Christmas Service

Our Ward has the most amazing Christmas tradition.  Our Ward party is a breakfast after which we go to the Utah Food Bank and do service.  This is the second year we have done it and we love it!! 

We had a pancake breakfast where the boys all ended up at our table.  Prom is coming up in January so they are trying to figure out who to ask, how to ask them, and talking about ways their siblings have asked or been asked.  It was pretty hilarious.  A couple of young women in our ward got into it helping them figure out who hasn't been asked yet.  These boys are hilarious!

Then we loaded in cars (the boys drove themselves over in one car and had a blast with their freedom) and went to the Utah Food Bank.

The Dollar Store Distribution Center is near the Utah Food Bank.  The Dollar Store sends over boxes of stuff that they can't sell or want to donate.  But it isn't sorted at all so you can find cooking oil in with crayons.  Our job is to open the boxes, draw a line through the bar code, and sort all the items.  We work like crazy and it is so much fun to be there with everyone and get so much work done. 

This year they had the young men wrap stuff with plastic wrap and weigh it.  They had a blast doing that because they got to use machinery and scales.  They were hilarious to watch but they did a great job and worked hard.  When everyone else was finished Ethan was still wrapping a load and the guy had to go and tell him to leave it.

When we all finished, everyone went home and the boys went to Wendy's to get lunch. ;) 

Hash House a Go-Go

Yes, that is the actual name of a restaurant: Hash House a Go Go and their servings are HUGE!!

My parents let us borrow their car to go to Thanksgiving in Denver so we took them out for lunch to thank them.  Hash House had opened a few months before so we decided to try it.  Their portions are HUGE!  Bryan and I shared something and my half was still bigger than a normal portion.  The food was really good though.

Courtney got her chicken strips and fries.

Ethan got his massive burger.

Huge Jimmy Johns!

Ethan absolutely loves Jimmy Johns #1 sandwich.  The other day he heard a commercial about a 16-inch sandwich and HAD TO GET ONE!

He was in 16-year-old HEAVEN!

Thanksgiving in Arvada!

We got to join Grandma and Grandpa Pack, Andrew and Jessica, and their girls for Thanksgiving this year and it was so much fun!!

Lizza was fascinated with Ethan and his 3DS.  She would just watch him and he would chat with her.  It was really cute.

Courtney had a blast being the big cousin and having the little girls to herself.  She played with them, read with them, and babysat them while we went to a movie one morning.

The swing is always a huge hit no matter how old you get.  Ethan pushed Courtney and then Courtney pushed the little girls.  It was fun to hear them all laugh.

We had to go bowling Thanksgiving morning because it's a long-held tradition.  It is so much fun to see everyone from Grandma and Grandpa's stake.  It wasn't as crowded as it has been in years past but we had a lot of fun bowling.  Bryan told the kids he would pay them for a certain amount of strikes in a row and it caused a lot of angst with Courtney.  I think Ethan ended up with money in the end but I can't remember for certain.

Because Ethan is getting so tall, we had to compare him to everyone who was around.  We think David will still have him in height but Ethan still has years that he could grow.

These cute three liked to cuddle under the blanket.  It was so much fun to be at Grandma and Grandpa's house, watching movies, playing games, and enjoying being together.

Pie Making

The combined young men/young women activity before Thanksgiving is always pie making.  This year the YM President sent me pics of Ethan.  I didn't get any of Courtney but she was there making a pie too and did an amazing job!

Ethan's pie was going to be pumpkin so he didn't fill it and we took it to Denver with us for Thanksgiving.  Courtney's pie was peach and she filled it but we cooked it in Denver.  They did a great job!!

Turkey Trot

Courtney decided she wanted to get out of running the mile for PE by....running the 5K Turkey Trot.  Yeah, I don't get the logic either, but it is what it is.

I met Courtney at the school so I could watch.  She and her friends were all running it and they were pretty cold in their running clothes.  But they soon warmed up and off they went. 

Here they are waiting for the start of the race.

There they go...

Courtney finished in good time (I can't remember her time right now) but she ran quickly.

Catch up

I am behind on posting so I will combine a few things.

This is what Courtney looks like after she has scared me almost to death.  Yes, she thought it was hilarious!  I...however...did NOT!

Courtney finished her skateboard in Shop class and brought it home.  Ethan loved it and wanted it.  She didn't agree with him but she let him hug it for a while.  I helped her take her wheels off her penny board and put them on the skateboard and then she painted it.  It's pretty wobbly but she still likes to ride it.

Courtney and I were shopping at Partyland for something (I can't remember now) and she found this face thing that she just had to try on.

While we were shopping for something I can't remember, we went into Lins and Courtney had some money burning a hole in her pocket.  So we went to the drink aisle and she found a gallon-sized Gatorade.  She just HAD TO HAVE IT!

Ethan's frame for his mountain bike stuff came in and he was excited to have it.  Yes, this is his "I'm smiling this way because I don't want my picture taken but I love my mom enough to humor her" smile.

Our young men and old men did a service project one Saturday.  They hauled rock into the backyard of a woman in our ward.  They did a great job! Ethan and Bryan are in there somewhere.

Snake Hollow Bike Park opened and Bryan and I went to the grand opening.  It is such a cool place.  They are preparing to build a NICA course also.  The sad thing is that it won't be ready for this season so Ethan won't get to race on it.  The park is right across the street from Snow Canyon High School.  It is always busy with kids biking and has made the national news with how great it is!