TMNT - Superhero Ethan

As a family we always like to go out and do some Black Friday shopping. Although we are not true Black Friday shoppers hitting the stores at midnight or even sometime on Thanksgiving, we like to go around sometime on Friday morning to be out in the crowds and see if there are any good deals left. This year, Ethan had been saving up his money to specifically spend it on that day. Although it wasn't on sale, he did end up purchasing a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (Leonardo) that he had been wanting for some time.

When we got home he was excited to open it up and play with it. Prior to purchasing this Leonardo, Ethan had a stuffed animal Leonardo that he liked to play with. After seeing Christian enviously watch him play with his new turtle, he found his old one and gave it to him. He also took some of his new Leonardo's swords and other weapons and let Christian play with those as well.

Ethan (6) is my superhero today for sharing his toys with Christian.

Birthday Party Fun - Superhero Ethan

Ethan was invited to a birthday party today for a girl in his class. About a week ago he picked out a present at the store, which included two necklaces that he thought she would really like (the last birthday party he went to was also for a girl and he picked out a zombie sword for her). The party was across town and I needed to run some errands, so we left a little early so we could do them on the way. Ethan was a great help with those errands, and although they made us a few minutes late, he was a good sport about it. As we were approaching the party place we were both watching the clock to see how late we would actually be. I told him all about what 'fashionably late' means and how it applies to things like going to a party, but not going to school, or church, or when Dad has an important meeting. We ended up rushing in the door to the party only six minutes after the time listed on the invitation. However, when we got in, the mom of the birthday girl apologized and said that she had put the wrong time on the invitation and we were actually 54 minutes early and the first ones there - so much for being fashionably late!

Before I could think of something to do for the next hour, Ethan immediately got to work setting up chairs and decorations. The girl's parents went all out for the party and rented a party hall, set up fancy table and wall decorations, had a catered meal, and lots of fun games and prizes. However, besides Ethan, only four other little girls showed up. Ethan was a good sport about it though. All the girls teamed up against him in playing tag and doing a snowball fight with fake snowballs - we have had a super warm winter so far. The party had a Frozen theme and for one of the activities they did karaoke to all of the Frozen songs. Although all of the little girls were belting out "Let it go," "Do you want to build a snowman," and "For the first time in forever," Ethan didn't know any of the words. However, he was happy just dancing along and he even won the dance contest.

Ethan (6) is my superhero today for being a great party guest.

Sharing Pizza - Superheros Julia and Ethan

Our kids' school has a rewards program for reading books on a monthly basis. At the most recent assembly, Julia and Ethan each got two Pizza hut coupons for free personal pan pizzas. Rebecca was away at the temple this morning and the sun was shining, so we decided to walk to Pizza Hut to use the coupons. At first, Julia and Ethan came up with the great idea that they would each give a coupon to Elliott and Christian, so everyone could have a whole pizza. Knowing that that plan would probably end with leftovers that I would be tempted to eat, I suggested that we just use two coupons and they could each have a half. Julia and Ethan were happy with that and so off we went. The pizza place is only about a mile away. We have a jogging stroller that can fit three and so I thought the walk would be no problem. However, after getting all bundled up and outside, I discovered that I left the jogging stroller in the car. That meant that only Agnes would get to ride in our backup umbrella stroller, and Julia, Ethan, Christian, and Elliott would all have to walk. Without my asking they paired up and Julia took responsibility for Elliott and Ethan for Christian. Throughout the walk the older ones watched over Elliott and Christian to keep them safe and cheered them on to motivate them to walk faster. It was great to see them helping.

Julia (8) and Ethan (6) are my superheros today for sharing their pizzas and for watching over their younger brothers.

Picture Request - Superhero Ethan

My mom recently sent a birthday package for Julia and Agnes. In it, she also included a bunch of old photos from when I was younger. In one of the pictures I had on a blue Spiderman sweatshirt and I looked about Ethan's age. This particular picture was also in a small frame. As soon as Ethan saw it he asked if he could have it. I said sure, thinking that he thought the frame was cool. Later that night when I checked on him in bed I found him laying there with the picture in his hands. When he saw me he thanked me for giving him the picture. He then told me that although he wanted to keep the same picture in the frame, he was wondering if we could take a picture of me and him together and also put it in the frame in front of the old one.

Ethan is my superhero today for prizing my picture and also wanting one of us together to keep.

Tiny Bite - Superhero Ethan

I usually skip lunch while I am at work, so I often come home hungry. Today I grabbed a few chocolates from the kids' Halloween stash. I thought I was eating it sneakily, but Ethan (6) caught me putting a Kit-Kat in my mouth. He then asked for a bite. I know Rebecca doesn't like them to snack on candy, so I tried to think fast. I told Ethan that I was having the candy because I didn't get the after school snack that they were all having. But then I felt bad (after all it is their candy) and Rebecca wasn't around, so I offered him the last bite. As I held it out to him, he leaned forward and took the tiniest little bite possible. I told him that he could have it all, but he said he didn't want any more. I asked him why, thinking maybe he didn't end up liking it. He said it was mine so he didn't want to eat it. I told him he could have it again, but he said no, he wanted me to have it since I didn't get the after school snack.

Ethan is my superhero today for letting me have the candy that I stole from him.

Sharing Toys - Superhero Ethan

Ethan got to go to a birthday party today for a friend from class. It seemed like all of the kids at the party had a fun time just playing with the toys that they had at their house. The girl's parents did have a few games planned, but the kids just kept going back to the toys and playing on their own. When it was time to go, the birthday girl gave Ethan a party favor bag to take home. As soon as Ethan got home, he gave out the toys that he got, one to each of his siblings to keep.

Ethan is my superhero today for giving away his toys so his siblings could also share in the fun.

Helping a Classmate - Superhero Ethan

I witnessed a lot of kind acts that the kids did for each other today, but to switch things up, I decided to ask Ethan to tell me about one kind thing that he had done for someone at school. He told me that in his class they are not allowed to help each other with their work, that is considered cheating. However, he did say that the boy who sits next to him dropped his pencil and he picked it up for him.

Ethan is my superhero today for helping out his classmate.

Preparing for Choir - Superheros Julia, Ethan, Christian, Elliott, and Agnes

Rebecca started conducting before church choir practice today. I thought it went pretty well. It seemed like a good number of people showed up, and from where I was sitting, they sounded really good. Perhaps one other reason why I thought it went well is because with these before church choir practices I end up getting the morning off. Since I have meetings in the morning, there is just no way for me to get home in time to help get the kids in the car and back to church before the start of choir. That means Rebecca has to get all of the kids ready for church on her own.

Although Rebecca did do a lot of work getting everyone ready, she did report that all of the kids were a big help. Not only did they do well in bathing, getting dressed, eating, and getting in the car, they also helped her prepare for the choir. In Julia and Ethan's after school choir they have to go to study hall if they are not listening or participating as the should. So all of the kids made study hall passes for Rebecca to hand out to anyone who needed a time out during the ward choir practice. There were a few older sisters in the choir who I thought came close to getting one :), but luckily the passes went unused.

Julia, Ethan, Christian, Elliott, and Agnes were my superheros today for helping get ready for choir on time.

Deportment Awards - Superheros Julia and Ethan

Today, Julia (7) and Ethan (6) had their first quarter awards assembly at school. In addition for being recognized for their grades and for being the art stars for the quarter, both received awards for deportment. That means that not only did they make it through the quarter without getting in trouble, their teachers also specifically recognized how courteous, kind, and helpful they were to others. I don't ever get to see all the kind acts that they do at school so they often get left out of these entries, but these awards are evidence of how helpful and kind they are when they are away from home.

Julia and Ethan are my superheros today for earning deportment awards.

Giving Up His Seat - Superhero Ethan

My uncle and aunt were over visiting again today. After a wonderful breakfast of pumpkin pancakes that Rebecca prepared, we decided to head out and see a few sites in the Anchorage area. The first stop was Potter's Marsh. Julia and Ethan had asked if they could ride with my uncle and aunt and so we said okay. Their jeep only had two extra seat belts so, Christian, Elliott, and Agnes were stuck with us. After a fun, but cold walk around the marsh, we decided to go see the waterfall and view at the McHugh Creek Park. This time we traded and Christian and Elliott were in the jeep with them, while Ethan and Julia were back with us. Then it was time to head home. Julia, Ethan, and Christian all wanted to ride in the jeep again and each had convincing arguments for why they should get a second turn. Unable to decide, I told them all that they would have to ride in our car. Right after I said that, Ethan (6) spoke up and said he would ride with us so Julia and Christian could ride with my aunt and uncle.

Ethan is my superhero for giving up his seat for his siblings.

Waiting Patiently - Superhero Ethan

We were having the missionaries from our church over for dinner again this evening and Ethan had been waiting for them to arrive all day long. Ethan had bought a new spy kit book from his school book fair and he was just dying to show it to them. Every thirty minutes or so he would tell me about how he was going to show them all the cool things in the book. Then, just 15 minutes before they arrived the book went missing. I was able to make a deal with him that if he worked on cleaning up, I would work on looking for it. Fortunately, the house got cleaned and the book found just moments before they knocked on the door.

The missionaries came upstairs and sat on the couch and right as Ethan (6) opened his mouth, Julia jumped in and started showing the books that she had bought. Instead of complaining or trying to talk over her, he patiently waited with his book in hand until she was done. But then, Christian was sitting right next to them. Ethan, very politely asked Christian if he could scoot over so he could show the book to the missionaries. I thought about calling them all in for dinner right at that second to really test Ethan, but figured that would be a little too much. Ethan was able to show them all about the secret messages he could write with his invisible ink and the fun spy activities that were described throughout the book.

Ethan is my superhero today for waiting patiently to share his new book with the missionaries.

Playing with Company - Superheros Julia, Ethan, and Christian

My cousin and her boyfriend recently moved to Alaska. We've been meaning to get together with them, but just never found the time to do it until today. Not only did they come over, but my Uncle and Aunt are up from Oklahoma visiting them, so they came over too. We spent a lot of time with them when we lived in Oklahoma for school, so we were really excited to see them all. Julia, Ethan, and Christian were great hosts. Not only did they use pretty good manners during dinner, they entertained our guests with plenty of jokes, and roughhousing. Sometimes the three of them get a little too wild for guests, but today it all seemed welcome. They had a great time and so I think our guests did too. Elliott also did a good job, but he had just woken up from a nap so he was a little more subdued than the other children.

Julia, Ethan, and Christian are my superheros today for playing well with our visitors.

Game Pick-up - Superhero Ethan

I know I missed a couple of days last week, so I wanted to do two posts for today. As I was doing dishes after dinner Elliott disappeared somewhere downstairs. After I finished up, Ethan (6) and I went to look for him. We found him downstairs with a couple games (Chutes and Ladders and Candyland) spread out on the couch and floor. 

After putting the kids to bed I remembered the mess. As I started to clean everything up, Ethan came out and asked if he could help. I am not sure if he was just trying to stay up later, but I thought it was nice that he remembered the mess too and wanted to help me out.

Ethan is my superhero today for offering to help pick up the games.

Stuffed Animal Delivery - Superhero Ethan

Each of the kids has one main stuffed animal that they have had since they were born. Julia has a bear, Ethan an elephant, Christian a monkey, Elliott a llama, and Agnes a sheep. There relationships with their stuffed animals have all been a little different. Julia loves stuffed animals and has 10 or so in here room or on her bed at any given time. Ethan slept with his when he was younger, but I haven't seen it around much lately. Christian likes to put capes on his and pretend it is a superhero. And Elliott never really used his all that much.

About an hour after I put the kids to bed this evening I heard Christian start to holler. I ran in there and he had gotten his arm stuck in between two bars of his bunkbed. After helping him get free I tucked him back in. Just as I was saying good night, Ethan (6) came running in. He had Christian's monkey in his hand and he thought Christian might need it based on his screams.

Today, Ethan is my superhero for bringing Christian his stuffed animal.

Sweet Goodbyes - Superheros Julia, Ethan, Christian, and Elliott

It was a busy day for us today. I took off at 5:30 in the morning for a flight up to Fairbanks. Luckily I was able to carpool with a co-worker so the kids didn't have to wake up early. I was up in Fairbanks for a day long meeting and didn't get back until 7pm. That meant a long day for Rebecca, having to do everything on her own from getting the kids ready in the morning, taking them to and picking them up from school, getting dinner ready, eating, and doing our Friday night activities all without me. What made it harder though is that she had a flight out to North Carolina for a week long family reunion at 9:30 this evening. That meant she also had to pack and get ready for that and, on top of everything else, she wanted to get things ready for me so it would be a smooth trip while she was away. So we had about an hour overlap between when I got home and her flight.

All of the kids were very kind in saying their good-byes. During that hour they all made cards for Rebecca that expressed their love for their mom and told her how much they missed her. They also gave her lots of hugs and kisses. After we dropped her off at the airport I sat in the car and had a brief talk about how this could be a really fun week together for us, but we would all have to work together. I asked them what fun things they would like to do this week and Julia was the first to reply. She said that we should watch lots of home videos of Mommy and Agnes. I said that it would be fine for some, but thought if we watched too many we might just get lonely and sad. Ethan chimed in and said he didn't think we could watch too many and that was what he wanted to do too. It was a somber drive home from the airport, so looks like I will have my work cut out for me trying to keep the kids happy while mom is away. 

(I think this contrasts greatly with their reaction to me being gone for the day. A little after I got home I asked Elliott if he missed me. He said no. Trying to see if he realized I was gone, I asked him if I was there for some of the Friday activities, like playing after school, dinner, and the move. He was sure I was there for all of them. I promise I am not an absentee dad, but I guess mI'm going away is just a much bigger deal than dad being gone for the day.)

Julia, Ethan, Christian, and Elliott are all my superheros today for giving Rebecca and Agnes such a warm good-bye.

F.H.E. Helper - Superhero Ethan

Every Monday we get together as a family for a family night. This usually includes a short gospel lesson, reading the scriptures, some games, and dessert. To help get everyone involved we usually rotate through assignments. Tonight, Ethan (6) was in charge of the lesson. As we planned it out I had lots of good ideas to share with him, but he kept turning them down. Then he told me that he wanted to do something that everyone would think was fun (I thought all my ideas were fun). With that requirement in mind we were able to come up with some activities that taught about faith (falling backward from a chair), repentance (we couldn't think of anything for that so Ethan just described the process), baptism (practiced to get Julia ready for her baptism in just over a month), the Gift of the Holy Ghost (Ethan held up a gift bag and had people guess what gift it was as he described the blessings of the Holy Ghost), and enduring to the end (we did wall squats - I was the first to give up).

Ethan is my superhero today for not just sharing a good lesson, but for thinking about what his brothers and sisters might enjoy.

Conference Helper - Superhero Ethan

Twice a year the Prophet and our other church leaders speak to the world in a general conference. These conferences include six 2-hour meetings over the course of two weekends. To learn more or listen to what they have to say, you can visit this website (www.lds.org). Given the length of these sessions and the fact that they are primarily geared toward adults, we try to come up with activities to keep them engaged. One activity that we do is have a few bowls of goodies (e.g., licorice, grapes, chocolate chips) and each bowl represents a word or topic. Each time the kids hear a word, they get to grab a treat from that bowl. As they were listening today, whenever Ethan (6) would heart word he would first hand out treats to Christian and Elliott and then grab one for himself.

Ethan is my superhero today for helping his siblings get their treats.

Back Rub - Superhero Ethan

I am coming down with a cold, so this afternoon when Ethan (6) asked if he could play tackle with me I told him I wasn't feeling well. He then told me to sit up because he had something for me. When I did sit up he started to rub my back. It was really nice and boosted my energy enough to play some rounds of "Hop on Pop" (check out the Dr. Seuss book by the same name to get an idea of how that game goes, it is one of their favorites).

Ethan is my superhero today for giving me a nice back rub.

Hugs and Thank Yous - Superhero Ethan

As promised, a second superhero post for today.

Although it was freezing this morning when I took the kids to school, by the time the afternoon rolled around it had really warmed up (by "really warmed up" I mean it maybe got to 60, which is good for this time of year in Anchorage). With the good weather we all decided to go for a walk to the park before our guests came over for dinner. When we got back, Ethan (6) asked if I could fix his bike. Although the steering had been a little out of alignment for a few months now, somehow when we got home today his handle bars and his front wheel were not even remotely facing the same way. At first I was going to say no because I had to set the table before dinner, but then I told him I would work on it if he could run up and set the table for me. He agreed to the trade and off he went.

It was actually a pretty easy fix so when I came in Ethan was still working on the table. I went upstairs to let him know that it was all fixed. When he heard that he replied "Thank you Dad! That is something I would have never been able to do by myself. That is so great." He then said "I have something to give you" and he walked over and gave me a big hug.

Ethan is my superhero today for so nicely expressing his gratitude.

Let Them Eat Cake - Superhero Ethan

When I went to pick Ethan (6) and Julia up from school today, Ethan came out of his class with a smile, carefully carrying a cupcake in his hands. As I approached, he said, "I can share with you Dad." Although I thought that was nice, I am not too much of a cupcake fan and I was confident that the one that he got from someone who was having a birthday in his class could never compare to the masterpieces that Rebecca makes (she does a cream cheese frosting that I could eat by the spoonfuls). When we got to the car he let me know that he would share with Julia, Christian, and Elliott instead. At home I cut it into quarters and he happily gave each of his siblings a piece. It was fun to see the excitement that came to each of their faces as they ate their shares. And it was really neat to see that Ethan was willing to give up an entire cupcake that would fill him up for one or two bites so that his siblings could have some.

Ethan is my superhero today for sharing his treat with his siblings.