Thursday, May 26, 2011
It's Officially Summer Break!
How do I know? It's the first day of Summer Vacation and the kids are fighting, their rooms are a mess, they keep taking turns tattling on each other and they are complaining that they are "bored." Yup, let the fun begin!!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Ethan's Class Party
After Courtney had her graduation, my parents took her for the afternoon so I could help with Ethan's class party. For the past month they have been earning tickets for a "Minute to Win It" game. They earn tickets by getting 100% on spelling, taking reading tests, etc. Then they cashed the tickets in for a chance to play a game. It was hilarious! Every so often Mrs. Fishel would take a "I need a laugh break." She would give all the kids an Oreo cookie which they would put on their forehead and they had 60 seconds to get it into their mouth. This was so funny to watch.
This is the video of the game I helped with. They had a belt with a yo-yo tied to it. They tried to knock down 5 cans with the yo-yo in 60 seconds. Everyone did it really fast but they LOVED the game. Here's Ethan's attempt to play:
This video will make you a bit dizzy and it's kind of frightening to watch. It was a "Bounce the Ball Out" game where they attached a tissue box to a belt and then filled the tissue box with ping pong balls. The kids had 60 seconds to get all the ping pong balls out of the tissue box. Ethan really got into it. He played the game twice and this is the second time where he really wanted to win. I'm glad he didn't fall down and break his head open!
Here is a picture collage from his class party:
Here's a picture collage from pictures throughout the year:
Ethan had a great teacher and a really fun class. They got to do a lot of fun things throughout the year and I am so glad he had the teacher he did!!
This is the video of the game I helped with. They had a belt with a yo-yo tied to it. They tried to knock down 5 cans with the yo-yo in 60 seconds. Everyone did it really fast but they LOVED the game. Here's Ethan's attempt to play:
This video will make you a bit dizzy and it's kind of frightening to watch. It was a "Bounce the Ball Out" game where they attached a tissue box to a belt and then filled the tissue box with ping pong balls. The kids had 60 seconds to get all the ping pong balls out of the tissue box. Ethan really got into it. He played the game twice and this is the second time where he really wanted to win. I'm glad he didn't fall down and break his head open!
Here is a picture collage from his class party:
Here's a picture collage from pictures throughout the year:
Ethan had a great teacher and a really fun class. They got to do a lot of fun things throughout the year and I am so glad he had the teacher he did!!
She's a graduate!
Courtney had Kindergarten Graduation today and was so excited! They put on a really cute program and she did a great job. Unfortunately, my camera didn't want to focus, so there are quite a lot of blurry photos, but here are some videos of the songs they performed at the graduation. It was cute!
This is "Letterpop":
This is "I Like Being Me":
This is them taking a bow:
Congratulations Courtney
Watch out first grade, here she comes!!
This is "Letterpop":
This is "I Like Being Me":
This is them taking a bow:
Congratulations Courtney
Watch out first grade, here she comes!!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Pizazz Dance Review
On Saturday, Courtney had her end-of-the-year dance review. They practiced long and hard last week to get it right and she was pretty excited. She choose Bryan as her escort so I got him a tie to match her Easter dress and then I had to order her a long stemmed rose to carry, so I got him a boutineer.
She dressed up in her Easter dress and looked very pretty.
When each girl's name was announced she passed, with her escort, through an arch and then took her place on the dance floor. Courtney was very last and was a bit antsy, but they did a great job.
After Courtney was in her place and everyone applauded, there was a daddy-daughter dance. Bryan picked Courtney up to dance with her but after a minute or so, she wanted to get down and twirl. It was fun to watch them dancing together.
Here's the intro and daddy-daughter dance:
When the dance was finished Courtney and I hurried into the dressing room to get her ready for her first dance. That was the only time I needed to help her. The first dance was the same one they performed at the basketball games. She did a great job.
She then ran into the dressing room and put on her second outfit for the hip-hop dance. We hadn't seen this dance before and it was cute. Courtney practiced so hard to be able to do the sweep your leg under your body move (you'll see it) and she got really good at it!
Their last dance was the "Angel" dance they did for the competition in March. I love this dance and it is, by far, Courtney's favorite dance to do. She loves lyrical dance.
After all the dances were complete (there were other classes dancing too) they did the awards and then it was over. It was a long but fun evening. She doesn't have dance during the summer but will start again in August right before school starts.
She dressed up in her Easter dress and looked very pretty.
When each girl's name was announced she passed, with her escort, through an arch and then took her place on the dance floor. Courtney was very last and was a bit antsy, but they did a great job.
After Courtney was in her place and everyone applauded, there was a daddy-daughter dance. Bryan picked Courtney up to dance with her but after a minute or so, she wanted to get down and twirl. It was fun to watch them dancing together.
Here's the intro and daddy-daughter dance:
When the dance was finished Courtney and I hurried into the dressing room to get her ready for her first dance. That was the only time I needed to help her. The first dance was the same one they performed at the basketball games. She did a great job.
She then ran into the dressing room and put on her second outfit for the hip-hop dance. We hadn't seen this dance before and it was cute. Courtney practiced so hard to be able to do the sweep your leg under your body move (you'll see it) and she got really good at it!
Their last dance was the "Angel" dance they did for the competition in March. I love this dance and it is, by far, Courtney's favorite dance to do. She loves lyrical dance.
After all the dances were complete (there were other classes dancing too) they did the awards and then it was over. It was a long but fun evening. She doesn't have dance during the summer but will start again in August right before school starts.
Cakes
I don't know if I have posted cakes lately, so I thought I would put a couple on. One was for Ethan's friend who has the same birthday as Ethan does. They are our neighbors and I'm good friends with his mom. They are addicted to my "Twinkee cake" and get it anytime there is an excuse to get a cake. He wanted a Lion King cake so she gave me the playbill from the production of Lion King in Las Vegas. I actually surprised myself with how it turned out.
The other cake is one I did for a woman at Bryan's work. It's a simple cake to make because you aren't really decorating anything, just putting things on the side and filling it with M&Ms. The only problem with this cake is that people don't realize it's a cake...they think it's a candy bowl and steal M&Ms from it. So you have to watch them and announce that it's a cake. But I love doing this cake because it's so easy but it looks really nice.
The other cake is one I did for a woman at Bryan's work. It's a simple cake to make because you aren't really decorating anything, just putting things on the side and filling it with M&Ms. The only problem with this cake is that people don't realize it's a cake...they think it's a candy bowl and steal M&Ms from it. So you have to watch them and announce that it's a cake. But I love doing this cake because it's so easy but it looks really nice.
Ethan's Big Day...uh...Days
Tuesday (the day before his birthday) my parents took Ethan out for a birthday dinner. He choose to go to Iggy's (his favorite place) and loved the attention from Grandma and Grandpa Oman.
Ethan's birthday started off early when he woke up and was ready for his breakfast in bed. We made him pork sausage, turkey bacon, french toast which was washed down with orange juice. Courtney helped Bryan take it in to Ethan, who loved having breakfast in bed.
After doing his morning routine, he was on his way to school. I made some cupcakes in waffle cups and then topped them with frosting and a cherry so they looked like ice cream sundaes. Since I have my business license, I am allowed to take home-made treats in to the school classes. So I ran these in to Ethan's class in the afternoon, put a spoon in them and the kids loved them. It was fun to do them and they turned out pretty well.
Here is a picture of the box full of them without the cherry on top.
After school, Ethan came home, played with friends and then we had his family birthday party. Courtney had a special dance practice that evening so she missed out on the dinner (pizza, of course) but we waited until she was home to do presents and pie (he wanted the cake for his friend party). He blew the candle out on his chocolate cream pie and then opened presents from us, Courtney (Legos), Grandma and Grandpa Pack, Grandma and Grandpa Oman, and Don and Kathy. He loved all the books and Legos he got.
Friday night was his friend party. He invited three of his friends over to eat pizza, watch a movie (Yogi Bear), eat popcorn and hang out. After a little while they brought the Legos into the living room and played with those while watching the movie. It was quite wild but they had a lot of fun. Ethan then got to have his TV cake (he designed it for me so I just had to decorate the cake according to his drawing). The guests went home around 9:15 pm with goodie boxes of movie junk.
Here's the cake:
Here he is after he blew out the candle:
He had fun birthday(s)! But he says he doesn't feel any different than he did at 8. Go figure.
Ethan's birthday started off early when he woke up and was ready for his breakfast in bed. We made him pork sausage, turkey bacon, french toast which was washed down with orange juice. Courtney helped Bryan take it in to Ethan, who loved having breakfast in bed.
After doing his morning routine, he was on his way to school. I made some cupcakes in waffle cups and then topped them with frosting and a cherry so they looked like ice cream sundaes. Since I have my business license, I am allowed to take home-made treats in to the school classes. So I ran these in to Ethan's class in the afternoon, put a spoon in them and the kids loved them. It was fun to do them and they turned out pretty well.
Here is a picture of the box full of them without the cherry on top.
After school, Ethan came home, played with friends and then we had his family birthday party. Courtney had a special dance practice that evening so she missed out on the dinner (pizza, of course) but we waited until she was home to do presents and pie (he wanted the cake for his friend party). He blew the candle out on his chocolate cream pie and then opened presents from us, Courtney (Legos), Grandma and Grandpa Pack, Grandma and Grandpa Oman, and Don and Kathy. He loved all the books and Legos he got.
Friday night was his friend party. He invited three of his friends over to eat pizza, watch a movie (Yogi Bear), eat popcorn and hang out. After a little while they brought the Legos into the living room and played with those while watching the movie. It was quite wild but they had a lot of fun. Ethan then got to have his TV cake (he designed it for me so I just had to decorate the cake according to his drawing). The guests went home around 9:15 pm with goodie boxes of movie junk.
Here's the cake:
Here he is after he blew out the candle:
He had fun birthday(s)! But he says he doesn't feel any different than he did at 8. Go figure.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Blown Away
We went camping last Friday night at Sand Hollow Reservoir. We loaded the van, picked Bryan up (he drove his car behind us) and went to the reservoir. We had dutch oven, rode bikes, explored the reservoir (which is up 20 feet so it's really fun to play in), made smores and then got ready for bed. While Bryan and I were getting ready to climb in the tent, the wind began to really blow! The tent came un-staked and folded over on Courtney (who was screaming her lungs out). While Bryan and I got it staked down, Ethan comforted Courtney. But the wind didn't die down.
Bryan and I climbed in the tent to try and keep it down but the gusts of wind were crazy! The kids were scared and it was obvious that we weren't going to get much sleep. At 10 p.m. we decided to pack it in...the first time we have EVER done that!!! It took us 25 minutes to take everything down and throw it in the van and the car while the kids cuddled in the car. By the time we got it all put away and were ready to leave...the wind died.
But we drove home and got the kids to bed around 11:10 pm. I was glad we came home because it was pretty miserable in the wind.
Bryan and I climbed in the tent to try and keep it down but the gusts of wind were crazy! The kids were scared and it was obvious that we weren't going to get much sleep. At 10 p.m. we decided to pack it in...the first time we have EVER done that!!! It took us 25 minutes to take everything down and throw it in the van and the car while the kids cuddled in the car. By the time we got it all put away and were ready to leave...the wind died.
But we drove home and got the kids to bed around 11:10 pm. I was glad we came home because it was pretty miserable in the wind.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Ethan's Recital
Last week was Ethan's duet piano recital. He played with his piano teacher. His song was "Chopsticks, There and Back." It was a song where they played Chopsticks from Japan, Russia, France and USA. It was fun.
We had been working on his song for a while and had it really well. He did a great job! There was one funny moment which you'll see on the video. I had the introduction to the "Russian" version of chopsticks memorized so he would turn the page about 4 measures early. When he did this in the recital to his teacher, she had to turn the page back. It was funny!
We had been working on his song for a while and had it really well. He did a great job! There was one funny moment which you'll see on the video. I had the introduction to the "Russian" version of chopsticks memorized so he would turn the page about 4 measures early. When he did this in the recital to his teacher, she had to turn the page back. It was funny!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Season is Over
The soccer season at our house is official over! Ethan had his last Bombers Crash game on Saturday and they WON!!! It's their first...and only...win of the season. It was to the Cedar City team they had to forfeit to earlier in the season because we had too many boys sick and didn't have a team. But they did a great job. Ethan played really well but he is happy that practices are over.
(He is the bushy-haired kid on the back row second from left. He got a haircut Saturday night.)
(He is the bushy-haired kid on the back row second from left. He got a haircut Saturday night.)
Fathers and Sons
I don't know a whole lot about what happened...you know what they say "What happens at Fathers and Sons, stays at Fathers and Sons." But they had a great time. Ethan jumped in a little river that was near where they were camping and got all wet. He liked that. He went fishing, played games, ate (A LOT) and slept.
They woke up, ate breakfast, packed up camp and came home in time to watch some of the Ironmen competitors bike past our house. Then we had to get ready to go to Ethan's soccer game.
They came home dirty and tired, but they had a lot of fun!
They woke up, ate breakfast, packed up camp and came home in time to watch some of the Ironmen competitors bike past our house. Then we had to get ready to go to Ethan's soccer game.
They came home dirty and tired, but they had a lot of fun!
Ironman Kids Fun Run
It was time once again for the Ironman St. George. It's pretty exciting and fun to watch. But this year the Ward had Fathers and Sons on Friday night which put a cramp in our Ironman activity plans. Oh well. While they had fun Courtney and I played.
Friday night is the Kid's Fun Run for Ironman. I had registered Courtney and were told to get there early to pick up her packet. So we went about 45 minutes early, got her number, t-shirt and wrist band, then we had a ton of time to wait. There is a made-made kids river to play in so I let her do that while we waited for the race. At 6 p.m. they took all the kids to the starting point. On the way there Courtney turned to me and said, "You can leave now, I'm fine." So I found my parents at the finish line so I could watch. But they did the race differently this time and they let the kids running the mile go first. I was a bit nervous because Courtney was waiting without me but when I checked on her she seemed fine. It took all the mile runners about 20-25 minutes to finish (they had some little kids running that mile) and then it was time for the 200 meter run.
My mom spotted Courtney first but I got a great shot of her running with her tongue hanging out! It's hilarious. But she did a great job and had so much fun. They gave her a plastic medal (the same as last year) and then she went to our pre-arranged meeting place while I ran all over trying to find her. I finally remembered that we had a meeting place and when I got there she was wondering where I had been. ;)
The event had twice as many kids as last year so they ran out of juice/water with the mile runners, so I took Courtney out to dinner. I was going to do this anyway because the boys were at Fathers and Sons and we wanted a "Girl Night" but I let her think it was because she did so well in the run.
What a great event!
Friday night is the Kid's Fun Run for Ironman. I had registered Courtney and were told to get there early to pick up her packet. So we went about 45 minutes early, got her number, t-shirt and wrist band, then we had a ton of time to wait. There is a made-made kids river to play in so I let her do that while we waited for the race. At 6 p.m. they took all the kids to the starting point. On the way there Courtney turned to me and said, "You can leave now, I'm fine." So I found my parents at the finish line so I could watch. But they did the race differently this time and they let the kids running the mile go first. I was a bit nervous because Courtney was waiting without me but when I checked on her she seemed fine. It took all the mile runners about 20-25 minutes to finish (they had some little kids running that mile) and then it was time for the 200 meter run.
My mom spotted Courtney first but I got a great shot of her running with her tongue hanging out! It's hilarious. But she did a great job and had so much fun. They gave her a plastic medal (the same as last year) and then she went to our pre-arranged meeting place while I ran all over trying to find her. I finally remembered that we had a meeting place and when I got there she was wondering where I had been. ;)
The event had twice as many kids as last year so they ran out of juice/water with the mile runners, so I took Courtney out to dinner. I was going to do this anyway because the boys were at Fathers and Sons and we wanted a "Girl Night" but I let her think it was because she did so well in the run.
What a great event!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
He did it!!
Santa Clara Elementary School challenges their students each year to read the "Beehive Award Winners" in the categories of Picture Books and Children's Fiction and then take tests on them to prove they read them. Ethan took the challenge this year and it's been a rough one. He LOVES to read but some of the books are harder to get excited about. Although I did find that if we could get him started, that he would finish in a day or two on his own without a problem. He made it a goal at SEPs and has been working on it all year long. On Monday, he took his final 2 tests!! Our wonderful librarian, Mrs. Roberts, let him pick out a book (he chose "The Lightening Thief"), him his "Rockin' Rad Reader" shirt and dog tag, and then announced his name over the intercom saying that "Ethan Pack is our newest Rockin' Rad Reader." He was in HEAVEN!
I am so happy that he worked on this and completed it. This morning he told me "it feels so great to accomplish something like that." It does!!
I am so happy that he worked on this and completed it. This morning he told me "it feels so great to accomplish something like that." It does!!
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