I have to brag, Ethan was Star Student of the Month in his Kindergarten class!!!

Ethan has come a very long way to reach this point. I admit, I am a very proud Mommy right now. He has overcome the odds stacked against him. He survived chemo, survived massive seizures, survived a Bone Marrow Transplant, survived eating from an NG tube, Strabismus, speech delays, fine motor delays and it's all due to HLH. But, he's overcome it all.

Every day he shines, I thank God for such a precious little boy. He is my actor and artist. He's my comedian. He is empathetic and LOVES babies. Babies might just trump candy for him. Seriously! He loves to have fun. He always beats Keane in the homework race. Yes, he gets his competitive spirit from his Mama. He loves cars and Star Wars. Books are his new passion. If I can't find him, I just have to look in his room and he's right there on the floor surrounded by mounds of books. He also loves movies (Xander is proud).

Ethan is a miracle!  He will have an amazing story to tell his own family some day. I love you Mr. E!

When did Keane become such a little adult?

It's no secret that Keane seems to possess some really amazing gift of language. The other night I was at the table with the boys eating dinner. I had been suffering from the WORST hay-fever of all time and for the past 3 days have had the itchiest eyes of my life. I literally had been scratching at my eyes out non-stop. Even Xander was desperate to help me and tweeted a cry for help. Yes, I looked just like someone hooked on crack, just not all emaciated. I'm a robust addict. As if we had this kind of casual dinner conversation often. Keane starts to say all excitedly...

Keane- Mom, your eyes look so much better than they did this morning!

Me- Thanks Keane! Yes, I do feel SO much better.

Keane- You're welcome Mommy. I'm just glad your feeling better.

That normally doesn't sound like my 5 year old. Usually, our conversation centers on poo, pee and Star Wars, and usually in that order or reversed.

I Guess I'm filling my "adult conversation" void with my 5 year old. Kind of scary that I'm admitting that.

That's SO 42 seconds ago...

I feel like my life is a lot like the new T Mobile commercials. You know, the ones where the guys get updates about everything before anyone else, especially before their guy friend who always looks like a chode because he's always behind the curve on everything. He's always the last to know.

Well... I feel like that A LOT lately! Like I'm the last one to know everything. This is usually how my conversations go...

Friend- Hey, did you get my email?
Me- Huh, what email? Nope? When did you send it?
(Check my phone and yep, sure enough, there's an email about something important going down.)

Friend- Did you see my text?
Me- What?
(Oh, yeah, right. But, this time it's too late and I can't get a sitter for what the text was about. Seriously?)

Yeesh! I don't even have a very good excuse. I have a smart phone. I'm just not smart enough to use it.

My top 10 Favorite Fall Things... 

1. The weather. So Cal knows how to do Fall weather. The crisp air and falling leaves, cozy. It's beautiful and sunny and perfect.

2. TV's new Fall line-ups. It's new & exciting and it means the return of Parks & Rec, How I Met Your Mother, Modern Family, Amazing Race, The Office, SNL, the Vampire Diaries, etc. Welcome back old friends. *Bonus- the premiere of cool new shows! (30 Rock, wish I didn't have to wait until winter for you.)

3. Fall Football returns. (Even if the Cougs stink this year. Sad, but true.)

4. Yummy Fall foods and drinks: (caffeine-free) Chai Tea, white chicken chili, pumpkin bread, and the list could go on and on.

5. Getting to bust out my old and buy new sweaters, jeans and snuggly socks. Amen!

6. School supply shopping: the smell of brand new crayons. My Mom got me hooked. She buys me a box nearly every year for the heck of it and the smell. :)

7. Halloween: I start decorating on the 1st of October; free candy, pumpkin patches and costumes. Need I say more?

8. Perfect time to re-vamp a work-out routine. It's right before Thanksgiving and Christmas. What better time to start than before the holiday gorge fest begins.

9. Which leads me to my next favorite thing, holiday gorge fests! Bring on the turkey and pie.

10. Time to be with Family. It's what matters most.