Here is a video from yesterday. Courtney is number 4.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Soccer Games and Busy Day
Ethan and Courtney had their first soccer games of the season on Saturday. It was a crazy day!
Ethan's game began at 10 a.m. and Courtney's game was at 12:20 p.m. We made a lunch, got our big thermos full of ice water, loaded all the chairs into the van and got the kids ready. Bryan rode his bike in to work and then we left and met him there.
We got to the field in time for Ethan to take some practice shots and play around with his team. It was a hot morning so he was sweating by the time the game started. His little team did well. There are 7 of them and 5 have played on the same team for the past 2 years. The game ended in a 4-4 tie and the boys were pleased with themselves. Their uniforms are burned orange with flames on the sleeves so they are the "Incinerators."
We then drove to the park for our picnic lunch and to let the kids play on the playground until we had to go back to the soccer field for Courtney's game. We had a lot of fun but I could tell that Courtney was starting to get tired. But she was so excited to play soccer that I hoped she wouldn't have a melt-down.
When we arrived at the field we were pretty early, so Courtney, Bryan and Ethan kicked the soccer ball around until it was our turn. Courtney's team only has 4 little girls on it and they play 3 on 3, so those little girls are working hard. But when Bryan started their warm-up Courtney lost it and ran to the sideline crying. DRAMA!! She didn't want anyone else to use her soccer ball and was upset that Bryan had let someone else use it. We got her calmed down and she was in, ready to play when the game started. The ball was kicked and, as usual, the girls ran in a little clump around the field. Then Courtney got pushed down...and LOST IT!! She ran to the sideline yelling that she got pushed and how upset she was. Bryan substituted the other little girl in and she did well for a few minutes and then she left the field crying. The remaining two little girls did a great job keeping the ball moving. I finally calmed Courtney down and told her that soccer was a physical game and that she just needed to try her hardest. That made her feel better and she went right back in and had a great time. After a while all 4 girls wanted to be in the game and they had so much fun.
After the game we went to my parent's house to watch the BYU game. The kids watched a movie with Grandma while we watched the game...which was good, by the way.
During the 3rd quarter, we had to leave to run home, get changed and wait for the babysitters to show up because it was Ward Temple Night.
Needless to say, we all slept well last night but it was a fun day!
Ethan's game began at 10 a.m. and Courtney's game was at 12:20 p.m. We made a lunch, got our big thermos full of ice water, loaded all the chairs into the van and got the kids ready. Bryan rode his bike in to work and then we left and met him there.
We got to the field in time for Ethan to take some practice shots and play around with his team. It was a hot morning so he was sweating by the time the game started. His little team did well. There are 7 of them and 5 have played on the same team for the past 2 years. The game ended in a 4-4 tie and the boys were pleased with themselves. Their uniforms are burned orange with flames on the sleeves so they are the "Incinerators."
We then drove to the park for our picnic lunch and to let the kids play on the playground until we had to go back to the soccer field for Courtney's game. We had a lot of fun but I could tell that Courtney was starting to get tired. But she was so excited to play soccer that I hoped she wouldn't have a melt-down.
When we arrived at the field we were pretty early, so Courtney, Bryan and Ethan kicked the soccer ball around until it was our turn. Courtney's team only has 4 little girls on it and they play 3 on 3, so those little girls are working hard. But when Bryan started their warm-up Courtney lost it and ran to the sideline crying. DRAMA!! She didn't want anyone else to use her soccer ball and was upset that Bryan had let someone else use it. We got her calmed down and she was in, ready to play when the game started. The ball was kicked and, as usual, the girls ran in a little clump around the field. Then Courtney got pushed down...and LOST IT!! She ran to the sideline yelling that she got pushed and how upset she was. Bryan substituted the other little girl in and she did well for a few minutes and then she left the field crying. The remaining two little girls did a great job keeping the ball moving. I finally calmed Courtney down and told her that soccer was a physical game and that she just needed to try her hardest. That made her feel better and she went right back in and had a great time. After a while all 4 girls wanted to be in the game and they had so much fun.
After the game we went to my parent's house to watch the BYU game. The kids watched a movie with Grandma while we watched the game...which was good, by the way.
During the 3rd quarter, we had to leave to run home, get changed and wait for the babysitters to show up because it was Ward Temple Night.
Needless to say, we all slept well last night but it was a fun day!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Preschool is Here!
Courtney started preschool last Wednesday. She was so excited! She was up at 6:30, dressed and ready to go. It was a really long morning...
Bryan and I had an action play for preschool. Courtney can be clingy sometimes and Bryan is a master at dealing with her when she is clingy. So we had it all planned that I would drop her off, Bryan would be in his car waiting to see what would happen, and if I needed help, he was going to step in and then I would leave. We were set.
Courtney ate a good breakfast, we got Ethan off to school, and then we left to run errands because I just couldn't keep her busy enough here that she would stop asking "is it time yet?!" every 2 minutes. Finally it was time, so we drove to her preschool and waited for the door (or the window blinds) to open as our cue to go in. I kept looking around for Bryan's car but I couldn't see it. I concluded that he was hidden so Courtney wouldn't run to him and want to skip out on preschool.
When the blinds opened, Courtney was so excited. She has 3 other friends from the neighborhood in her class and all 4 of them jumped out of their cars and went running for the door. Courtney didn't even say "goodbye." I was in complete shock!!
I looked at another mom from our neighborhood and she shrugged her shoulders and said, "well, that was easy" and then we both drove off. I passed Bryan just as I was leaving. He had lost track of time and missed it, so thankfully I didn't need his help.
When I picked the kids up, they all got in the van talking about what a great time they had and how they can't wait for next week. I was so glad. Yeah for preschool!!!
Bryan and I had an action play for preschool. Courtney can be clingy sometimes and Bryan is a master at dealing with her when she is clingy. So we had it all planned that I would drop her off, Bryan would be in his car waiting to see what would happen, and if I needed help, he was going to step in and then I would leave. We were set.
Courtney ate a good breakfast, we got Ethan off to school, and then we left to run errands because I just couldn't keep her busy enough here that she would stop asking "is it time yet?!" every 2 minutes. Finally it was time, so we drove to her preschool and waited for the door (or the window blinds) to open as our cue to go in. I kept looking around for Bryan's car but I couldn't see it. I concluded that he was hidden so Courtney wouldn't run to him and want to skip out on preschool.
When the blinds opened, Courtney was so excited. She has 3 other friends from the neighborhood in her class and all 4 of them jumped out of their cars and went running for the door. Courtney didn't even say "goodbye." I was in complete shock!!
I looked at another mom from our neighborhood and she shrugged her shoulders and said, "well, that was easy" and then we both drove off. I passed Bryan just as I was leaving. He had lost track of time and missed it, so thankfully I didn't need his help.
When I picked the kids up, they all got in the van talking about what a great time they had and how they can't wait for next week. I was so glad. Yeah for preschool!!!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Courtney's Soccer
Courtney had her first soccer practice yesterday. Since it's a holiday weekend, only 2 of the 4 girls would be at practice, so Bryan took Ethan along (to be assistant coach) and invited the other little girl's older sister to play along. They had the best time.
Courtney dressed up in Ethan's shorts from his 1st soccer season (they were still big but were okay on her), a white t-shirt, her soccer gear and was so excited. They ran drills and had a great time.
She wouldn't take her shorts off for the rest of the day because she loves it! She can't wait for the season to start next weekend. It's cute!
Courtney dressed up in Ethan's shorts from his 1st soccer season (they were still big but were okay on her), a white t-shirt, her soccer gear and was so excited. They ran drills and had a great time.
She wouldn't take her shorts off for the rest of the day because she loves it! She can't wait for the season to start next weekend. It's cute!
A Month's Worth of Dinners
I usually go grocery shopping at the beginning of the month and get all the necessary ingredients for dinners all month long. I make a menu and buy according to that menu, but I've found that we use up ingredients meant for dinners closer to the end of the month on things at the beginning of the month. For example: shredded cheese for tacos ends up being used on cheese sandwiches and doesn't make it long enough for taco night. Yesterday I went grocery shopping and decided to change that.
I went grocery shopping at 8 a.m., was home by about 10 a.m., we went bike riding until 11:30, then Bryan took the kids to soccer practice. When they left I got to work! I made the following dinners, put them in seal-a-meal bags and froze them for dinners this month: 2 pizzas, 2 beef stew mixes, 1 chicken pot pie, 1 chicken soup mix, 1 chicken cordon bleu, 1 swiss steak, and 2 lasagnas. I still have to do fajitas, taco mix (with packets of cheese along with it), spaghetti mix and some cooked chicken to throw on salads for lunch. But that shouldn't take too much time. It actually was great and went fast (only about 3 1/2 hours to do all that)! I saved time because the stew and soup mixes I just put the vegetables in with the meat and spices and then I will add water to it when I pop it in the crock pot on the soup night.
I bought some easy side dishes and stuff to make salads (which I have to buy weekly) but it made my life so much easier. I just take it out to thaw in the morning, pop it in the oven or crock pot and I'm good. I am going to do some research on freezing baked potatoes, etc. and see if I can save time on that one too, but I'm not sure it would work.
Yeah, time saver for me!
I went grocery shopping at 8 a.m., was home by about 10 a.m., we went bike riding until 11:30, then Bryan took the kids to soccer practice. When they left I got to work! I made the following dinners, put them in seal-a-meal bags and froze them for dinners this month: 2 pizzas, 2 beef stew mixes, 1 chicken pot pie, 1 chicken soup mix, 1 chicken cordon bleu, 1 swiss steak, and 2 lasagnas. I still have to do fajitas, taco mix (with packets of cheese along with it), spaghetti mix and some cooked chicken to throw on salads for lunch. But that shouldn't take too much time. It actually was great and went fast (only about 3 1/2 hours to do all that)! I saved time because the stew and soup mixes I just put the vegetables in with the meat and spices and then I will add water to it when I pop it in the crock pot on the soup night.
I bought some easy side dishes and stuff to make salads (which I have to buy weekly) but it made my life so much easier. I just take it out to thaw in the morning, pop it in the oven or crock pot and I'm good. I am going to do some research on freezing baked potatoes, etc. and see if I can save time on that one too, but I'm not sure it would work.
Yeah, time saver for me!
Friday, September 4, 2009
Cute girls!
The phone rang at about 3:30 this afternoon. It was a couple of 11 year-old girls in our neighborhood. They were wondering if Courtney could go over to their house and have a "fashion show" with them. We had plans for the night that weren't going to work with the fashion show so I told them that she wouldn't be able to. When I hung up, I was attacked by Courtney telling me that she wants to play with the big girls. After some thought, I mentally re-arranged our plans and called the girls back. (It actually worked out great because I had a meeting and didn't want to take the kids, so the girls watched Courtney until Bryan could pick her up and Ethan ended up at a friend's house too. It was a win-win). They asked that Courtney bring her 2 favorite dresses and be at their house at 4:00.
Courtney was so excited and picked out her two special dresses then we walked over. The girls were super cute and very excited to have Courtney over. A few other little girls showed up too. They curled Courtney's hair and put lip gloss on her. She got on one of her special dresses and was prancing around when Bryan showed up at 5:30 to pick her up. She was bummed because they had only just begun the fashion show, but we had plans.
When I caught up with my little family at the swimming pool, Courtney was all excited to tell me about her party with the big girls. It was cute and I thought it was sweet of those girls to do that for the little girls. There are plenty of little girls in the neighborhood to play dress-up with. I guess these 11 year-old girls found their real life Barbie dolls to play with and Courtney LOVED it.
Courtney was so excited and picked out her two special dresses then we walked over. The girls were super cute and very excited to have Courtney over. A few other little girls showed up too. They curled Courtney's hair and put lip gloss on her. She got on one of her special dresses and was prancing around when Bryan showed up at 5:30 to pick her up. She was bummed because they had only just begun the fashion show, but we had plans.
When I caught up with my little family at the swimming pool, Courtney was all excited to tell me about her party with the big girls. It was cute and I thought it was sweet of those girls to do that for the little girls. There are plenty of little girls in the neighborhood to play dress-up with. I guess these 11 year-old girls found their real life Barbie dolls to play with and Courtney LOVED it.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
SEPs
I love SEPs. (For those of you who don't know they are the School Education Plan meetings, formerly called Parent/Teacher Conferences.) At SEPs you sit down, listen to an evaluation of how your child is doing and then make goals on how your child can improve. The student comes along so they are involved in the process. In Kindergarten and 1st grade, they were 5 minute things where they said, "Yup, he's doing great. Any questions?" This time, we decided that Bryan didn't have to go because it involves taking time off work, driving to the school and driving back to work for a 5 minute conference. But it was different. In 2nd grade, his teacher took over 20 minutes with us, it was awesome.
SEPs are a time when you are told that you aren't just bias toward your child...everyone else thinks they are great/smart/awesome/wonderful too!! Ethan's teacher has been teaching for a long time so she had the drill down. She talked to us about his reading level and his comprehension (which are both great!)and how he really uses his time wisely and is a great friend. Then she turned the time over to Ethan and had him make a list of everything he is good at (she let Courtney and me add some things too). He said he is good at building Legos, math, art and that he loves to learn. Courtney said that he is the "greatest" big brother and that he loves her. I said that he is compassionate and very excited to learn new things. His teacher added other things that she appreciated.
We then had time to make goals. Ethan wants to finish reading the Harry Potter series, pass his Wednesday spelling pre-test each week so he can skip the Friday spelling test and he wants to keep learning well. He also set out a plan to accomplish all these things.
It was a great time. His teacher also asked my permission to have him tested to see how high his reading level really is. Teachers can only test up to the top of their grade level in reading. A 2nd grade teacher can't tell you if a student is reading at 4th grade level because they are only testing their grade level proficiency. But there is a test, given on computer, that can test grade level reading, so she asked if she could administer that to Ethan, just to see how high he is. He said that was okay with him and that he didn't feel any pressure, so I gave my permission too. She is going to try and get that done sometime in the next month. I'll be interested to see the results because Ethan has always loved to read.
After we were finished, Ethan wanted to show me all around his classroom. He loved showing me things and his teacher would give me more details about what they did at each center, etc. It was fun and we ended up being there for over 30 minutes by the time we left. It was a good SEP.
SEPs are a time when you are told that you aren't just bias toward your child...everyone else thinks they are great/smart/awesome/wonderful too!! Ethan's teacher has been teaching for a long time so she had the drill down. She talked to us about his reading level and his comprehension (which are both great!)and how he really uses his time wisely and is a great friend. Then she turned the time over to Ethan and had him make a list of everything he is good at (she let Courtney and me add some things too). He said he is good at building Legos, math, art and that he loves to learn. Courtney said that he is the "greatest" big brother and that he loves her. I said that he is compassionate and very excited to learn new things. His teacher added other things that she appreciated.
We then had time to make goals. Ethan wants to finish reading the Harry Potter series, pass his Wednesday spelling pre-test each week so he can skip the Friday spelling test and he wants to keep learning well. He also set out a plan to accomplish all these things.
It was a great time. His teacher also asked my permission to have him tested to see how high his reading level really is. Teachers can only test up to the top of their grade level in reading. A 2nd grade teacher can't tell you if a student is reading at 4th grade level because they are only testing their grade level proficiency. But there is a test, given on computer, that can test grade level reading, so she asked if she could administer that to Ethan, just to see how high he is. He said that was okay with him and that he didn't feel any pressure, so I gave my permission too. She is going to try and get that done sometime in the next month. I'll be interested to see the results because Ethan has always loved to read.
After we were finished, Ethan wanted to show me all around his classroom. He loved showing me things and his teacher would give me more details about what they did at each center, etc. It was fun and we ended up being there for over 30 minutes by the time we left. It was a good SEP.
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