Project Man

Ethan has been keeping himself busy with some projects of his own lately.

Ethan found an old swiss army knife that was missing a handle at a previous scout camp.  He decided to fabricate his own handle for it out of popsicle sticks.  He glued a stack of them together with wood glue, then cut them in half length-wise, making two equal sides.  He then carved each side to fit the knife, securing them on with super glue.  

Once the handles were in place, he sanded them smooth. Eric found a can of stain and they stained them together.

Ethan's next project was a rubber band gun. He has played with one before, and saw how the mechanism worked to load and fire a series of rubber bands, so he decided to make one for himself. From memory, he assembled his own version out of--what else--popsicle sticks.

The pictures don't do this gun justice. It is full of moving parts that shift and slide next to each other to make the next band descend to be fired.

Ethan's most recent project has been a miniature Millennium Falcon which is laser cut from metal sheets. He punched the pieces out and assembled them, following the blue-print instructions. The packaging said for 14 years and up, so we had to give him a hard time about not being old enough to assemble it, which was laughable.  He had the thing completed in several hours.

I am continually amazed with what this kid comes up with. Most of it is on his own, without any guidance from me or Eric. He has a unique way of looking at things and how they operate, calculating ways to replicate them or even make them better. I love his creative mind and intense focus. It is a pretty inspiring sight to watch him when he is in "the zone."

 

I can only imagine what this little man of mine is capable of achieving....anything!

Ethan's Sunset

(Ethan had an assignment to write a poem about a sunset for his English class. He said that he didn't know how to write a poem. I told him to just write what came to his head when he thought of a sunset. He said, "I'm going to write about a sunset in Hawaii." This poem just made all the money spent on this last trip worthwhile.)

Sunset

by Ethan White

Yellow, red, orange, and purple,

These are the colors of sunset.

Birds flying around for the last of the day,

Searching for fish.

Not a single cloud in sight,

Just the brilliant colors of sunset fill the horizon.

The sounds of waves fill the air,

Their rhythmic beat drumming on the sand.

The smell of salt tingles your nose,

Making you dream of one last swim.

(I think that this kid knows how to write a poem....)

Soccer Mom

We can now call it Fall because the craziness of soccer season has begun!

 

This year, Ethan moved up a division, to the U16 boys team. There are only two teams in his division in the league which we play in (Northwest Christian Sports League), so they will play each other every week.  I volunteered to be the Team Mom again this year, crazy me.  I love it, though.  I love getting to watch these boys grow and develop over the season, getting more confident in their skills and stronger in their stamina.  I also love taking pictures of all the players.  Every year for the last three seasons I have put together a slide show with kickin' music, showcasing the boys and making them all look like rock stars.  The boys eat it up, and I love watching their reactions as they see themselves blown up larger than life on the screen.

 

New for this year, Erica has started her first season of soccer!  She has loved kicking the ball around and running around the field with all her new friends.  I couldn't believe that she let me put all the gear on her: the shin guards, long socks, shorts, and cleats.  My little princess, who refuses to wear anything other than a dress and pretty shoes, was so excited to play, that she let the no-skirt policy slide.  I think the sweetest part has been watching Ethan teach her a few moves.  Even before practices began, he had set up his goal and was running drills, showing her how to kick the ball into the net.  I love that boy!  I think that all the attention he gave her was the main driving force behind how excited Erica was to play!

 

On Wednesday night, Ethan's team played a special Parent vs. Boys scrimmage.  Since Eric was out of town, I got roped into playing.  I have never played a game of soccer in my life.  Sure, I've kicked a ball around a little, but never an actual game, with thirteen-year-old boys pounding down the field at you, their dangerous cleat-covered feet slipping around your unprotected shins, a look of maniacal determination in their eyes.

 

Yes, I screamed...a few times.

 

The line from "A League of Their Own," where Tom Hanks bellows to the all-girls team: "There's no crying in baseball!!!" kept ringing in my ears.

 

Despite the fact that I completely embarrassed myself with my inability to play any sort of sport whatsoever, I had a really great time.  The boys clobbered us 5-3, and Ethan scored three of their goals!  That's my boy!  He must get it from his dad....My score was: 0.

 

The highlight of the evening was rushing to my meeting scheduled at the church right after the game.  I went running into the church, sweat drenching the back of my hair enough that I could wring it out.  I wrapped myself up in a jacket to hide the stink, and pretended that I was a super cool mom, because I was playing so hard with our soccer boys.

 

Of course, super cool soccer moms probably wouldn't even break a sweat.

 

After all, there's no crying in soccer!



Birthday Boy

Hard to believe, but Ethan turned twelve years old on Friday!

 

He started the day opening presents before school.

 



Ethan's special gift this year was a scenic flight over Seattle! He is so excited!

 



After school, Ethan and Eric went with the 11-year-old scouts for his last campout with them. They had a great time hanging out with the boys. It was perfect weather.

 



Today we completed the celebration with Ethan's birthday cake. I used a new recipe and it turned out soooo yummy! It is a triple-layer rich chocolate cake with chocolate butter-cream frosting.

 



And did I mention it is covered in CANDY?!

 



Here is a view of his twelve "candles."

 



Today was a big day because Ethan was ordained to be a Deacon at church and given the Aaronic Priesthood. I am so proud of him and the young man he is becoming!

 



We love you, Ethan!

Happy Birthday!

 



Ethan's Battle Wounds

On Saturday Ethan was out playing with his friends, doing who-knows-what-eleven-year-olds-do, when he got hit in the eye with some sort of flying object.  He came home with a bloody eye, having split the skin both above and below his eye.  Luckily, he didn't need stitches.  We just taped him up the best we could and applied plenty of ice. 

That was yesterday.  Today, he woke up with the huge purpley-red bruise on his eyeball.  He has been panicked about it ever since!  He didn't want to go to church today, and he doesn't want to go to school tomorrow!  Of course, I still made him go to church today, and yes, I will still make him go to school tomorrow, but his reaction surprised me!  He is self-conscious about the red eye.

I can't say that I blame him that much.  After all, Erica and Elise won't go near him!  I just thought he would want to show off his "battle wounds," which make him look like a tough dude!

Arrow of Light

We had a light spot today in the middle of all the recent gloom when Ethan was awarded his Arrow of Light and was conducted into the Boy Scouts!  It was a lot of hard work, and I wasn't sure if we were going to pull it off!  I am so proud of Ethan!  Today he received his Webelos badge, Compass Points Emblem, Arrow of Light Award, nine activity badges, and four belt loops.  Way to go, Ethan!

Ethan was specially presented with his awards and crossover by "Chief Williams."

Eric painted on Ethan's first markings, a white stripe he chose to go down Ethan's nose!

Sister LeBaron, our Cubmaster, gave Ethan his second markings in blue.

Brother McKee gave the third, yellow markings in a very creative manner!

Ethan was then presented with a specially handcrafted arrow, complete with a real arrow point, to signify his Arrow of Light Award.

Then it was time for Brother Campbell, his new Boy Scout Leader, to add the finishing touches in green.

Ethan then crossed the bridge to be welcomed into the Boy Scouts, where he received his new neckerchief.

And how could a fun night of awards end any differently than enjoying a smoothie at Jack-in-the-Box!

Congratulations, Ethan!

I'm so proud of my new Boy Scout!

Chaos is....

four kids, going to four different schools!

Yes, we have approached the inevitable, and it only gets worse from here!  Not only are all four of my kids in school now, they all happen to go to four different schools!

Wednesday was the first day back for the three older kids.  They were each a mixture of excitement and dread.  I, on the other hand, was ecstatic to get back into a regular routine!  Of course, first we had to survive that first dreadful week where buses are eternally late, nobody knows were to go, and I can't find a single gluestick in this entire stinkin' town!

Heidi returned to Cascade High School, as a Sophomore this year.  My little girl is all grown-up, dreaming of Driver's Training and college applications.....She starts every morning bright and early, heading off to her early-morning Seminary class at 6:00 am, before riding a bus to school.  She was the most excited of all the kids to go back to school.  I'm sure she missed hanging out with her friends, since she was stuck at home while I was at work for the majority of the summer.

Ethan returned to Jefferson Elementary, now at the top of the school as a big 5th grader.  He is looking forward to being able to go to 5th grade camp later this month.  It's his last year in elementary school, and I can hardly believe it.

Elise started up again at Forest View Elementary, in the Life Skills class, as a 2nd grader.  She has the same great teachers as last year, which I am very happy about.  Her teachers are wonderful with her, and she has some fantastic therapists who work with her as well.  Everyone there loves her, and she comes home everyday with a new hairstyle that someone has taken the time to do.  Some of them are silly, some are cute.  I am just amazed that she lets them touch her hair, since I can hardly do anything on her without a serious tantrum ensuing.

Erica started preschool at Miss Maryanne's Einstein Academy on Thursday.  She was sooooo excited to go to school like the big kids!!  When I took her picture in front of the door, she insisted on turning so I could see her backpack, which she is extremely proud of.  When I asked her what she did on the first day, she replied,

"Ummmm, painted!" 

"What did you paint?"

"Ummmm, pink!"

"What else did you do?"

"Ummmm, I eated!"

"What did you eat?"

"FISHIES!!"

What more could a three-year-old ask for, than to paint and eat goldfish crackers?  Miss Maryanne knows the way to a toddler's heart!


This is going to be a great year.....CHAOTIC, for sure.....but GREAT!

Birthday Boy and the Parent Bowl

Ethan turned eleven years old today.  Only one more year, and he will graduate from Primary and receive the Aaronic Priesthood.  I can hardly believe it!

Despite the fact that it was also the first day of school, I think Ethan had a pretty good day.  He woke up excited to pack all his new school supplies in his backpack and run off to the bus, meeting up with his friends.  After school, he had a special soccer practice, the last before our first game!  They played in a Parent Bowl, where the kids were teamed up against the parents.  Both sides fought hard and dirty!  One of the boys even taunted one of his 30-year old opponents, calling him grandpa!  We all had a pretty good laugh over that one!

In the end, the kids beat the "grandpas" four to three.  It was a close match!

When we got home, and after the men of the household grabbed a quick shower, (believe me when I say it was a necessity before we could proceed!) we enjoyed birthday cake and opened presents.  Ethan had requested a gingerbread cake for his birthday.  I racked my brain to figure a fun way of decking it out, considering I don't frost a gingerbread cake.  We serve it with whipped cream instead.

As I looked at that very brown cake, all I could think of was dirt. 

And mud.

Nothing says Happy Birthday like a pile of slop.....which sort of reminded me of......

a soccer field, of course!!

So here is my soccer star, in miniature form, scoring that all-important goal!

I thought it was clever, anyway, and it made us laugh at the optical illusion!

It was fun to see my Little Man as a.......little man!

Welcome to Your Own Private Island!

Ethan just participated in the annual Cub Scout Cake Bake Auction! The theme this year was "Oh, the places you'll go!" Eric and Ethan schemed together to create this year's masterpiece:

"Welcome to your own private island! Where the sun always shines and the water is crystal clear! The island is made of extra-dark chocolate cake, made from scratch, covered in a layer of pecan and coconut icing. Soak some rays on the lovely sandy beach. Or hang ten on a white-chocolate surfboard in the pina colada-flavored waters of a sugar-candy ocean. Whatever you choose, you will be sure to have a delicious adventure!!"

Victorious Vikings

Saturday was Ethan's last soccer game of the season. His team, the Vikings, had a fantastic season! We saw improvement in all the boys and they all seemed to really bond together. His coaches were amazing! I really hope he can be on the same team next year.Ethan played keeper for most of the games. He seems to really like the position and was really fantastic at it. NO FEAR. I know he doesn't get that instinct from me!
Ethan protected his goal and blocked countless strikes. He was a great asset to the team.

During Ethan's last game he wanted to play midfield, so he had a lot more contact with the ball. I couldn't believe how aggressive he was! He went after it!

I'm so proud of my Viking boy!