Ethan's Special Day....

Yesterday Ethan was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. At 8 years old Ethan is able to decipher right from wrong, and is now old enough to be responsible for his actions. Funny because he just told me yesterday he's known right from wrong for at least a year. He likes to let me know he's well above average for his age. It was a special day for him. Shawn's parents made the 1200 mile trek to be here for him. We're all glad they were able to come for a visit. Before the baptism we thought it would be a great idea to get a family picture since we were all dressed up at the same time and in the same place. It was a great idea----in theory. Because Shawn is usually the photographer it makes it pretty tricky for him to be in the shot. He likes to organize us all, then hand the camera off. Once we are ready to go someone else takes the picture. Landon wanted his pacifier, pencil, sippy cup, and coat to join us in the photo. Jackson was cold and refused to pull his arms out of his sleeves. Lovely. That's my family.

After Ethan and Shawn got changed into their white attire we took another photo to document the occasion. I've seen a lot of baptism pictures that resemble this one. Only this time it was all about Ethan.Shawn performed the baptism, and then he and Ethan went into the dressing room to change back into their dry clothes. Ethan was cold from being wet and made the comment to Shawn, "I'm sooo cold on the outside, but I feel really warm on the inside." Priceless. This morning Ethan came out of his room all ready for church. This is pretty typical of him. The atypical thing about this particular morning was his attire. He refuses to wear a tie due to the choking factor. Shirt tucking in is also forbidden due to lack of comfort. This morning both things occurred. He mentioned something about how now that he's 8 he's got to start looking the part. Shawn grabbed a camera to record such a handsome little man. That's what I realize he's becoming. A little man.

Let it Snow...

This afternoon we were blessed with blankets of snow to cover our landscape. It was coming down pretty hard around 3 o'clock when my children arrived off the bus. I figured it was too cold and windy to venture out to play. We spent time in the basement doing usual winter activities. Around 5 I made my way upstairs to start dinner. Before I began cooking I looked out our sliding glass door onto the deck and it looked so serene. Snow was a few inches in depth and the winds were calm. I decided even though the sky was nearly dark, outside is where we needed to be. I quickly blended up some puffed oven pancakes (AKA: hoot-a-nannies, or German Pancakes) and started gathering winter apparel. Dressing 4 kids to play in the snow is no small feat. That's 8 mittens, 8 boots, 4 snowsuits, 4 hats, 4 coats, 3 trips to the bathroom, and various velcro straps, buttons, and zippers. That doesn't include my own winter attire. After everyone was bundled (including myself), and the oven was pre-heated, I popped in the pancakes and set the timer so we could play while dinner was baking.

This was Landon's first real experience with snow, so I was guessing 5 minutes would be how long he would last. Wrong. He loved the white powder. He ate a lot of it, and even plopped down to make a snow angel. At one point I caught him next to the porch on his hands and knees using his body like a steam shovel.

We ran around throwing snow at each other for quite awhile before Ethan figured out a method to actually make a snowball. Snow in the Midwest isn't packing snow like snow out west. It's very powdery. It's hard to make it stick to itself. Ethan found a way and we all started using his method before pelting each other.

The neighbors were out with their shovels, so Jack grabbed one and headed off to work. It didn't seem to phase him that he was the lucky recipient of Kennedy's hand-me-down snow clothes. Pink suit, pink hat, and mittens to match. Lovely.

Shawn pulled in a few minutes after the fun began and helped Jack clear the driveway. With a push broom they finished the job in record time.

Kennedy with a devilish smile holding a snow-weapon.

Ethan being a good sport after being pelted with said weapon.

I ran inside after 30 minutes to turn off the oven, but then headed back out for more adventure. The kids were having such a good time. Landon decided to take off his gloves at some point to play. Shortly thereafter his left boot got stuck in a snow drift and was also removed. At this point calling it a night was an obvious decision. Removal of 7 snow boots, 6 mittens, 4 soggy coats, 4 soaked snowsuits, 4 hats, and 8 wet socks. Into the kitchen to eat warm breakfast-for-dinner covered in syrup. Sounds easy enough, right? At this point in the evening Kennedy was in hysterical tears because Landon ruined her snow-cake covered in raisins that she worked so hard to build, and Landon somehow managed to get a bloody lip. Jackson disappeared and I found him under his bed eating an entire box of candy canes he managed to pilfer from the candy cupboard high above the stove. Ethan doesn't like these kind of pancakes and was foraging in the fridge. Shawn's pager went off and he escaped the chaos. Even though my evening ended differently than the warm-dinner-hot-chocolate-reminiscing-of-our-fun-spontaneous-snow-expedition-adventure that I had envisioned, I'm still glad we were able to experience the wonder of it together as a family.

Ethan...

Yesterday Ethan turned 8. Yep, 8. Where did the time go? I still remember bringing him home from the hospital all wrapped up in clothes that were way too big and feeling totally and utterly overwhelmed at the thought that he was my child. I am amazed at the young man he's turning out to be despite my parenting skills. To celebrate we had a little family get-together. By family I mean Shawn, me, and all his siblings. He opened his presents the second Shawn walked in the door. I was able to hold him off at least that long. (Ignore the fact that he really needs his haircut. Or at least combed.)He received a few things for his Nintendo ds, a CTR ring (a fancy, non-cheap one courtesy of Grandma Deb), a new set of scriptures with his name engraved on them, a scripture case to contain them (also Grandma Deb), Pokemon cards, and an entire bag of starlite mints (courtesy of his kind sister). While I was preparing dinner he spent his time doing this:

Because of birthday tradition in our family Ethan chose what his birthday meal would consist of. He wanted barbecue chicken wings. That's it. I added cheesy garlic potatoes and broccoli to complete the meal because I'm a mom and I'm allowed to do such things. After dinner it was time for cake and ice cream. He is a very specific child when it comes to requests. "Funfetti cake with funfetti frosting. Not homemade frosting, the kind that comes in a can and says funfetti. With those cake candies that spell something like happy birthday. And mint chocolate chip ice cream". Very specific. I honored all his requests. (His shirt is removed due to the messiness of the chicken wings----his idea, not mine. He's a very clean child.)

Tonight was his very first night he was able to attend cub scouts. 8 is the age of entitlement. It was especially fun because Shawn was recently called to be cub master. Boys night out once a week and I don't have to try to figure out scouting on my own. Bonus.Ethan, you are one awesome kid who has a bright future ahead. I'm glad to be able to have a hand in your life. Happy Birthday my little man.

Girls Night Out....

The Nutcracker came to town. Only tickets sold out faster then expected. However, I have connections. They come in the form of a neighbor who loves me enough to think of me when her husband gets free tickets from work. Because of this thoughtful neighbor, Kennedy and I were able to attend this exciting event. We decided we would go all out and start the evening with a little shopping. Walmart was our obvious choice. Kennedy just "really needed something cute to wear to the ballet" and I'm a sucker for cute little girls. Lucky her. After shopping, dinner of course. I asked her if I could take her somewhere she'd never been. I suggested Il Spazio or Ruby Tuesday. She chose Ruby Tuesday, then her eyes started to sparkle and she said, "Ooooh, Mom. Wait! Can we go to Country Kitchen?!" Really? Seriously? Somewhere between trying on clothes and walking to the car she thankfully changed her mind and decided Ruby Tuesday should be where we dine. I was perfectly willing to adhere to her original first choice, but grateful for the change of plans. She ordered chicken strips (of course) but really just wanted the garlic mashed potatoes. A girl after my own heart. Honey mustard came with her chicken fingers. She wanted me to document how she felt about this absurd dipping option.

After dinner we headed to dollar general so she could buy Ethan a birthday present (with her own money), Landon a Christmas present (she drew his name this year), and treats for the ballet. Then we headed to the Baldwin Auditorium to wait in line. It was 6:30 when we arrived and they finally opened the doors at 7:15. Long wait, but she was patient. We ended up sitting 5 rows back. We could see everything on the stage beautifully before it started so we thought sitting this close might eliminate her need to sit on my lap. (And a few friends of mine were in the same row). We took a picture before the show. Kennedy wanted to show off her choice in ballet nourishment.

Once the ballet started I was kind of disappointed where we were sitting. We could see everything happening, but we could only see from the dancers ankles up. We couldn't see their feet. To me, the magic of the ballet is seeing the dancers perched on their toes for excruciatingly long periods of time. I quietly reminded Kennedy throughout the entire production that these girls were up on their toes. If anyone ever gets a chance to take a 6 year old girl to a ballet production, they need to. If not for the experience, for the comments they present.

"Mom, there are 8 dancers up there now."

"Mom, is that Katies sister? Yep, that's her. Wait, that's her. No, I think it's that one."

"Mom, why are these called Mike & Ikes anyway?"

"Mom, are those boys going to lift those girls up so high they touch the curtains? When are they going to do more of those high lifting things?"

"Why are those boys wearing those super tight pants anyway?"

"Mom, where do you think that girl sugar plum fairy got that outfit? I really need one of those tutu kind of skirts that stick out like you're twirling when you aren't and those shoes and the strappy top with it. I need one to practice ballet in."

And how whenever a scene would end, or a dancer would finish a fabulous twirl and we all clapped "Is it already over?" repeatedly until I had to say politely "I'll let you know when it's completely over, okay babe?".

What a great evening I had with a fabulous little girl.

Just Being Jack.....

Jack is curious. And independent. And quite creative. The other day I went looking for him in his bedroom. He heard me coming and started racing about cleaning up his forbidden activity. He knew he was doing something wrong. Yet he did it anyway. He said his Lion just really needed a haircut. He couldn't see his eyes anymore because it just was growing too long. I noticed there was a small bowl filled with water and a soft bristled brush under the belly of his animal. Lion colored fur was scattered about his paws. His hair was brushed downward in nice even strokes. I've explained various times that this particular lion will not have any regrowth. Jack doesn't believe me. I chose to smile and explain that I wasn't happy with his choice, but I'd like to take a picture of his work. He was very proud. Then I confiscated his scissors. They are on the fridge and he needs to ask before he uses them and to explain what they will be used for. I was actually breathing a sigh of relief at this whole scissors-hair-cutting situation because he chose to experiment on a non-living creature. His older sister chose her own hair to be her experiment when she was his age.

A few days ago Kennedy gave Jackson a dollar out of her piggy bank. She said it was because she felt like being nice. Shawn had to run a few errands and opted to take the two kids with him. While standing in line somewhere Jack pulled the dollar out of his pocket and said to Kennedy, "I have a GREAT idea. Let's share the dollar!"

Though he understands the concept of sharing, the concept of money is a little beyond his current ability.

Kennedy....

Isn't she cute? She wants the world to see her new boots.

Crack it....burn it.....almost better

Landon cracks me up lately. Everything he says makes me want to squeeze his little body with love. One of my favorites lately is when I put him into his crib. I say "goodnight. I love you Landon" and he responds with "Crack it. Craaaaack iiiiiit!" Which means he wants me to crack the door, not shut it tight. Funny boy. The other night I was tucking Ethan and Jackson into bed and Landon climbed into Kennedy's baby crib which happened to be on the floor in the boys room. As I kissed Ethan I heard Landon yelling "crack it!". Apparently he thought he was going to sleep in the teensy bed. Who wouldn't want to squeeze this little body?

Landon got a sinus infection last week. I figured it began because of the fungus growing inside the pacifier I partially sliced in an effort to break the habit. I decided I better boil the things to avoid future growth and to kill whatever had invaded. Hysteria insued while I was "cooking" the beloved fussers. I placed Landon on the counter next to the stove so I could explain what I was doing. He was fine when he realized I was just trying to help him and he'd get them back once they were clean. After 10 disinfecting minutes I removed the pot and drained it into the sink. Landon started to cry and I figured it was because he was trying to get down and couldn't. Actually, Kennedy informed me that he touched the burner. His three fingers on his right hand were already blistering. We had him soak them in water and then just watched them continue to blister. He just kept saying "wash it off. Fingers. Wash it off. Fingers." He didn't like the bubbles forming where his fingerprint once was. I felt horrible.

A funny conversation that ensued after the burning fiasco?

Me: Should we take him to the emergency room to see a doctor?

Shawn: Let's just ice it.

Me: What if it's 3rd degree burns?

Shawn: It's too early to tell.

Me: But don't you think we should let a doctor make that call?

Shawn: (calmly) I am a doctor.

Me: I know, but a doctor in the emergency room.

Shawn: (loudly pointing to himself) I AM a doctor!!

Me: Yeah, I know, but.......

Shawn: Jayne. He is fine.