Ethan!!!

These are Chicken Pockets...at least that's what we call them.  I think we called them something different when I was a kid.  Anyway, they USUALLY have a little knobby thing on top where I have twisted the sides of the dough together but these don't.  Why? you may ask.  Because ETHAN goes through and EATS OFF all the knobby top bits!  You can see where he has rudely ripped off the tops parts.  And he does it with an innocent look on his face.

Thanksgiving in Arvada

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving we began our trip to Arvada for Thanksgiving. We let the kids decide when we would be leaving and so they set their alarm clocks for really early.  They woke us up, we got ready and were off.  It was so early when we left that it was hours before we saw the sunrise.

It was also hours before we stopped for some food and to get gas.  As we were getting ready to get out of the car I heard Ethan say, "Mom, where did you put my shoes?"  Oh no!  I didn't do anything with his shoes.  Somehow Ethan had just assumed that I would grab anything he left behind that he would need.  Nope.  I was lucky to get myself out the door at that early hour!  We had brought our snow stuff so Bryan got Ethan's snow boots out for him to wear.  Ethan wasn't too happy with us.

We had a great time at Grandma and Grandpa Pack's house with David, Jenny, Andrew and Jessica.  Here are some highlights...

Courtney and Jessica put on a wonderful magic show for us all.

 We did the traditional Thanksgiving Day bowling games with their Stake.  It was a lot of fun!

 The kids got tired after a game and began fighting over who got to sit in which chair.  But they had fun bowling too.

 We went to Boondocks and played laser tag, arcade games, bowling and Courtney got to drive the bumper cars.  We decided this is our favorite place because there is a lot to do.

 We went to the movies.

 And Ethan cut himself a ridiculously HUGE piece of Mud Pie (obviously without parental assistance).

 The drive home was uneventful and we were happy to be home but we had a great time at Grandma and Grandpa Pack's house.

More Cakes

I am just documenting a few more cakes I have done for birthdays.  The top one didn't work out like I had planned.  The dark part should be a hiking trail but it looks more like a muddy river.  Oh well, it was made of chocolate so no one can complain.

My cakes are super simple because I usually only have a few days notice and they are cheaper that way.  Plus, I don't have the attention span for larger, more detailed cakes.

Mountain Man Rendezvous

At the end of the 4th and 5th graders Utah Studies section they always have a Mountain Man Rendezvous.  They have to sew possibles bags, collect beaver pelts (pieces of paper) and learn skills so they are prepared for the competitions.  It is such a fun day for all of them.

They take their possibles bag full of beaver pelts and they get to do various activities.  They have to pay to do the activities but they have the possibility to earn more beaver pelts if they do well.  I was helping with the 3-legged race and it was hilarious.

Courtney did her rounds and would come over to see me once in a while, but never to share her yummy food.  She was having a great time though!

She made a marshmallow gun

She made a ring by hammering a nail.

 She ate a fresh scone.

 She competed in a 3-legged race with her friend.

She had a great time and it was fun for me to help out.

Bryan's Birthday!

On November 24th it was Bryan's 39th birthday.  We made him breakfast and I took him out to lunch.  We went to Great Harvest and then went next door to Krave for ice cream (I think that's the name of it).  When we walked in this is what we saw:

They had a Pacman arcade machine and it was FREE!!  So Bryan couldn't resist.  He had to try it out.  I was shocked that it was there and that it was FREE!!  We will definitely be back there again just to play on the machine.  How fun is that?!

We made his favorite birthday dinner and had some pie for dessert.  I think he had a good day.
(I always seem to take his picture when his mouth is full.  Sorry!)

The new trimester

A new trimester started in November and Ethan is now in an art class.  He had to do a drawing of his hand from difference angles and I think he did a great job!  (He's a lefty so the drawings are of his right hand.)

Ballroom Dancing?!?!

Ethan had a planning meeting with all the presidencies of the young men's quorums and the young women's classes to come up with a plan for the upcoming year combined activities.  Ethan brought up the great idea of going to play laser tag and his buddies were behind it. But then a Priest "betrayed all boys everywhere" and suggested they do ballroom dancing as an activity.  Ethan said his idea was quickly forgotten as all the girls went nuts over the idea of doing ballroom dancing.  He couldn't believe that one of their own had come up with that idea.

When Ethan got home from the very depressing planning meeting (in his opinion) we asked how it went and this is what we got....

Ethan banging his head against the wall.

Needless to say, he is probably going to try all he can to get out of that activity but it won't work.  Bryan told Ethan that if all his quorum would dress up and ask girls to dance at the activity that Bryan would take them all the play laser tag.  But that wasn't tempting to Ethan.  Bryan and I couldn't stop laughing!!!

I talked to the Priest's mom about it and she was laughing too.  The back story is that when that particular priest was a deacon, they had a similar ballroom dancing activity.  He hated it and his mom had to force him to go but for some reason it is one that he remembers very strongly and wanted to do again, now that he is older and girls don't have cooties.  She and I had a good laugh about it.

I'll have to update the blog when Ethan actually goes....because he will be going.  (insert evil mom laugh here)