Fishing Derby

For Pack Meeting this week they had a fishing derby. We grabbed our stuff and took off for the fishing pond. Ethan was super excited because he knows how to fish and enjoys doing it. They had a short program where gave out awards and talked a bit about fishing. Then they let the boys loose.

We got Ethan all set up and he cast out but it wasn't working. After trying for a few minutes we realized that something was wrong with his line. We spent the rest of the time trying to fix it but couldn't ever get it working properly. So he ended up fishing with a pole someone else had brought.

Courtney played with some older girls who kept good track of her. No one caught a fish but they all had fun casting and playing around.

Playing in the Water

There is a splash pad and lazy river..more like stream...in the center of downtown St. George (in Heritage Square). It's so much fun for the kids to play in because the stream is really shallow and there are things to climb on. We decided that it was hot enough (102 degrees) to go down there.

We packed a picnic lunch, took loads of water, grabbed the umbrella and we were off. Ethan had a great time laying in the stream to block the water and make a tide pool. Courtney loved climbing on everything and just splashing. We stayed for about an hour then ran over to Bryan's office (about a block away) to say "hi!" Actually, the kids just wanted some of the candy that is all over the office.

It was a fun day and we are trying to get everything packed into the last 2 weeks of summer vacation. I can't believe it's time already!!

How old is she?!?!

Courtney had an ear doctor appointment yesterday to have her tubes checked. The doctor walked in and asked Courtney how old she is. She promptly said, "5 1/2 and 11/12ths."

The doctor paused for a minute, looked at me and said, "What?!"

So Courtney said, "I am 5 and 1/2 and 11/12ths."

I had to explain that she is going to be 6 years old in about 3 weeks and is counting down the days. He was pretty amused and went into the hall to tell some of the nurses how old Courtney was. It was hilarious!

By the way, everything looks great with her ears and she is doing fantastic with the tubes. He said that they don't look like they are going to fall out any time soon so we are in great shape. They even did well during swimming lessons. Yeah!

Cars 2

On Monday, I took the kids to see Cars 2. I have to say that this was a good movie! It was a great story about friendship and accepting your friends how they are without trying to change them to suit your desires. I thought the spy stuff was cool and my kids really enjoyed it! I can't wait for it to come out on DVD so Bryan can watch it.

Day 11...He has earned his name.

Bryan has earned his last name. He packed our van so tight that it was amazing!!! We got all our camping stuff (even the things my parents brought with them) in our van. I couldn't believe it! The name isn't named "Pack" for nothing. The trunk even shut without a problem. I couldn't believe it. I'm only mad that I didn't get a "before" picture so you would really be impressed.




Anyway, we are home now and happy to be here! We had a great time.

Day 10...Driving Around and Relaxing

This day was great because it was really relaxing. We spent the morning around camp reading, playing/napping on the hammock, watching movies (yes, my parent's have a TV and VCR in their motor home and they brought videos for the kids to watch) and generally just relaxing. My dad taught Ethan how to make a whistle using a piece of wood and they had fun doing that.



After lunch we loaded into the van and drove up to Wheeler Peak. It was a lot cooler in temperature up there and it was really nice. We tried to go on a hike up near Wheeler Peak. Grandma and Ethan stayed with the van while Courtney, Grandpa, Bryan and I went for a hike...but Courtney was tired so we did a really short loop hike. It was okay because we all had fun. Then we played games in the shade of the tree until it was time to go back to camp.



That evening Bryan and I went to another star show lecture that was near our campsite and it was really neat. There were a lot less people so we could ask questions and see a lot more stars. It was fascinating!

Day 9...Lehman Cave, Junior Ranger and Camp

Thursday morning we woke up, ate breakfast and then went to the Lehman Caves Visitors Center to get our tickets to the 9 a.m. cave tour. I was pretty excited but a bit nervous that the kids would be afraid of going inside the cave but they didn't have a problem with it. They were a bit nervous when the ranger turned out the lights and it was super dark but I think they enjoyed being in the cave.



After the tour, Courtney worked hard and became a Junior Ranger. There were some activities she had to do before she could earn her badge. When she finished her activities the ranger on duty swore her in and then announced to the crowd in the Visitors Center that "Courtney Pack is the newest Junior Ranger at Great Basin National Park!" Courtney was so excited! She wore her Junior Ranger badge proudly and wasn't afraid to tell anyone that she is now a Junior Ranger. It was hilarious!



Here is our campsite: