Halloween Fairy!

The Halloween Fairy came last night! Courtney got a puzzle and Ethan got some Nerf bullets that whistle.

Yeah! No more candy to fight over...as soon as they eat their 5 pieces.

Happy Halloween!

Our neighborhood is so awesome! We have a neighborhood Halloween party that is so great. Everyone has an assignment for food or paper products and then we shut down the street, set it all up, eat dinner, have 2 bounce houses for the kids, then one adult will go home to answer the door while groups of kids go out trick-or-treating with the other adults. It's great because we have so many kids in the neighborhood that they always have friends to go with.

Ethan and Courtney had a blast bouncing in the bounce houses...both of them broke their glasses. Actually, a screw fell out of Courtney's so the lens fell out. Ethan's really broke. Luckily, they have a warranty and we'll use it!

Ethan ate a couple of hot dogs, some chips and a bunch of cookies/cupcakes. Courtney ate chips. Yup, a great pre-trick-or-treating meal. There were all kinds of soups but they weren't interested. Go figure!

Then Courtney went with a huge group of girls that included Hayley (her best friend) while Ethan went over to Brennon's house to watch a movie until Brennon, who wasn't afraid to dig in to all the good soups and chips, felt better. (He ate a bit too much at the party and needed time to digest.) Then Ethan and Brennon went around with Brennon's big sisters.

Both kids came home with a huge haul and just in time because we had run out of the pretzel bags we were giving away. I gave away a bunch of Ethan's candy. ;) We then turned off our lights, the kids sorted their candy and chose 5 pieces to keep, and then they put the rest in their bags to wait for the Halloween Fairy to come.

Now it's baths and beds! Yeah for Halloween!

Courtney and her friend, McKaye, pre-broken glasses:

Sorting her loot:

Waiting for the Halloween Fairy:

Soccer

Courtney had a soccer game today and it was...light purple butterflies versus light purple dragonflies. Yup, it was pretty confusing but the girls did a great job. Courtney is still in the phase of just running around trying to look like she is getting into the action. But it was a fun game to watch. Courtney even showed us her "wink!"

The wink:

I love the legs! ;)

Pumpkins

Ethan spent the last few months growing our pumpkins so we had to carve a few of them. They are pretty small, but we made it work. I will have to post another pictures of Bryan's (Ethan took it) when it is lit up tonight.

Trick-or-Treat at the High School

Each year Snow Canyon High School has some trick-or-treating down their halls right before they let out of school. Ethan wanted to go and Courtney was invited to a Halloween Party, so Ethan and I had a Halloween Mom/Ethan date. It was fun.

The halls were SO crowded with kids but we were able to find Brennon and Ethan went around with him. Each different wing of the school was decorated like a different House in Harry Potter. They played "Monster Mash" over the loudspeaker and the high school kids were the ones to give out the candy. It was a lot of fun and he got a big loot of candy.

The Halloween Parade and Parties

What a crazy party day!!

At 9:15 the Halloween Parade began with Courtney's class in the lead...and Courtney at the front of the line! She was so excited. They then went through the next classroom to pick up those students and then to the next room and so on. They ended up outside and did a loop before going back to their classroom for the party.

I am one of Courtney's roommoms so I got to help plan the party. There was a mummy roll game, cookie decorating, memory game and a necklace craft. The kids had a great time and all the kids had a great time. Friday is an early day so they get out at 10:40. We didn't have too long for the party after the parade finished, but the kids didn't mind.

After Courtney's party, they were out for the day so I took Courtney with me to help set up for Ethan's party. I was just helping on this one so it was a lot less work. I was in charge of the craft station where they were making spiders from pompoms and yarn. It was pretty easy but took a long time for them to put the googly eyes on.

There was a "gross out" station where they had to put their hands in vats of cooked spaghetti noodles with spiders in them. This made Ethan dry heave but he kept trying to catch spiders. They did a mummy wrap game and ate chocolate rats (which also made Ethan dry heave). Then they went back to the classroom and decorated cookies until lunch.

All the kids, at both parties, had a great time.

Halloween is Coming!

The kids have their Halloween parade and parties today. I'll blog about those later, but this morning I had to take their picture before the bus came and took them off. Courtney is a disco girl and Ethan is a Storm Trooper (his friend, Brennon, is Bubba Fett).

They weren't up too early but they were ready in record time. That means that we have had a lot of time to bug and tease each other. I thought I would attempt to channel their energy into helping me make some light up ghosts to decorate outside with. That lasted about 2 minutes, but the ghosts were finished and they turned out okay.

Here is a picture of our front porch. Ethan grew these pumpkins for an arrow point in cub scouts and did a great job...growing miniature pumpkins. I think we watered them too much. Oh well.


Here are the kids (the last one has Brennon in it too):

Pack Meeting at Ivins Fire Department

Our Ward has quite a representation in the Ivins City Fire Department. We have three EMTs/fire fighters in the ward and one of them gave our little Scout Pack a tour last night. It was fun because he is a funny guy and his son is Ethan's age so he was there too. We had a good turn out and they learned all about fire safety.

I was a bit shocked because Courtney doesn't like loud noises and freaked out last time we went to a fire station, but she did okay at this one. She even climbed in the fire truck to look around, something she has never done before. She did walk around with her ears plugged 90% of the time, but oh well.

Ethan loved it because there were a lot of things to see. He asked some great questions and learned a lot. He had fun. He was supposed to get a few belt loops and get his Wolf Merit Badge, but they decided to wait until next month because two other boys are going to advance also and the Den Leader in the ward wants to try and use the boys to motivate the others to get their stuff done. She figures that the more that advance at once, the more impressive it will look. Ethan was kind of bummed, but he is more excited to get a bunch more belt loops finished before next Pack Meeting.

Looking in the fire truck compartments:

Courtney on the blue fire truck (Why is it blue? Because the fire chief at the time it was purchased liked the color blue. Go figure!)

Courtney's Dance Halloween Party

And so it begins.

Last night Courtney had dance and they had a huge party. They got to dress up in their costumes (Courtney is going to be a Disco Girl) and got candy at the end. She was so excited and can't wait for Friday when she has her class party and then on Saturday we have our neighborhood party. What a life these kids have!

Here is Courtney with her two friends from the neighborhood who are also in dance with her. Lydia as Jane is on the left (this little girl's big brother played Young Tarzan in the Tuacahn production of "Tarzan" this summer) and Hayley as the Halloween Fairy is in the middle. (For any who don't know, the Halloween Fairy takes your Halloween candy on Halloween night and leaves you with a toy. It's a tradition in the neighborhood that we are happy to participate in so we don't have any tummy aches or cavities.)

Where do I put it?

Last week I took our recycling to the grocery store parking lot where a huge dumpster is set up. And there, sitting on the ground ready to be thrown away, was a huge clock. It was all gross and sticky, but I saw the potential so I grabbed it. Now, Ethan tells me this is stealing, but I think it's fine because it was being thrown away.

I took it home, cleaned it up, painted it black, and cut vinyl out with my Cricut (I need the computer program so I have more control, but I don't think it was too bad). I think it turned out well, but now I don't know where to put it in my house. Oh well, it was fun to make and I'll figure out where to put it eventually.

Go Giants!!

They are in the World Series! Enough said.

Save-A-Sister

Today was the Save-A-Sister 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run to raise money for breast cancer research. I have always wanted to run this race but it hasn't ever worked out. This year I made it a priority and we all did it. I signed up to do the 5K and Ethan, Courtney, Bryan and my dad signed up to do the 1 mile fun run/walk. We were all pretty excited.

Ethan wants to do a kids triathlon next month so we wanted to give him a taste of how long a mile was to run. He was a bit nervous that he would get lost and not know which way to run, but we kept assuring him that he would figure it out.

The course is a new one this year due to construction on the old course. I knew it was going to be hilly because Ethan's former piano teacher lives in the area of the race, but I didn't realize just how hilly.

When we got over to the race site we met up with my parents and Kathy and Don who would be there to cheer us on.



The 5K and 10K races began at the same time at 9 a.m. and then the walk began at 9:10. The 5K was a loop around and the 10K was the same loop, just repeated a second time to make up the distance. The beginning was downhill and great. I made some great time...until the uphill hit. I am not good on hills but I kept going. Around mile 2 1/2 we began the really large hill. Bryan was finished running with the kids so he jumped on the course and ran the last bit with me. I was dying but he got me up the hill and then I took a little 1/2 block break to get my wind back. The rest wasn't too bad and I ended up with the time of 34:42.7 (my Swiss Days time was 34:35). I kick myself for walking because I must have been making really good time to get up all those hills, walk and only be 7 seconds behind my flat-course-Swiss-Days time. I did have to sprint at the end though because there was one woman I wasn't going lose to and I could tell she was right behind me.

I then found out that the kids did a GREAT job. They waited with Bryan and my Dad at the start and then they took off.


Getting ready to start:


We don't have pictures of Ethan because he was way too fast. He claims to have walked a couple of times, but his official finishing time was 9:19 and was 2nd place overall in his division (Mens 1-99). Bryan stayed with Courtney a lot of the time and she ran a good race.

Here is Courtney starting out:


After a while, Bryan convinced Courtney to walk with Grandpa and he took off after Ethan. Bryan finished in 11:12 and Courtney's time was 14:45. Not shabby!

Then they met up with my parents to watch for me and Bryan joined me.

Ethan is now addicted to running races and can't wait for the triathlon next month!

Ethan Pack playing Hurry Scurry

Ethan's teacher put the recital up on YouTube, so here is a better recording of his song.

Go Giants!!

For some reason (I don't know why) it cuts off a bit of the right side. But this is now Bryan's favorite song! ;)

Crazy Bike Man!!

Bryan did the 117K Tour de St. George bike ride today. That's 72.7 miles of crazy bike riding. I am so proud of him. Last May he did 30 miles but this year he decided to try the longer ride. He took off at 8 a.m. this morning and finished at about 1:15 p.m. (I think). We don't have his official time yet, but we'll find out.

It was a grueling ride that had A LOT of uphills in it. He called at the lunch aid station with about 20 miles to go and his legs were hurting. But he kept going and finished. They fed him lunch at the finish line (taco bar) and he drank a bunch of water.

He's sore, but after his shower he said he was feeling good. He doesn't want to ever do that length of ride again, but he wants to do the next 30 mile ride. Great job!!!!

Finishing!

With a proud daughter:

His number and wrist band:

Football

What does a touchdown, a safety, an interception, four pulled flags, and a touchdown pass have in common? They are all the things Ethan did in his last flag football game!! Great game Ethan!

Piano Recital

Ethan had his Fall Piano Recital at the St. George Tabernacle. It was pretty cool. He got to play on a really nice grand piano that they keep in very good tune. But he was REALLY nervous, more nervous than he was for the evaluations. Go figure!

When we got there, his teacher was having the students go up and play a bit on the piano to get used to it, but Ethan didn't want to do that and just cuddled to my side. His teacher began by handing out the certificates for the evaluations and then she began with the first student.

Ethan and his certificate:


They all did a great job but as it got closer to Ethan's turn he burrowed into my side a bit farther. and was getting really nervous. When it was his turn he got up there, announced his piece then sat down to play.

Playing:


He did a great job! He made a few mistakes but kept going through them and I was so happy for him. Only when he sat down did he say, "Mom, I was really nervous. I think I played my piece an octave too high." Yup he did, but it sounded great anyway and no one but us and his teacher knew the difference.

Great job kiddo!

Here he is with his candy bar (from his teacher) and his certificate:


Bryan got part of it on video so here it is:

Ethan's the Man!!

Ethan had his piano evaluation today and he did fantastic!! He played "Hurry Scurry" and has been practicing it for months. We went to the Piano Gallery for his evaluation time, he warmed up on a piano there and then we waited until it was his turn. He went into the room with 1 judge, played his song and then exited. We waited until she was finished with her evaluation and it was all scored. The man in charge then went in and got Ethan's music and his score.

The ratings are a big weird but they go something like this: the top is Superior, next is Superior Minus, then Excellent Plus, Excellent, Excellent Minus, and so forth. Ethan got a Superior Minus. (He was a 1/4 count slow on his finish when he hesitated for a second and in order to get a Superior it has to be absolutely perfect.) But we were so proud of him!!

Next Tuesday is his recital at the St. George Tabernacle and he is pretty excited. This evaluation has really boosted his confidence in piano.

The Ding Dong

Ethan came home from his flag football game last week and excitedly told me that his friend had "smashed his ding dong at the game." I, being shocked at my son using language such as that, promptly reprimanded him and told him that I wasn't interested in hearing about it. He said, "No, really Mom, he smashed his ding dong!" I couldn't believe my son.

The next day my mom asked, "So did Ethan tell you how that kid smashed his ding dong?" I stared at my mom, what had this world come to?!?! I asked her, "What?" She calmly explained to me that the TREAT after the game was ding dong and a kid sat his treat on the ground and then fell on it while wrestling with Ethan. I felt so much better about my sons language after that. And Ethan still doesn't get why I told him not to say "ding dong" again. ;)

Who is this?

We were at my parent's house on Sunday to watch Conference and Courtney asked my mom what I looked like when I was a kid. So my mom pulled out the photo albums to show Courtney my baby pictures.

We found one picture loose in the album and, for the life of me, I couldn't figure out where I had been when the picture was taken. Tell me what you think:



The reason why I couldn't figure out where I had been???? It's because that's a picture of MY MOM!! I always knew that I looked more "Andersen" than I did "Oman," because I'm short and have the "Andersen figure," but I never realized that I look just like my mom. (I love her hair by the way.)

Huntsman Senior World Games

Every October, St. George is overrun with a TON of old people who could kick your rear end in just about any sport. They are here competing in the Huntsman Senior World Games. Over 60 countries are represented by a bunch of athletes. There is even a swimming division for 95+.

Courtney's dance team was invited, along with 2 other dance studios, to dance in the Opening Ceremonies last night. She was really excited. The Ceremonies were supposed to be held outside at the Dixie State College football stadium. But Mother Nature had other plans...it has been raining here for days! Monday afternoon I took Courtney to her practice at the football stadium. We stood in the pouring rain for about 45 minutes before the directors decided to cancel the practice and just try to practice before the performance on Tuesday.

Here's what it looked like at the field when they wanted to practice:



Tuesday morning we got word that the venue had been changed due to weather and the Ceremonies would take place in the Burns Arena on Dixie campus. It's a lot smaller than the football field so they had to change a bunch of the show and cut some parts. But it all worked out.

Courtney was super excited and in her dance costume (a bright shirt, tights and black shorts) at about noon (she didn't have to go until 3:25). I put her make-up on (something I don't really like doing, but oh well) and tried to keep her busy for a few hours. Then it was time for her to go. Here she is ready to go:



After Ethan's piano lessons and I had taught my piano lessons, we packed dinner for Bryan and Courtney and took off for the Arena. They had blocked off a section for parents to sit in, so we took seats and saved a bunch for family who were coming. Courtney saw me and was super excited. She ate her dinner, finished practicing, touched up lipstick (oh brother!) and then went down to wait for the Ceremonies to start.

It took about 10 minutes before she lost it and started running, crying, up to where we were sitting. I calmed her down and went down to the side of the stage to sit with her. She was super nervous and scared because they really hadn't had time to run through the program too well and she didn't know what she was doing. For my children, who are as type A as I am, this wasn't going to work. We don't fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants very well.

I sat with her while the older dancers did their thing and then the woman helping the little girls asked me to run girls to the bathroom, pass out ribbons, and generally help out. Courtney finally scooted up to the side of the stage and said she was ready to go. And she was! She ran to the front of the Arena with all the other girls and did the ribbon dance great. Here's a picture of all of them. Courtney is in hot pink on the back row (on your right) about the 3rd pink shirt from the top. I was so proud of her for overcoming her fear!



Then she sat back down with me, got on her "Disco" costume and headband, and was ready for the next number. The Games has a pharmaceutical sponsor who sells arthritis medication (I think) who has Gloria Gaynor ("I Will Survive") as their spokeswoman. She sang "I Will Survive" for the girls to dance too. Courtney didn't hesitate at all when it was her turn to run out on stage! She bopped around and did her thing like a pro. Here's the video of the end of the song. Courtney is on the far left in the middle of the basketball floor. She is the blonde with a bright colored disco shirt on in pink, yellow, green, etc.



When we were finished everyone was tired, but we had a great time and she did well. She got a couple of carnations for doing such a great job.

Marathon Cake

This last weekend was the St. George Marathon. My friend down the street (who is addicted to my "twinkie" cake) ordered a marathon cake for her friend. She wanted the marathon logo on it and so I obliged. It is really simple but turned out well, I think.

Where is your garbage can?!?

Bryan moved our TV into the living room so we could all watch General Conference a bit easier. Today he moved it back into the TV room. I was emailing on the computer when I hear an urgent, "Michelle, can you get in here please?"

I...About...Died!!

This is what greeted me behind the couch Bryan had moved to get the TV plugged back in:



I was shocked! I looked at Bryan and then at Courtney and she immediately started to cry and scream, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" We didn't have to go far for a confession. She was in big trouble. I have to confess that I couldn't stop laughing from shock. It was just so ridiculous to move the couch and have piled up banana peels, empty Capri Sun boxes and various wrappers.

First: Food is not allowed in the TV room because we didn't want a mess.
Secondly: Behind the couch is NOT a garbage can. But I guess she was trying to hide the evidence.

She had to clean it all up and put out the trash (although her loving big brother took pity on her and took it out for her), then Bryan vacuumed up everything else. It was gross!!

I hope she has learned her lesson!

Choir Concert

Ethan's school has a wonderful music program with a great director. We have this program because of funding from the Beverly T. Sorenson Foundation for the Arts. The legislature is always threatening to take away this funding and next year is no exception. So the school had a rally, invited Mrs. Sorenson and a legislator who lives in our school boundaries, and had a choir concert to show where the money goes. It was nice to see all the support for the music program in our school.

Here is just one song they sang that night. Ethan is on the 2nd row, 2nd from the left (I think).