Every minute of Ethan’s life

Term 1 draws to a close on Friday and E has started the year as he means to continue; his touch team won the summer club module, he won the backstroke at Swimming Sports and came 2nd in his other events, he has volunteered to assist two special needs kids at school on a rostered basis and is performing at his usual high level both in the classroom and on the rugby field.

The only blemish marring a great 11 weeks at school has been girls. They have been doing his head in all term. Whispering, pointed looks, notes, interruptions of lunchtime rugby games and constant attention have just about driven my young man to distraction. He even booked himself in for not one but two sessions with the school guidance councillor to try and sort through the problems of one so handsome. My visit to his teacher stomped out the flames of passion for a week or two, but last Thursday one little madam took things to a whole new level.

E came home with his first love letter.

A masterpiece of colored pencil and spelling mistakes {E was very unimpressed with her literary failings!}, this three page devotional made Ethan rethink his previous annoyance with girls, he was quietly chuffed. She said he was funny, and so nice, and that she actually really did like him and she begged him not to show everyone at school the letter. He was practically beaming, amazed that someone had taken the time to write all of those nice things about him!

I listened and nodded and shut my mouth even when I wanted to suggest maybe he aim for someone in a higher spelling group. I was Silent Mama, just happy that he wanted to share this momentous occasion with me.

He arrived at school on Friday morning and was promptly told by said madam that it was all a fake! An elaborate ruse and she didn’t mean any of it. My heart broke all the way from Christchurch when Dave text me the news that afternoon. At least E was stoic and assured his Dad that he gave her the heave-ho as soon as he heard the news. At rugby practice that afternoon E sought the sage advice of his coach and older, wiser 9yo team mates who assured him that they had been there and that girls just suck.

A little less huss would cause a LOT less fuss in the classroom I’m sure. Isn’t 8 way too young for this kind of carry on from these girls? I’m trying to instill the Bro’s before Hoes ethos so he will be prepared for the next girl-sneak attack, too bad E is just so damn nice!

I am participating in wegohealth.com’s Advocating for Another (A4A) Carnival – Parenting Edition. This is a month long event where health and parenting advocates write, share and enjoy! The FB page can be found here for more info + grab the parenting prompts here and join in! The blog carnival runs from August 21-28, 2012.

Day 2: These are a few of my favourite things

After yesterdays gushing post about my son, he knocked one out of the park with more of the epic bad behaviour we have been seeing since returning home from our trip. Needless to say he has be banned from TV watching for 3 days and banned from Ninjago toys for the same period. He got off pretty lightly I think. I am really struggling with his sassy mouth and the constant back chat. What I wouldn’t give for a few simple responses of “YES!”.

But I digress.

I have many favourite things about Ethan, here are a few;

Ethan is brave. He will try anything once, sometimes not twice but always once.
He will eat anything, he has an exceptional palate and enjoys food which makes eating as a family so much fun
He is very loving {when he is not being bad of course!}
Ethan is super complimentary. He has learned this from his Dad. He will tell me when I look nice, when my hair is looking awesome, when I need to buy that outfit – his honesty when shopping is def appreciated! His girlfriend will be stoked one day. He certainly knows how to make you feel like a million bucks.
Ethan’s perfectionism is actually something that endears him to me. I appreciate someone who always strives to achieve at their best.
I love Ethan’s legs. They are thick and strong.
Ethan has the best giggle. When it bubbles up it is loud and hard to contain.
I love this boys smarts. Recently while walking the Santa Monica Pier, I had to stop my feet and just look at him. He was going on and on about snakes, admittedly I had half-tuned him out {don’t judge, you know you do it sometimes!}, but then I realised he was listing all of the different types of Pythons, WITH DESCRIPTIONS, Bubba style. Amaze.
Ethan’s feet, I LOVE, though 99% of the time they are filthy and torn up – my kid does not like shoes. Summer, winter the shoes come off as soon as he gets to school. I’m talking 8.30am. They never get put back on. One pair of school shoes has lasted him this whole year! That’s surely some kind of record. Even Grandaddy Ray in Georgia (think snakes) couldn’t believe how feral Ethan’s feet were.
I love that boys hair. It’s as wiry as straw, you can brush it and five minutes later it will look like he just rolled out of bed. I’m fairly certain you could make one of those sweeping-broom-brush things out of his hair that would last through the ages. It’s thick and it grows like weed – long may that continue aye Dave!

Are you blogging along? What are some of your favourite things about your child?

Day 1: Write a descriptive portrait of your child/ren. Share qualities that make them, them – and include an image!

The hardest part about this post is beginning.

I feel like Ethan is a mini-me in a mini-Dave’s body. His physicality has always been apparent right from a very young age. He was always a large child who loved to be held and adored close contact. He is still a very touchy, affectionate boy, but one who has no concept of the brute force his body can exert!

His feet are broad and high, his little toenails on each foot are split just like his Dad’s are, his calf muscles, thighs, his whole damn body right up to the freckles on his nose are his daddy’s.

Ethan is strong physically but also mentally. He may be described as obstinate, dominant, stubborn, wilful, precocious, proud and competitive with a sassy mouth, but he is more than that. He is loving, sensitive, kind and very generous. He is quick to show his emotions whether they are tears or anger. His temper is all mine.

Ethan is a very talented writer and artist who loves to read. Maths is not his thing though he does just fine in this subject. School is easy for Ethan. His teachers enjoy him as do his peers and he has a bevy of lovely friends whom he has played with for years now.

Ethan is both sportsman and scholar. Watching him swim so beautifully is a strange feeling as it is almost at odds with his haphazard, forceful physical presence out of the water. In contrast, he is so suited to Rugby physically, yet he also needs Rugby for the valuable lessons it gives him in teamwork, respect and being one small part of a greater good. Swimming is self-discipline, self-reliance and self-motivation for Ethan, Rugby is everything else – family, co-operation, belonging, selflessness.

Ethan is my greatest joy from which I never tire. He is difficult to understand, and for some difficult to deal with, but I recognize him. His language, his subtle nuances of personality and his perfectionism are also mine.

I love you Ethan Jack.

{I’m sorry Dave Jack, you are forever stuck with the two of us lol!}

I’m pretty sure I have mentioned before how lucky I am that I have a Mama-Friendly workplace. School holidays are fortunately never an issue which is just as well as we are all parents of youngish children and our wonderful boss lets us rearrange our schedules to suit. I did mention to the owner of our company today that the holidays were a bit of a lucky dip as far as his workers go, he never quite knows who is going to turn up and when!

Ethan has a swimming intensive this week, so everyday at 12.45 he is in the pool. He came in with me this morning before his lesson and the time just flew by. He gets all of the stationary out, relishes the fact that he can print Ninjago pictures in COLOUR, lounges in the empty office and watches Monster Bug Wars on YouTube……..

I made the mistake of showing him how the phone system worked today. He was much more keen to hang out downstairs once he could call me every five minutes just to check in and ask if I was ok and did I need him for anything. Cutie. He also called his Dad at work, wasted some of his time and really had a grand old morning playing receptionist!

How do you manage the school holidays as a working or SAH parent?

Louie has been beside himself with joy at moving in with Molly and Marley but the mystique of living with a female is driving Lou to distraction. This has not escaped the notice of our observant child.
Louie’s ‘hunting’ was so prolonged on Sunday his lipstick popped out and he couldn’t move! Ethan thought we were going to have to take Lou to the vet; how to tell him he wasn’t hurt just horny?
After some consideration E has decided that Louie and Molly must be married, because {OF COURSE!!!} they are doing that thing that ends with EX that married people do. Mmhmmm.
Oh god. Of all the things I thought four dogs in one house would bring it wasn’t sex education. DAMN SHI-TZUS!

You know those little annoying 5min jobs that you put off and put off until it becomes so ridiculous that you haven’t done it yet that the job just becomes a write off? No? Perfect? Well done.

Some of our friends in San Diego framed a photo taken of Ethan a day after he was born. It is a beautiful, extravagant frame with a lovely beaded matt and totally unlike anything I would pick for myself. There has been a bug preserved under the glass in this frame for about three years – I really should have named him and started a Facebook page, however I digress.

Ethan has been fighting a major head cold all week. I know this for a fact as he has been sleeping in our bed with me while Dave nurses his big new tattoo on a mattress on the floor {Ethan’s room is currently undergoing a major makeover so we are all camping together. yay}. He has soldiered on at school all week but today just wasn’t going to fly. He got dressed, all ready to go and then I had a long hard look at him and realised that it didn’t matter if I didn’t get paid today; my boy was sick and needed a day in bed. At this point I had forgotten about my nifty remote access which means I can indeed work from home, but it was time to get my priorities in order.

So there we were, Ethan rugged up and watching fishing shows, me deciding that a day when I can finally clean the bug from the photo frame really wasn’t that much of a sacrifice anyway.