A Post About Ethan

I've been waiting to write this post because Ethan's teacher wrote a really nice note about him for a citizenship award but he wanted to bring it home and then I put it somewhere "safe" and I' m not sure which safe place that was....  Anyway, I decided that while I'm here I'm just going to write about him and not look for the paper and get distracted.  Again.

Ethan is very much a BOY.  He likes to run, climb, play games, dig holes, camp, play sports, ....  His school teacher writes that Ethan is very smart--so true!  She also says he shows up for school ready to learn and always wants to learn more--I love that about him--he is definitely inquisitive and open to learning new things.  Sometimes I think he is a little too smart for his own good, like when he rode his bike down really busy highways to get to his aunt's house--when he was three.  He knew the way and exactly where he was going!  I remember I had to take his bike apart and then hide the pieces in various places in the garage so he wouldn't put the bike back together--remember he was only three!  He excels in math and spatial tasks.  He is mechanically inclined and has a natural ability for building and repairing things.  I love this about him too--he can fix things around the house now and is always repairing bikes for Nathan and Ivy.  When Vince is gone, he can help me with projects and/or problems that may happen around the house and yard.  Like two summers ago when Vince was at a scout training for 4 days and we had a flooded basement--Ethan's boy mind was invaluable in helping us get the water cleaned up and out of the basement and getting the carpets dried out.

Ethan is also a hard worker and very meticulous--when he starts a job he likes to get it done the right way!  Sometimes this makes things harder for him like when I ask him to clean his room and he empties all the drawers and shelves to put things back on them just perfectly.  There are times when he will randomly decide to clean a kitchen cabinet or drawer.  When company is coming I ask Ethan to clean the main bathroom because he cleans into the corners every time. 

A couple of weeks ago Ethan ran a 5K with Vince and he won for his age group!  (He's 11)  This 5K was a fundraiser for the track team and the entire high school track team participated--he actually beat 75% of the track team!  He loves to run and can't wait to be on a track team and run races more often.  Last summer we let him run his first 5K--he beat me but he couldn't quite catch his dad.  Vince is really a fast runner.  BUT Ethan ran the race, in July, in jeans!!!  I couldn't believe it, but that's what he wanted to run in.  We'll see what he does this July...

Right now Ethan takes piano lessons (because I make him) and guitar (because he wants to).  He plays them both really well but you'll only hear him play piano at recitals because that's the deal we made: he has to take lessons and practice but then I won't make him play for people.  A unique compromise.  It's fun to see him learn the guitar.  He is also enjoying scouting, which is good, because his dad would make him like it if he didn't!  He loves the scouting activities and moves through the ranks well--if only he could get his mom to sew the patches on his uniform...  Scouting has been quite fun the past several months because his leader has been physically unable to work with the boys and Vince has been working with them.  It's good father/son time!  What he would really like to do is play some team sports but he's a great brother and understands that I can't get him to practices and games because I've got to take Nathan to speech so far away.  He always shows an interest but he doesn't complain--he's a great brother to be so kind and patient about the sacrifice.  He's a fifth grader this year and he's excited to be in middle school so he can play intramurals--the boy loves a competition of any kind!