Ethan the Detective

This kid is hilarious. I can talk to him all day and be fully entertained. I truly love discovering the inner workings of his brain.

Ethan just came home from school and was telling me about a kid on the bus who was bragging about having a black belt. Ethan told the kid he has a "church" belt. Then he explained to  me how he varifies whether or not someone is lying to them. He said that he makes something up to test the person with. In this situation, he noticed a pine cone and asked this kid if he knew "Pine-Fu". When the kids said, "Yes", Ethan had all the proof he needed that the boy was lying.

Camelback Hike

Cory and I are going to hike the Grand Canyon the end of September so we are trying to do a little training. This morning we hiked Camelback Mountain in Phoenix. Its a good little hike and ends with a beautiful view of the city. It's definitely a great way to start a day.

Considering that I really haven't been working out much lately, I was pretty surprised at how well I did. Of course Cory is always in amazing shape.

Trouble

I've been calling Canon, "Trouble" for some time now. Today he solidified ownership of this name. Let me explain.
   This very innocent looking baby is addicted to technology. We had a good group of people over last night for a meeting, including all their kids. It was chaos. Canon was screaming so I let him use my phone so that I cold function. Cory was MIA at the time.
   After the crowd dispersed I couldn't find my phone. I was way too tired to look then so I figured I would find it in the morning.
   Come morning, still no phone. I wasn't worried. Canon always hides things in his toy bins or a kitchen drawer or the kids bedrooms, or the trash can. I figured we would find it after church.
   After church we got serious about looking. I dug through toy bins and emptied the garbage can piece by piece. The kids pulled all the cushions of the couch and looked in all the usual spots. Still no phone.
   Cory said he really hoped he didn't take it outside because we had irrigation this morning. I didn't even remember him going outside so I didn't think that was a problem. But I went to check. As I gazed out the back door toward the play set I could see a purple and tourquoise rectangle sticking up on the berm. There was my phone. It had been outside all night and took and eight hour swim in the mornings irrigation. It was a lost cause. The phone was less than a month old. My very first iphone. I am not a happy mommy. Yes, I should have found it earlier. No, he didn't have a clue what he was doing. Nevertheless, I am still super frustrated. I'm actually in a state of denial. I can't believe this actually happened. I keep telling myself that its just a phone. Unfortunately it wasn't a very cheap phone. Canon owes me some serious cuddle time! He is lucky that he is so darn cute!

Averi's Quote of the day

Averi was eating an apple today and said, "It would be a LOT easier to eat this apple if I had teeth." She then continued to chomp down with her side teeth. It looked complicated for sure.

Another Elmo Lover!

 

We were reading scriptures tonight and every time Cory said "Alma", Canon would scream and repeat, "Elmo". Seriously hilarious! He can only say a few words: Mama, Dada, stinky, uh oh, and of course Elmo! He has a pair of Elmo pajamas and he brings them to me all the time to put on. One day he even walked around with the shirt draped over his head until I could put it on. Another day I was driving through a parking lot and he starting yelling "Elmo". I looked around and sure enough there was an Elmo poster hanging in the window of Party City. I don't think his obsession is quite as bad as Averi's yet, but it might very well be on the way. I love my little Elmo lover!

Ethan in a Nutshell!

Ethan always makes me smile. This boy has a brain that is capable of achieving incredible things. There are no limits to what he cam accomplish because there are no limits to what he can imagine. If he puts his mind to it, he will accomplish it.

He just asked me if he could stay up all night to see if he can become nocturnal. I'm sure he probably could.

The problem lies in the fact that the "thing" has to be something HE wants to do. I can't give him a goal. HE has to want it himself. For example, WE helped him set a New Years goal in January to read The Book of Mormon. He had only gotten part way through 2 Nephi by mid July. Then he suddenly wanted something really bad. (Pokepark 2) I was so tired of hearing him beg for that game that I told him I would buy it for him when he finished reading The Book of Mormon. Well, less than 2 weeks later I found myself at Target. We are so proud of his amazing feet. I'm sure there are very few 9-year-olds who read it cover to cover. What a little stud!

"Giddy" would be the word I would choose to describe this moment.

On the other hand, if he isn't interested in something it literally erases itself from his thoughts. It just refuses to process. For example, this intelligent child has no interest in tying his shoes. He is 9 1/2. Cory bought him tie shoes for school this year so I have spent much time forcing him to practice. It is torture, but the skill is slowly developing.

Another example occurred yesterday as we were watching the Olympics together. Ethan asked me, "Is this like Ultimate Tennis or something?" I cringed because we were watching volleyball. :-) He has no interest in any sports and pays them absolutely no attention. 

He can be brilliant or completely clueless based purely upon his own interest. I feel that it is our job as his parents to cultivate positive interests. I love Ethan so very deeply. I love to sit and talk to him. I truly never know what I will hear. I feel so confident that he will do great things because he has truly gained his own testimony. He has learned to pray and receive answers to his prayers. His tender heart recognizes the spirit as it guides him through life. Ethan may drive me crazy at times, but I will always cherish these childhood years because I know that one day he will be very busy doing great things in this life. He is needed. But for now, his creative brilliance is mine to adore.

Aug 3rd
This evening we took the kids to Mesquite Auquatic Center in Chandler. Ethan brought along a little light reading: "Birth to 5 years" (My parenting book). He spent the whole drive questioning Matix to verify that he is able to do everything a 4-year-old should do. It was hilarious.