HAPPY BIRTHDAY ETHAN!!

Ethan officially turned 6 years old at 6:19 a.m. today (09/30/07)! Wow, I just can't believe it! He has been doing really great lately, learning how to play soccer and doing so wonderfully in school. We are so proud of our big guy and we are looking forward to watching him grow over the coming years. Today after church the four of us went out for a special lunch at Joe's Farm Grill. Ethan got his favorite-a cheeseburger and fries :). Here are a few pics...

The birthday boy in a tree...

Mom and Ethan...

The Hodin boys...

Ethan's 6th Birthday Party

We celebrated Ethan's 6th birthday on Saturday with a little party. He invited 6 or 7 'big kids' to come over and hang out, have cake, play games, etc. He had a great time and loved all of his gifts. He got transformers, a GI Joe, Wacky Wigglers, $$$, a rocket launcher nerf ball, a Hot Wheels case and cars, pj's, soccer lessons, a Piranha game, a 50 state puzzle, a desk chair and lamp, etc., etc. We also got him a beta fish, whom Ethan has named Luke. So we now have 5 members of our family and Ethan is so excited to have his very own beta fish!

Ethan and dad with the cake Scott decorated (thathat is the Transformer 'Optimus Prime')...

Ethan, mom, dad, & Rhys...

Kids swarming Ethan and his new fish, Luke...

I got a job!

I (Melanie) got a job and will be starting tomorrow, 10/01/07!! I will be working from home doing unitizing for a small company called MCT (Mortensen Coding Technology). Basically what I will be doing is taking large chunks of scanned paperwork and breaking it up logically for lawyers who need it during trial. I was blessed with this great opportunity through someone I met at church a month ago and she was just about to hire someone else. I told her that I was looking for a work-from-home job and the timing for both of us just worked out great :). So, I will keep you all posted on how that is going as I get comfy in my new role. The best part is, I'll be doing it from home and can work around the kids schedules!

Ethan picks a sport...

We signed Ethan up for Karate and he hated it. He said it was too loud! So we decided to try soccer instead. He seems to really like it and enjoys going every Saturday morning to practice with his team, The Raptors. They will start playing other teams in a few weeks, after they all learn how to play :). The first practice was really hot, but they take lots of water breaks and it is great exercise for him.



Ethan kicking the ball...

Ethan with his teammates (and assistant coach)...

Ethan taking a water break with mom and grandma...

What we do on a boring day...

This past labor day was SOOO hot and we had nothing to do, so Ethan and Scott built this out of the boys legos...