I have been growing my hair out just to see what it would be like again to have longer hair...now I remember why I cut it. My hair is so thick that it just gets TOO HOT in the summer and then it become frizzy at the ends...ugh. So I decided that after Girl's Camp was over, I would cut my hair. Now Courtney has been refusing to have a haircut and her hair was really long. She gets upset and doesn't want to look like a "boy" with short hair, so it took months of convincing but she finally decided she wanted her hair cut like her friend Lydia's hair. Now, Lydia has beautiful hair that is always cute, but her mom is a hair dresser so it's easier for her. But I didn't want Courtney to back out of a hair cut so I decided we would try getting her short hair to look cute every day.
I made us appointments with my friend around the corner who always cuts my hair and we were off. Ethan played with his friend (my friend's son) while we got "beautified." Courtney had me go first. My hair is basically back to what it was before so it wasn't too dramatic. Then it was Courtney's turn. She is REALLY wiggly but my friend did a great job. Courtney loves her new haircut and I'm hoping she will let me style it cute everyday. Here are some before and after photos of us:
Our kids are camping/hiking kids. And the last month has really reinforced this with all the activities we have done. Courtney and Ethan have some friends over to play and when they were trying to figure out what to play Courtney suggested they play "camping" but someone else suggested they play "Disneyland." Courtney insisted that she doesn't know how to play Disneyland and her friend insisted that he doesn't know how to play camping. So they combined them both together and they are "camping at Disneyland." But since Courtney is playing it's just "camping." ;)
Yes, we just can't seem to get enough of this camping thing. This last weekend was our family campout and we decided to go back to Bryce Canyon. We got reservations at one of the campgrounds in the park. We figured that it would be crowded because it was the 24th of July holiday weekend, but it was even less crowded than the week before when I was there for Girl's Camp. We did feel in the minority though because hardly anyone spoke English. But it made it interesting.
We stayed for 3 days and 2 nights. The first night was really noisy because a lot of kids on a trip from France didn't know much about camping etiquette and kept walking right through out camp. So that was a bit annoying. But the weather couldn't have been more beautiful! It was overcast and the temperatures were wonderful. I still knew the code to get into the swimming pool we had used at Girl's Camp so we went swimming both days and Bryan and Ethan hiked the trail the girls hiked the week before. Ethan was a hiking fool and had a great time on their hike. Bryan said he was so impressed by how well our little guy did.
We went to a local rodeo which was so bad it was hilarious. Like I said, not a lot of people spoke English so they couldn't understand what the rodeo clown was saying so he bombed. No one laughed at his jokes...because they couldn't understand them. But it gave us something to do. We also went to a night lecture on the galaxy and black holes. Ethan was fascinated...Courtney was not. Bryan ended up taking Courtney back to camp while I stayed with Ethan. The ranger explained about the sky and then he mentioned about glow worms which are found all over Bryce Canyon. I had seen some at Girl's Camp and Ethan and I found one on our way back to camp. So the next night, when it got dark, we went in search of them and found a couple. They were neat.
We came back home on Saturday, unpacked and then started to kind of organize for this week's camping trip...the Pack Family reunion at Bear Lake. This will make the 4th weekend in a row that one of us has been camping!! Crazy.
I finally have time to scrapbook now that Camp is over so I have been scanning photos into the computer. I came across these that were taken in Heber City over Christmas when we were there with Bryan's family. This really shows the kid's personalities. I think they are pretty cute!
Last week I went to Girl's Camp and here is the low-down.
Tuesday night we loaded the un-refrigerated food into boxes labeled by meals and then had all the girls take their gear to the assistant camp director's house so it could be loaded up. Bryan was great because he took the kids swimming that night so they would be out of the way.
Wednesday morning all the girls met at the Church at 9:00 and then waiting for another 30 minutes while the leaders helped pack up the coolers and the Scout trailer with all the food we needed. We didn't get this done as quickly as we thought we would, so we got a bit of a slow start. Oops!
We drove to Bryce Canyon National Park as a 5-car caravan. I was AMAZED and SHOCKED at how much the girls in my car ate! They started eating right outside of St. George and didn't stop until we got to Bryce. I couldn't believe it. Anyway, we checked into the tepees at the Ruby's Inn Campground, set up camp and then got going on our activities. We had three groups: one decorated our secret sister pillowcases, another made necklaces for their knot tying certification and another group made journals. We had figured it would take about 30 minutes per activity and it actually took about 45-60 minutes for the knot tying and journals. So we were a bit behind schedule. It was about this time that I realized that a schedule at camp is just a rough guideline of what we should do. Once I figured that out, I was a lot less stressed!
Then we had dinner on a stick (kabobs) so the girls would pass off a certification to cook a meal. The 2nd years started the fires and then we grilled the kabobs. They were really good! We then played games (which was hilarious!), made up our tepee cheers, had our night devotional and went to bed. I was so grimy from the day that I showered before bed and it felt SOOOO nice! The leaders didn't sleep too well that night.
Thursday morning I was up early. It was our hiking day and I was a bit nervous. There was a forest fire in the park and it was pretty smoky. I talked to the fee specialist for Bryce National Park and she suggested that we hike early in the morning so the smoke wouldn't be too overwhelming. So instead of 4 groups, we hiked in 2 groups. We did 3 certifications along the way and it was a fun hike. The girls didn't complain too badly about it although the end of the hike was pretty steep.
We went back to camp and it was free time. The girls all agreed that they wanted to go swimming, so we headed over to the pool. It was a fun time. I got out, dressed and went back to camp to just relax in the shade. It was a bit warmer than we would have liked so I sat in the shade of a tree and chatted with some of the girls and leaders. It was a great afternoon.
We then had a camp meeting, gave out the skit boxes, started dinner (tin foil dinners they had to cook in the fires made by the 2nd years), ate dinner then had time to get ideas ready for the skits. Our theme was "Be Loyal to the Royal Within" so the girls were given a box and a princess character. They had to use the props to "mormonize" the story of the princess (Snow White, Belle, Cinderella, etc.). Then we had our skit time. We had 2 leaders that were pretty sick (a bug going around) so we got together in a tepee and got ours planned. They all turned out really cute and it was fun to see what the girls came up with. We then sang songs, played some more games, had our night devotional and then the 5th years took everyone on a snipe hunt. They had a great time and the younger girls loved it!! Then it was bedtime. Everyone slept great because we were so tired from the hike!
Friday was our relax and love it day! After breakfast, I ran down and reserved a tent spot just down the hill from the tepee sites. It was pretty loud next to the road and then we had a lot of people stopping to take pictures of the tepees. We wanted a quieter place for our spiritual night and for our activities, so I paid for another spot and was so glad I did! While the girls read their scriptures, the leaders helped us get the "Spa Day" stuff ready. We had made some spa kits with pedicure sets, nail polish, lotions, face masks, etc. in them. We bought some throw up tubs from a hospital to use as a foot soak tub and packaged all the kits nicely in those. Then we put down some tarps so the girls wouldn't have a semi-clean surface to use. We had all the girls bring down their camp chairs and we set them around with their foot tubs on the tarp. Then we had our "spa day." For each thing we did (face mask, pedicure, etc.) I had scriptures and quotes from prophets about how our inner beauty is reflected on our outer beauty and that we have to be pure inside to truly be beautiful. It was a great day. I had anticipated it taking only about 1 1/2 hours but it ended up taking 2 1/2 because the girls would get to talking and relaxing and we didn't want to rush them. It was so much fun and we got some great pictures. It ended with the girls, eyes covered with cucumber slices, just relaxing and listening to nature. Many of them said it was the best part of camp.
After lunch, they had to finish up any certifications they hadn't finished earlier and then it was free time. The Beehives french braided each other's hair, the Mia Maids napped and the Laurels went swimming. Although everyone did something different. We had girls nap, swim, shower and then play games. I took up a bunch of card games like Uno, Rook, etc. and they played those. So many girls have complained in the past that it was all "go-go-go" when they were at camp, so we gave them a bunch of time to just be together and have fun. I think it went well.
The Bishopric came up and we had dutch oven dinner (beef stroganoff). Then we played games for a bit, ate dutch oven dessert (I couldn't BELIEVE how much the girls ate) then we had our spiritual night program. It was really neat and we ended with testimonies. We ended pretty late but the Bishop still had time to growl at some of the tepees and scare the girls. They loved that!!
The next morning everyone was ready to go home. I think the smoke from the forest fires was starting to get to us all. We broke camp, ate breakfast (which the Bishop brought up for us!), had our awards and devotional and then headed home. I was told that the girls would nap on the way home, but the 1st and 2nd years in my car didn't!! Oh well. We came home to 112 degree heat in St. George and were happy to be home.
The girls all loved it and it was fun to be with the girls and other leaders and just laugh! That's what impressed me the most was how much we laughed. I think camp is for the girls but the leaders benefit greatly from it too!
We leave in about 45 minutes (yeah, right, make that 2 hours because of Mormon Standard Time) for Girl's Camp. I'm director and really haven't had a clue what I was doing but I have an awesome assistant, so it should all balance out. We have 22 girls, 10 leaders and 2 priesthood going. On the night when the bishopric will be up there, we should have around 40 people! Crazy! But it's going to be fun. The forecast is for BEAUTIFUL weather (no rain, hopefully!) and there aren't any fire restrictions so we can use the wood I've been collecting for 6 months!
So keep me in your prayers! Bryce Canyon here we come!
For those of you who were wondering, it is now officially July. Why do I say this? Because it isn't July until our air conditioner goes out. Yes, each July when it's 106 degrees outside, our AC will go on the blink and stop working. We have been in our house for 4 Julys and it has gone out each year.
Last Saturday, when Bryan returned home from the high adventure trip, he noticed that the house wasn't cooling off. So we checked and it wasn't working. We called an emergency service who told us the compressor was broken and was expensive to fix. But he told us that it was probably on warranty and to call the company who put it in. We called our builder who told us that he would contact the owner of the company who put it in...for the fourth year in a row in the month of July.
We loaded the kids up, some clothes and went to my parent's house in Washington for the night. We went back to our house to get ready for Church on Sunday and then spent the rest of the day in Washington at my parent's house. (The kids are LOVING this, by the way.) Monday morning they finally looked at the unit and concluded that it was, indeed, a broken compressor and that they would run to Las Vegas to get us a new one since it was under warranty.
Now, this is the MOST INCONVENIENT July for the AC to go out because I leave on Wednesday for Girl's Camp. My house is a wreck with piles of camp stuff everywhere and I have a ton to get done that I have been trying to do by cell phone. But it hasn't been stress-free.
Anyway, we spent Saturday through Tuesday at my parents house, hanging out in the AC and waiting for it to be fixed. They are supposed to be putting it in this morning so we are waiting to hear from them.
But apparently it is not an official July until our AC is out. I do have a much greater respect for the pioneers who settled this area without AC. I firmly believe we are all born at certain times in the history of the world because we can handle the situations at that time. I think I would have jumped back on my wagon and gone back to Salt Lake after the first summer in St. George .;)
My mom forwarded me an article about my great-aunt Christal's family that was killed in California years ago and I thought I would post it in case any of the family wants to read it. It's amazing the things we have to endure sometimes and how strong people can be.
Ethan has an addiction...Calvin and Hobbes. Yes, he can't go ANYWHERE without a Calvin and Hobbes book in his hand. He reads them over and over and has many of them memorized. Now, I didn't really understand the humor behind the comic before I had a little boy, but now they are pretty funny. The only problem with Ethan reading them is that now he WANTS to BE Calvin and he's doing his best to achieve his goal! Yes, we have a little boy who will look at a camera, smile and then make a face the minute the shutter goes off. We have a little boy who wishes it would snow so he could make a field of snowmen in various states of death. And...well you get the idea. Yes, we have Calvin overload in our house.
So Bryan hid two of the books hoping that Ethan will forget about them, but he hasn't. Ethan still has one book left (we are slowing getting him off them) so he's been holding onto that one for dear life all day wondering where the others went. Maybe when we can get a decent photo of him (without a tongue sticking out) I'll give them back. ;)
I taught 2 piano students this morning at 11 and 11:30. When I was just beginning to teach the first student, Courtney came in the living room and gave me a big hug and kiss. Then she was quiet the rest of the lessons (which is unusual for her because she usually needs "mommy time" when I'm teaching). I didn't think anything about it. When I finished lessons, I called to Ethan and Courtney to get their shoes on so we could run some errands. Ethan came out of his room ready but Courtney didn't so I opened her door and went in. The light was on but I couldn't see her anywhere and it was really quiet. So I called, "Courtney" and suddenly a lump on her bed moved. She had gotten tired and put herself down for a nap! I was floored...but then I was mad at myself because I had woken her up! She doesn't take 2 naps in the day but I think she must have napped for around 45 minutes, so it wasn't too bad. She was pretty disoriented that I was calling her name but she woke up pretty quickly.
I've never had that experience before...a child putting herself down for a nap. Hummm.
We had the best day! We woke up, made cinnamon rolls, loaded the bike trailer with breakfast stuff (cinnamon rolls, bananas, frozen go-gurts, oj and water) and biked to the sand dunes in Snow Canyon State Park. It was 4.4 miles one way. Courtney rode on the tag-along attached to Bryan's bike, Ethan rode his bike and I rode my bike with the bike trailer attached with our stuff in it. I originally thought we would stay and play for a while, but the kids had other ideas.
Now, the bike ride up was difficult. It took us 43 minutes to get from our house to the sand dunes, but it wasn't too bad if you used your gears. Ethan is still trying to figure out his gears so it was a bit tough. He threw down his bike in frustration twice, but once we got to the picnic area he was just fine (sweaty) but just fine. Courtney LOVED being on the tag-along and enjoyed "helping" Bryan go faster. We ate our breakfast (talking about cinnamon rolls and frosting while sitting on a table next to some women from the Spa who were there for a weekend vacation to loose weight, oops) then headed back home. It was all downhill from there and we made it home in 25 minutes. Ethan said it was the best time ever, so his previous frustrations were all forgotten. The weather was great too because it was only 81 degrees when we got home.
After we got home, Courtney went down for a nap while Bryan and Ethan helped a family move in to the neighborhood. When Courtney woke up I took the kids on a few errands then we went to Sand Hollow to swim. It was fun because there weren't too many people there. Ethan has decided he LOVES the diving board and spends quite a lot of time there with Bryan. Courtney just likes to float around and go from place to place. She is a busy body.
After swimming, we changed out clothes and went to my parent's house for a BBQ and some fireworks. Now, we are not a late-night-staying-up family so we had our doubts about fireworks. Our kids also don't like loud noises, so I bought some sparklers and we thought we could just do sparklers and go home. The kids were fine with this until we announced what the plan was and then they decided they wanted fireworks. So at 8:30, we lit sparklers (except Courtney who wouldn't let us light hers) at my parents house. After the sparklers were finished, Ethan did his best fighting moves to humor us. It was pretty funny.
We drove to Bryan's office around 9:45 to have a good view of the fireworks. We parked, went upstairs and sat down to wait. When they began we weren't in the best place to watch them because fireworks were being set off from two different locations in tag-team style, one on each side of Bryan's building. So we spent the next 15 minutes running from one side of the building to the other chasing the fireworks. It was pretty hilarious. The kids became tired of the fireworks before they were finished being set off, so we went down to the van to drive home only to find it surrounded by people watching the fireworks. So we waited for about 5 more minutes until they were finished and then we drove home.
Our kids were pretty exhausted but had a great time. It was a really fun 4th of July!
Ethan had an ear doctor appointment yesterday. He had his tubes out last month and the doctor had to check and make sure the holes had filled in and that everything was healthy. Ethan had a bad experience having his tubes out and was wound extremely tight on the days leading up to the appointment. I explained that the doctor only had to look and not pull anything out, but he didn't believe me. Each time we have visited the ear doctor there has been wax in the way that he has had to pull out. Ethan just knew this would be the case.
So I called in back-up...Bryan. He took an hour off of work to go with us so I wouldn't have to deal with screaming on my own. While we were waiting Ethan said, "If the doctor puts anything in my ear I'm going to hate him forever." I was nervous. When the doctor came in Ethan wouldn't even look or talk to him. Courtney, on the other hand, chatted away about her summer. ;)
The doctor looked in each ear (I was silently praying that there wouldn't be any wax to remove) and then said that Ethan's ears are "perfect." You should have seen all the stress leave Ethan's little body. His face relaxed, he let out a huge sigh of relief and almost slid out of the chair as all the tension in his body left. Bryan was amazed and I just laughed. The poor kid was so nervous!
The doctor thinks that ear problems are behind us (YEAH!!) and now Ethan can swim without ear plugs and he is thrilled. Yeah for Dr. Marsden!
