Texture

Last week I worked on the walls that we have put up in the hallway upstairs.  I wanted to get the texture just right.  I did a bunch of research online and watched all kinds of videos about texturizing a wall. I figured out what type of texture we had and how to do it.  I was ready to go.

I got a sea sponge and the thinned compound and went to town...on the inside of the wall so you couldn't see it from the hallway.  This was just in case it didn't work out as expected.  I put the compound on the wall with the sea sponge, waited 10 minutes, then lightly pulled the putty knife over the texture to knock it down.  It turned out great....unfortunately, our texture is a bit different than what I did.

This is what I ended up with, after it dried and I painted it:

This is our existing walls and what it was supposed to look like:

Back to the drawing board!

Science Girl

Courtney is always doing science experiments and sometimes they don't go as planned.  Courtney tried to make slime but we didn't have all the ingredients in the quantities necessary.  She tried it anyway and ended up with a mess.  But she had a blast doing it!

Crepery

Courtney and I went to the Crepery for breakfast in March when it was parent's interviews.  She loved it!  They have a different atmosphere where you can just sit and chat with friends.  Courtney found the swing from the ceiling a great place to sit.  I ordered the Scout Camp (marshmallows, graham cracker bits and Nutella) and Courtney ordered the Choco Banana.  They were really good.

Student of the Month!

I got a very excited text message at the end of February from Courtney telling me that she had been chosen as one of the students of the month!  She was so happy and excited.  She told me I "have to come up to the school and see what they said about her.

It says: "Courtney Pack is a phenomenal student who has a great attitude toward school.  She is very conscientious and a hard worker.  She is friendly to her peers and willing to help with tasks as needed.  Courtney's always smiling and we love having her in our classes."

Great job Courtney!

Success Academy

HE GOT IN!!  At the end of January, the school had a student meeting about SUCCESS Academy.  It's an early college charter high school.  Ethan was interested so he went to the meeting.  We have had quite a few kids in our ward who have been in SUCCESS Academy so I knew a bit about it.  That evening they had a parent meeting so Bryan went to that with Ethan to get more information.

After the meetings, Ethan decided he wanted to try to get in.  It is a true lottery system.  That means you fill out an admittance form, turn it in and then wait for the lottery to begin.  They didn't require tests, grades or anything.  So it was a waiting game.

The paperwork Ethan and Bryan brought home said that Ethan would need to take the CPT (college placement test) in order to ensure he would be able to handle the program.  It wasn't a prerequisite to getting in, but would be required for an indicator of success.

I called to find out when the testing center was open to give the CPT and was told that it was open each day until 9 p.m.  So we dropped Courtney off at dance and went to DSU to take the test.  But the CPT was only given during certain hours, and they were closed.  Ethan had worked himself up so I felt so bad.  But I took him over the next week and he was able to take the test.  He got above the suggested scores so he was good to go.

We waited and waited until finally he got a big envelope in the mail.  I took it to him to have him open.  He opened it, said "Cool, I got in" and that was it.  Bryan and I were so excited for him...and I think Ethan was excited too in his laid back way.

This means that for 1/2 the day Ethan will be at DSU taking college classes in the SUCCESS Academy building and the other 1/2 of the day he will be at Snow Canyon High taking required classes to graduate with his high school diploma.  The April of his senior year he will graduate with his Associates Degree from DSU and then in May he will graduate with his high school diploma.

It will be hard work but he is excited to do it!

If you want to learn more about the program: SUCCESS Academy website

Magic Bandage

This....is the magic bandage.

If Courtney has an owie, she just puts this bandage on and it makes everything all better!  It really is magic.

If she hurts her knee at dance...BAM...she puts on the magic bandage and is healed within the hour.

If she hurts her foot at soccer pratice...BAM...she puts on the magic bandage and is healed overnight.

It really is amazing!  We use it almost daily on Courtney.  No one else has needed it's magic healing powers but as long as it works on Courtney, we are in business!

Dentist Time

The lucky kids had their dentist appointments in February.  They weren't happy about them at all but they went really well.  Neither one had a cavity and they were in and out in about 30 minutes.  NICE!

Courtney getting her teeth cleaned:

Ethan getting his teeth cleaned: