And the Winner Is...

Wednesday night was the big Pinewood Derby, finally! :) Lots of excitement around our house, especially among the male members of the family! :)

Easton was also excited to get to wear his scout shirt for the first time. I asked him if he felt cool in it. He said, "No, but I do feel like a big boy!" It was funny. I can't believe that he is a "big boy" going to scouts already! Time sure flies.


Easton getting introduced as a new cub scout.

We got to the church had the car weighed and measured and it was right where it should be.




The races began, and I won't lie, I was a little nervous. Easton was so excited about it that I was just hoping he'd win at least a couple races. But, he did much better than that. He won a lot!


Waiting for his car to come down the track...

And, so happy when he won!

They ended up being able to race every other car. He beat every other car except for one. Some of the matches were very close, but his little car pulled ahead. But, there was one car that he just couldn't beat. So, he ended up taking 2ND place out of about 14-15 cars.

Dave was so excited. Much more so than he let on, I think. :) But, I know that he was really happy that Easton was so happy.

Easton got a little trophy



What a fun night! I love a little friendly competition. There were some really neat cars made and I think everyone had a great time!

Update on Pinewood Derby

The work has been progressing. There has been lots of sanding and prepping. Then came the painting. Then, Dave had to make a trip to our neighbor's house to get some vinyl for the car. So here is the finished product (minus the wheels which will be added tonight):







Dave took all the pictures, that is why there is one from almost every angle! :)

Easton can not wait for tomorrow night for the big Derby! (Truth be told, Dave can hardly wait also!)

So, tomorrow is also Easton's first pack meeting as a Wolf. I am the Bear Leader and I am so excited to finally have Easton be one of the little scouts. His shirt is all ready and he has even earned his Bobcat award already! These are going to be some fun years!

I will definitely be posting again soon about the big race! Wish him (them) luck!

Sisters!

I ALWAYS wanted a sister when I was growing up. I dreamed of having the bond that sisters have. Even now I often wish I had a sister. I have the BEST sisters-in-law and really, really great friends. But, not quite the same as an actual sister. So, when I found out that I was having Avery and there were going to be sisters in our house, I was so so so happy for my girls! They are such good little friends.

So, the day that I have dreamed of as a girl, and especially since I found out Avery was a girl is here.

My girls are doing this:




There first "real" Barbies play time. I LOVE it! Barbies were SO my thing when I was little. I played hours upon hours with my friend, Danielle. And, now, here are my sweet girls, sisters, playing Barbies together. How my heart sings! :) :) (A little dramatic, I know.)

And then, to top it off...I was laying on the couch reading/watching them play. And, here is their conversation:

Paisley: Isn't it fun being sisters?
Avery: Yeah, sisters.
Paisley: Yeah, it is SO fun!

My words exactly, girl!

Pinewood Derby...for Father or Son??

Ha Ha! It is pretty exciting in my house right now. The boys are busily getting their masterpiece (a.k.a. pinewood derby car) ready for the big night next week. Easton is excited. They got on line and found a bunch of pictures of cars and decided to make something like this...



He likes the "Lightning McQueen" shape. So, they took that picture over to our friend, Michael, and together they were able to cut something out to look like this:



They are so proud. They used an extra pinewood derby kit that we have had to add to the sides so that the tires are inset. (Yes, we checked the rules. We are within the car width guidelines.)

So tonight they have been sanding and adding some wood filler here and there.



Then, we went to the hobby store to buy some stuff to help the paint go on smoother, and also an after-paint product to make it glossy. Oh yeah, and spray paint. All these things we "had" to have, according to Dave, because Michael told him how much better it would make it look. So, $16.93 later, we left with our goods from the hobby store. (So much for free entertainment!) :)

I laugh at how much fun Dave is having. Don't get me wrong, Easton is really enjoying it, also. But, Dave is just loving this. I totally think that the pinewood derby is about as much for the dads as it is the scouts! Anyone agree? But, I enjoy seeing Easton and Dave working together. It is going to be fun having a little cub scout in the house! :) (Technically he doesn't turn 8 for a couple weeks, but they let him come in early for the derby.)

I will definately update again on their progress.

Busy and Sick Weekend

The flu bug has hit our house, and we have survived! Just a quick run down of our busy weekend.

Thursday night, well technically Friday morning about 1 a.m., Easton started throwing up. He was sick all day Friday. By Saturday afternoon he was better. BUT, Saturday evening, RIGHT before Dave and I were headed out the door, Paisley started feeling sick. Luckily, Dave's mom was filling in for our babysitter who was also ill. Since grandma was with her, we went ahead and left her. But, she did throw up while we were gone. She was VERY sick all day Sunday. Poor thing couldn't even keep water down. Today, though, she was much better and ate all her meals, etc. So, it must have been a 24 hour bug.

Then, today, Dave wasn't feeling well. And, about 11:00 this morning ended up coming home from work sick and staying in bed all day. I think his is more sinus related, but still not fun. At least Avery and I were healthy this weekend. :)

We did have some fun, regardless of the sicknesses. Friday night we went out to eat with all of Dave's family for his brother's birthday. (My dad was nice enough to come hang out and watch a movie with Easton while we went.)

Saturday, Paisley played in her basketball game. She is so cute to watch. And, she is so aggressive. What my kids may lack in size, they make up in aggression. She is a really good little defensive player. Now to work on the offense. :) Easton had to miss his game, even though he was pretty much 100%, we didn't want to chance it.

Saturday afternoon we went to some friends house so that Dave and Easton could work on making Easton's pinewood derby car. Our friend, Michael, has lots of wood working tools and knows a lot. So, they have a good start on a fun little car. (pictures to come)

Saturday night we were invited over to play games with some friends. They taught us Settlers of Catan. We loved that game and now that we know how to play, we can't wait to play again! We also played Ticket to Ride Europe for the first time. Thanks, Brian and Kara...let's do it again FOR SURE! :)

Sunday, I stayed home from church with Paisley while Dave and Easton went. My mom came over to hang out and we did a puzzle all day. Later that night, the puzzle was almost done and my mom and I were cleaning up the kitchen. When we were done, I said, "Okay, let's go finish our puzzle!" So we went in to find that DAVE had finished it!!! Seriously?!? We worked on it all day and he put in the last 25 pieces or so??? We let him go this one time, but let him know very sternly that it is not good "puzzle etiquette" to finish the puzzle someone has worked all day on! :)

It was a pretty fun weekend, sickness and all. Glad that we are through with the flu! (knock on wood)

My funny girl!

Oh, the funny things that come out of the mouths of my kids! I should be sooooo much better about writing them, but no, I usually laugh, try to remember to tell Dave and unfortunately forget. Tonight I heard a funny comment from Paisley. Not drop down on the floor laughing or the funniest thing they have ever said. But, worth noting here on my blog.

Preface: At a family white elephant gift exchange I got a radio to put in the shower. At first I didn't think much of it. But, we have all loved having some tunes while we shower! So, tonight I cut Easton's hair and sent him to the shower afterwards. Paisley was at the counter doing her homework. We could hear the music blaring from Easton's shower.

Paisley: I don't like having music in the shower.

Me: Why?

Paisley: Because music leads to dancing and dancing leads to slipping!

Me: (laughter)

To be a six-year old again! To be so happy and content and worry free that you can't resist dancing any time you hear music! What a funny girl!

FIESTA BOWL!!

So...I am a very nice wife. Really, I am. Proof, you want proof??? Okay...this is where Dave was while he was gone for 4 days with his brothers...



See, I told you I am a nice wife! :)

Yep, Dave and his 3 brothers left last Saturday morning to go to the Fiesta Bowl. They spent the first night in Las Vegas. I hear that they had A LOT of fun there, quickly followed by him telling me, "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!" :) Sunday they drove the rest of the way to Phoenix. Dave served his mission in Mesa, AZ and so while he was there he was able to visit a family that he was really close with on his mission. That was fun for him. There youngest child is now 15, and Dave really dated himself by saying that he knew that child when she was in diapers! So, he has obviously been home from his mission for a little while!

Monday was the day of the game. Dave said that he had been excited for the game, but had no idea how much fun it would actually be. He loved it and they had great seats.






After the game they ended up with a bottle of champane. (Long story.)



Don't worry, they didn't drink it, but one of the brothers kept it as a "trophy." Funny story, you will have to have Dave tell you someday! :)

They drove back to Vegas Monday night and then drove home Tuesday. I know that he had a GREAT time. It seemed like every time I talked to him on the phone, they were all laughing their heads off. One time I actually had to hang the phone up on Dave because he was laughing so hard. He could hardly breathe. So, I let him pull himself together before he called me back. :)

I don't know many details of the trip. Maybe I don't want to know. :) Maybe I can get Dave to post some of what they did. I do know they had fun. I am so glad he was able to spend good quality time with his brothers! And, I am glad he is HOME!! Love ya, hon!!

Christmas 2009

So I am FINALLY getting around to blogging about Christmas. My life has been SUPER crazy since Christmas and so I haven't thought much about blogging. So, here goes...

We had a really great Christmas! Santa definitely visited and spoiled the kids like crazy! :) What fun years these are. I am so grateful for Santa and that he lets me see my kids' ecstatic and surprised faces each Christmas morning.

Easton got a hunting game, a BIG nerf gun, MP3 player, computer game, Incredible Hulk fists and mask, a movie, PS2 game, and many other fun things. Okay, and some "boring" gifts like clothes and books.




Paisley got a Baby Alive, which was all she asked for basically. She also got a CD player, a necklace/bead kit,some ICarly toys(TV show), a movie, PS2 game. She also got other toys and some "boring" items as well.





Avery also got a Baby Alive doll, some Littlest Pet Shop toys, Mr. Potato Head & accessories, and Tinker Toys. And, oh yeah..."boring" stuff. :) Except that books and clothes are fun to the girls. I guess only Easton thinks they are boring. :)




After the presents, Avery just sat back and snuggled with her new baby. She is going to be the BEST mom!

We had finished opening all of our presents before it was even fully light outside. So, yes, we were up early. Later that morning my brothers and their families, my parents, and my grandparents came over for breakfast. That was a lot of fun. We ate good! :)

After breakfast Easton was dying to have a Nerf gun war. He had received a new gun, but already owns about 7 other Nerf guns. I asked my family if they wanted to have a Nerf gun war and Jarom's response was, "Abso-freakin'-lutely!" Okay, I should have known my brothers would be all about it. So, everyone had a gun except my mom, Jackie, and myself. I gave myself the job of picking up and redistributing darts. Here are some pictures from the war:


The warriors, Dave, Stephanie, Andrew, my dad (very serious), Jarom, and Easton

Pre-war (I just love Andrew's face in this one!)






It was sooo much fun! Crazy, but a great time.

We had a really nice dinner later that day at my parents' house. It was just good to hang out and relax and visit. (We missed ya, Steph and Andrew.)

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmas! I love everything about it. I love the lights, the smells, the Christmas cards, the Christmas tree, the ornaments, the food and treats, the presents, the giving, the time with family, the parties, white elephant gifts, Christmas programs, Christmas songs and hymns, the Christmas story...I love it all! I could go on and on and on! But, as much as I love it, I am kind of glad when it is all over. I am sad, yes, but a little relieved I guess is a better word. I actually enjoy the day after Christmas when we hang out and play with toys and just relax.

So, that is what we did the next morning. We just relaxed and played. It was wonderful.

I hope all of you had a great Christmas, we sure did! Looking forward to next year already! :)