Huntington Beach

Sunday, March 7, 2010

The kids still haven't figured out how to sleep in. But it was finally late enough that we decided it would be okay for Ethan to get up and play with his new Lego set he bought.

After a bit of a debate about showering (Courtney has a weird temperature control where everything is either too hot or too cold) we got ready for Church. Mark and Kristina have a good ward and Courtney loved playing tic-tac-toe with Kristina during Sacrament Meeting. After Sacrament was over, Courtney happily went with Kristina to Primary. We watched, wondering what was going to happen. Bryan followed along and, as expected, Courtney lost it when she got to the Primary room. Kristina was a trooper and tried to help her calm down, but it just wasn't to be. Bryan finally got her calmed down and she ended up in Ethan's class. Ethan had been a bit nervous about going to a new class, but he did great. They had a great time.

After Church we went to Huntington Beach to walk around. The kids really wanted to see the ocean so they got a chance to. It was windy and pretty cold, but they had fun gathering sea shells.





We then had a great dinner at Mark and Kristina's. Mark does some great BBQ ribs and Bryan was in heaven. Kevin and Jeanette came over with their two boys and Kirk came so we got to see them and have a great time visiting.

I then stayed up, again, way too late gabbing with Kristina before crashing into bed.

Home Depot and Legoland

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Since our bodies were still on Utah time, the kids were up at 6 a.m. and ready to go. We had to keep them quiet and in the bedroom for a while until we thought it would be safe to unleash them. ;) Actually, it wasn't too bad. We ate cereal for breakfast, got ready and were off for Carlsbad.

Now, since it was the first Saturday of the month we had to find a Home Depot in Carlsbad where we could go to the Kids Workshop. They just couldn't miss a month of building something and had even brought their aprons. We found a Home Depot, had our safety lesson and then Bryan helped Courtney while I watched Ethan make his rain gauge. They were in heaven. It was a bit windy and overcast, but they had a great time.




When we were finished, we loaded in the van and drove to Legoland. We got there just in time to park (we got a spot very close to the gates), get the stroller loaded, buy tickets (Ethan and Courtney had free entry coupons, a big plus!), and go in the gate. We had about 5 minutes to look at a map before the park opened the rides. It worked out great!

We had been to Legoland before but it was when Ethan was 4. Ethan and Courtney were super excited. It was a Saturday but it looked like rain was coming and so there weren't that many people. The kids had a great time riding the rollercoasters, watching shows, checking out all the Legos for sale (Courtney finally got her pink Lego set she has wanted for years) and driving cars. We had so much fun. Ethan was the official photographer so it you want to know what any of the rides look like, just ask, we have the photos! ;)








We ended the day in the creative room where they had tons of Legos you could use to build a car. When you finished the car you could race it down a track. They both had a lot of fun. Then it was announced that the park was closing and when we went outside it started to rain. So it was great timing on the weather.

We then drove to our friends, the McEvoy's, house for dinner and to visit. Then we drove back to Mark and Kristina's and I stayed up way too late gabbing with Kristina. It was a fun day!

On Our Way!

Friday, March 5, 2010

After Ethan got home from school and the car was all packed, we left for CALIFORNIA to go to Legoland and Disneyland!



The kids have been looking forward to this for a year and we have been planning and planning. I had things all mapped out, tickets purchased, a hotel ready and the cooler packed with 5 days worth of food.

We drove to Garden Grove and spent the night at my cousin Kristina's house with her and her husband, Mark. It was a long drive and Courtney's bottom was "really tired" by the time we got there, but it was a pretty smooth drive. I stayed up late talking and was pretty tired, but it was great to see them.

Kindergarten Registration

March is that time of the year when all the elementary schools hold Kindergarten registration. That means we had to have Courtney's physical and immunizations. So on Tuesday we went to her doctor's appointment and she did AWESOME! Before he left for school, Ethan quietly asked me if Courtney would be having shots. I told him that she would and he immediately went over, wrapped his arms around Courtney, and gave her a little pep talk about being brave. He told her that he believed in her and that she would be just fine because she was a brave girl. It was so cute and...it totally worked!! She did awesome during her appointment. She didn't even cry when they gave her 3 huge shots...she actually sat there and watched without flinching. The nurse, who knows Courtney and what her lungs are capable of, was prepared for the worst and had me hold Courtney's hands tightly so she wouldn't fight, but it wasn't needed. I was so happy.

The doctor said that Courtney is very ready to go to kindergarten and that she is very healthy. She had a great time telling him all about her life. It was a good visit!

Dr Seuss Day

This week is Ethan's school Read-a-Thon which coincides with Dr. Seuss' birthday.

Monday they read the book "Cloudy with a chance of meatballs" in each class and then each student gets to put a paper meatball on a display near the office for each book they read during the week.

Today is Dr. Seuss day where each student gets to wear their "Cat in the Hat" hat. We hadn't bought Ethan one in the previous years but he really wanted one this year. I went to the school and bought him a green and white one yesterday and he is so excited to wear it today. He even requested green eggs for breakfast.

Here he is:


Wednesday they have the Dixie State athletic teams coming to the school to read to them. Thursday is "Mystery Reader" day where someone will read a book over the intercom and then each class has one guess as to who it is. Then Friday is their big read-a-thon where they go to school in pjs and then read all day long and collect donations for their reading. Ethan is so excited because he LOVES to read and can't believe the school will just let him read all day long.

It's a fun week!

Basketball is Finished

Ethan had his last basketball game last Thursday night. It's been a fun season. Bryan coached and we had 10 kids from the neighborhood on the team which was great but also a bit rough. Bryan was the coach and he spent most of his time trying to get the team focusing and not goofing off. But they had a great time. Thursday night we had a huge pizza party at our house to celebrate.

Courtney here...

Dear Everybody:

Everybody's the best in my whole family. And everybody in my whole family loves me so much. They take time with me, sharing their toys with me, and I try to share my toys with everybody. I love my family.

Love Courtney


(I was getting ready to update the blog and Courtney wanted to have "her say" in it. So here you go.)