Soccer Season

September starts soccer season for us. Bryan had a coaches meeting on Saturday to get ready. He is coaching Courtney's little team and is so excited about it...so is Courtney! She only has 4 girls on her team and they play 3 on 3, so they will be tired by the time they are finished, but it will be so much fun. Ethan is playing on the same team as the last 3 years with Bryan as assistant coach. His uniforms are burnt orange and black with flames on the sleeves, so they are really cool. Yeah!!!

Preschool!

We had Courtney's preschool open house last night. When I signed Courtney up for the preschool in February, I took a tour and Courtney was able to go there and play. The teacher is a BYU graduate that taught kindergarten for a couple of years before she had children of her own. Then her husband converted their garage into a preschool so she could continue teaching. It's such a cute place and she just remodeled so it has a reading loft, a store, and it painted really cute with mountains on the walls and clouds on the ceilings. There are 4 little kids in our neighborhood going to the same class so we are going to carpool and that will make it nice for them.

Courtney was so excited before we arrived at the open house but then she became really shy and clingy when we stepped in the door. The teacher gave her a scavenger hunt to do and Bryan was so patient and helped her with that while Ethan ran all over the place and I chatted with the other moms in our neighborhood who were also there. Finally, Courtney became really comfortable and began playing with the teacher and looking around. Once she became comfy, it was hard to get her to leave. But we is super excited...for now. That is likely to change so Bryan is going to take her the 1st day because he has a lot more patience than I do. ;)

Road Rash

In an effort to put more exercise into my daily routine, I decided to bike with Courtney down to the library which is about a 3 mile round trip ride (although it's uphill all the way back). Bryan took the tag-along attachment off his bike and put it onto mine last night and then adjusted my seat for me. I'm short and the seat has to be up higher than I usually have it, so I have to stretch to reach the pedals, but I make it work.

So this morning I attached the tag-along, loaded our books into a backpack, put on our helmets and Courtney and I were off. We had a great time for the first mile. It's almost all downhill to the library so we were cruising at quite a fast speed. We were within a half mile from the library when we passed a guy walking the cutest dog. Courtney looked back at it, leaned to the side too much and...over she went. I felt a tug, heard a scream, heard the tire being pulled on the road and I pulled my breaks...hard! I stopped and saw Courtney about 100 feet behind me, picking herself up off the ground. The guy we had passed was sprinting, pulling his little dog behind him, up to see if Courtney was okay. I dropped my bike, ran back and just grabbed her in a hug. She was really cut up. Both of her knees were bloody, her hands were all black from the road, her elbows were cut up, her right cheek had road rash on it, a couple of her toes were bleeding (we had a fight about her putting on tennis shoes and she said, "Daddy always lets me ride in sandals" and I caved), and she has road rash on her little belly and chest. Poor girl!!

The man offered to get his truck and take us home but Courtney didn't want to ride with a stranger and wanted to bike back home. We righted the bike, tried to clean her up a bit (the one time I don't have a first aid kit with me) and then started off. We got about 200 feet when it happened again. She jumped off this time without getting hurt and said, "That was fun that time," But by then I was done. The ride back home was a mile that was all uphill and not fun under normal circumstances. So I pulled out the cell phone and began making phone calls, but no one was home. The guy came back to check on us and said that he was getting his truck and for us to get the bike off the bike trail and onto the main road so we could load it in his truck.

Courtney and I got the bike to the road, sat there and waited for him to come back. He was so nice to give us a ride and he even brought band-aids for Courtney so she would feel better.

When we got home, I gave Courtney a bath to try and wash all the road off her body and then put about 8 band-aids (with ointment) on her cuts. Poor girl. I wanted to take a picture to document her spill, but she wouldn't let me. She's been a trooper but had me call dad to let him know. She told me that she is "never, ever" going to ride on the tag-along with me again! But that she would feel better if I used the bike trailer because she can't fall out of the bike trailer. She has a point.

Poor girl!

Eating Out

A Harvard study just released said that the average American family eats out 5 TIMES PER WEEK! Who are these people and how do they afford that?! Just a thought.

Courtney-isms

She's been at it again.

Yesterday as we were going grocery shopping Courtney asked me how a girl finds a man to marry if they don't go on a mission. I explained to her that a girl doesn't go on a mission to find a husband, but to share the Gospel and do what's right. When she gets home, then she finds husband. She though about this for a while and said, "Mom, where do boys go to hunt for a wife? And where did dad hunt you at?" I didn't answer because I was laughing too hard at my mental image of Bryan crawling around BYU with a net gun ;)

We have been trying to stop Courtney from sucking her thumb but it hasn't been too successful. We learned, when trying to potty train the princess, that she doesn't do anything until she is good and ready to do it and that fighting her won't make it happen any faster. So we have been trying to make her think it's her idea.

She mentioned that a girl in our ward who babysits her sometimes has braces. Courtney asked if braces hurt and I said, "Yup." I then told her that if she didn't stop sucking her thumb that she would definitely have to get braces to fix her teeth. I thought this would be a little motivation to her, but she just paused, thought about it a minute and said, "Then I'm going to definitely keep sucking my thumb because I really want to have braces when I get bigger." ...that didn't work!

Change is Good

I got a new calling yesterday (actually I have known about it for about 1 1/2 weeks but I was sustained yesterday). I was just feeling comfortable with doing another Girls Camp because the Stake would be in charge this year and then I was released. I am now the 2nd counselor in the Relief Society over Enrichment. I have had this calling before so it's nice but here is the kicker...I am the oldest member of the new presidency! Yes, at the ripe old age of 34, I am the oldest (the president is 2 weeks younger than I am). I got a lot of comments yesterday about how young we are. It will be a fun presidency though because I know all the women and have been friends with all of them. I was in the Primary with the new RS President; the new 1st Counselor was my visiting teacher for a couple years; and I was the visiting teacher for a couple years of the secretary. I think it will be fun.

Cake Week

This has been the birthday cake week. I did Courtney's fondant baby doll cake on Wednesday with a bunch of mega sized cupcakes for her party. I did a sheet cake for my mom's birthday (August 14th) that we are going to eat tonight at her family party. And I also did a birthday cake for the daughter of one of Bryan's co-workers whose wife is on bedrest. She wanted a BYU cake and I think it turned out cute!

1st Day of School!

Ethan started school on Thursday. He is in Mrs. Magnus' 2nd grade class at Santa Clara Elementary. He has 2 other boys in our ward in his class. We went school shopping last week and got all his school supplies and clothes. When we were looking for a backpack he couldn't find one that he really liked so we kept looking and looking. Finally he found one that he "just had" to have. It was a BYU backpack and it really cute!

He was a bit nervous for the 1st day but he did a great job and loved it. He is so excited to be learning about everything this year. We went to Back-to-School night last night and met his teacher. She is very nice and has been doing this for 16 years (I think) so I feel like he is in good hands. And he loves that his only homework is to read 20 minutes each night!

Here is our big guy! (Notice the BYU shirt and the BYU backpack. He's got his goals right.)

She's 4 Everyone!

Courtney had her 4th birthday on Wednesday (August 12). Bryan bought her flowers, which she says is the "best present ever." It was cute because he brought them in to her before he left for work and she was so excited. They are in her room because she wants to see them all the time.

Courtney requested a birthday breakfast of oatmeal (cooked for a change), cinnamon rolls with frosting, bacon (which was influenced by her brother, she doesn't like bacon) and orange juice. She loved it and said that she was having a great day.

We celebrated with a friend party at the splash pad where Ethan entertained the girls by being silly and the girls got all wet running around. We planned for the party to last 1 1/2 hours and I was worried that it wouldn't be long enough, but after 10 minutes Courtney was finished and she wasn't even wet yet. So the girls dried off, I painted their toenails and fingernails and then they played "duck, duck, goose" which they really didn't get how to play but loved running around. Bryan tried to light the candle on a mega sized cupcake but the wind kept blowing it out so Courtney just pretended to blow out the candle and then everyone ate up...except my children and one little girl who only ate the frosting and threw the cake part away. ;)

After the party, Courtney took a nap while I finished cleaning up and got ready for the family party that night. Grandma and Grandpa Oman and Aunt Kathy came over and we had pizza (Courtney's favorite) and then her cake. For the last 3 years she has requested a baby doll cake and each one has to look differently. After putting stars on a cake last year and having a numb hand for days afterward, I decided to put fondant on the cake this year and it worked out great. Courtney loved it and it tasted great.

Courtney opened presents, again, and she and Ethan played for a long time with her gifts. She got more polly pocket dolls, a kitchen, a cash register, and a lot of other dolls and toys. She even got some money from Grandma and Grandpa Pack, Aunt Leigh Ann and Grandma and Grandpa Oman so she could fill in what she didn't get.

It was a great day for her and she said that being 4 feels a lot different than being 3.

I took her to the doctor on Thursday for her annual check up and she is doing GREAT!

Here are some photos:

Poor Ethan

Courtney has a couple of friends over and they are playing "princess" and are all dolled up in crowns and things. I wasn't really paying attention when all of a sudden I heard Ethan yell "no way Courtney!" and go running to his room followed by three little girls yelling "But Ethan, we have to have a prince." I finally convinced the girls that Ethan wasn't really prince material today and that they should just use a pretend prince. They were a bit disappointed but now they are happily playing again in Courtney's room. Poor boy, but someday he will appreciate a younger sister with cute little friends.

....Um...I have to amend this post because now Ethan is hiding, jumping out at the girls and begging them to chase him. Maybe he doesn't have to be older to appreciate his sister's cute friends. ;) He seems to really be enjoying himself.

I'll do walls!

Bryan and I wanted to do sealings this Saturday when we went to the temple but I wasn't sure if they did sealings all day long or if we needed an appointment. Courtney walked into the room while I was on the phone talking to the sister at the temple asking about sealings. When I finished, Courtney asked if she could come along. I told her that only adults could go into the temple and she said, "Come on Mom, I'll do the walls!" Cute girl!

Magic Words

I think we may have been living in the world of Harry Potter too long in our house. Courtney and I had the following conversation in the van yesterday.

Courtney: Mom, why is "please" called a magic word?

Me: Because when you use it, people are more likely to give you things and be nice to you.

Courtney: Well, I don't think it should be called a "magic word."

Me: Why not?

Courtney: Because it can't be a magic word if you don't have a wand and I haven't seen anyone use that word with a wand.

How can you argue with that?!

He rode a bull!!

We went to Tuacahn last night to see "Footloose" with the Priests and Laurels. Our Bishop is the CEO of Tuacahn so we had some connections. It was a great play and we had a lot of fun, but before it began they had a mechanical bull in the plaza area that you could ride. The Bishop arranged for one of the young men and then Bryan and his advisor to go on it. I tried to video it with the phone and I thought I was, but it ended up that I didn't push the right button. But he stayed up quite a while and I was really impressed. I did video his second ride, but it was really short because he was so worn out from the first ride. It was a fun night!!

Here's the video of his short ride (he was too tired after the first ride to stay on too long) but you'll have to turn your head to the side because I video taped it sideways:

Courtney's Parent's Night

They had Parent's Night at Courtney's dance studio and it was really fun! They did their tap warmups, a couple of tap songs, their ballet warm ups, a couple of ballet dances and then did their new parade routine with pompoms. It was fun to watch her because she really got a lot of the moves that she didn't understand last recital. She is so girly too that she made me do her hair "all cute" for the night and she loves her new costume...it doesn't itch!

Here are some photos and videos from last night:

This is their tap dance called "You know what?" Watch her when they say "don't be late." She only has one volume...LOUD!


Here is "Me and My Teddy Bear" which is their ballet routine.


Here is their parade routine that they do with pompoms. This one is Courtney's favorite because she loves to shake the pompoms. At one point, I think she hit herself with it. Watch her cute little poses.

Courtney's Party

Although it seems like she has been 3 years old forever, it has only been a year...next week. She wanted a "simple" party so we decided that we are going to take 7 little girls to a local splash pad and park to play. It should be fun. Courtney helped me design the invitation and I'm having them printed at Costco. She is so excited for her birthday! August 12th watch out!!

Bear Lake Family Reunion

This past weekend was the Fred Pack family reunion at Bear Lake. There were 15 of us and it was a ton of fun.

On the way up on Thursday, we stopped at the Open House of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple in West Jordan. It was a beautiful temple and we really want to go up and go through a session when it's dedicated. On August 23rd they will do the dedication that we will be able to attend in our own stake center, so I'm excited. Ethan loved it but was disappointed that it wasn't more reverent. There were a lot of people there and it was noisy, but I think both of the kids loved it!

When we finally got to the KOA in Garden City, we set up camp, had dinner with the family and then sat around talking while the kids played games with Bryan's 2 cousins (Jurnee is 12 and Justin is 6). They had a lot of fun and got to bed really late.

Friday was our lake day! We had taken our bikes so Ethan, Bryan and Courtney rode to the beach while I drove the car with all our stuff in it. The bikes were a great idea because we rode them everywhere and didn't have to worry about traffic! Two wave runners were rented, we took lunch to the beach and had a great time. Ethan and Courtney got to ride the wave runners with Bryan and they loved it. Then they each got to go fishing with Grandpa Pack which was a real highlight to them! In the afternoon we all relaxed and sat around talking. That was my favorite part because we just got to be together. Then we went for raspberry milkshakes.

Saturday morning was spent at the craft fair with sack lunches on the grass. Then we went back to the campground, went swimming at the pool, had dinner and then went to the rodeo. Courtney and Ethan wanted to do Mutton Bustin' (where little kids ride a sheep) but we didn't know they had to be pre-registered. They were a bit disappointed but they had another kids activity where the kids had to chase a calf with a ribbon tied to its tail with the first one to get the ribbon off winning $10. Courtney's group was the 6 and under group and they took FOREVER to get the ribbon. But it was hilarious watching the kids run around after a calf. Ethan's group went faster and I thought Ethan did great at trying to get the ribbon. They didn't like the rodeo too much because they both felt that it was mean to the animals, but I had a good time.

Sunday morning we broke camp, went to Church, had a family devotional and then said our goodbyes and headed home. It's a 7 hour drive so we were anxious to get going so we would have time to unload the van and get things semi-organized once we got home.

Thanks everyone for a great family reunion!!! It was great food, fun and family.

Here are some videos and slide shows of the weekend.

The Temple Open House:

Day at Bear Lake:

Rodeo - Courtney is in a white sweatshirt and short blonde hair and Ethan is in a camo shirt, they are a bit hard to see in the photos:

Miscellaneous photos:

Courtney at the Rodeo:


Ethan at the Rodeo: