Ethan & Grandparents

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

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

Tooth #3 has left the building

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

Don't we live in a beautiful state?

HOMEWORK!

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

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...