Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Cute Boy
We got Ethan's school pictures back this week. I think they turned out pretty well. He has cute "apple cheeks" and I love it! He is growing up.
Jr. All-Starzz Tryouts
Last Saturday was tryouts for All-Starzz. They had 3 tryout camp the week and a half before so they could learn the dance and the technique things they would be asked to do in tryouts. Courtney practiced the dance over and over to make sure she knew it well. In tryouts, you can't rely on your partner in case they don't remember the dance correctly. So you really have to learn it well for yourself.
On Saturday morning, Courtney had to dress in all black, pull her hair back and have her number safety pinned on her left hip. We arrived 30 minutes early so she could stretch and practice with the other girls. She wasn't nervous at all. She did this last year and was ready to do it again. I was nervous for her because you never know how things will go. Being on Jr. All-Starzz last year was a big bonus because she knew the steps better than those who weren't on the team last year.
Before tryouts:
Relief on their faces after tryouts ended. Here is Courtney with her friend who was on Jr. All-Starzz with her last year:
They had 12 girls try out for Jr. All-Starzz. Originally they had 13 and so they had 1 group of 4 and 3 groups of 3. But the week before they had one girl drop out and so Courtney's team was left with only 2.
Below are the videos of her tryouts, if anyone is interested.
The first 6 are of the technique tryout part.
The 7th video is of Courtney and her partner doing the group dance. There are breaks when no one is dancing. Each girl is asked to choreograph and perform a solo during the dance. In Courtney's group there were only 2 girls, so there are 2 solos that aren't used. They were asked to do this 2 times.
The last video is of all the girls trying out performing the dance at the same time. They did this twice. The first time Courtney was in the back and then they had the groups in the back move to the front. That is when I video taped the dance.
At 3:00 the results were posted. Envelopes were put on the door of the building where they tried out with their numbers on them. They took the envelope, opened it and found out if they made the team or not. Courtney was pretty nervous. She had done a fantastic job at tryouts but you never know what is going to happen. They do it on a "natural break" system, meaning that they total up all the scores and where there is a break in the scores that is where they split it into a team. So they don't have a number of girls they are looking for. They just look for the natural break in the scores.
When Courtney opened her envelope she got a huge grin on her face and said "I made it!" She was so excited!! Here's to another year of Jr. All-Starzz. Out of the 12 girls that tried out, 10 made the team. It's tough because everyone wants to make it and it's sad for those who don't.
We had a dinner with everyone who made it on Monday night. I think it will be a good team.
Right turns:
Left turns:
Front kicks:
Front leaps:
Side leaps:
Tryout dance in small group:
Tryout dance in large group:
On Saturday morning, Courtney had to dress in all black, pull her hair back and have her number safety pinned on her left hip. We arrived 30 minutes early so she could stretch and practice with the other girls. She wasn't nervous at all. She did this last year and was ready to do it again. I was nervous for her because you never know how things will go. Being on Jr. All-Starzz last year was a big bonus because she knew the steps better than those who weren't on the team last year.
Before tryouts:
Relief on their faces after tryouts ended. Here is Courtney with her friend who was on Jr. All-Starzz with her last year:
They had 12 girls try out for Jr. All-Starzz. Originally they had 13 and so they had 1 group of 4 and 3 groups of 3. But the week before they had one girl drop out and so Courtney's team was left with only 2.
Below are the videos of her tryouts, if anyone is interested.
The first 6 are of the technique tryout part.
The 7th video is of Courtney and her partner doing the group dance. There are breaks when no one is dancing. Each girl is asked to choreograph and perform a solo during the dance. In Courtney's group there were only 2 girls, so there are 2 solos that aren't used. They were asked to do this 2 times.
The last video is of all the girls trying out performing the dance at the same time. They did this twice. The first time Courtney was in the back and then they had the groups in the back move to the front. That is when I video taped the dance.
At 3:00 the results were posted. Envelopes were put on the door of the building where they tried out with their numbers on them. They took the envelope, opened it and found out if they made the team or not. Courtney was pretty nervous. She had done a fantastic job at tryouts but you never know what is going to happen. They do it on a "natural break" system, meaning that they total up all the scores and where there is a break in the scores that is where they split it into a team. So they don't have a number of girls they are looking for. They just look for the natural break in the scores.
When Courtney opened her envelope she got a huge grin on her face and said "I made it!" She was so excited!! Here's to another year of Jr. All-Starzz. Out of the 12 girls that tried out, 10 made the team. It's tough because everyone wants to make it and it's sad for those who don't.
We had a dinner with everyone who made it on Monday night. I think it will be a good team.
Right turns:
Left turns:
Front kicks:
Front leaps:
Side leaps:
Kick line:
Tryout dance in small group:
Tryout dance in large group:
Pine Valley
We love going up to Pine Valley because it's cooler and there is so much to do. Last Friday we decided to go up there to have a dutch oven dinner. We made sure we had the $4 entrance fee this time. Bryan loaded our bikes on the truck and Ethan packed his fishing stuff.
When we were driving into the picnic area there was a group at the large picnic site. There was a woman there that looked a lot like my mom. I commented on it and then realized...that is my mom! Leigh Ann's ward was having a ward party and she invited them to go along with her. Courtney and I quietly snuck behind them and said "What's for dinner?" They were just as surprised to see us as we were to see them.
Bryan unloaded the truck while Ethan walked down to fish at the lake. Courtney and I decided to take a bike ride while Bryan got dinner going. We were close to the lake when we saw Ethan coming back up. Apparently a grumpy park ranger had told him he couldn't fish in the lake because they were using it to helicopter water to fight a fire. They weren't very nice when they told Ethan this so he was a bit peeved. As Ethan went back to the picnic site, Courtney and I decided to continue on and bike along the lake on the bike path. We walked our bikes to the path and before long we heard a loud voice tell us to "Turn those bikes around and just get out of here." Yup, it was a grumpy park ranger. Apparently you can't get near the lake while the helicopter is using it. So we went back to camp.
It took a while for dinner to cook so we played card games and Ethan took pictures of the many deer that kept coming through the picnic area. He used my phone to take pictures while I used his phone to take video of him creeping up on the deer. It was hilarious so I'll post it when I get it off his phone.
Here is one of his photos:
We love going up to Pine Valley because it's cooler and there is so much to do. Last Friday we decided to go up there to have a dutch oven dinner. We made sure we had the $4 entrance fee this time. Bryan loaded our bikes on the truck and Ethan packed his fishing stuff.
When we were driving into the picnic area there was a group at the large picnic site. There was a woman there that looked a lot like my mom. I commented on it and then realized...that is my mom! Leigh Ann's ward was having a ward party and she invited them to go along with her. Courtney and I quietly snuck behind them and said "What's for dinner?" They were just as surprised to see us as we were to see them.
Bryan unloaded the truck while Ethan walked down to fish at the lake. Courtney and I decided to take a bike ride while Bryan got dinner going. We were close to the lake when we saw Ethan coming back up. Apparently a grumpy park ranger had told him he couldn't fish in the lake because they were using it to helicopter water to fight a fire. They weren't very nice when they told Ethan this so he was a bit peeved. As Ethan went back to the picnic site, Courtney and I decided to continue on and bike along the lake on the bike path. We walked our bikes to the path and before long we heard a loud voice tell us to "Turn those bikes around and just get out of here." Yup, it was a grumpy park ranger. Apparently you can't get near the lake while the helicopter is using it. So we went back to camp.
It took a while for dinner to cook so we played card games and Ethan took pictures of the many deer that kept coming through the picnic area. He used my phone to take pictures while I used his phone to take video of him creeping up on the deer. It was hilarious so I'll post it when I get it off his phone.
Here is one of his photos:
After we ate, Mom, Dad and Leigh Ann came over to have dessert with us. Then we packed up and went home. We love Pine Valley.
When we were driving into the picnic area there was a group at the large picnic site. There was a woman there that looked a lot like my mom. I commented on it and then realized...that is my mom! Leigh Ann's ward was having a ward party and she invited them to go along with her. Courtney and I quietly snuck behind them and said "What's for dinner?" They were just as surprised to see us as we were to see them.
Bryan unloaded the truck while Ethan walked down to fish at the lake. Courtney and I decided to take a bike ride while Bryan got dinner going. We were close to the lake when we saw Ethan coming back up. Apparently a grumpy park ranger had told him he couldn't fish in the lake because they were using it to helicopter water to fight a fire. They weren't very nice when they told Ethan this so he was a bit peeved. As Ethan went back to the picnic site, Courtney and I decided to continue on and bike along the lake on the bike path. We walked our bikes to the path and before long we heard a loud voice tell us to "Turn those bikes around and just get out of here." Yup, it was a grumpy park ranger. Apparently you can't get near the lake while the helicopter is using it. So we went back to camp.
It took a while for dinner to cook so we played card games and Ethan took pictures of the many deer that kept coming through the picnic area. He used my phone to take pictures while I used his phone to take video of him creeping up on the deer. It was hilarious so I'll post it when I get it off his phone.
Here is one of his photos:
When we were driving into the picnic area there was a group at the large picnic site. There was a woman there that looked a lot like my mom. I commented on it and then realized...that is my mom! Leigh Ann's ward was having a ward party and she invited them to go along with her. Courtney and I quietly snuck behind them and said "What's for dinner?" They were just as surprised to see us as we were to see them.
Bryan unloaded the truck while Ethan walked down to fish at the lake. Courtney and I decided to take a bike ride while Bryan got dinner going. We were close to the lake when we saw Ethan coming back up. Apparently a grumpy park ranger had told him he couldn't fish in the lake because they were using it to helicopter water to fight a fire. They weren't very nice when they told Ethan this so he was a bit peeved. As Ethan went back to the picnic site, Courtney and I decided to continue on and bike along the lake on the bike path. We walked our bikes to the path and before long we heard a loud voice tell us to "Turn those bikes around and just get out of here." Yup, it was a grumpy park ranger. Apparently you can't get near the lake while the helicopter is using it. So we went back to camp.
It took a while for dinner to cook so we played card games and Ethan took pictures of the many deer that kept coming through the picnic area. He used my phone to take pictures while I used his phone to take video of him creeping up on the deer. It was hilarious so I'll post it when I get it off his phone.
Here is one of his photos:
Court of Honor
We had our Ward's Court of Honor and Ethan was the MC for it. He did a great job and had a lot of fun.
We have a lot of scouts in our Ward and it was fun to see them all. They received all their merit badges from scout camp and their advancements. Ethan is now a Life Scout so he is getting close to getting his Eagle.
As MC, Ethan helped give out awards and kept things moving along.
He was getting ready and not happy to have his picture taken:
Here is Ethan getting his merit badges:
We have a lot of scouts in our Ward and it was fun to see them all. They received all their merit badges from scout camp and their advancements. Ethan is now a Life Scout so he is getting close to getting his Eagle.
As MC, Ethan helped give out awards and kept things moving along.
He was getting ready and not happy to have his picture taken:
Painting the Bed
Courtney wants more room in her bedroom so I decided it would be fun to paint Ethan's old captain's bed and put it back in Courtney's room. We can now take her dresser out and she can have more room. I asked around about the best paint and was told that "chalk paint" is all the rage right now because it's so easy to use. But it's expensive so I did some research and decided to make our own chalk paint for a lot cheaper.
We decided to paint the bed black so it wouldn't look dirty and so it would match any decor in her room. But when we ended up painting it we found that we didn't have enough paint to do the drawers too. Bryan came up with the genius idea to paint the drawers with the leftover paint (and there was a lot of leftover paint) from Courtney's accent wall. So we did it and it turned out great.
Now we just have to get her dresser cleaned out and out of her room. ;)
We decided to paint the bed black so it wouldn't look dirty and so it would match any decor in her room. But when we ended up painting it we found that we didn't have enough paint to do the drawers too. Bryan came up with the genius idea to paint the drawers with the leftover paint (and there was a lot of leftover paint) from Courtney's accent wall. So we did it and it turned out great.
Now we just have to get her dresser cleaned out and out of her room. ;)
Gunlock Reservoir
On Labor Day, we wanted to go to Gunlock Reservoir kayaking. It was windy but we didn't think it would be too bad. We loaded everything into the truck and drove out to Gunlock. We hauled all our stuff down to the shore, put up the shade tent and Ethan went off to go fishing. The wind was really blowing and ended up blowing down the shade tent (breaking it). So we sat around in the wind for a while until Ethan came back. He didn't catch anything but wanted to kayak anyway.
Courtney had wanted to get in the water but the mud was gross so she didn't want to wade in it (I don't blame her at all!). She was pretty cold in the wind though.
She did play on the shore for a while, until she got her shoes all muddy.
The wind messed with the audio, but if you take the time to really listen you will hear a funny story Ethan told us from scout camp. It involved snails in his belly button.
Bryan and Ethan worked to get Ethan and his kayak out of the mud and into the water. The wind was blowing him around so he didn't go anywhere really, but he had a great time!
Ethan has a lot of fun in his kayak.
Courtney had wanted to get in the water but the mud was gross so she didn't want to wade in it (I don't blame her at all!). She was pretty cold in the wind though.
She did play on the shore for a while, until she got her shoes all muddy.
The wind messed with the audio, but if you take the time to really listen you will hear a funny story Ethan told us from scout camp. It involved snails in his belly button.
Bryan and Ethan worked to get Ethan and his kayak out of the mud and into the water. The wind was blowing him around so he didn't go anywhere really, but he had a great time!
Ethan has a lot of fun in his kayak.
Courtney was just cold.
Concert
Leigh Ann bought tickets to go to Ryan Shupe and the Rubber Band concert in Springdale but she wasn't able to go so Mom, Courtney and I went instead. We went early (it's an hour drive), ate dinner and then went to the concert. There weren't too many people there but it was fun.
Courtney fell asleep in the car on the way home. She was exhausted. It was a long night.
Courtney fell asleep in the car on the way home. She was exhausted. It was a long night.
Friday, September 11, 2015
Gross, Ethan!!!
Bryan took Ethan to ice cream at The Adobe Ice Box in Ivins. While there Ethan caught and killed a fly. He then gave his phone to Bryan so Bryan could record Ethan eating the dead fly.
He said it tastes like raisins. One more reason why I won't be eating raisins any time soon!
He said it tastes like raisins. One more reason why I won't be eating raisins any time soon!
Flightless Honor Flight
Friday afternoon Ethan's scout leader texted asking if he could round up some boys to go to the Ivins Veterans Home to hold flags. That was all the information we were given and Ethan tried to get boys who would come on a Saturday morning in their full scout uniform to hold flags for some unknown reason. He was able to get one boy to go with him and I am so glad Ethan was able to participate.
If you haven't heard of Honor Flights then you aren't alone. I knew a little about them but hadn't ever heard of a Flightless Honor Flight. Here is info on the Honor Flights: Utah Honor Flight
Basically it's an organization that flies veterans to Washington D.C. to be honored and see the sights. Right now they are focusing on WWII vets and Korean vets. You fill out an application, have a medical examination and then they fill the seats that are available. The WWII vets are given first shot because they are getting old. This is an amazing opportunity for these men and women to be honored before they are gone. They are treated really well and are honored at home and in D.C.
This year the group did something new. They decided to do a "Flightless Honor Flight" for those vets who couldn't fly because of health reasons. Ethan was one of the scouts with the honor of holding the flags as the vets came down the hallway to get on the "plane" which would take them on the flightless flight. Here is the newspaper article about it: Newspaper Article
The vets were pushed in their wheelchairs down the hallway and a pilot (in full uniform) would greet them at the door, ask which branch of the military they served in, salute them and then invite them inside where they sat with their escort. It was so moving. I cried at the honor that was given to these people. Some were timid, some couldn't remember what branch they had served in and had to be prompted by their family member, and some remembered everything. It was amazing the respect and love shown to them by all those involved.
Once they were all aboard the plane, they were greeted and then shown videos of the memorials in D.C. When everything was over, they were taken into the next room for their "homecoming."
I was so grateful that Ethan was able to participate and that there is a program out there like this to honor the veterans.
If you haven't heard of Honor Flights then you aren't alone. I knew a little about them but hadn't ever heard of a Flightless Honor Flight. Here is info on the Honor Flights: Utah Honor Flight
Basically it's an organization that flies veterans to Washington D.C. to be honored and see the sights. Right now they are focusing on WWII vets and Korean vets. You fill out an application, have a medical examination and then they fill the seats that are available. The WWII vets are given first shot because they are getting old. This is an amazing opportunity for these men and women to be honored before they are gone. They are treated really well and are honored at home and in D.C.
This year the group did something new. They decided to do a "Flightless Honor Flight" for those vets who couldn't fly because of health reasons. Ethan was one of the scouts with the honor of holding the flags as the vets came down the hallway to get on the "plane" which would take them on the flightless flight. Here is the newspaper article about it: Newspaper Article
The vets were pushed in their wheelchairs down the hallway and a pilot (in full uniform) would greet them at the door, ask which branch of the military they served in, salute them and then invite them inside where they sat with their escort. It was so moving. I cried at the honor that was given to these people. Some were timid, some couldn't remember what branch they had served in and had to be prompted by their family member, and some remembered everything. It was amazing the respect and love shown to them by all those involved.
Once they were all aboard the plane, they were greeted and then shown videos of the memorials in D.C. When everything was over, they were taken into the next room for their "homecoming."
I was so grateful that Ethan was able to participate and that there is a program out there like this to honor the veterans.
First Soccer Game!
Courtney had her first soccer game. I wasn't able to go because we were moving the woman in our ward so I just got to see her get ready for the game.
Bryan said she played really well. The team won 4-2 and Courtney scored one of their goals. I think this will be a fun season watching her play soccer!
Go Galaxy FC!!!
Bryan said she played really well. The team won 4-2 and Courtney scored one of their goals. I think this will be a fun season watching her play soccer!
Go Galaxy FC!!!
Pine Valley
We decided to go to Pine Valley to get away for a while. The week had been crazy and we wanted to have some fun. We loaded the truck with dutch oven stuff and put the bikes on the bike rack and we were off.
Now, what I am going to say is something I feel very guilty about so don't judge us. When we got to Pine Valley my parents and Leigh Ann were already up there saving a picnic site for us. We didn't think about having to pay cash to get into the picnic area. When we pulled up we were told it was $4 to get in. Bryan took out his debit card and the woman said they only took cash. I explained that my parents were up there and we could run up, get cash from them and come back. The woman said that was fine as long as we left a child with her. I laughed but she was serious! So instead of only leaving one, we left them both. Ethan was kind of in shock and thought we were joking around until Bryan told him we would be right back.
We hurried up, found my parents, got cash and I drove (really fast) back to the ranger station to get the kids. They were happy to see me and Ethan was a little put out that we had left them there but they were fine. But I still feel bad. I should have gotten out and had them leave me there instead. Oh well. Live and learn.
So we got back to the picnic area and got things started on the dutch oven. We went bike riding around while waiting for it to cook. We had chicken and potatoes and it was really yummy. Then we attempted to have the dutch oven chocolate dessert but forgot some ingredients so we ended up making chocolate cake.
It was nice to get away and just it in the cooler temperatures.
On the way home Ethan pretended to be a dog and stuck his face out of the truck with his tongue out!
The rising moon in Pine Valley:
The setting sun:
Now, what I am going to say is something I feel very guilty about so don't judge us. When we got to Pine Valley my parents and Leigh Ann were already up there saving a picnic site for us. We didn't think about having to pay cash to get into the picnic area. When we pulled up we were told it was $4 to get in. Bryan took out his debit card and the woman said they only took cash. I explained that my parents were up there and we could run up, get cash from them and come back. The woman said that was fine as long as we left a child with her. I laughed but she was serious! So instead of only leaving one, we left them both. Ethan was kind of in shock and thought we were joking around until Bryan told him we would be right back.
We hurried up, found my parents, got cash and I drove (really fast) back to the ranger station to get the kids. They were happy to see me and Ethan was a little put out that we had left them there but they were fine. But I still feel bad. I should have gotten out and had them leave me there instead. Oh well. Live and learn.
So we got back to the picnic area and got things started on the dutch oven. We went bike riding around while waiting for it to cook. We had chicken and potatoes and it was really yummy. Then we attempted to have the dutch oven chocolate dessert but forgot some ingredients so we ended up making chocolate cake.
It was nice to get away and just it in the cooler temperatures.
On the way home Ethan pretended to be a dog and stuck his face out of the truck with his tongue out!
The rising moon in Pine Valley:
The setting sun:
One Crazy Move
I'm not going into details in this post. I am just putting it in here because this is our family history and this was a crazy week that I at least want to be able to remember happened in my life, even if the specifics are just stories I will keep to myself (and anyone else who asks about it and wants a good laugh). I can laugh about it now but it was a real trial to me.
We had a woman in the ward who needed to move and the ward had to do the entire move for her. She had A LOT of stuff, cats and smoked. So it was interesting. The ward spent over 100 hours of service packing and moving everything to the new apartment. I have a philosophy that I can't ask the sisters to do anything I am not willing to do myself. So I had a crew of sisters helping me each day for 2 hours to get things packed up. We didn't end up cleaning the apartment because it was just too bad. But they were out when they needed to be.
My poor family had to live through stress and hear all my stories. But they are great and helped at home through it all.
The next week I spent each day deep cleaning and de-junking our house. I made trips to DI like crazy. Simplifying is the best thing you can do!
I have pictures but decided not to post them.
We had a woman in the ward who needed to move and the ward had to do the entire move for her. She had A LOT of stuff, cats and smoked. So it was interesting. The ward spent over 100 hours of service packing and moving everything to the new apartment. I have a philosophy that I can't ask the sisters to do anything I am not willing to do myself. So I had a crew of sisters helping me each day for 2 hours to get things packed up. We didn't end up cleaning the apartment because it was just too bad. But they were out when they needed to be.
My poor family had to live through stress and hear all my stories. But they are great and helped at home through it all.
The next week I spent each day deep cleaning and de-junking our house. I made trips to DI like crazy. Simplifying is the best thing you can do!
I have pictures but decided not to post them.
Ethan lost his egg!
Ethan loves to have bacon and egg sandwiches using bagels. He makes them himself, which is great! He toasts the bagel while cooking the egg in the microwave (he makes sure to scramble the egg because he quickly learned that unscrambled eggs explode in the microwave). Then he warms the bacon in the microwave and puts the sandwich together.
The other day he was making his sandwich and couldn't find the egg anywhere! He looked in the microwave, dishwasher, fridge...and he finally found it in the cupboard. He had cracked the egg into a bowl, mixed it up and even put a paper towel on it before putting it in the cupboard to...cook?!
We got a good laugh out of that one!
The other day he was making his sandwich and couldn't find the egg anywhere! He looked in the microwave, dishwasher, fridge...and he finally found it in the cupboard. He had cracked the egg into a bowl, mixed it up and even put a paper towel on it before putting it in the cupboard to...cook?!
We got a good laugh out of that one!
Green Wall
Courtney wanted to have her wall painted a green color to match her new bed set. I had been promising this but hadn't had time to get it done until after they were in school. So I bought the paint and supplies one day and the next had Courtney help me tape the wall and get things ready. When she was at school I painted the wall. It didn't take very long but I think it turned out really well.
The huge bear makes the wall look a lot smaller. haha!
The huge bear makes the wall look a lot smaller. haha!
Broken Arm
So, Courtney was so excited about being able to do a back bend that she had to show off for anyone who would watch. As Kathy and Don were leaving our house after Courtney's birthday party on Sunday, Courtney ran out on the lawn to show them her back bend. She landed funny and began screaming. We just played it off, put a bag on ice on it and told her to just sit still for a while.
Now...in our defense, something is ALWAYS hurting on Courtney. In fact, each night Bryan and I guess which body part she is going to come out complaining about when she should be sleeping. So there is a history of non-belief.
On Friday Courtney had her 10 year old check up to make sure everything is going well with her. The doctor asked if I had any concerns. I said, "Well, (rolling my eyes) she has been complaining about her arm hurting so if you could look at it and tell her it's fine, I would appreciate it. We don't think anything is wrong but would like you to check." He asks her which arm it is and then takes a quick look and says "Yup, it's broken. You can see the swelling and the obvious break right here. There have only been a handful of times in my career when I could look at something and say with 99% surety that it is broken and this is one of those times."
I felt SO BAD! Courtney just looked at me with an "I told you so" look on her face. The doctor said it was a buckle break so it didn't need a cast. The bone had gone right back into place so he just needed to put a splint on it for stabilization and then have an x-ray taken to make sure nothing else was wrong.
The doctor called a couple hours later to tell me that the break had been clean and that nothing else was wrong. We had to keep her in the splint for 3 weeks (taking it off for showers) and then she would be fine.
This is our first broken bone.
Now...in our defense, something is ALWAYS hurting on Courtney. In fact, each night Bryan and I guess which body part she is going to come out complaining about when she should be sleeping. So there is a history of non-belief.
On Friday Courtney had her 10 year old check up to make sure everything is going well with her. The doctor asked if I had any concerns. I said, "Well, (rolling my eyes) she has been complaining about her arm hurting so if you could look at it and tell her it's fine, I would appreciate it. We don't think anything is wrong but would like you to check." He asks her which arm it is and then takes a quick look and says "Yup, it's broken. You can see the swelling and the obvious break right here. There have only been a handful of times in my career when I could look at something and say with 99% surety that it is broken and this is one of those times."
I felt SO BAD! Courtney just looked at me with an "I told you so" look on her face. The doctor said it was a buckle break so it didn't need a cast. The bone had gone right back into place so he just needed to put a splint on it for stabilization and then have an x-ray taken to make sure nothing else was wrong.
The doctor called a couple hours later to tell me that the break had been clean and that nothing else was wrong. We had to keep her in the splint for 3 weeks (taking it off for showers) and then she would be fine.
This is our first broken bone.
First Day of School!
The day before school, we picked up Ethan's schedule and went to meet Courtney's teacher. We were all set.
Thursday, August 13th was the first day of school. The kids got up, got ready, had breakfast and then had their traditional first day of school photos taken.
Ethan left first (and was photo bombed by Courtney). He gets on the bus at 7:45. Last year school started at 7:40, so he is happy with the extra sleep in time he gets now.
Our cute 8th grader!
The bus stop is down the street at the opening of our subdivision so he only has a block to walk.
Here is her "disco" skirt:
Thursday, August 13th was the first day of school. The kids got up, got ready, had breakfast and then had their traditional first day of school photos taken.
Ethan left first (and was photo bombed by Courtney). He gets on the bus at 7:45. Last year school started at 7:40, so he is happy with the extra sleep in time he gets now.
Our cute 8th grader!
The bus stop is down the street at the opening of our subdivision so he only has a block to walk.
Courtney was next. We have a carpool with the family across the street. Courtney wore a cute skirt that was shiny (see the video below):
There is our 5th grader. This is her last year in elementary school! She is so excited because she got the teacher she wanted and is one of the big kids at the school.
Here is her "disco" skirt:
At Snow Canyon Middle School they have A days and B days. They have 2 classes then advisory/homeroom, lunch, then 2 more classes. On A days Ethan has choir, science, PE and Math. On B days Ethan has Honors Language Arts, shop, film and US History. He LOVES B days and doesn't really enjoy A days. He signed up for chess club as his advisory class and also has study hall.
I have a hard time remembering what day it is so I always end up asking how Math went when it's a B day. He gets so frustrated with me. Oh well.
This is Ethan at the end of the first day of school...
She's 10!
August 12, 2015!
We figured out the balloon drop so we decided to try it again (without the glowing balloon this year) and Courtney was surprised.
Bryan went to the bakery and got her Texas donut for breakfast. It was huge so she didn't eat too much of it but she had it for a couple of days to snack on.
He also bought her some flowers which always melts her heart!
Then she got to open presents (while sitting on her HUGE bear):
She got a karaoke machine from Grandma and Grandpa Pack. Her old one had broken so she wanted a new one and she loves it!
She got an owl bed set from Bryan and I. She loves owls so it was fun to find a set that has owls in it for her bed.
She spent the morning singing away and loving her birthday!
It was a crazy day for me because we had a funeral in our ward at the same time as her friend birthday. A friend in the neighborhood asked me if Courtney would like to use her pool for her party. I said "absolutely!" and so we took over her backyard for a while. The pool is great! It was a bit cloudy when the party started so some of the girls were cold but they dealt with it and after a while they were all in having a blast.
Bryan took over the party while I went to the Church for the funeral.
Courtney and her cute friends:
Crazy bunch of kids!
When it was time for lunch I went to get pizza and then ate with them before Courtney opened presents. Courtney got a lot of fun stuff from her friends.
They swam for 3 hours before the party was over. It turned out to be a beautiful day!
We figured out the balloon drop so we decided to try it again (without the glowing balloon this year) and Courtney was surprised.
Bryan went to the bakery and got her Texas donut for breakfast. It was huge so she didn't eat too much of it but she had it for a couple of days to snack on.
He also bought her some flowers which always melts her heart!
Then she got to open presents (while sitting on her HUGE bear):
She got a karaoke machine from Grandma and Grandpa Pack. Her old one had broken so she wanted a new one and she loves it!
She got an owl bed set from Bryan and I. She loves owls so it was fun to find a set that has owls in it for her bed.
She spent the morning singing away and loving her birthday!
It was a crazy day for me because we had a funeral in our ward at the same time as her friend birthday. A friend in the neighborhood asked me if Courtney would like to use her pool for her party. I said "absolutely!" and so we took over her backyard for a while. The pool is great! It was a bit cloudy when the party started so some of the girls were cold but they dealt with it and after a while they were all in having a blast.
Bryan took over the party while I went to the Church for the funeral.
Courtney and her cute friends:
Crazy bunch of kids!
When it was time for lunch I went to get pizza and then ate with them before Courtney opened presents. Courtney got a lot of fun stuff from her friends.
They swam for 3 hours before the party was over. It turned out to be a beautiful day!
Family Birthday Party
We always try to have family birthday parties on Sunday so we don't have to worry about what else is going on. The weeks are usually busy so this works out best. Courtney had her family party the Sunday before her birthday.
She helped me decorate a cake and we had dinner for everyone then she got to open presents. She got a giants hat, a robot dog, a gift certificate, tennis racket and a HUGE stuffed bear.
Ethan was so excited to give her a huge stuffed bear that she had seen in Costco. We had just been walking along in Costco the week before when she saw it and said "add this to my birthday list!" So I drove Ethan back the next week to get it. But we couldn't find them. We asked someone where the stuffed bears were and she didn't know so she had to call on her walkie talkie. Ethan made sure she knew that it was for his little sister...not him. She told us there were only 5 left so we hurried over to grab one. As we were walking up to pay for it Ethan held it and was a bit nervous that people would think it was for him. When we went to pay he made sure everyone around knew that it wasn't for him. haha! It was so huge that we buckled it in the van for the ride home! We should have rolled down the windows.
Courtney had a great time opening presents.
Ethan didn't want to wait until her birthday to give her his present so he went down the hall and came back growling like a bear. Courtney was so excited!
I think he did a great job on the present!
Then we had cake and ice cream. Making a birthday wish is a big deal and requires a lot of thought, apparently.
She helped me decorate a cake and we had dinner for everyone then she got to open presents. She got a giants hat, a robot dog, a gift certificate, tennis racket and a HUGE stuffed bear.
Ethan was so excited to give her a huge stuffed bear that she had seen in Costco. We had just been walking along in Costco the week before when she saw it and said "add this to my birthday list!" So I drove Ethan back the next week to get it. But we couldn't find them. We asked someone where the stuffed bears were and she didn't know so she had to call on her walkie talkie. Ethan made sure she knew that it was for his little sister...not him. She told us there were only 5 left so we hurried over to grab one. As we were walking up to pay for it Ethan held it and was a bit nervous that people would think it was for him. When we went to pay he made sure everyone around knew that it wasn't for him. haha! It was so huge that we buckled it in the van for the ride home! We should have rolled down the windows.
Courtney had a great time opening presents.
Ethan didn't want to wait until her birthday to give her his present so he went down the hall and came back growling like a bear. Courtney was so excited!
I think he did a great job on the present!
Then we had cake and ice cream. Making a birthday wish is a big deal and requires a lot of thought, apparently.
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