Love me some Ethan

Ethan. 


There really arn't words to describe Ethan.  He isn't a "in the box" kinda kid.  Which works well for us because we arn't "in the box" kinda folk. 

He's all boy.  He's a talker.  Lawsy day that child can talk.

It's all good, cause I'm a whole lot of things but quiet isn't one of them.  We work well together. 

What I find interesting about Ethan is his ability to talk about the same subject until I tell him "STOP TALKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!".  Of course I only scream that in my lovingest mommy voice.

Let me share some one subject never ending conversations.

Ethan:  Is Daddy at work?
Me:  Yes, he'll be home after it gets dark.
Ethan:  Did he drive his truck to work?
Me:  Well...we have 2 vehicles.  We're using one of them...so yes!  Daddy drove his truck to work.
Ethan:  His green truck?
Me: Yes, the same green truck he's always had. 
Ethan:  What's daddy do at work?
Me:  Make money.
Ethan:  How's he make money?
Me:  By going to work.
Ethan:  Does he lunch at work?
Me:  Yes.
Ethan:  What kind of lunch?
Me:  Ask him when he gets home.
Ethan:  When is that gonna be again mamma?
Me:  After dark.
Ethan:  I might be asleep.
Me:  ok....than ask him in the morning.
Ethan:  I won't remember.
Me:  I guess he eats good food.
Ethan:  What kind of good food?
Me:  Baby.  I love you but if you don't stop talking for at least 30 seconds my brain will explode.
Ethan:  Your brain can explode?  Mom, your awesome. 
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Ethan:  I like girls
Me:  I'm not ready for all that just yet.  I need you to love trucks and dirt and boy stuff.
Ethan:  I love girls too.
Me:  You're giving me a heart attack.
Ethan:  Don't worry, I only love the pretty girls.
Me:  I guess if your bound and determine to be a lover of girls you might as well go for the pretty ones.
Ethan:  Pretty girls are pretty.
Me:  I've never heard the like in my life child.
Ethan:  Pretty girls might kinda love me too.
Me:  They better not.
Ethan:  They can't help it.
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My Golden Star

Hehehehe Just kidding ;)

If mothers who gush and gush about how wonderful and perfect their kids are, and show you pictures, and make you watch home videos until you wanna pluck your eyeballs out then navigate away from this page now. 

Okay let the bragging begin!

Kindergarten almost killed me, Allen, Ethan, and his teacher.  True story.  Toward the end of the school year we started seeing HUGE improvements, but before Christmas we were all at our wits-ends.  We disagreed with the teacher, the teacher disagreed with us, Ethan hated the thought of school, we hated sending him to school, the teacher hated seeing him (ok...not that bad).  Seriously though, kindergarten was HARD, TRAUMATIC, NIGHTMARE-ISH, simply NOT FUN.  We knew the potential Ethan had, but we were just having trouble getting that potential to bloom in his kindergarten class.  He was still in state's custody during the majority of his kindergarten year, so homeschooling was not an option. 

Not For Ethan ;)

(I have nothing against Ethan's kindergarten teacher...it was just a very hard year)

Of course there were valid reasons. 
1.  Ethan is developmentally delayed, he has oppositional defiant disorder, reactive attachment disorder, and ADHD.  (I hate labels and I firmly believe we can overcome all of those diagnoses, but ignoring them doesn't wor,k so with prayer and guidance from therapists and doctors we are working these out)
2.  He had always been in a classroom (pre-k) with emphasis in behavioral management and special education.
3.  He had been through more in 4 years then most adults have ever thought about going through.
4. We were still learning how to work with Ethan's behaviors.
5.  Ethan was placed in a kindergarten class (not a special ed classroom) with 21 other children and 1 teacher, and 1 teachers assistant.

All of those factors did not work in Ethans favor.  It broke my heart to see him struggle and know that there was only so much I could do for him. I never wanted him to feel he was at a disadvantage or feel different than other children his age.   I couldn't go to kindergarten with him...this was something Ethan was going to have to do.  Allen and I helped Ethan in every capacity we knew how, but this was still something Ethan was going to have to dig down deep and work hard at.

He has been through enough being bullied and picked on in school due to factors beyond his control was something that I would not under any circumstances allow.

By the grace of God Ethan made it to first grade.  Seriously, it was only by the grace of God.  Ethan worked very hard, prayers went into overdrive, and my little trooper got his green light to head to the first grade.  One hurdle down...387 more to go ;)

Over the summer we have seen leaps and bounds in Ethan's behavior, as well as his academic levels.  Almost every day this summer we kept up some type of school work and tried to keep a schedule so that when first grade came along it wouldn't be kindergarten all over again. 

I am pleased, overjoyed, and thrilled to tell you that Ethan is in a regular first grade classroom (no special ed) and came home today with a note from his teacher stating that he is the first student in his class to fill up his behavior board with gold stars and earn a prize from the treasure chest.  THE. FIRST. KID.!!!!!!!!!!!!!  His behavior has been superb, he is a fantastic big helper, and his teacher continually brags on his compassion for others, his eagerness to learn, and his continued improvement with his behaviors. 

All of this is just a reminder that God takes care of His children.
He is faithful to start and finish whatever work He starts in us.
He will meet us where we are, and not wait until we meet certain standards.
He has plans to prosper us and give us hope for a future.
And last but not least, He is still in the miracle working business. 

Way to go Ethan!  Your mommy and daddy are so proud of you, we always will be, we always have been, and we are excited to see God's hand over your life as you continue to grow into an amazing young man.

Conversations with a 6 year old.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again..and again, and again and again.  My son is hilarious! 
It would be selfish of me to keep all of these hilarious stories to myself, so I'll share them with you!


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Allen:  Ethan, I'll be going to camp next week, so I won't get to see you for a week, I want you to be extra good for your mommy and help her out.

Ethan:  I wanna come with you daddy

Allen:  Not this time, you and mommy are going to have so much fun!

Ethan:  (pointing to me) YOU'RE LEAVING ME WITH HER??????!!!!!!!???????!!!!!!?????

Me:  Ethan!  We spend every day together when dad is working!  Geez!

Ethan:  That's why I want to go with Daddy. 
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Ethan:  Hey momma!!!!

Me:  whatcha need baby?

Ethan:  Guess what aldergadors eat.

Me:  Umm...not sure, why don't you tell me.

Ethan:  Grandmothers.

Me:  Only grandmothers?

Ethan:  yep.  Just grandmas.  That's it.

Me:  Good information to have.
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Ethan:  I see a hedi-coptder (helicopter)!

Me:  Cool!  I see it too!

Ethan:  I don't like those things, they take people to ouder-spaced and leave em up there.

Me:  hmmmmm
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Allen:  Hey Ethan!  Whatcha doin?

Ethan:  Playing in my room

Allen:  Ok...what are you playing with?

Ethan:  just playing nicely...that's all...now can I please get back to that?
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Mamaw:  Ethan, you're feet are dirty, you have black stuff on them.  What did you step in?

Ethan:  Black stuff.
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Thank you Jesus for not giving me a boring child.  Man, I love this kid.

Ethan's Extreme Hoarding

I have this son.
He is a perfect combination of me and my husband.
All his wonderful qualities are from me.
All his not so wonderful qualities are from his dad.
Just kidding.

He loves things.
Things that make no sense at all.
He can find a purpose for every possible thing on the planet.
He is a hoarder.
I diagnosed him earlier today when I was cleaning out his room.
I consider myself a doctor.
Just for today though.

Along with his bazillion toys let me share with you some of the treasures I found in his room.
1.  Kitchen sink stopper
2.  Dog dish
3.  Receipts from 7 different stores.
4.  Box of cheerios...minus the actual cheerios.
5.  Can of shaving cream.  It was empty...total confusion.
6.  Three silly straws.
7.  Jewelry box void of jewelry.
8.  Box of greeting cards. 
9.  Rocks.
10.  Batteries.  Tons and tons of batteries.  ALL of them dead.  Dead batteries. 

We need therapy.

 I need it because I can't stand useless "things", and have zero tolerance for Ethan's need to hold on to these USELESS "things".  I love order, organization, and neatness.  I crave all those things.  I must have organization. 

Ethan needs it because he loves useless "things".  He has no desire for organization, order, or neatness. 

The Dreams and Aspirations of my Son.

Ethan's kindergarten class has a project.  They send home a book and in the book your child is supposed to write what they would like to be when they grow up.  The book goes home with a different child each night they fill out and draw a picture of what they want to be and then they talk about it the next day at school.  Well, it's Ethan's turn.  I was very curious to see what the other children in his class wanted to be when they grow up so I flipped through the book.  My jaw needs to be picked up off the floor.  Apparently my child is in an advanced kindergarten class.  Allow me to share what his other class mates want to be when they grow up.  THEN just to make you laugh I'll share with you what MY child wants to be when he grows up.  In case your wondering I still have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. 

Audrey:  A dentist who fixes peoples teeth.
Bailey:  A doctor who makes people legs and arms.
Cole:  A policemen.  Who helps people cross the road.
Claire:  A veterinarian who makes dogs happy.
John:  A fireman.
Zach;  A nurse.  They "hop" people.
Hayden:  A shoemaker.  To make shoes that run fast.
Maya:  A vet.  They get to make cats and dogs better.
Hailey:  A doctor.  Who helps kids.
Abigail.  A vet.  So I can help cats
Tyler:  A weatherman.  So I can tell you about the rain.  AND he wants to be a tornado chaser. 
Olivia:  a sports education teacher.  (yes I swear she actually said sports education and drew a pic)
Brandon:  A policeman who pulls people over with blue lights.
Carlee:  A grand ballerina.  Because I've been in ballet since forever.
Jack:  The president who makes all the rules.


Okay...ready for this?

Ethan Pruitt:  A TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLE!!!!!!!!!!!!  Because they jump!  and they kick! and they jump!

I'm proud of my teenage mutant ninja turtle aspiring son.  It's good to have dreams and goals to work towards. 

"So this is love"

I'm feeling highly sentimental tonight. 

Every single time I look at my sweet baby boy my eyes swell with tears and my heart almost explodes.
 

I love being his mommy.  In case your wondering that is cupcake icing on his upper lip.  He loves cupcakes.  But not as much as I love him. 


Here are just a few of the things I adore about my son. 

He loves to put all the contents of his room in his pockets.
He hates wearing shoes and socks.
He loves movie time with mommy.
He lives for cuddle time with daddy.
He can't hear a song without singing it. 
He never meets a stranger.
He is convinced that he is God's gift to women.
He could spend 5 hours at a time in the bath tub.  He loves baths.
He likes going grocery shopping and talks to all the old ladies in the isles.
He winks at everyone he meets.
He has the biggest personality of any child I have ever met.
If it were up to him he would wear nothing but underwear and tee shirts.
He pronounces V's as B's.  And R's as W's.  I hope that never changes.
He loves looking at pictures in my cookbooks and saying "how bout you make this for me next sweet mamma?"


He changed my life.  I was born to be his mommy.  I have to go now.  I need to hold him and kiss his forehead at least a million more times before he wakes up.  I love him.


"So this is love
So this is what makes life divine"

Ethan's First Concert

My baby Ethan went to his very first concert tonight!  Allen and Ethan had an amazing time!  I still can't figure out how Ethan is old enough to be doing anything but playing with his toys and wearing footed pajamas.  My little boy is growing up and I'm amazed at the gentleman he is turning into. 

I didn't go with the boys.  Ashley and I went prom dress shopping and out to dinner.  I was excited for it to be just Allen and Ethan.  I knew Ethan would love having some one on one time with just his daddy.  I also knew Allen would be in heaven having some one on one time with the apple of his eye.  The two of them are joined at the hip and the past year has not allowed them to have "special" time together as much as we have wanted.  Many children will come through our home and it is very important that Ethan know we are his forever home.  We jump at any opportunity for alone time with Ethan and are working towards making it happen as often as possible.  We still have other children in our home so it is also important for them not to feel left out or unwanted.  It can be a very overwhelming task to balance but we are committed to doing the best we can. 

Here are some of the pictures that Allen took of my little man at his very first concert. 

It's safe to say he is having himself a grand and glorious time at WinterJam

This kid loves him some popcorn.

Bookworms

The last few times I have walked past Ethans room he has been consumed in his books.  I'm used to walking past his room to find him playing hotwheels, buzz and woody re-enactments, or his latest dance moves.  So to find him lost in a book is a neat diversion from the normal. 

My Ma used to read to me all the time, and I loved it!  She didn't just read she would actually act out the parts and use different voices for different characters.  The book would come alive!  I try and do the same with Ethan but I'm not as smart as my Ma.  I forget who I have assigned what voice too, and then change from a brittish accent to an austrailian or from a mean guy to a sweet girl I get all messed up and confused. 

 In the beginning  it goes a little like this...

Goldilocks:  A sweet innocent girl accent
Mamma Bear:  Maternal brittish sounding voice
Pappa Bear:  Gruff older man voice
Baby Bear:  small little boy voice with a lisp

About halfway through it all starts falling apart...

Goldilocks:  Mean old man
Mamma Bear:  Little boy with lisp
Pappa Bear:  Sweet and innocent little girl
Baby Bear:  Maternal Brittish lady. 

Ethan gets confused, I get confused, Allen is hysterically laughing is tale off, and someone is typically always rolling their eyes. 

At least I try...right??  This is why I never made it big on the acting scene, I can't remember the correct voices.  I'm sure this is the only reason I never made it big on the acting scene.

So here is a sneak peek into the latest things you will find us reading here...

Allen is reading "Sun Stand Still"  By Steven Furtick.  He's loving it. 

Ethan is reading a book about dinosaurs...thats about all I can tell you.  I'm not interested in this particular read.  Dinosaurs do not intrest me in the slightest. 

I'm working on "A monster at the end of this book" with my good pal Grover.  I love this book!  It's a real page turner, I can't put it down.  It's really quite funny, you should read it too. 

Ashley is working on her geometry book...it's safe to say she hates it.  It's safe to say I hate it too.  It's safe to say it's all around a silly requirement. 

We've got all different genres covered here!  We are such a diverse group of folks.

6 Years Ago

Six years ago a little boy came into the world.  He was named Ethan Paul Johnson.  Despite all her efforts his biological mother would not be able to take care of him due to severe illnesses.  She would pass away two years later.  Two years after that the state would rule that his biological father was also not eqquiped to handle this now four year old little boy.  Four years of life had not treated Ethan the best.  He was worn down.  He was angry, lost and scared.  He didn't know about love, or compassion.  He knew about survival. 

Six years ago I was in unfortunate circumstances that I had created all by myself.  Unlike Ethan the only person I could blame the mess of my life on was myself.  I was doing what I wanted to do, when I wanted to do it with no regard to who I hurt.  I was hiding behind a mask and I no longer knew who I was or what I was doing.  Instead of re-evaluating my current situation and making efforts to improve myself I dug deeper and deeper into a life of sin and diseption.  I was angry, lost, and scared.  Over the next few months I would lose everything.  My familys trust that I had worked 20 years to build.  I would lose a relationship that I no longer needed to be in but was to afraid to end.  I would come very close to losing my life.  The worst part...I would lose me.  I wasn't funny, or joyful.  I didn't crack jokes and laugh.  I was hard, bitter, ugly, and in complete and total shambles.  I was far away from God's will for my life.  I was to ashamed to pray, and to proud to ask forgiveness.  Surely God had forgotten all about me.  I wanted God to forget about me, I didn't want God to see what I had become. 

In January 2005 God hadn't forgoten all about me.  He was working out a plan for my life when I was drowning in sin.  He brought a little boy into this world that would later become my son.  I couldn't have comprehended what God was doing six years ago even if you would have told me.  Ethan is the grace of my life.  Ethan proves to me everyday that no matter where I am or how far away I am that God will never and has never forgotten about me.  He is currently working out a plan for my life that I can't comprehend.  When I deserved to die in the mess I had created completely and utterly lost God's mercy was creating a life for me better then I could have ever imagined. 

Ethan would need a mother who could take care of him, who was not plauged with sickness.  A mother who could provide for him what his biological mother could not.  In 2005 I was not that mother.  I was selfish and unable to make wise desicisons for my life, let alone the life of a child.  God knew all this.  He knew what it would take to bring me back to Him.  He was molding and shaping my future all along. 

I'm not proud of that time in my life, and I don't offer up this story very often.  God delivered me out of my old lifestyle renewed my joy and restored my heart.  I was never too far that the hand of God could not deliver me. 

I don't know what I felt like of January 15th of 2005.  I often wonder if that day felt different, if I had a renewed hope for my future.  My son came into the world that day, and he would need me to be the best mother I could be when it was time for me to step into that role. 

In June of 2009 I met the grace of my life.  He came in the body of an angry little boy.  A little boy who had faced more in four years than any adult that I know.  He had been abused, neglected, and forgotten.  He looked at me and Allen with nothing but distrust and hatred.  I knew within the first 24 hours that he was my son and we fought every single day to keep him with us.  I recognized his fear, identified with his hatred, and lost myself in crying over his abandonment.  I had been there, I remembered those feelings and I knew God had sent him to me so we could help each other.

That little boy turns six today.  He has a bright future ahead of him and is excited to embark on every adventure imaginable.  His new name is Ethan Riley Pruitt.  He has a mommy and a daddy who love him more then words could ever say.  He is and always will be the grace of my life.   

Happy Birthday Ethan Riley Pruitt!

Bedtime Wars

I am told most children go through this, and most children overcome the fear of monsters under the bed, in the closet, outside the window, etc.  However when your a parent in the midst of these bedtime fear factors the fact that one day this too shall pass doesn't always bring the comfort it should. 

Right now Ethan is scared to death to sleep in his room.  This fear first reared its ugly head around the first of the year but only 2 or 3 nights a month,  then it gradually has increased to every night.  As soon as the sun starts going down panic sets in.  We've tried many different remedies, and none really work.  I think this is something he will have to grow out of.   (This picture is Ethan sleeping in the hallway...due to monsters in his room)

I have a hard time with this because I know how fear can take grip upon ones life.  I was terrified to sleep in my room when I was a child...something that took MANY MANY MANY years to grow out of.  As an adult I may find the fear of monsters irrational but just because I find it silly doesn't mean Ethan views it the same way.  His fear is just as real as my fears...regardless of if it makes sense or not. 

If I am being honest I don't like to sleep by myself to this day, I don't like the dark, I have irrational fears, and I don't want someone sweeping them under the rug because it doesn't make sense to them.  For me to tell Ethan it is perfectly safe to sleep in his room by himself is a double standard if I too am still afraid to sleep by myself.  In parenting I think it is wise to remember that fear doesn't have to make sense.  I don't think this phase will pass quickly if all we do as parents is tell him being afraid is ridiculous and to move on.  For now we are combating his fears with prayer which I feel is the best way to handle this.   

From the Daddy...

Ok, so I have hijacked the blog page today.

I feel so blessed with what God has entrusted me.  On November 17, 2007, I married the most amazing woman in the world.  Rebecca is the most compassionate person one could ever meet.  It was her big heart and compassionate spirit that first grabbed my heartstrings and reeled me in.  She is the best wife any husband could ask for and I fall more and more in love with her with each and every passing day.  Let me be the first to let you know, I could never be a husband, father, friend, minister, or even live a day without her.  God knew what He was doing when He breathed breath into this masterpiece.  After meeting Rebecca, you will be forever changed.  I promise!

So, I have mentioned Gabby in the description of this blog.  God allowed Gabby to enter our home when she was only 10 months old.  I remember holding her and rocking her to sleep in Park West Church Choir's Rehearsal on Wednesday nights.  Little did I know she would be living with us, or even would melt my heart the way she has.  She is my first daughter, and will always be.  God allowed me to teach her her alphabet, see her take her first steps and grow into this tall, dark, beautiful little angel of God.  Her eyes will make anyone fall in love with her.  I know this will make things difficult when she is dating (at age 40).  Gabby is the reason we have opened our home to the orphans of this world.  It is because of her that we have touched, and will continue to touch, the lives of children that God brings our way.  Gabby's birth mother has made some horrible choices in life and Gabby is not currently with us.  I pray she will soon return to the place she knows as home.  However, should God not ordain her steps back to Mommy and Daddy, I hope she will always remember and know that we love her with every fiber of our beings!  I love you, Sweetheart!

Ethan...oh, Ethan.  He is "Mini-Me".  I promise.  I love this little guy.  He meets no stranger.  Every girl is his "girlfriend", and he is only 5!  He started Kindergarten today.  Rebecca was told by his teacher to leave, 'cause she was crying.  Ethan?  Oh, he adjusted well.  He had no clue we had even left the classroom.  It is amazing how God has different plans for each of His children, even though we hear so many negative words spoken over us.  Ethan was never to function properly in society because of the horrible things he had experienced prior to coming into State's custody.  Let me testify of God's amazing power!  Ethan tested out of his Special Education Course and has been placed in a normal classroom setting.  He had no behavioral problems today.  Praise God!  That may not always be the case, but Ethan will succeed...because he knows he can.  I know he can.  I know he will.  Ethan will grow up to do great things.  He loves God and we have spoken over him the fact that God has a plan for him.  This plan does not include drugs, sexual perversion, alcohol, or any other substance or temporary satisfaction Satan may toss his way.  As for the girlfriends...I am coming up with a plan to take care of these little hindrances.

We have been blessed to have several foster children come into our home.  Roy, Anna, Nick, Ashley.  They each have their individual stories.  Memories have been, and will be, made.  Stories will be placed on this blog that will make you laugh until you cry, make you think, make you pray, and simply tear your heart out.  As they are written, please know they are from our hearts, whether funny or serious in nature.

Please keep us in your prayers.  It is not the easiest of tasks to raise children that did not come from you.  But what a blessing in knowing that we will forever impact their lives.

Okay, I'm finished hijacking.

Allen
(the husband, father, and goof)

Kindergarten

Ethan starts his first day of Kindergarten tomorrow! He has been in bed for the past two hours and he is still wide awake…we’ve tried a multitude of things to help him wind down but he is so excited to be going to “big boy school” in the morning.
I am so happy to see his excitement and at the same time so sad for this next step into adulthood. I feel like I am going to walk him into his kindergarten class and when I pick him up he will be a high school senior leaving for college…my mind tortures me! GAHHHHHH
I have always thought the parents who cry and carry on when their child goes to kindergarten are crazy people with attachment issues. Well that’s just great because now I’m a crazy person with attachment issues.

I never knew proud until Ethan. Sure I have accomplishments I am proud of, but now there is Ethan and boy do I know what proud feels like now. When I look back at how far Ethan has come, how much progress he has made, and how much progress he continues to make. I am so proud.

So tomorrow I will walk into his kindergarten class beaming. So proud of this amazing little man. So blessed to be this little mans mommy. I can’t for the life of me remember what I was doing on January the 15th of 2005. I wonder if it felt different, I wonder if on that day it seemed slightly more meaningful then the other days. I don’t know if that is true or not, but I’d like to think so. On that day my son was born. Four years later God would allow me to step in and be this little man’s mom. God is allowing me the privilege to shape and mold him into a man of God. I don’t take this privilege lightly, the more I see him grow and learn the more I beam with pride.

So tomorrow if I walk out of his kindergarten class crying I guess that is OK. I will walk out knowing that the little boy I just left was never suppose to progress past the age of a 2 year old. I will walk out knowing that all of his doctors said he would be in a special education class and never be able to survive in a normal classroom setting. If I walk out of his classroom crying it will be tears of joy knowing God has amazing plans for him.

So I think I will go lay down next to him, hold him and love on my little man…after all tomorrow is a very big day!

Little Boys

There isn’t a doubt in my mind that God has a sense of humor. No other proof is needed because God gave the girliest girly girl ever (that’d be me) the privilege and honor of raising Ethan a boy through and through. Here are some examples.
Anything can be transformed into a fighting machine…yes even Gabby’s princess Ariel bath toy. He typically doesn’t mess with the toys we still have from when we had Gabby. In fact the he usually asks me to remove Princess Ariel from the bathroom closet where the bath toys are kept he doesn’t even want to be in her presence. But last night Ariel’s hair was evil spider webs that his cars had to drive through to save his checkswimmers (that’s Ethan’s word for transformers). Just know that I secretly cried because the thought of Ariel’s hair being evil spider webs and cars driving through them was too much for my princess loving soul to handle.

Ethan doesn’t think his outside playtime is complete until he has found something that crawls and is classified as an insect and as much dirt as possible under his fingernails. He can dig a hole in the dirt for hours on end, and really hates it when I demand he wear shoes outside. For the record I have never dug a hole in the dirt, I run from insects, and if a speck of dirt is ever under my nails know that I am silently being tortured.

He thinks peeing outside is heaven on earth. I think peeing outside for me would be almost physically impossible if my goal is to keep urine off of my being.

When doing laundry you can always find action figures, cars, toy alligators, a Spiderman mask, rocks, dirt, and pennies in his pockets. The child can fit more into his pocket then I can fit into my entire pocketbook. When I was 5 you could have found play makeup, play fingernail polish, pretend food that went with my decked out toy kitchen set, and toy bottles or baby accessories.

His idea of dressing up is a Spiderman mask, a transformer action suit, a stethoscope around his neck, and goggles’ on top of his head. HE WEARS ALL OF THESE THINGS AT THE SAME TIME. I guess that makes him Dr. Spideyformer Water Boy. At his age my idea of dressing up was high heel shoes, a poufy dress, makeup, and jewelry.

My goal is for this to be a funny look at how raising a boy can be. I adore the fact that he is a boy to the 100th degree, it is so much fun to see a different side of childhood. And if he dressed up in a dress wore makeup, and jewelry or wanted to play with princess dolls all the time I am sure we would all be attending therapy. I will take my BOY being a BOY any day. And tonight he is curled up beside me. Which makes him a momma’s boy and I must confess I do enjoy that.

Jumping on the blogging bandwagon

  So much happens every single day in our lives that I know I can never possibly remember it all. Hopefully by keeping a record of it here I will have documented evidence for later in life. And also a window into our lives for family and friends and the fellow blog/cyber stalker. Plus it makes me feel important…and some days feeling important is just what I need.




So here is a brief summary of how we roll. Allen (that’s my husband) and I are in the middle of adopting Ethan our foster son we received in June of 2009. His adoption should be done in September. We also are foster parents to Nick and Ashley. Nick is 9 and has a wide array of physical and developmental delays, and Ashley is his sister who is 18. I am a stay at home mom and Allen works full time at a disaster restoration company.

Ethan’s personality can be summed up by shrinking my husband into a 5 year old, add a little bit of my mannerisms, and there you have it…ETHAN. He is all boy, incredibly athletic, can sing better than most professional singers, has the rhythm of a professional drummer, and can break dance like nobody’s business. His favorite activities are playing with his cars, action figures, and chilling out with his best friend his daddy. He loves to go and do things but when nighttime comes wants to be at home in his own surroundings. He can wrestle and rough house and never whines, complains or gives up. Right now his biggest fears are monsters under the bed and spending the night away from daddy. He is such an awesome kid. Allen and I are always saying that he was made for us, our pride and joy.

Nick is an extremely happy and outgoing child.  He is constantly talking, singing, humming or whistling.  He never meets a stranger, and enjoys being around adults. He is very determined and once he sets his mind to something he will make it happen. He loves going to church and loves school.  His favorite TV show is sesame street.    Due to his developmental delays his comprehension levels are around a 2 year old.  He also has cerebral palsy which can make movement difficult at times.   His attention span has improved in the last few months but his severe ADHD makes even the smallest of tasks a challenge.  Despite his disabilities he has an amazing attitude about life, and is always looking for a new adventure. 

Ashley is your typical teenage girl.  She is obsessed with the Twilight series and can tell you everything about it from start to finish.  Her nails are always painted, she doesn't like to get dirty, and is very neat.  Her room is typically the cleanest in the house.  Her favorite subject in school is History.  Her least favorite is math.  She has enjoyed blossoming into her own person over the last few months and focusing on improving her choices, and grades.  She is always eager to help, and has a Pollyanna attitude.   Since Ashley is 18 she is in a program called post custody which is helping her to graduate and get into college.

So there it is!  There will be ups and downs, smiles and frowns.  Enjoy!