thirteen

Ethan turned 13 on January 6. And while he has looked down on me for about a year and talks with a much deeper voice, he was not officially a full-blown teenager until last week.

A teenager! WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WANTS ONE OF THOSE?!?!?

I do. Well, at least I want this one. (Note: I may have a different answer when Charlie turns 13.) His baby, toddler, little kid and tweener phases were great – don’t get me wrong. But over the past few months, I have seen little things that give hope that the teen years won’t be as dreadful as I imagined.

Okay, I am totally naive, I know. But let me have this moment.

Socially, Ethan has always been quiet, preferring a small circle of friends over hanging out in a large group. There has been only one quarter in school since kindergarten when he wasn’t told he needed to improve his participation in class. Honestly, he will probably never be great at participating. He likes being behind the scenes, working independently and without attention. His favorite subject is math, and, as of now, he wants to be a geneticist and a film-maker when he grows up. He excels at the computer, teaching himself special effects and 3D animation/modeling software with amazing fluency. When he gets stuck on how to do something, he researches and figures it out. His taste in movies matches his dad’s, and his favorite jokes are puns. Even after 13 years, he is still a picky eater but slowly getting more brave….well, as long as none of his food touches each other. He would live in sweats and pajama pants if we let him and has no interest in getting his hair cut ever. He listens great, and fights with his little sister even better. He is responsible and tries to do the right thing because getting in trouble bothers him terribly. He can be moody and sulky, but then spend a half-hour rambling on about something related to the computer, a video game or something else that my brain can’t pay attention to past the first five minutes. But I listen, because hearing him talk excitedly about something makes my heart very happy.

He makes my heart very happy. I love this kid teenager.

told ya

Told ya I would post. Bam!

(editing and graphics by your lovely godson)

finally!

Okay, so maybe I didn’t post as quickly as I said.  But here are some shots from the most awesome day today.

As many of you know, Joel recently had back surgery. Therefore, our outings away from home have been very limited. We have spent the past few weekends tucked inside our home.   So today when Ethan asked if we could PLEASE go somewhere out of the house, I had to say yes.

But where to go that is cheap and close??  Then it hit me…we still had not visited the renovated Central Library downtown. A perfect choice!

And wow!! Is that place awesome! The best part? They had a film/media lab there, and Ethan was able to quickly make a stop action film.  He is already planning to attend a 3D World Building course there this coming Wednesday evening. Yep, that kid found his version of heaven on Earth.

And of course, what outing would be complete without stopping for ice cream? No outing. Dumb question.

Click here: Ethan’s video creation at the library

i’m am still alive

Yes, I am still alive. This space has been silent for too long.  I think missed Christmas, two birthdays, and a bunch of other stuff, haven’t it?  Good lord.  How did I let that happen? 

Well, it’s over!  A new catch-up blog post coming this weekend.  I promise.

one vacation

Two very different photos. Two very different personalities.

Each captured perfectly.

oh, she’s good

Real good.

gratitude

Tonight I went for a run. I had lifted weights earlier in the day so my legs were fatigued. I felt tired and started to think about walking or cutting my run short.

Then I noticed the sky. It was so blue and clear and beautiful. I realized how perfect the weather was for a run. And then I was thankful that I live in a safe neighborhood in which to run. I felt grateful that my body was able to run. That I am healthy. That I have legs and feet that work.

And slowly that gratefulness pushed away the self-doubt. I started to feel able. Strong. Even powerful. And I started to run faster and harder and kicked my own ass those last few miles. It was awesome.

I am starting to learn that gratitude is the key to true happiness. In short, it is impossible to question yourself or to feel sorry for yourself when you are grateful for your life.

I realize that half of my life is owed to random chance. And, simply, I got lucky. I have always had a family, a home, an education, medical care, and people who care about me. How dare I be so selfish to waste that gift with excuses, saying I’m tired or I don’t have enough time.

So this is my resolution.: to be grateful. For the little things and the big things. For everything.

cocoa beach (ocean heaven)

Before hitting Disney, we decided a short side trip to Cocoa Beach would be awesome.

Okay….so this part of the trip was totally a selfish indulgence for me and Joel. But, hey. I think we deserved some relaxation before spending six long, exhausting days in Disney World, right?? Let’s be reasonable, after all.

And the kids enjoyed it too. So no harm done.

A magical vacation

Guess where we are???

The Whatever Kitchen

This is what you see when you open our fridge door. No, I’m not talking about the mess, disorganization and over-abundance of dairy products, which I just happened to notice. It’s like we live in Wisconsin or something. Strange.

It’s the two eggs and the clementine with facial features. But they aren’t just any old food you might have in your fridge with a face. Nope, these fellows are the stars of Ethan’s video series, The Whatever Kitchen. And he takes an awful lot of pride in this project. He carefully writes out each script in advance and records the scenes in our kitchen with his very own little digital camera. He then edits with special effects and uploads the final product to his very own YouTube channel (link below).

And I am serious when I say he neither asks for nor receives any help from us. What the hell do we old parents know about this stuff anyway?!?! Certainly not as much as an 11-year old kid.

Check out his YouTube channel. And subscribe! (Trust me, he is counting subscribers. Every single day.) You won’t reqret it.

The EmanVideo: The Whatever Kitchen