Okay, yesterday didn't count because it was a holiday for everyone. So I am counting today as the first real day of summer. Besides, yesterday didn't really feel like a holiday because Bryan left really early for Youth Conference at Aspen Grove and we went about our day as usual (chores, crying about having to do chores, finishing chores then leaving the house in a huff to play with friends only to return home after an hour because they realize that I am fun to be around...and their friends are leaving to do something "fun" without them!)
Anyway, today Courtney started Safety Town! She was super excited. It's a program that the St. George City Recreation department puts on to teach kids going into Kindergarten about safety. Ethan went through it and loved it. It's kind of hard to get into and was a pain this time around, but it's so worth it. There are 3 sessions and each session lasts 2 weeks and is 1 1/2 hours long each day. They are very safety conscious (as you can imagine) so we have to sign them in and out each day and "helpers" (which are really 12 to 15 year old kids) take them from your car into the school where it is held so no parents are allowed in the building. Police also are on patrol to make sure nothing happens.
Anyway, Courtney and her friend were both signed up and we asked for them to be in the same group (so we could carpool easily). They ended up in the green group and their name is the Green Butterflies, which is really funny because these two girls were on the same soccer team last year and they were called the Green Butterflies! But they both had a great time and Courtney came home so excited to go back tomorrow. I have to admit that I was a bit shocked when she went into the school without a problem, but she was so excited and Ethan had gone before that she didn't have a problem.
After we dropped her off, Ethan and I ran home and finished his chores then we planted our pumpkins for one of Ethan's cub scout requirements. He is going to take care of the plants (make sure they are watered and weeded) and we hope we will have some nice pumpkins in October! Usually we plant the seeds on the 4th of July, but the pumpkins weren't ready the last two years so we pushed it up. Then we played games and hung out. Ethan was super excited for his "mom time."
Courtney got a ride home from Safety Town and was happy to show us what she learned. Then we ate lunch (leftover pizza from yesterday that we bought because we found a coupon Ethan won at school that was expiring and he didn't want to waste it) then hung out until it was time to go to swimming lessons!
This was so exciting because the kids love their swimming lessons. We drive up to Diamond Valley (about 20 minutes away if you cut through Snow Canyon State Park) to a woman who has taught for years and teaches in her backyard pool. The kids learn so much and they love it! We left a little early because our pass to Snow Canyon State Park had expired and I love driving through there to get to swimming, so we had to get a new one. And, on the way through the park after getting the pass, we saw a dead snake on the road that was smushed all the pieces and Ethan made me turn around to he could look at it's "guts" a few more times. Ugh!!
While Courtney was at her 3:00 lesson, Ethan and I went to the Diamond Valley Elementary School and played tennis in the parking lot (it's a small town and they don't have a park) which passes off another cub scout requirement. (Ethan figured out that we can use the time when Courtney is swimming to do outdoor activities that pass off his requirements. He is really into this cub scout thing.) We then picked her up and had an hour until Ethan's lesson began so we went back to the elementary school and the kids played...urgh, fought...on the playground equipment.
Then Ethan went to his 5:00 swimming lesson. He has a swimming buddy that has been in all his swimming lessons for the last 5 summers and they live in Diamond Valley, so Courtney and I went to his house with his mom to chat while the boys swam. Courtney got to gather eggs from their chickens (which she brought home thinking we could keep them warm and have chickens of our own), freak out when their dog tried to say "hello" to her, checked out some 5 day old puppies born to the dog who freaked Courtney out, saw a lamb, and ate a popsicle. It was a full visit. Then we drove back and picked up Ethan and came home.
Both kids had no problem eating dinner and going to bed. I think they were pretty tired!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
LaVerkin Creek Backpack Trip
Bryan and I went backpacking last Friday and Saturday in Zion on the LaVerkin Creek trail. The kids were super excited because they were going to stay overnight at Grandma and Grandpa Oman's house and they get spoiled when they go there!
We dropped them off at Grandma and Grandpa's house, ran to the store to buy food for the trail, got lunch to eat on the road and took off. We got to the trail head, packed up and were on the trail at 12:39.
The last time I did this hike was 9 years ago and it was from the opposite direction (starting at Hops Valley). We did it all in one day, which is about a 13 mile hike and I wasn't very happy when we finished. The last 4 miles of the hike are mainly uphill with some of the grades being quite steep. I was a bit nervous but I was excited to be backpacking.
We hiked down in and it wasn't bad except for all the WIND that was smashing us in the face! Sometimes my backpack acted like a sail and I almost flew away, but it kept things cool. I hiked with my jacket on most of the time because it was a bit chilly, but Bryan said it wasn't that bad.
There was a lot more water this time and so we had to cross a bunch of small streams. I was surprised by how much water there was but it was pretty. And the views are gorgeous from up there because it's so green from all the rain we have been getting.
When we got to the creek it was larger than a creek. Now, I HATE snakes!!! The last time we hiked this trail we saw two rattlesnakes and I almost turned back around and went the other way. I was leading and there were a lot of lizards on the trail. I almost stepped on what I thought was a lizard when I realized that it was a snake! We can't remember if I screamed or not, but I jumped back really quickly, grabbed Bryan, put him in front of me as a shield, and began shaking. It really was a small snake (only about 3 feet long and thin) but I just hate snakes. Bryan watched it, taking pictures all the way, until it was gone and then I quickly passed and we were on our way.
After 7 miles we finally got to where out campsite should have been but we couldn't find it. We went back a bit to see if we had passed it and then went farther upstream to see if we just hadn't gotten there yet. We finally found it a bit farther up the creek. Our campsite was across the river but the rocks used to cross the river were underwater. We explored around trying to find a way to cross and finally decided that we would have to wade across. So we unzipped the bottom parts of our hiking pants, took our socks and shoes off, and waded across. We had the best site! It was above the trail so people couldn't really see into our site and it was shaded. It was great!
We set up camp, washed our feet, and began filtering water. It was so silty that the pump had a hard time after a while. Some people passed by and told us of a spring a little farther up from our campsite where we could filter water more easily so we decided to look for it. There wasn't a trail and we didn't want to wade the river again so we sort of made our own way and it wasn't easy. After a while, the shore was just sandstone that we had to try and climb along and not fall into the river. It wasn't easy and it was really steep. We made it and filtered water. On the way back I was carrying the 2 water bottles and Bryan was carrying the filter. At the steep rock part he, being a gentleman, took both water bottles to carry so I could have two free hands and then promptly slid down the rock into the river. Luckily he was wearing his water shoes and not his hiking shoes or we would have been in trouble. It was actually really funny and we laughed about it.
Filtering water:
The trail we found the next day:
A view from above of the rock Bryan slid down:
(The next day we found a small trail that led from our campsite to the spring and it was much easier.)
We then had dinner, played cards, read books and went to sleep. It was great and so relaxing!
The next morning we slept in, ate breakfast, filtered water, broke camp, packed up and found a rock path down the river that we could use to cross so we wouldn't have to wade out.
Then we started the long 7.1 miles hiking out. It wasn't too bad and we actually made the same time hiking out as we had hiking in, which shocked me. The last 4 miles were rough and very steep but they weren't as bad as they had been last time. My feet were tired and my calves are pretty sore today, but it was a fun trip!!
Bryan takes Ethan backpacking next month!
We dropped them off at Grandma and Grandpa's house, ran to the store to buy food for the trail, got lunch to eat on the road and took off. We got to the trail head, packed up and were on the trail at 12:39.
The last time I did this hike was 9 years ago and it was from the opposite direction (starting at Hops Valley). We did it all in one day, which is about a 13 mile hike and I wasn't very happy when we finished. The last 4 miles of the hike are mainly uphill with some of the grades being quite steep. I was a bit nervous but I was excited to be backpacking.
We hiked down in and it wasn't bad except for all the WIND that was smashing us in the face! Sometimes my backpack acted like a sail and I almost flew away, but it kept things cool. I hiked with my jacket on most of the time because it was a bit chilly, but Bryan said it wasn't that bad.
There was a lot more water this time and so we had to cross a bunch of small streams. I was surprised by how much water there was but it was pretty. And the views are gorgeous from up there because it's so green from all the rain we have been getting.
When we got to the creek it was larger than a creek. Now, I HATE snakes!!! The last time we hiked this trail we saw two rattlesnakes and I almost turned back around and went the other way. I was leading and there were a lot of lizards on the trail. I almost stepped on what I thought was a lizard when I realized that it was a snake! We can't remember if I screamed or not, but I jumped back really quickly, grabbed Bryan, put him in front of me as a shield, and began shaking. It really was a small snake (only about 3 feet long and thin) but I just hate snakes. Bryan watched it, taking pictures all the way, until it was gone and then I quickly passed and we were on our way.
After 7 miles we finally got to where out campsite should have been but we couldn't find it. We went back a bit to see if we had passed it and then went farther upstream to see if we just hadn't gotten there yet. We finally found it a bit farther up the creek. Our campsite was across the river but the rocks used to cross the river were underwater. We explored around trying to find a way to cross and finally decided that we would have to wade across. So we unzipped the bottom parts of our hiking pants, took our socks and shoes off, and waded across. We had the best site! It was above the trail so people couldn't really see into our site and it was shaded. It was great!
We set up camp, washed our feet, and began filtering water. It was so silty that the pump had a hard time after a while. Some people passed by and told us of a spring a little farther up from our campsite where we could filter water more easily so we decided to look for it. There wasn't a trail and we didn't want to wade the river again so we sort of made our own way and it wasn't easy. After a while, the shore was just sandstone that we had to try and climb along and not fall into the river. It wasn't easy and it was really steep. We made it and filtered water. On the way back I was carrying the 2 water bottles and Bryan was carrying the filter. At the steep rock part he, being a gentleman, took both water bottles to carry so I could have two free hands and then promptly slid down the rock into the river. Luckily he was wearing his water shoes and not his hiking shoes or we would have been in trouble. It was actually really funny and we laughed about it.
Filtering water:
The trail we found the next day:
A view from above of the rock Bryan slid down:
(The next day we found a small trail that led from our campsite to the spring and it was much easier.)
We then had dinner, played cards, read books and went to sleep. It was great and so relaxing!
The next morning we slept in, ate breakfast, filtered water, broke camp, packed up and found a rock path down the river that we could use to cross so we wouldn't have to wade out.
Then we started the long 7.1 miles hiking out. It wasn't too bad and we actually made the same time hiking out as we had hiking in, which shocked me. The last 4 miles were rough and very steep but they weren't as bad as they had been last time. My feet were tired and my calves are pretty sore today, but it was a fun trip!!
Bryan takes Ethan backpacking next month!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Schools Out!
It is now 12:01 p.m. on May 27, 2010 and SCHOOL IS OFFICIALLY OUT FOR THE SUMMER!!! Yeah! Now we just have to wait for the bus to bring Ethan home. Courtney is so excited because this means that she can tell people that she will be in kindergarten when school starts.
Ethan's Award
Last year Ethan got an award for 100% attendance. I didn't know he was getting the award and so I wasn't there at the assembly when he got it...so no pictures exist to mark the momentous occasion. This year he told me that I needed to go to the assembly because he wasn't sure he was getting an award but wanted me there just in case. So I went to the assembly. I really didn't think he was getting anything because no one had told me and I couldn't remember if he had been at school every day or not. So...I didn't take the camera...and he won an award for 100% attendance.
I used my phone to snap some photos but they aren't very good. He wanted me to post one anyway. He cleaned up in the prize department for the award: 5 free tickets to a St. George Roadrunner baseball game, free meal at Iggy's Sports Bar, a backpack, a candy bar and a certificate. He thought he was pretty hot stuff. At least I was there this year!
The picture is blurry, but Ethan's in the middle in the red/gray shirt with numbers on the front. The guy in front of him with a baseball cap is a member of the Roadrunner's baseball team and Ethan got to shake his hand (it doesn't matter that we don't know his name and he isn't famous, but Ethan was impressed).
I used my phone to snap some photos but they aren't very good. He wanted me to post one anyway. He cleaned up in the prize department for the award: 5 free tickets to a St. George Roadrunner baseball game, free meal at Iggy's Sports Bar, a backpack, a candy bar and a certificate. He thought he was pretty hot stuff. At least I was there this year!
The picture is blurry, but Ethan's in the middle in the red/gray shirt with numbers on the front. The guy in front of him with a baseball cap is a member of the Roadrunner's baseball team and Ethan got to shake his hand (it doesn't matter that we don't know his name and he isn't famous, but Ethan was impressed).
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Pack Meeting
Growing up with only two girls in the family I am completely clueless when it comes to scouts. Luckily I have a husband who knows it and friends in the ward that help me out. Today was our first Pack Meeting. Ethan was so excited to get in his uniform. He looked so cute.
We went to Jacob Hamblin's home for the meeting. Ethan, and two other boys in his primary class, were earning their Bobcat. He was so excited! He has been looking forward to being a Cub Scout for years and now it is finally here. After the awards ceremony we all went on a hike to the flags that mark where Santa Clara Fort used to be. It was fun. Then we had treats and the boys played around until it was time to go home.
We went to Jacob Hamblin's home for the meeting. Ethan, and two other boys in his primary class, were earning their Bobcat. He was so excited! He has been looking forward to being a Cub Scout for years and now it is finally here. After the awards ceremony we all went on a hike to the flags that mark where Santa Clara Fort used to be. It was fun. Then we had treats and the boys played around until it was time to go home.
Hot Chocolate Party
Courtney and I had a "hot chocolate" party today (instead of a tea party). I put a nice table cloth on our kitchen table, pulled out some nice dishes, made some pb&j finger sandwiches and hot chocolate, and then we had a nice party together. She is a chatter box so we talked all about how she thinks her life is going and had a grand time sipping our hot chocolate. I may have to make this a weekly tradition. We decided that we may even ask Ethan to have tea with us too. Won't he love that?!?! ;)
Here's Courtney at our party:
Here's Courtney at our party:
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Fur Elise
Here is Courtney singing Beethoven's "Fur Elise." She is going to perform this at the Primary Talent Show next month so we have been working on it. She is still working on a couple of spots, but it's still cute!
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