Watching and waiting

Today felt like a whole new world for me. Growing up, my family wasn't big into sports. In fact, we didn't watch or play sports at all! For the past several years we have watched Ethan play a variety of sports, but today was his first game playing "competitive" football.

The energy of the fans was palpable, and surprising to me. And refreshing. In the past, I've always felt a little self-conscious about my loud cheering, clapping and let's be frank, YELLING. It was nice to not be the only one for once.

With it being Ethan's first year on this league, I knew the chances of him playing quarterback (as he had done in his flag football league)were slim. Still, I hoped that during the last four weeks of practice he would get the opportunity to show the coaches what he's got, and that perhaps he might make a good impression. However, in the last two weeks of practice, it became evident that they had chosen their go-to players. Not only that, Ethan hadn't really gotten the chance to do many qb drills, and he was going to play a position for which he probably wasn't well suited.

We are all okay with this. He loves the game.

But as I watched him watching from the sidelines I couldn't help but shed a few tears behind my sunglasses. I know what it's like to wait. And hope. He got to do one play today, but it ended so quickly and I could sense his frustration. I could also see his patience, forbearance. He was going to wait for his chance on the field and be ready for that moment no matter what.

Watching him today reminded me of my own life's journey. He reminded me that as we wait expectantly for the next big thing, what are we doing to be prepared for it?

Ethan is 7 !

Seven years. I can't believe how quickly that time has passed.

In the past twenty minutes I have typed, erased, retyped, erased several sentences...it seems I can't even put into words how I feel, but yet I feel the need to record as much as I can. I have the worst memory, but everyday is filled with wonderful treasures...ones that I wish I would never forget.

Ethan is an amazing boy...smart, funny, high energy, imaginative, creative. He never ceases to amaze me with what he can make, whether it be out of Legos, or out of paper, scotch tape and markers.

Ethan can understand humor and jokes now...sometimes he and I laugh at life together.

He's tall (like his dad), and he stands just a few inches below my shoulder.

He's a responsible older brother and looks out for his two younger sisters. He keeps Kate in line (yikes), and makes sure baby Annabel doesn't eat anything she's not supposed to!

He likes to read and make things. He also keeps asking me for a Nintendo DS! In the meantime, he is wicked good at Rayman Jungle Run on my iPad.

Peanut butter and jelly, pepperoni pizza, and Oreo cookies are some of his favorite foods.

He is a creature of habit, like his dad. He gets a bit bent out of shape if we alter his routine.

He is vocal, like his mom. He expresses EVERYTHING with words.

I should mention that today is also Easter Sunday. For the past several weeks, Ethan has been talking about getting baptized on this day. What a cool thing! We've been careful to not jump the gun here (and no, he did not get baptized today), but the spiritual talks we've had have been inspiring. From a young age, he has asked questions about life and death ("what happens when we die?"). Star Wars has prompted discussions about good and evil (thank you, Anakin Skywalker). We can tell that he senses the tension between the two, and his desire to do what's right usually outweighs his desire to do what he wants to do (but not always). He has also shared with us that he has asked Jesus to "come into his heart."

Wow.

We are so blessed by Ethan. I can't wait to see what God has in store for him.

Happy Birthday, Ethan!

Some video updates

Some highlights of what the kids have been doing this winter...

In the below clip, you can see Ethan just above the music stand, wearing a white shirt. This is his first choir concert :)

In this clip below, we see Ethan's progress at basketball. This was taken at his last game of the season. It's hard to believe that he couldn't even dribble a ball in October!



Lastly, here is Kate at her pre-ballet/pre-tap class. They are rehearsing for their end of the year recital. Kate's in the middle, the only girl NOT wearing any kind of a skirt. Why am I so anti-tutu??? Of course, you should see what their costume is going to be. Totally, offensively girly! Poofs, sequins and all! But hey, you're only 3 once :)

 

Bragging Rights

David and I got a neat email today from Ethan's kindergarten teacher. I just had to post it here for all of you to read for yourselves...check it out : 

I wanted to just share a fun Ethan story.  Yesterday, I had a website up on the smartboard and Ethan told the kids, “It says, Welcome to Your Library” and he was right!  Every day he is amazing me with the new things he can read.  I also assessed him again yesterday on the 61 kindergarten words.  He got 57/61!  When he finishes up the kindergarten list (which I am sure will be soon) I am going to start him on the first grade list.   I’ll send a copy to you when we get to that point.  I am so proud of him!

And we are proud, too! Amazed at far he's come along. We always knew he was good with words, knowing his letters and numbers at a very early age, but to see it all come together in a just a few months has got David and me beaming with pride!!!

Kindergarten

It's been over two months since Ethan started kindergarten and the transition has been a wonderful one! He's made new friends, learned new skills, LOTS of vocabulary from his peers (yikes! Nothing lewd yet), and he's learned to read.

Most mornings dad takes him to school (we live too close for the bus route), but on those mornings when I take him I am often overwhelmed by the same feeling. It's not sadness, not pain (though it's a kind of pain), not regret...

It always happens when I say goodbye to him and he trots off to join his classmates in line. Something about this image of him walking--no running--away from me, fills my eyes with tears and pulls at my heart strings like nothing else.

These are the bittersweet things about growing up. He's only five, but already he does not reach for my hand when we walk across the street. He packs his own bag, gets himself dressed and makes his own bed. I am thrilled at his independence, but these little moments are also a practice in letting him go...because one day he will indeed leave me for good.

Ok...enough of the sob stories...I'm hormonal, and have good reason to be. But that is another post...

These are photos from the first half day of school...

And his first full day...

He is a happy boy in his school...eager to learn new things. And I always anticipate 3:30 when he comes home and tells me about his day :)

Ethan's First Day of Kindergarten--a father's perspective

From my husband's Facebok post today:

Excuse the reflective note…I just dropped Ethan off for his first day of Kindergarten…

I was born in 1961 and started school in the mid-sixtys so some of this may be unkown to you. Do you remember the old TV show “Father Knows Best”?  Well, I have inadvertently become Robert Young’s character all the way down to the names of our children…Let me explain…  I realized two days ago that I usually call Ethan by the name “Bud” and Kate by the name Kit Kat.  If you ever watched the show, you know that the boys name is Bud and the youngest girl is Kathy or Kit Kat.  Now, Robert Young also often referred to the oldest girl as “Princess” and I often call Kate that as well….so here I am in a sitcom re-run living the life.  So as a “super” father  to be, here are some things I learned as I watched Ethan stand in line with the other boys and girls today before they went into class …

1. Ethan is NOT the tallest child in his class( a little disappointed about this).  Though he is tall, there are some GIANT kindergartners out there!  Maybe they’re 6 and not 5?
2. You must have a back pack now and most of them are larger than the child who is wearing them.  When we were kids , there were no backpacks, right?  I don’t remember any.  In fact, I remember always having to carry my books wrapped in paper book covers and my lunch in a brown paper bag (you can’t do that anymore either, it has to be a Star Wars lunch box).
3. Kids don’t tie their shoes anymore (all Velcro) and their teachers don’t teach them to tie shoes anymore.
4. Parents are MUCH more involved in their kids day to day life than when we were kids…there were moms AND dads there to see off their kids off and parents are allowed to eat with their children at lunch every day (and do).

We must have done something right…Ethan has been excited about school for weeks.  He stood in line today happily and even knew several of the boys and girls from other activities in town.  I vividly remember my first day in Kindergarten in New Jersey (we had just moved there in the middle of the year).  I cried the entire time!  I don’t think I talked or interacted with another child until the end of the year (the beginning of my shy period).  Fortunately, I eventually got over it, but I’m so glad that Ethan wont have to deal with all of that…one small victory in parenthood…

Don't Wake Me Up!

This morning I was doing my usual online activities in between refereeing my two kids...ears on them, eyes on my laptop. A few moments passed and I realized that I didn't hear the usual kid banter in the living room. What is going on? I wondered...

I stepped away from my desk and craned my head around to see into the living room. My DARLING ANGELS were sitting side by side...looking at books! Please! Don't ever wake me up from this dream! Sibling harmony and education to boot! I had to take a picture :)

If a Picture Paints a Thousand Words

Mommy with a few of her favorite things

Mom, what is your favorite thing to do?

I love to sing.

What else do you like?

I like to dance.

I don't know how to draw that. What else is your favorite thing to do?

I like to eat.

What else do you like?

Hmmm... Hmmm...

Me? You like me?

Yes, I do like you.

Ethan's 4th b-day party

Finally...a little playdate for my little guy. As you may remember we had to cancel his celebration last week because he was sick. Here he is with his best buds today at our local McDonalds.

Here is the "baby table"

And the birthday "cake"

Ethan's 4th b-day video

Here is a video from Ethan's birthday. Can't wait till we get to celebrate with his friends!

Birthday Boys

The month of March is when I celebrate the two special guys in my life. David and Ethan! It's been a very busy month for us with lots of travel. David's birthday weekend brought us to Michigan for a wedding, and Ethan's special day was interrupted by sickness! Our celebrations have been low-key--a favorite meal, a favorite sweet treat and a few presents. I have to admit, I feel guilty that both these celebrations were not the big "to-do's" that we've tried in years past.

Ethan has had a high fever for the past 3 days, so we had to cancel his birthday play date. Today, he is much better and was able to enjoy some birthday fun. Hopefully we can have his party next week!


You might be wondering about the donuts. Ethan doesn't like cake! So we thought we'd improvise. Sugared donuts are his favorite.

Just for Fun

Here's a video clip of both the kids trying out their legs...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHNvshs0X1I

First Day of "School"

Last Thursday was the kids first day of what we call "play school", or Mornings Out for Moms at one of the churches in our town. On the first day, it was Ethan's turn to bring snacks for his classmates, which is why he's holding that white bag.

Kate did beautifully on her first day. She took a nice long nap in the sleeping room across the hall! I was worried that she would miss her morning nap on her days at school. Looks like I have nothing to worry about!

What did I do the whole three hours I had to myself? Went to my favorite coffee shop, had some good quiet time at the church, then did my grocery shopping! It was a good morning :)

One Final Summer Excursion

In an effort to prolong what little vacation time we have left together, we decided to spend a night at Wildlife Prairie State Park in Peoria, IL. They have several things to do there, like hiking, fishing and seeing the various wildlife they have on display there. It's more of a wildlife preserve than a zoo. This was the first time Ethan had ever gone fishing, and to be quite honest, it felt like the first time for David and me! We borrowed a friend's fishing pole, bought some bait at a nearby gas station, and tried our luck at the pond outside our cottage. We rented what they called a "double cottage", which really was two mini silos connected together.


Ethan loved to climb up to the top bunk.

Our little cottage had everything you could need. Mini fridge, tiny stove, sink, microwave, coffee maker, tv, and bathroom. The separate bedroom had 3 trundle beds in there!

The highlight of the trip was riding on the little train that tours parts of the park. If you know our boy, he LOVES trains.

So, that's it. David goes back to work in just a few more days! Can't wait for the Fall and all the fun harvest festivities that await!

Like Father Like Son

I looked out our patio door yesterday, and this is what I saw...