Backpacking

The boys took off this morning for their annual backpacking trip.  Courtney was a little bummed that she was being left behind but we will have a "girls day" while the boys are gone.  I'm not sure what that means but she seems to think it will be fun.

Bryan is taking Ethan to Bryce Canyon to go backpacking.  There is a trail he wants to go on.  It loops but they won't do the entire loop because Bryan doesn't want to ruin Ethan for further backpacking trips.  They are hoping that there will be a camp spot for them.  If there isn't, they will just camp at a campground in Bryce Canyon and do a smaller hike.  I hope when they get to the ranger station that there will be a spot on the trail for them.  Ethan is excited to make hoodoos when he is resting.  Our family loves Bryce Canyon!

Pictures will be coming when they get back Saturday afternoon. Ethan took my camera so we'll see some of their fun!

Polar Bear Courtney

The youth are all gone on Trek this week so moms are taking advantage and cleaning out rooms while they are gone.  Courtney always benefits when this happens!  A mom brought over a huge garbage bag full of clothes, games, toys and crafts for her.  She was so excited!  She loved everything but her favorites were a bright pink bathrobe and a polar bear hat.  It was 104 degrees outside and she wouldn't take them off.  It was hilarious.  She now sleeps with the polar bear hat on her head.  It's great.

Pack Meeting

Pack Meeting this month was on pioneers.  There were a lot of awards and Ethan got his Travelers badge.  He was happy about that one, but not about the fact that we made him wear his Webelos kerchief.  Hahaha

Here is Ethan getting his badge:

 They did a few wheelbarrow races.  Ethan and Brennon weren't very good at this one.

They played "Good Doggie" where one scout went up to another and barked trying to get the other scout to smile before he could say "good doggie, good doggie, good doggie."  Ethan didn't last a second!

Here is video of one of the races:

Book Club

We have been holding a summer book club for Courtney and 3 of her friends in the neighborhood.  It's been a lot of fun and this week we read the book "If You Give a Cat a Cupcake."  We always read the book together, talk about it, make the food (cookies, cupcake, muffins, donuts, etc.) then make a craft while the food is cooking.  When the food is finished, we decorate it, eat one and then make plates for our families so they can take home some of what they made.

I always have the girls read one sentence each of the book and, while we are cooking, I have them read the directions themselves.  It really has been a lot of fun to teach them how to read basic cooking directions and how to make things.  They get so excited.

This week we made cupcakes and while they were cooking, the girls (and Ethan because he didn't have a camp this week so he got to participate) made a sand castle.  These were super easy.  I made some sand clay for them to mold and they each brought sea shells to decorate it with.  I had umbrellas from one of Courtney's birthday parties so it was fun to have them use those. 

The way you make sand clay is to mix 2 cups water with 2 cups corn starch in a pan on the stove.  Cook it, stirring constantly, until it thickens.  Then you pour it into a bowl that has 4 cups of sand in it.  You mix with a spoon (I used my hands but it was HOT) until it is all mixed in and resembles play dough.  It worked out great and the girls loved it.  I got the sand at HomeDepot on their "damaged" pallet.  There was a hole in the bag so they only charged me $1 for a $6 bag of sand.  Score!  But I only used a fraction of the bag of sand so I need to put it somewhere.

Courtney's sand castle is on the left and Ethan's is on the right:

 Courtney's creation:

Splash Pad

We took the kids to Heritage Square in St. George where they have a lazy river going through the center of the Square.  Kids climb all over and play in the water.  They also have a fountain that runs and kids can run through it and get wet.  It is a lot of fun.  We took water cannons so the kids could have a water fight and they loved it!  It is usually really packed when it gets so hot but it wasn't too bad this time.  Two summers ago we met Bryan there after work one day a week so the kids could play and we could relax.

Here is a video of one of their water fights:

Gods and Heroes Camp

Last year Ethan went to a Gods and Heroes camp where he learned all about the Greek mythology.  He loved it so Courtney wanted to do it this year.  This year they are learning about the Roman gods.  She got to make a shield and a banner.  She also learned about Roman numerals and learned a bit of Latin.  She loved it!

So Long Sympathy

While sitting outside after playing Pickle for the activing for FHE, the tape over my incision started to bug me.  And, me not being one to leave anything unpicked or unpulled, started pulling it off.  I was so amazed by what was under it...or I should say, what wasn't under it.  NOTHING!  Well, I shouldn't say that because there is a lot of surgical tape glue, dead skin and a raised bit, but all-in-all there isn't anything to show for my trouble.

This is a good thing.  Not that I am complaining at all but I thought I would have some kind of war wound.  Oh well.  I guess I should have known because the scar on my leg is completely gone from the last time Dr. Duke found something he wanted to "just check and see."

See if you can spot the scar in the pictures.  The top one I took myself inside the house (that's why it is yellow-ish-orange) and you can't see the scar at all.  In fact, I what I thought was the scar in the picture is actually by my elbow!

Can you see it?

I am pointing about 1 inch of so above the scar in this picture by Bryan.  Maybe if you click on the picture you can see something.