when Ethan's other front tooth got knocked out. Exciting day...

Ethan & Grandparents

2009-11-05T09:43:00.003-05:00

Ethan and Grandma on the hayride at a pumpkin festival in Lafayette, AL (that's pronounced La-fet).

Ethan and Grandpa at the Arboretum in Auburn. They've really done some work on this place since we used to go there as kids with Mom & Dad. I didn't see any turtles or huge goldfish in the pond but there were some fish and they've added lots of docking...still a nice place to chill.

Airports and plane rides

2009-11-04T19:03:00.002-05:00

Mom has been asking for pictures of our trip to Auburn. Here are some. These are from my phone and I think do a good job of showing off what an excellent traveler Ethan is. He was also very happy to smile big and show his missing front teeth! One came out before the trip, the other while we were there. The Tooth Fairy has been a regular at our house lately! And now she knows how to visit Ethan in Auburn too!

Highlights from Auburn trip Oct 2009

2009-10-27T11:41:00.004-04:00

Tooth #3 has left the building

2009-10-20T08:14:00.000-04:00

Ethan has been very excited about tooth #3. This would be the first of those famous "2 front teeth" that we all sing about at Christmas. For the past few days I've noticed it sticking out a bit crooked (like almost sticking straight out - very weirdly) but it hasn't been all that wiggly.

So I was quite surprised when I picked Ethan up from school yesterday and he exclaimed "Mommy I pulled out my tooth!" Notice he didn't say "my tooth fell out" like usual. No, in this case he was just ready for it to be gone. In fact, later last night he admitted to me that his teacher had told him not to pull it out because it wasn't ready. He actually said "I feel a little bad about myself because Mrs Dana told me not to pull out my tooth but I did it anyway." This boy has an amazing heart and can express his emotions better than most adults I know.

Upon close inspection - I won't gross you out with a close-up photo - you can see that the skin has in fact been torn a bit and it's not a very clean break.

A visit to the dentist may be necessary in the near future.

Let's just hope that Ethan lets tooth #4 come out on its own...

Early Fall in Vermont

2009-10-14T10:42:00.000-04:00

Don't we live in a beautiful state?

HOMEWORK!

2009-10-05T16:56:00.004-04:00

I picked Ethan up from Live Y'ers this afternoon and was pleasantly surprised when he ran up to me and said "Guess what Mom? I get to do homework today!"

Calling a Friend

2009-09-29T12:19:00.002-04:00

Ethan made a friend in his 1st Grade class. His name is Brendan and he's very shy. We ran into them at the Harvest Market this past weekend and Ethan immediately asked if they could have a playdate. Apparently he and Brendan have been planning this since school started...

So last night Ethan asked if he could call his friend. We got a phone list from the teacher and since I had met the parents already I figured it would be ok.

I dialed the number and Ethan took the phone out of my hands. Brendan's mom answered and they chatted for a moment. Then Ethan asked in his most polite voice, "Could I please speak to Brendan."

They chatted for a while and devised a plan for Ethan to go home with Brendan from school for a playdate today. Not wanting to be pushy I asked Ethan if Brendan had asked his mother. After a few back-and-forths it was determined that this was indeed ok with her.

I got on the phone (after lots of prodding to get Ethan off) and spoke with Jen, Brendan's mom. She's as thrilled as I am that they've become friends. Her son is very shy and this is apparantly the first time he's talked on the phone with a friend.

So today after school Ethan is going home with his new friend to have a playdate at his house. We went over manners and talked about what kinds of words we shouldn't use at other people's houses (all the fun potty words that Scott & the boys like to use). He's so excited.

So am I...

Gymnastics at Open House

2009-09-22T14:56:00.000-04:00

Ethan's school had Open House last week. One of the things we did was go to the gym and watch the kids play on all the equipment. Ethan had fun swinging on a rope, running & jumping on the vault, and showing me what a good balancer he is on the balance beam.

I met with his teacher briefly and she told me he's doing a great job. We got to look through his writing notebook and see the stories he's coming up with. He's got a very good imagination.

One of his favorites was the library. Ethan was very excited to introduce me to the librarian and he made sure to give her a big hug when he saw her. He also loves that the beginning reader section has a whole area devoted to Dr Seuss. So far he's brought home 6 library books, all of them Dr Seuss, many of them we already have at home.

Last night he did his daily reading (about 3 pages) from the Dr Seuss ABC book (Big A, little a, what begins with A? Aunt Annie's alligator...A..a..A). I can't tell you how adorable he is sounding out the words. He takes his time sounding out each letter, sometimes to the point that he forgets the sounds from the beginning of the word and has to start all over. But once he got "alligator" he was so excited!

We're working each night on getting some reading done before the tv goes on...hopefully we'll be working on books with more than 5 words per page soon...

Dancin round the campfire

2009-09-16T11:16:00.002-04:00

Ethan & Kevin did a lot of dancing around the campfire over Labor Day weekend. Here's a video of what I got to watch - over and over again...

4 years ago

2009-09-16T10:43:00.000-04:00

Can you believe it's been 4 years since we moved to Vermont?

And for comparison...last year at Lake Carmi

2009-09-14T14:51:00.000-04:00

Camping at Lake Carmi

2009-09-10T21:24:00.000-04:00

We went camping with Scott & the boys at Lake Carmi over Labor Day Weekend. The weather was gorgeous. Chilly at night but perfect during the day.

The kids all had a great time. There was lots of bonfire burning, riding bikes, and roasting marshmallows.

I'll post more pictures and even a cute video when I have more time.....

Our new backyard

2009-09-10T19:59:00.000-04:00

This horse (and his buddy who's hiding somewhere out of the shot) live at the farm behind the condos. Sometimes they get fed apples by the boys. I have no idea who these people are though.

First Day of First Grade

2009-09-02T08:19:00.000-04:00

Sorry it's taken so long to update this blog (that's for you Mom) but here's my big boy on his first day of First Grade! He woke up very early and was ready to go...hope he keeps that attitude for many years!

2009-06-19T16:08:00.001-04:00

500 Years Of Female Portraits In Western Art - Click here for funny video clips

Ethan meets a dolphin

2009-06-16T10:40:00.000-04:00

Look what Ethan got to do on his vacation in Florida with Grandma! I always wanted to do this - I'm so glad he got to have such a great time. I don't know what the dolphin's name is but this picture is getting blown up and framed in his room!

Ethan leaves for a vacation w/ Grandma & Grandpa

2009-06-08T15:27:00.008-04:00

This past weekend my friend Michele and I drove Ethan down to Virginia to meet Mom & Dad and let Ethan go back to Auburn with them. It was a very fun adventure and we got some cute photos of the trip...

On our way down to Virginia we stopped at a gas station and got out to stretch our legs. This place had a nice picnic table and lots of green grass for Ethan to run around on.

Just getting into West Virginia - Ethan pulls a Dukes of Hazard move and tries to get out of the car through my window. He insisted on going back in through his window as well.

My sweet smiling boy.

Mommy & Ethan in West Virginia. I guess it would have made more sense if we had taken pictures at all the states we hit but this is the only one we did. Oh well.

This is just a bridge that we drove over. Not sure which one - George Washington maybe? No that was the ride home. Well - it's a bridge.

I just couldn't wake him up without taking a picture. Poor boy was stuck in a car with me and Michele all day then went swimming at the hotel and finally got to sleep after 9:00. This picture was taken around 6:30am I think. Michele and I drove back to Vermont and Ethan drove with Grandpa & Grandma all the way back to Alabama. He was such a great boy both trips.

Here's the Clark Money's with the Clark parents. It's been a long time since I've seen Grandpa. It was nice to have dinner with them, swim at the pool, and have breakfast together before we all got back into cars.

I've heard from Ethan & Grandma a couple of times already today. They drove down to Destin, FL with Michelle Hubbs and her son. They've already been to Mobile to the USS Alabama and some restaurant where they throw rolls (Ethan caught his!) so they're having a blast.

Ethan's last day of Kindergarten

2009-06-05T11:11:00.002-04:00

I didn't bring my camera with me to drop Ethan off at school this morning. He was so cool (as usual at school) and only wanted me to wave as he climbed the bus to go to Camp Holy Cross for Project Inside Out. It's pretty much where the whole school just goes to a nearby campground on the lake and does crafts and stuff instead of real school for the last week.

He doesn't fully realize that he will be missing the ACTUAL last day of Kindergarten. That happens next Tuesday. But Ethan will be with Grandpa & Grandma by that point - we're driving to Virginia to meet them halfway tomorrow.

It is sure to be an adventure.

Look for photos, etc soon to come.

I'm Certified!!!

2009-06-01T20:10:00.001-04:00

It has only taken 9 months. But stealing 5 minutes here and 10 minutes there I have finally completed and passed the QuickBooks Pro Advisor Certification exam!!! Whoo-hooo for me!

05465

2009-05-25T18:12:00.003-04:00

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Ethan Rocks Out

2009-05-19T20:03:00.003-04:00

Ethan came home from the orthopaedist and almost immediately picked up his guitar. Much of the "performance" is words from the tv show that he keeps fading off to watch, a couple of words I've determined are swear words. But regardless - he's really cute!

And now the Green Cast!

2009-05-18T18:49:00.004-04:00

Ethan was pretty curious about everything the doctor did. He had been behaving quite rotten (I even had to drag him from the door into the room when his name was called!) but once the doc showed up with colors of casts to choose from he was having fun again.

Obviously the child is not the least bit hampered by the device on his arm.

Mom - don't worry. Ethan is scheduled to have the cast taken off on June 4th so he'll be able to travel and have a blast with you in Florida!

Monkey Bars & Buckle Fractures

2009-05-12T12:57:00.000-04:00

This is the story of monkey bars and the things little boys will do on them to impress the girls. In this case it was an older girl - the After School Program teacher - but still a girl. Ethan was trying out a new trick that he wanted to show Maya. He attempted to jump from one bar to the next while performing a twist in the air.

Needless to say he was unsuccessful.

After just a few tears and a half hour of ice packs I picked him up and took him straight to the pediatrician. He was given a brace/splint to wear and sent for x-rays.

During the x-rays Ethan was extremely inquisitive about all the machines and how they worked, why he had to wear a heavy gown over his body, why Mommy had to leave the room, when would he get to see the special pictures...

He did great and once he was done we looked at the x-rays. I wish I had a copy of them to post. His left wrist has a bump on the side. The technician said unofficially she declared it a buckle fracture and the doctor later called to confirm this.

Now we have to go see the orthopaedist on Monday and see if it needs to be set and put in a cast or if the brace he's wearing 24/7 (without any complaints yet thank goodness) will be enough to help it heal.

I'll keep you posted...

Ethan turns 6

2009-05-07T14:28:00.006-04:00

My baby is now 6 years old. Here's some cute pictures and a video from the day...

After Ethan opened this gift he took a few pictures and tried to get it to take video but was unsuccessful. This stinks b/c he was sitting there talking to the camera like he was on video and it was so cute. I'm teaching him how to do that tonight. And I'll be uploading some of the pictures he took...

Grandma was here, and then she left.

2009-04-28T15:43:00.006-04:00

Grandma was here for a week and we had a blast. There are only a few pictures taken of those wonderful days.

This one and the next are from my friend Michele's house the day before Grandma left. We had dinner and a very yummy desert.

I think Mom was trying to get Ethan to come back to her lap so she could tickle him after his bath...just like when he was a tiny tot!

We miss you Mom...come back soon!

Who loves Auburn?

2009-04-20T11:58:00.000-04:00

I found this picture from the last time Ethan & I visited Auburn. Look how tiny he is compared to that big Tiger!

Now that Mom's here visiting I've got Auburn on the brain. We're coming back home this October to celebrate Mom's and my birthday - can't wait!

Grandma's Here!!

2009-04-18T19:43:00.001-04:00

We are so happy that Grandma is here. She is the best. Looking more beautiful than ever, loving as much as always - thank you for coming Mommy. I love you so much!

Rock Star

2009-04-13T15:17:00.000-04:00

Ethan got to spend a little time with his Uncle Richard on Saturday while Mommy visited with a client.

His favorite part was rockin out on the bass and singing into the microphone.

Notice the neck tatoo is still in place since last Tuesday - no amount of scrubbing has helped.

Love my little rock star with his authentic attitude! He's got the moves and the look!

Kindergarten Musical Performance

2009-04-09T15:10:00.005-04:00

Who doesn't enjoy listening to 100 children singing "She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain" and "Old McDonald Had a Farm?" The packed auditorium at Colchester High School is proof that at least all the parents love it.

I liked that it was only 30 minutes long.

Ethan was on the back row of course, and from my seat I could only see him when he stood on his tippy-toes looking for me. So I took lots of bad pictures and video of most of his friends. The videos are up on Picasa Web Albums, I'll send you the link when I get a chance.

Scott came with me so Ethan felt very special. That was cool. It's nice to have someone going with you to your child's performances for once.

You might notice his neck looks black. No, this is not due to my horribly photography skills. He has a "tatoo" of a huge tiger on his neck. He thought it would be totally cool. I thought it would wash off before the performance. I was wrong. But his friends did all like it. And he's happy - so that's what counts.

Carry me to Heaven

2009-04-06T22:02:00.002-04:00

The other night- out of the blue - Ethan asked me if his daddy was dead. What do you say to a 5 year old who has seen his father 3 times in the past 3 years?

"No honey - Daddy's not dead. He lives in Florida where his doctors can take good care of him. He's not able to be an everyday-daddy but he'll always be your daddy."

Is that good enough?

"Will Daddy go to Heaven when he dies?" - What kind of question is this for a 5 year old?

"Yes honey - Daddy will be there and so will everyone else that loves you."

"I wonder what it's like in Heaven?"

"Well - in Heaven nobody gets sad or sick, everyone is happy and gets to be with people they love."

Is that the right thing to say?

"We're alive in Heaven right? We're not dead. We have our bodies and we get to play and have fun right Mommy?"

"Yes honey, we're alive and we get to see all the people we love."

"Mommy, I don't want to go to Heaven alone. Will you carry me?"

Choking through the tears I replied "yes honey, I will carry you to Heaven."

So sisters this is where you have to step in - if I'm gone before you - promise him you'll carry him to Heaven!

I can't imagine a day without Ethan. He is absolutely the most wonderful child in the world (except compared to his cousins of course) and I would do anything to make sure he is safe and happy. He is my world and for good or bad I have made him who he is - all the sentiment and emotion he has is from me, all the smarts I give to our father, all the quirkiness is of course also from me - but he is precious. And he has only me. So please - remember him in your prayers and count him as part of your family.

It's tooth #2!

2009-04-02T21:12:00.004-04:00

I missed the first tooth. It happened at school. He came home with a plastic tooth-shaped holder tied to a string around his neck.

This time I was there. I picked Ethan up from ACE (after school program) and Hannah said Ethan had a very loose tooth that was coming out soon. Luckily for me he waited to yank it until we got home 5 minutes later.

The tooth fairy only gives a dollar for this one :)

old Ethan pic

2009-03-25T22:18:00.001-04:00

Found this old picture of Ethan and thought I'd share....

100 Days of Kindergarten

2009-03-19T21:01:00.001-04:00

This post is a little old but it needed to be said.

It's been a while. Ethan is now so grown up. He adamantly describes his age as 5 and a half, not just 5. He's actually closer to 6 but I don't tell him this. He can write all his numbers up over 50 and knows lots of sight words.

Tonight Ethan built a fort - at this moment, 10:26pm he is sleeping in that fort. I give him another hour. With hardly any cushioning beneath him he's bound to wake up soon feeling quite uncomfortable.

He recited my favorite quote tonight, one he's said for a couple of years now. He said "Mommy, I love you. Forever and ever, all the way up to God and back! All the way up to Jupiter and back!"

I love you forever too Ethan.

Ethan Reads!

2009-03-13T10:20:00.000-04:00

Ethan has been doing very well in Kindergarten learning his "sight" words.

He decided to check out Hop on Pop from the library even though we own the book and have read it often.

He came home early from school the other day with a cold and decided he should read his book. Once I realized he was actually reading I got the video camera out to capture the moment.

I didn't catch the best parts, but you can see that he's really trying and can actually read some of the words.

I'm so proud of my little man!!!

My Musician

2009-03-06T21:26:00.000-05:00

Ethan has always loved music. I have videos of him dancing to the Wiggles when he was just a year old.

Mary got him a ukelele for Christmas a couple of years ago and he still rocks out on it like it's a real guitar (which he wants for his birthday this year). I found this old picture of him playing the piano at Mary's when we first moved to Vermont. How adorable is this? I wish he'd stop growing up!!!

Crash the Can

2009-03-01T15:31:00.000-05:00

Ethan's version of kick the can is Crash the Can. With his bicycle. I'm glad the snow is melting and he can ride his bike again.

Special Ethan & Mommy Day

2009-03-01T14:19:00.000-05:00

Ethan has this idea that any day we stay home, just the two of us, that it's a special Ethan & Mommy day. So today we're having one. This consists of me working on the computer, him watching cartoons, and every so often breaks for wrestling or playing with his Bakugons.

According to Ethan we can do whatever we want. For him this means he can watch cartoons and doesn't have to go watch anybody's basketball practice or game, no school or work, and he gets my undivided attention whenever he wants it.

I guess if that's all it takes we can have special Ethan & Mommy days any day he wants!