Happy 6TH Birthday EThan!

Ethan had a great birthday. It started with him waking up to streamers on his bedroom door, and opening presents before school. We got him what he asked for, "roller skates with 2 wheels on each side (for wheelers lol), and big boy underwear". He didn't want the character underwear anymore, because "those are for babies". He was most excited when he opened the underwear.

Boston gave him his box of treasures which included all his bouncy balls and magnets. (Ethan used the stuff to make surprise bags for Aubrie, Boston and Ethan later that night...so sweet).

He also got some Tilly's clothes from my Mom. (Boston's suggestion of course).

Later that morning I brought donuts to his class and they all sang Happy Birthday. His teacher made it really fun. He got to pass them all out, and when the sang they waved their donut in the air, and they couldn't eat them until Ethan said they could. Field Day was going on, and Aubrie and Boston saw us outside and got to take part.

After school he had a birthday party which included pizza, a bounce house, pin the nose on the clown, and lots of boys playing on the basketball court, tether ball court, teeter totter, swings, soccer course, etc. It's amazing we only had two minor injuries. Ethan got tonz of Lego's and Transformer gifts to keep him busy for days. It was a great party and a great day for Ethan! He was very happy and said he had a great birthday!

Gotta love when one of the kids asks, "Do we all have to share that cake?" They were actually falling for it when I said "yes", and that would all get a small piece. They were happy when we brought out the ice cream bars! BTW that is Ethan under that hat!
It's really hard to believe that my Ethan is six! I'm not sure if it's because I was barely pregnant with him when we moved here, so that means we have almost been here 7 years, or if it's just because my baby has grown up so fast! So far Ethan has seemed to grow up quicker than the rest. I'm sure I'll be changing my tune when I send Sophia to her first day of school. But for now, I feel like it was yesterday that he was my little 18 month shoveling ice cream in his face in the early hours of the morning, before we came downstairs and caught him. He was the reason we started storing ice cream in our garage freezer!

He was an AMAZING baby, and has been such a GREAT kid! He is always wanting to serve, give gifts, and wanting to do his very best. He is my little crafty, creative boy, with an imagination that squashes mine. While we all think his calling lies in being an amazing architect, he currently thinks being a policeman would be really cool. Ethan's eyes light up when he smiles, and his laugh is contagious. He is a great student in all venues, and though it may seem like he isn't listening to anything you are saying at times, as he drifts off into his own world, he really takes in more than you realize. He is a boy of many emotions, quick to anger and tears and then laughing within the same minute. Most of the time he doesn't like attention, unless he is purposefully commanding it. You know when those times come, as he is usually doing a funny dance, or something of the sort. He is a good brother, and a blessing to have as a son! Here's to 6 great years with an amazing boy, and looking forward to an eternity!

Going Yellow

Ethan tested for his yellow belt the night before his birthday. He did very well, and we were all impressed with all the things he has learned in such a short period of time. He started in August in the little kicks class (for 3 to 5 year olds) and they moved him up in January with the older boys. His Sensei said he is a fast learner and they absolutely love him. It will be fun to see him in action at a tournament one of these days! (When soccer or dance isn't interfering!)

When we first got there they took Ethan back to the Dojo and closed the curtains (they were super serious) as they did some pretesting. Then they let family in and we waited as they prepared for the second part of the test. Ethan just sat on the mat, center of attention, while we were waiting to start. Can't take the goofiness completely out of him. I LOVE that about him!

His Sensei began by asking him questions, such as what do particular Japanese words mean, proper Dojo etiquette, etc.
Then he called out particular moves that Ethan had to demonstrate with exactness.

Then Ethan had to demonstrate the first 4 Kata's, which also had to be done with exactness. It's like choreography for Karate.
Then his Sensei tested him on his defense moves for several attacks. Several of the defense moves included a knee to the groin. He got those one's down very well! (I hope his teacher was protected! Ouch)
Last, he quizzed him on some moral issues, such as stealing, using his Karate improperly, etc.
After his test was complete, his Sensie and his assistants left to grade his test. They left for several minutes, and then came back with the results. He is allowed 2 major and 4 minor to pass. He only had one minor mistake. He told Ethan that is was tradition to get your belt off the wall. You can see a few of them hanging above the mirror. He told Ethan he couldn't touch the mirror and that he had to figure out a way to get it. Ethan was taking him seriously, and even took the offer for a boost. When the teacher realized he was really trying to find a way to do this, he then also offered him the one behind his back. Ethan finally got the joke. It was a fun way to end such a serious event.

The belt ceremony!

Way to go ETHAN!!!!!!

5

Another weekend quickly slipped through our fingers dateless. I can't remember why we didn't go out last weekend, but this weekend was due to soccer. We had 5 soccer games! I have to admit that once upon a time, the thought of our weekends being filled with soccer did not interest me AT ALL!!! I loved having free Saturday's and didn't want to be burdened with commitments every weekend. However, this weekend was a lot of fun.

Aubrie had a dance practice from 4:30 to 5:30, and a soccer tournament game at 5:30. I pulled Aubrie out of dance 10 minutes early and rushed her to the fields. She made it there just in time. The first team they played for the tournament was the hardest team in the league. They were undefeated, and for a good reason. They have a player who is AMAZING. Aubrie's team held them till half time, and then they scored a goal. Towards the end, they put Aubrie in as goalie, and for some reason there was a penalty kick. My heart was in my stomach knowing how nervous Aubrie must have been. She actually blocked it, but then it put a spin on the ball that caused it to roll over the top of her head. Aubrie was holding strong after that, until another goal was made about 5 minutes later. She started to cry and looked like she was about to take her goalie jersey off, and then Ben started saying something to her, and she stopped. We never made a goal, and so it didn't matter that she had those two goals scored on her, after all, but she still was being very hard on herself. I kept telling her what a good job she did, and how I wouldn't be able to stop anything if I were in there. By the time we got to the car, she seemed to cheer up and forget about it.

When we got home from her game, we stuck around for the rest of the evening, waiting for a potential buyer to come and look at our table. YES, I finally listed it and we FINALLY sold it. I'm kicking myself for not getting on that earlier. (Like in November!) Oh well, I try to tell myself that that family is the one who needed it! While we were waiting for them to come, we started getting ready for our garage sale next Saturday. The boys grouped all their toys in Ziploc and priced them, while my Mom, Aubrie and I went through all the baby stuff, clothes, etc, in the garage. I was thrilled how much the kids got into it. Aubrie was the most enthralled. She was cleaning up old shoes, and collaborating with my Mom on what the best price would be for everything. At first she was expecting to get way to much for things, but by the end of the night was getting a good feel for it. I'm feeling pretty organized and prepared for this one. I hope it doesn't rain!

After the girl looked at the table, we put the kids to bed and headed next door to play games with our neighbors for about an hour. We have been praying that a LDS family with kids our age would move in there, and our prayers were answered. The kids get along great, as we do with the parents. It's been wonderful.

Saturday was a FULL exciting day. In the morning we cleaned the house and the yard, and I helped Boston work on his spotlight poster for next week. Our first tournament game of the day was Ethan's, at 12:30. He had two games, back to back. The neighbor kids wanted to come and watch. (I'm sure it had nothing to do with the kids telling them all about the free bounce houses, face painting booths, etc. that they have set up during the tournaments! LOL) Though it was fun, I was quite anxious trying to keep an eye on all of them. I started to wonder how people do it with six kids, and then Ben reminded me that typically they are not all under the age of 10, and your not so anxious watching after your own kids. Anyway, back to the games. Ethan did GREAT!!!! He played aggressively the whole time. It's like someone lit a firecracker under him. He was really enjoying himself, and did well! They lost the first game and won the second. After the games, they had an award ceremony.

Look at him...so proud of his medal.

I thought we would have some time in between Ethan's and Aubrie's game, but it didn't work out that way. By the time we corralled all the kids together and waited in line for pizza, it was time for Aubrie's first game. Craig and Jody came for Aubrie's first game to see the kids. Aubrie's first game was awesome. Aubrie scored a goal, kicking a high ball into the net. She was SOOOOO excited; jumping all over! She really needed that after the night before. That really bumped her confidence. She played so hard and Ben and I agreed she played the best ever. They won that game 1-0.

Then next game was INSANE. First of all, it started raining, and the wind was blowing like crazy. No goal had been made, and with about 3 minutes left in the the game, the other team had a penalty against them. The girl on our team got a direct kick and kicked it right over all the girls heads, barely making it in the net, winning the game for our team! The girls and parents were so excited. Aubrie's team ended up taking second place in the whole league in her division.

What a great experience this has been for her, being on this team and having such awesome coaches. We all went home on a high! Both kids wouldn't take their medals off their necks all night, even when they got in their PJ's they still had them on. This morning, when they woke up, they both put their medals back on. So cute!

Left Overs!

So catching up on a months worth of blogging has taken me 2 1/2 hours so far! Whew! The sad thing about "catch up" is all the little things that are forgotten about. "Other things" included a new hair cut for Aubrie and I, which included bangs for both of us, and a darker shade for me! There were also weekly trips to the library, visiting teaching appts. , soccer practices, games, school projects, etc. There was also a fun Daddy/Daughter dance at the elementary school, with a Hawaiian theme! Aubrie looked forward to it for weeks, planning her outfit out way in advance. She had a blast! Her and Ben came home as limbo contest winners! This Saturday we FINALLY cleaned up our garages, and now I can finally feel a little peace as I pull into my garage everyday, and can move freely when I go out there to get something from our second fridge!

Here are a few pictures that were left out of the other posts and have a story of their own!

Ethan had some left over stickers from a Valentines project I gave him. This is what he did with them. His cards will never get old!

If you know how my house is decorated, you might notice something different about this arrangement. Several years ago, my friend Terri was trying to tell me that I could add blue to my red decor, after telling her how I wish I could redecorate with blue. I finally thought I would give it a shot, and grabbed these flowers, and few blue accessories, including a few of these pots in different sizes. The verdict is still out. If I decide I like it, I'll actually arrange these flowers (their just bent in half and stuffed in there for now. ha ha) and buy some more blue stuff!

After frantically trying to get together passport applications for the family, we luckily found out that all you need is the paperwork that you have applied for and paid for your passports to get out of Mexico on land. Here are a few pictures I took for them, that I was informed couldn't be used because you could see the DOOR in the background! Good ole Walmart was our backup plan, for 10 dollars a pop!

Boston had his first Blue and Gold Banquet last month. They celebrated the 100th anniversary of boyscouting with a BBQ, pinata, and cake and ice cream. Boston directed the flag ceremony for the first time. They gave him a little cheat sheet, and he read out loud "#1, #2, etc." He was embarrassed when he realized what he was doing, but I reinforced that he did a great job!

The picture of this table is kind of an inside joke. I keep taking new pictures of our table to post on Craigslist, but they never get posted. Maybe I'll get around to it this weekend. It would be nice not top have 16 chairs spread out through our house! LOL

When we went to check out the new swing set, they had a pile of pavers on the side of the house. Ethan and the boys of the sellers started stacking them. Sophia went over there to help, and Ethan didn't see her hand on the last paver stacked as he slammed a new on on top. A huge blood blister formed, and the top of her nail was bruised. She cried all the way home, and I was afraid she had broken it. When she woke up the next day she started moving her finger saying, "See, my finger is better!" For several days, including all day at church, she would go up to random people telling them all about how her brother slammed her finger on some bricks! What a tattle tale! LOL The blood blister finally went away yesterday, and Ethan accidentally slammed her hand in the car door today. It looked like a golf ball was growing on the top of her hand. She was doing better right before bed, but Ethan is not on her good side this month!

Suns Game

Aubrie's dance team had the opportunity to perform for the Suns half time show last Wednesday. Last year they did the pregame game show, which honestly wasn't as exciting. This time they had a much bigger audience! Aubrie was super excited, and so was Boston, because it gave him the opportunity to go to the game! Funny what one year can do for a kid. Last year, Boston was sorta into the game, but ready to go by half time. This year he was was upset when we left with 5 minutes on the clock to avoid traffic. We let him listen to the game on the way home, and avoided ALL traffic.

Aubrie did great, as did the rest of her team. We had nosebleed seats, but still had a good view of the court. Ethan was more interested in the food and wanting to rest on our laps. Even though we ate before the game, Boston had nachos (his new favorite) and Ethan had this huge cookie, which he was done with after a few bites.

After the half time performance, we thought we could make a quick exit with Aubrie, without Boston figuring it out. We were surprised when Aubrie said she wanted to stay and watch the game, so that's why we ended up staying. Aubrie was getting into the game with the rest of us.

It was a great time! I'm beggining to see the dynamics of our little family changing, as a bigger portion is actually enjoying a sporting event! Spring training games and BYU football here we come!:)

Girls Day Out!

So in the past couple of years I have found a weekend a year to take off with friends. Since life is busy, and time and money is tight, a girls day out on the town was perfect this year. Some good friends of mine put together an amazing day of non-stop shopping last weekend. This was the day the Swing Set was coming. As I was getting ready to go, it started to rain. (Poor swing set guys had to take down and set up the swing set in the rain!) It rained all day, but some rain wasn't about to keep a bunch of girls from tearing up the town!

We started our day at Last Chance, a Nordstrom's outlet store, cheaper than the Rack. I wasn't in the mood to "dig", so I headed over to Marshall's and found some great shoes!

After Last Chance/Marshall's we headed off to some boutiques in downtown Mesa. They were fun to look at, but honestly were not in my price range, and the things that were didn't interest me. The company was fun though, and so was the stop at Sweet Cakes; a local restaurant. I had a great chicken salad sandwich, and some yummy broccoli soup (not as yummy as mine, but it was still good!;). After the boutiques, we hit some fun furniture and home decor stores. I definitely want to take Ben to one of them, The Potato Barn, when we decide to replace the boys furniture, and finally sell our baby furniture and buy Sophia a dresser. Seriously cute, cute pottery barn type furniture for 1/2 the price!

The home decor stores took us till about 5pm. We made a stop at the Chandler Mall, to hit Down East Outfitters. That store is where I hit and surpassed my spending limit (not that I really gave myself one, but it's just a feeling I get more than anything...ha!ha!). I did justify the fact that I was in dire need of undershirts, and summer dresses. There was also the cutest trench coat that everyone was talking me into because it was my size and on sale. Of course, they didn't have to twist my arm too much!

After the mall, we hit a jean party held at some one's house. I scored a cute pair of capris (since none of my old ones fit me...YEAH!) and shorts. After spending way too much time there, we headed off to Cafe Rio for dinner. Though the shopping was definitely fun, chatting in the car and in between stores was my favorite. Life is so busy I feel like there is never really enough time to talk to all my friends very often. What a great time to catch up and remember the things that brought you together in the the first place. One thing I am always giving thanks for is my friends. I'm blessed with GREAT friends! Thanks to all you for helping me feel loved and sane!

Hazard Free Yard....Finally!

So When we moved here, we bought an awesome swing set from Sams. It had tonz of cool features, but we quickly learned that cool features doesn't mean great construction. Wood started to split, and Ben tried replacing a few pieces of wood that ended up creating our "leaning tower". That's what I liked to call it. I knew it was bad when my Dad commented on it when he was here for a visit. I knew it was time to check Craigslist for a used Rainbow set. They are great sets, but much too pricey for me to feel good about buying new. I knew the EXACT set I wanted and started to feel frustrated when I couldn't find anything I wanted on Craigslist. A week prior I finally found the set I wanted, but when Ben drove all the way to Mesa to check it out, we were left disappointed. It was extremely old and full of splinters.

Well, two Friday's ago, my prayers were finally answered. (Is it ok to pray for a swing set? LOL). I had just come off a really long day, and from a night with NO sleep. Ben came home a little early, to let me get a quick nap before our date. As I was trying to fall asleep, something said "Check for swing sets". I brushed it off wanting a nap so badly. Again, something said, "Check for swing sets RIGHT NOW!" I quickly got up grabbed my computer and there it was....the EXACT swing set I wanted and for a GREAT deal. We quickly called the people for availability and they said it was ours if we wanted it. We rushed Aubrie off to Dance, and then headed over to Anthem to look. It was in PERFECT condition. It was only a year old, and had just been stained. We called the swing set "movers" and made an appointment with them to get it the next day! I don't know who was more excited, me or the kids? Ben woke up early the next morning to tear the other one down. Aubrie had fun helping.

When I came home from my girls day out (next post) the leaning tower was gone, and here is what stood in it's place.

Silly as it may sound, I know that Heavenly Father not only hears our prayers for needs, but wants, too. Of course, maybe he could see a hurt kid in our future with the old one, and decided to help us out a little! Either way, I know his hand is in everything!!!