Ethan's Halloween Party

We had Ethan's Halloween party today at school. He is in the same class with two other boys from our neighborhood and they are good friends. It just so happens that they sit next to each other too and are on a "table team." They were so cute.

I am one of the room moms so I got a craft ready, a game and made some cookies for the kids to bake. Some other moms brought frosting stuff, more games and some books. They first had a parade to show off all their costumes. The classes took turns parading through the classrooms and then they did a loop outside. When all the classes had finished the loop, they ended up at the basketball court outside and the entire school danced the "Chicken Dance," "Stomp," and the "Monster Mash." It was hilarious!

Ethan was a bit nervous about the dancing so we practiced the "Chicken Dance" before school but the "Stomp" song was a bit un-nerving for him. The song gives you instructions like "Slide to the right," or "Left foot three times." He had to concentrate at first so hard that it didn't look like he was having any fun, but by the end he was smiling and enjoying himself. On the "Monster Mash" they let the kids dance "freestyle" and Ethan didn't really know what to do. The school librarian went over and danced with him and then he loosened up and had fun.

After the dance we went back in the school (it was really cold outside, by the way) and had their party. There was a straw game, Bingo, Memory and a craft. They rotated around and then while they decorated and ate their cookies, a mom told a story. Ethan was hilarious when he decorated his cookie. They had M&Ms and candy corn to decorate their cookie with. Ethan decorated with "one on the cookie, one in my mouth, one on the cookie, one in my mouth." He also didn't want any frosting to go to waste and used his knife to get every bit of frosting from his cup and eat it. I laughed so hard! It was a fun and easy party!

Here are some photos:

Ghost Tours

Last night we went on the Santa Clara Ghost Tour. Ethan had heard about it and wanted to go. Bryan wasn't so excited and we thought, last week, about just Ethan and I going but Courtney got wind of the idea and objected. So...we loaded into the car last night and went on the Ghost Tour.

First off, it was LATE for our kids. Bedtime for the kids is 7:30 and that's when the tour began. Secondly, it was EXPENSIVE. I couldn't believe what they charged and we decided that this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip because it's too much money. Thirdly, it's COLD! We had the kids all bundled up but I am too used to southern Utah apparently because I didn't realize I was in flip flops until we got there. I froze my little toes off. Lastly, it was LONG!! We didn't get back home until around 9:30 and we were all ready for it to be over when we were only half-way done.

But...we had fun. We met 6 ghosts. I didn't know what to expect but they advertised it as "family friendly" so I wasn't too worried until but there were some parts that were scary. The ghosts were pretty good and Ethan and I were asked to help one ghost do a magic act for everyone. We saw a magician, a gypsy, an old prospector that was blown up by the fumes from an "ol' two holer" (he was funny), Sitting Bull and Wild Bill. It was way too long and so by the time we got to Jacob Hamblins home for the last two ghosts, we were freezing and ready to be done, but it was fun. There were some creepy indian ghost kids that I didn't appreciate but all in all it was fun and the kids liked it. I would shorten it a bit, if it were me.

Courtney told my mom this morning that the ghosts weren't real because real ghosts say "ooohhhhh, aaaahhhhh" and stuff like that. The ghosts we saw were fake because they talked. ;)

Mommy Date Photos

I forgot to post photos of Ethan's mommy date last week. Here's a cute one. He loved bowling. A couple days after we went, Ethan was invited to go with a friend back to the bowling alley to play. He had a great time!!

Courtney's Preschool Party

On Wednesday Courtney had her preschool Halloween party. I volunteered to help so I drove carpool that day. Ever since last Halloween Courtney has wanted to be a BYU cheerleader. Her best friend Hayley had the costume last year and Courtney loved it. So Courtney asked Hayley if she could borrow it and Hayley said she could. I bought a turtleneck to go under it and we were set. (So easy!!)

The party was fun. They had a bunch of little games to play like "Pin the Tail on the Cat," beanbag toss, guessing games, etc. The kids loved it and they won a little prize from each game. They sang songs, danced around, did puzzles, decorated and at cookies. I got to read them a story toward the end and that was a lot of fun.

Courtney really loved preschool and I can tell why. Her teacher has things under control and is so much fun. Now she can't wait until it's really Halloween. I'm dreading the day we have to give the cheerleading costume back to Hayley. That's going to be interesting! ;)

Getting Pumpkins

We went to the store on Tuesday night (Bryan was trying to give me a break from the kids so I could do Ethan's costume, but I wanted to go along) to buy some pumpkins. The kids loved it and there were still some good pumpkins for sale.

Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Have you ever read that book? I love that book because everything that can go wrong does to the little boy. It's so my life. And yesterday was my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day!

Bryan noticed when he drove home on Tuesday night that there was a puddle of oil on his parking spot at work. When he checked the oil it was bone dry. It was due for an oil change anyway so I made an appointment and then he drove it back to work on Wednesday morning so it could sit there until Thursday and the appointment. Since he bikes every day except Tuesday night/Wednesday morning we figured it wouldn't be a problem.

Ethan finally decided what he wanted to be for Halloween...a jedi! So I found a pattern on Monday, bought the fabric and fitted the pattern on Tuesday and was going to spend Courtney's nap time cutting out and sewing the costume so he would be ready for the Halloween parade at school on Friday.

Wednesday morning things were going well. I helped out at Courtney's Halloween party at preschool (I'll post about that in a minute) and they had a great time. I drove carpool because I was going to be there already. It was FREEZING that day and I had just braved the freezing winds to drop the last girl off when the "check engine" light went on in the van. I don't mess with things like that so I immediately went home and called the dealership The woman made an appointment for 30 minutes later at 12:30. Courtney and I hopped back in the van, ran to a auto parts store to buy oil for Bryan's car, ran and put the bag of oil cans in his car, got McDonalds (I had the best tasting, awful-for-you salad ever, I don't think it should be labeled "healthy" if it is doused in bacon, cheese and ranch dressing), then drove fast to the dealership and got there 10 minutes late.

The guy checking us in was nice but then informed me that all the mechanics were at lunch from 12:30 until 1:30 so it wouldn't be until 1:30 when they could even think of looking at the van and then wouldn't be able to give me an estimate (at $85 per hour) until at least 2:30. Courtney and I ate our lunch and then I called Bryan. He filled up his oil, came and got us, then we drove him back to his office so we could have the car.

We got home just fine but I had to call and change the appointment for the oil change on Bryan's car because we couldn't go without a car. Courtney then fought taking a nap, which really is a necessity for her. She screamed and yelled at me and spent most of the time in time-out. Then it was time for her dance class Halloween party. We carpool and I drive to dance and the other mom brings them home. I got Courtney ready, picked up her friend and as we were leaving the mom asked me what treat Courtney was taking. This was news to me! Apparently I didn't read the note that said they had to bring 12 treats to share. We ran home, grabbed 12 pieces of Halloween candy and took off.

Finally! I was home and started on Ethan's costume but he arrived home about 15 minutes after I got home, so it wasn't quiet for long. I needed him to try something on for me and he was grumpy and fought me. He finally tried it on and I fitted it to him but he was worried that I would poke him with a pin.

The car dealership then called to tell me that there is a leak in a fuel thing in front and we are losing fuel (not something you want to do at present gas prices) so they are fixing it but they need the car until Friday night.

To make a long story short (too late, I know) the rest of the night was crazy. I forgot to make anything for dinner because I was working on the Jedi costume. Bryan got home at 5:45 on his bike and had to leave at 6 p.m. for mutual. The kids fought with each other all night.

But...ever time I had to turn left without a stop light, traffic was clear. Ethan LOVES, LOVES, LOVES his costume and didn't fight me on any of the fittings later in the evening. I didn't have to unpick any seams. And Courtney gave me a big hug before bed. So there were some silver linings!

What did I just say?!

Last week we had a Relief Society Meeting where we made emergency sanitation kits for those in the ward who wanted one. For those of you who don't know, an emergency sanitation kit is...well...it's basically a big bucket with cleaning supplies and in an emergency the bucket becomes your...um...TOILET! Gross, but it is a necessity when in emergency times.

Anyway, I was conducting Relief Society today and thanked all the women who made the kits and reported that we had 41 kits that were made. Then I said, "It's good to know that our ward is covered on that end." I paused, not sure that had come out the way it sounded to me, then the giggles began. I went bright red and tried to backtrack but didn't do it very well. We all ended up giggling and it was a bonding experience for all involved. FUNNY!! I did have one woman after ask if we were going to start working on food storage so "the other end would be covered too." Yeah, funny women in the ward! ;)

Awesome Soccer!

Ethan and Courtney's teams both won their soccer games yesterday!

Courtney's little team only had 3 players at the game so they all played the entire time. Courtney was exhausted at the end and wasn't on the field all the time, but her team did awesome. They have really improved over the first of the season and it's fun to see. (Next week I'll take video of what she looks like at the beginning of the game versus what she looks like at the end.) ;)

Ethan's team has finally figured things out and it is fun to watch! They have been working on passing and getting spaced out and making their own opportunities to score and it all worked on Saturday! They were making passes and scoring without much problem and Ethan has perfected the move of stopping the ball with his belly! ;) I'll have to get that on video too. They really were fun to watch and it helped that they won!

Silly

Courtney found an "Angelina Ballerina" video at the library to borrow. On our way home she was talking about what she wants to be for Halloween and said, "Mom, next year I think I want to be an Ballerina Engineera. Does that sound good?" I just laughed. She said that she'll be a "girl of what Grandpa Pack is". Sounds good to me ;)

Courtney's Fishing Update

It rained. Yes, there was rain so they didn't get to go fishing. But Courtney got a trip to Jumpin' Jacks instead which meant a new pair of socks because she was wearing sandals and you have to wear socks to be allowed to jump. Then they ate...what else?... pizza for lunch and had a great time. She came home and napped for a while and then was ready to go again. But she loved her grandma and grandpa date and can't wait until Grandma Pack gets here!

Funny Kid Things

Lately Ethan and Courtney have been doing some funny kid things that I forget to blog about and I don't want to forget them, so here they go.

Courtney put a white pajama shirt on under her regular shirt yesterday and told everyone that she wears "garments." Yeah, only a Mormon child would think to do that. We had a chat about the temple and garments yesterday so it actually opened up a discussion that was great.

Ethan told us at dinner the other day that when he is older and girls just find his irresistible that he is going to start carrying a hammer to beat them away from him because he doesn't want them kissing him.

He also told us that he hopes girls will stay away from him and won't try to "snog me" when he's older and cute. (Yeah, we have been reading Harry Potter and the terminology has been creeping into his vocabulary.) I wondered, for a minute, why he kept telling us that he was going to be so irresistible to women when he was older. Then I had flashbacks to first grade when he was always bringing home notes from girls telling him that they "i lik yur shurt" and "yur cute." And every time I showed up to help out one girl or the other was trying to hug him. I guess it starts young. ;)

Bryan mixes up the first letters in phrases just to be silly. So "split pea soup" becomes "Plit sea poup." Yeah, you can see where that one goes in our house. There are quite a few combinations that you shouldn't try and we have probably found them all. But the one that Ethan has the hardest time saying correctly now is "clam chowder" (which happens to be his favorite soup of all time). He asked for it the other day by saying, "Mom, when are we going to have some "cham clowder?" He was giggling so hard that I don't think he ever got it right. ;)

Yesterday I was teaching piano and Courtney was downstairs watching a movie to keep her quiet. She came running up the stairs and yelled "Mom, I saw a cockroach downstairs and he was on his bag with his legs in the air moving around, like this" and she laid on her back on the floor and, stretching her arms and legs to the ceiling, started moving them around to give us a demonstration of what the cockroach was doing. It was hilarious! I later went down and it was a piece of fuzz from my sewing room and not a cockroach at all, but I liked the demonstration.

Anyway, just some things to give you a smile today!

Fishing Update

Well...Ethan didn't catch anything and his cheap Spiderman fishing pole broke. But he still had a great time. Grandpa caught 1 fish and let Ethan keep it. It was cold, windy and kind of miserable at Enterprise Reservoir but Ethan said it wasn't a big deal.

After fishing, they went to eat...what else?...pizza then Grandma took Ethan to Jumpin' Jacks to play around. He had a great time and came back pretty exhausted. He loved it and kept telling Courtney all about it.

So...Courtney climbed up in the garage to get her Barbie fishing pole out and quickly told Grandma that she wants a grandma/grandpa date soon. So they made a date for Tuesday morning after Ethan goes to school. Courtney is so excited...she slept with her clothes on under her pjs (something I didn't know until this morning) so she would be ready first thing in the morning. And now she is walking around with her fishing pole telling me that she is going to catch "the big one!" I'm sure the local fishing pond is trembling in fear!

I'm sure she will have a great time and eat...what else?...pizza for lunch!

Ethan

Ethan was feeling a little sad, so I took him on a mommy-date on Saturday. He was pretty excited about spending some one-on-one time with me. He chose to go bowling for our activity. When Courtney was napping and Bryan was doing stuff around the house, Ethan and I went to the bowling alley for a few games.

It was a lot of fun. Ethan is still getting the hang of bowling but he got 2 spares and 1 strike! I was pretty impressed with him. After the first game he begged to play another, so we did. I didn't bowl too bad myself. But it was great fun to be with Ethan and hanging out.

When we got home he felt better about himself and was in a better mood. I'm glad I was able to spend time with him.

And today is Fall Break so Ethan is off on a grandma/grandpa-date with my parents. They picked him up this morning at 7 a.m. to go fishing. He was SSSSOOOOO excited and told everyone at Church yesterday about it. I hope he catches something!

Soccer Mishaps

Bryan and the kids were playing soccer in the backyard this afternoon. They were kicking balls all around and Bryan kicked one hard into Ethan's ribs. Ethan screamed and told us that he couldn't breath, but when we got him calmed down and looked at where he was hit by the ball, we all began laughing. He had the diamond pattern from the ball on his side. I asked if I could take a picture and he said I could and wanted me to make sure to get the marks.

Not 5 minutes later, he was kicking the ball and got Courtney in the side of the head. She, of course, screamed and screamed and screamed and screamed and Ethan felt horrible and went running inside, pretty upset. We got them both calmed down and now they are outside playing soccer again.

I didn't really what a violent sport soccer could be. ;)

Grandma Chain

Grandma Pack is coming to visit and stay with the kids next month while Bryan and I go on a trip for our 11th anniversary. The kids LOVE having her come and we are so glad that she is helping us out. I made the mistake of telling Courtney about it too soon and this morning she woke up asking when Grandma Pack was getting here today. Bryan suggested we make a countdown chain so that we don't get that question all the time. So Courtney and I made this chain. It's pretty long but we have every day on there and Courtney can't wait until she gets to the last one!

Trip to Conference

Friday after school we picked Bryan up from work and headed to Provo. We went to see the BYU game, Lisa, Mike and Carter, and Conference. It was a great trip.

I was a bit nervous about the game because the kids haven't sat through an entire game before. Usually one of them will become bored, or it's too loud, and we have to leave before halftime. Lisa didn't go to the game with Carter, so we knew we could take them there but I didn't want to. Well...our seats were really high up and in the north endzone away from the action, but they were quieter and, after spending a mint on hot chocolate, hot dogs and popcorn, the game ended with a BYU win over Utah State. And the kids had a great time!

Saturday morning we woke up, ate breakfast and then went to Thanksgiving Point to the Dinosaur Museum. I didn't know what to expect but the kids had a great time! They loved wondering through all the exhibits and then spent a lot of time playing in the river and sand in the erosion room. We then got tickets to the 3D show on dinosaurs. It was cool but Courtney wasn't too into it and it was a bit scary for Ethan. At one point I asked if he wanted to take his glasses off and close his eyes, he said, "No way, this is awesome!"

We then ate lunch and took Trax to Temple Square. Bryan had gotten priesthood session tickets and was going to meet David for Priesthood session at the Conference Center. It took so long to get to Temple Square that we only had a little time to walk around before the kids and I had to head back to Provo to take Lisa and Mike to dinner before Mike had to go to Priesthood Session. Then the kids and I hung out with Lisa until all the guys got back and we had an early birthday cake celebration for Mike.

Sunday morning we watched the Morning Session with Lisa and Mike (the kids were all over the place, but we got to hear most of it) and then we headed to BYU to walk around. (Courtney had a bit of a meltdown at having to leave Carter, but we told her that she'll see him at Thanksgiving and that seemed to make it okay.)

Ethan LOVES BYU and Bryan told him all kinds of stories about when he was a student there. Ethan is a convert and can't wait until he can go to school there. He is mostly excited that he will have a lot of "free time." ;)

We listened to the afternoon session in the car on the way home while the kids napped. It was a great weekend. Thanks to Lisa, Mike and Carter for letting us crash at their house. They are wonderful!

Here are some photos:

Trip to Walmart

Courtney and I may be banned from Walmart. ;) We went there in search of some ribbon to make her some cute hair pieces for the BYU game tonight (a need, according to Courtney). We found these tall shelves that were slightly slanted forward just full of ribbon. They were quite high and so I climbed on the cart to see the top shelves. Courtney decided to try and get up to see too. She grabbed the front grate that kept the ribbons from falling out and it fell off...showering her with about 50 spools of ribbon. Courtney began screaming and yelling while I tried to stop the flood of ribbon. I have to say that it struck me as REALLY funny and I couldn't stop giggling. That may be why when the woman working in the Fabric Department came over she just made a disgusted sound and moved on.

Courtney and I, with the help of a nice woman and her little 18 month old son, cleaned up the mess, tried to put the ribbon back and then high-tailed it out of the Fabric Department. Courtney was traumatized by the falling ribbon, but I thought it was pretty funny. ;)

It's Cold

On Monday and Tuesday the highs were in the 90s and low 100s. It wasn't Fall weather and, to be honest, at this time of the year I get pretty tired of being hot!! But yesterday was gorgeous!! We had the windows opened all day and it didn't get above 75 degrees in our house. I loved it. This morning, it is now 6:48 a.m., it is only 48 degrees outside. It kind of makes me feel for the marathon runners who are out training this morning because it is such a dramatic change from last week, but hey, if they are up early running 18 miles, what's a little cold?!