He got huge hugs from the kids and Fat Boy ice cream from the Bishopric.
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Father's Day
Father's Day is a great day!! We are so grateful for Bryan!
He got huge hugs from the kids and Fat Boy ice cream from the Bishopric.
Courtney bought him an aloha shirt that he can wear on Fridays to the office.
And he was able to take a nap.
What else could a dad ask for?!
He got huge hugs from the kids and Fat Boy ice cream from the Bishopric.
The exercise ball
That pink thing Ethan is sitting on is an exercise ball...or how it is known in our house...the source of all contention. If the kids are arguing, chances are it's because they both want to be sitting on, playing with, or using the exercise ball. We used to have a green one too but it popped.
Pet sitting
Courtney's friend, Lia, lives across the street. She has 2 guinea pigs. Lia's family was going on vacation for a week and she asked Courtney to pet sit her guinea pigs. Courtney was thrilled. We have fish. We aren't pet people but I figured it would be fun for Courtney and she would learn what having a pet was all about.
We QUICKLY learned that we are definitely not pet people. Did you know that guinea pigs have to eat 3 times each day and have snacks between meals? And if they are hungry, they are LOUD! The squeak all the time, day or night. And they are really quick if they don't want you to pick them up. Oh yea, and they poop...a lot!
Each morning Courtney had to clean the mess out of the cage, feed the guinea pigs, brush them, play with them and then put them back in their cage. She was really jittery and I wasn't committed to helping, so Ethan would take the guinea pigs out of their cage, put them in a bin and then Courtney could do her thing.
Each day at noon, Courtney had to feed the guinea pigs, play with them and make sure they were okay.
Each evening she had to do it again.
And the guinea pigs were terrified of Bryan. Each time he would walk by their cage they would hurry and dive into their igloo to hide. It was hilarious. He would have staring contests with them and they would be like little statues.
We were happy to help Lia out but we aren't going to help out again. We all decided that guinea pigs may be cute but we don't want to have any. They were just too much work.
We QUICKLY learned that we are definitely not pet people. Did you know that guinea pigs have to eat 3 times each day and have snacks between meals? And if they are hungry, they are LOUD! The squeak all the time, day or night. And they are really quick if they don't want you to pick them up. Oh yea, and they poop...a lot!
Each morning Courtney had to clean the mess out of the cage, feed the guinea pigs, brush them, play with them and then put them back in their cage. She was really jittery and I wasn't committed to helping, so Ethan would take the guinea pigs out of their cage, put them in a bin and then Courtney could do her thing.
Each day at noon, Courtney had to feed the guinea pigs, play with them and make sure they were okay.
Each evening she had to do it again.
And the guinea pigs were terrified of Bryan. Each time he would walk by their cage they would hurry and dive into their igloo to hide. It was hilarious. He would have staring contests with them and they would be like little statues.
We were happy to help Lia out but we aren't going to help out again. We all decided that guinea pigs may be cute but we don't want to have any. They were just too much work.
Fat Man's Misery
The boys went on Fat Man's Misery again this year and Ethan was really excited to go. Friday night they got everything ready to go and then woke up early on Saturday. They needed extra drivers to drop them off, so Courtney spent the night at Grandma and Grandpa's house while we woke up early and I drove to Zion. If you get to Zion before 7 a.m. you can get in free because they don't have a guard at the station. (wink, wink)
When we got to the trail head the boys all piled out, got on sun screen, paused for photos and then were off on their adventure. They had a huge group this year.
Ethan is in the middle and Bryan is on the back row on the right side.
And they are off!
The leader who takes them told us they would be home around 5:30 p.m. Well, when it was about 7:30 p.m. I started getting phone calls wondering where the boys were. Then at about 7:45 p.m. I got a phone call from the leader's wife saying that the pick up drivers were lost and that she and her in-laws were getting ready to drive out to rescue the hikers. She was panicked. I was a bit worried because they didn't have food for dinner but I knew they were hiking in water and Bryan had his water filter, so they would be fine that way.
At about 8 p.m. the leader's wife called me back and said that she had finally gotten a good cell phone signal and had talked to her husband. The rides didn't get lost. The truck of one of the pick up drivers broke an axle on the way out to get them so it was out of commission. The mom of one of the boys left Ivins and drove the 2 hours out to pick the boys up so they would have enough seats.
It was a long night for all the parents and kids. Ethan finally walked in 11:30 p.m. and declared that he would never do that again. Bryan got home at 12:30 a.m. and told me the whole story.
Since the group was larger, and many of the kids were just barely 12 years old, it took a lot longer to repel than it would normally. Some kids were nervous and took longer to get down. And then the truck breaking wasn't something you could predict and the pick up point is way out by Colorado City down a long, horribly bumpy dirt road. So it isn't close if someone needs to drive out to get you.
The good news is that everyone was safe and sore the next day. ;) Ethan now says that he will do it again next year. He says it's like labor...after a few days you forget about the pain and want to do it again. He's a funny kid!
When we got to the trail head the boys all piled out, got on sun screen, paused for photos and then were off on their adventure. They had a huge group this year.
Ethan is in the middle and Bryan is on the back row on the right side.
The leader who takes them told us they would be home around 5:30 p.m. Well, when it was about 7:30 p.m. I started getting phone calls wondering where the boys were. Then at about 7:45 p.m. I got a phone call from the leader's wife saying that the pick up drivers were lost and that she and her in-laws were getting ready to drive out to rescue the hikers. She was panicked. I was a bit worried because they didn't have food for dinner but I knew they were hiking in water and Bryan had his water filter, so they would be fine that way.
At about 8 p.m. the leader's wife called me back and said that she had finally gotten a good cell phone signal and had talked to her husband. The rides didn't get lost. The truck of one of the pick up drivers broke an axle on the way out to get them so it was out of commission. The mom of one of the boys left Ivins and drove the 2 hours out to pick the boys up so they would have enough seats.
It was a long night for all the parents and kids. Ethan finally walked in 11:30 p.m. and declared that he would never do that again. Bryan got home at 12:30 a.m. and told me the whole story.
Since the group was larger, and many of the kids were just barely 12 years old, it took a lot longer to repel than it would normally. Some kids were nervous and took longer to get down. And then the truck breaking wasn't something you could predict and the pick up point is way out by Colorado City down a long, horribly bumpy dirt road. So it isn't close if someone needs to drive out to get you.
The good news is that everyone was safe and sore the next day. ;) Ethan now says that he will do it again next year. He says it's like labor...after a few days you forget about the pain and want to do it again. He's a funny kid!
Broken
We switched our cell service to Ting in June so we had to get new (refurbished) phones that would work on the Sprint network. (By the way, I highly recommend Ting. Their rates are REALLY cheap and we haven't noticed any difference between Verizon and Ting.)
Anyway, I had my phone for about 3 weeks (I think) when I was coming out of Church from presidency meeting, dropped the phone and shattered the screen. Now, I have to give a bit of background to this particular Sunday.
I have 9:30 am meetings every Sunday except Fast Sunday. We usually play a family board game in the mornings after the kids wake up. We were playing a game (I can't remember if it was Settlers or Ticket to Ride) but I was really into the game. I think I may have been winning, but don't quote me on that. And I didn't realize the time. Suddenly Bryan began to chuckle and said "It's 9:15." I thought he was just trying to pull one over on me...until I looked at the clock and it really was 9:15! I was still in my pjs and wasn't close to being ready to church.
I gasped, got mad at Bryan because I was sure he had known it was getting late and thought it would be funny to not tell me, and then I ran and got ready in 12 minutes. Yes, my hair was in a ponytail and I had very little make up on, but I made it to my meeting on time. But...I had to drive the van to do it.
We don't ever drive to church because we are only 3 blocks away and it's much better to walk home in hot weather a few times a year than get in a hot car every Sunday. But this particular Sunday I had to drive to get there on time.
So when I came out of my meeting I wasn't used to having to juggle my Church bag, books, phone and keys to get into the van and I dropped the phone. I cried. Yes, I will admit it. I cried in the Church parking lot because I had shattered the screen of my new cell phone.
I went home, showed Bryan and then put the phone in a baggie so I could still swipe the screen and not cut my finger up. On Monday, I began researching new screens. I found one that wasn't too pricey and Bryan switched the screen out for me. It didn't take him long at all. He did a great job.
Now it is good as new!
I also bought a really tough case for it so it won't happen again.
**Just to set the record straight, Bryan didn't try to make me late. As he pointed out later, if he would have wanted to make me late he would have pointed out the time at 9:30 instead of 9:15. Point taken!
Anyway, I had my phone for about 3 weeks (I think) when I was coming out of Church from presidency meeting, dropped the phone and shattered the screen. Now, I have to give a bit of background to this particular Sunday.
I have 9:30 am meetings every Sunday except Fast Sunday. We usually play a family board game in the mornings after the kids wake up. We were playing a game (I can't remember if it was Settlers or Ticket to Ride) but I was really into the game. I think I may have been winning, but don't quote me on that. And I didn't realize the time. Suddenly Bryan began to chuckle and said "It's 9:15." I thought he was just trying to pull one over on me...until I looked at the clock and it really was 9:15! I was still in my pjs and wasn't close to being ready to church.
I gasped, got mad at Bryan because I was sure he had known it was getting late and thought it would be funny to not tell me, and then I ran and got ready in 12 minutes. Yes, my hair was in a ponytail and I had very little make up on, but I made it to my meeting on time. But...I had to drive the van to do it.
We don't ever drive to church because we are only 3 blocks away and it's much better to walk home in hot weather a few times a year than get in a hot car every Sunday. But this particular Sunday I had to drive to get there on time.
So when I came out of my meeting I wasn't used to having to juggle my Church bag, books, phone and keys to get into the van and I dropped the phone. I cried. Yes, I will admit it. I cried in the Church parking lot because I had shattered the screen of my new cell phone.
I went home, showed Bryan and then put the phone in a baggie so I could still swipe the screen and not cut my finger up. On Monday, I began researching new screens. I found one that wasn't too pricey and Bryan switched the screen out for me. It didn't take him long at all. He did a great job.
Now it is good as new!
I also bought a really tough case for it so it won't happen again.
**Just to set the record straight, Bryan didn't try to make me late. As he pointed out later, if he would have wanted to make me late he would have pointed out the time at 9:30 instead of 9:15. Point taken!
The kids at the dentist
We have been going to a pediatric dentist across town for a few years and I was fine with him but....the last time we went there the dentist told Ethan to "Open like an alligator." The look on Ethan's face was priceless and he declared that we weren't going back to that guy again! He was quite insulted that the dentist would treat him like a little kid.
I went on the search for another dentist and decided to try the dentist next to the orthodontist's office. It is much closer and they were pretty nice. The kids both had their teeth cleaned.
They found a cavity in Ethan's mouth. The dentist said it was inevitable because Ethan has a really deep groove in one of his teeth and, even with sealant, it would be really hard to prevent a cavity. So we made an appointment to go back another day to have it filled.
I prepped Ethan by telling him that they would probably give him a shot and his face would be numb but that it wouldn't hurt too badly. I was trying to scare him into brushing better.
I took him the dentist for his filling and he was nervous. He said a prayer before we went that he would be okay...and boy was he! They didn't numb him up, didn't give him laughing gas or anything. The dentist just drilled a little bit, talked about hiking and scouts, then filled his tooth without Ethan even realizing what was going on. When it was over Ethan said, "That's it?" Now what kind of deterrent is that?!?! When I had my first cavity it scared me so bad that I brushed 4 times a day for weeks. Ethan walked out saying "That was so easy! You had me nervous."
Needless to say, he loves the new dentist!
I went on the search for another dentist and decided to try the dentist next to the orthodontist's office. It is much closer and they were pretty nice. The kids both had their teeth cleaned.
I prepped Ethan by telling him that they would probably give him a shot and his face would be numb but that it wouldn't hurt too badly. I was trying to scare him into brushing better.
I took him the dentist for his filling and he was nervous. He said a prayer before we went that he would be okay...and boy was he! They didn't numb him up, didn't give him laughing gas or anything. The dentist just drilled a little bit, talked about hiking and scouts, then filled his tooth without Ethan even realizing what was going on. When it was over Ethan said, "That's it?" Now what kind of deterrent is that?!?! When I had my first cavity it scared me so bad that I brushed 4 times a day for weeks. Ethan walked out saying "That was so easy! You had me nervous."
Needless to say, he loves the new dentist!
Our lilies
A family in our ward put in a pool this summer. They have been in their house for abut 8 months or so and the older couple who owned the house previously loved lilies. But the woman who lives there now doesn't like them and wanted them gone. So when they put in their pool, she had all the landscaping planned to take out the lilies. She emailed me asking if I would let all the sisters in the Ward know that there were free lilies at her house, they just had to dig them up themselves.
I went over there one morning and took about 40-50 plants and it didn't even make a dent. They are Irish Lilies and they were beautiful. But, I transplanted them during the hot month of June so they will take a year to recover.
I bought some mulch and then Bryan and Ethan moved rock from behind our house to the front so we could make it look really pretty.
This was after the lilies and mulch are in:
This is the finished product.
I went over there one morning and took about 40-50 plants and it didn't even make a dent. They are Irish Lilies and they were beautiful. But, I transplanted them during the hot month of June so they will take a year to recover.
I bought some mulch and then Bryan and Ethan moved rock from behind our house to the front so we could make it look really pretty.
This was after the lilies and mulch are in:
This is the finished product.
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