The Pinewood Derby!

It's that time of the year again!

The Dremmel gets dusted off, and the dust flies all over.

Cooper drew a hamster, looking suspiciously like Copper.

We were fresh out of fishing line that was white for whiskers, so we opted for broom straw.

Sawyer drew and painted a snowman!

His top hat is made from Dremmel pieces glued and painted black.

Miller chopped, hacked, cut, hammered, and smashed out

this manly car entry.

Porter chose this old classic to race.

As long as the wheels were changed it was eligible.

Hunter chose this old car in the spirit of the Olympics,

but as his wheels didn't need to be replaced,

and not knowing the rules,

became our cute bench warmer once again.

The former Cubmaster told the boys it wasn't the track that gave them the win,
but how carefully it was placed on the track.

Hunter helping Miller.
Didn't help.

Miller's car had a jammed wheel.

Never even slid down the track.

Squeaked a few inches, and stopped.

Cold. FUNNY!

Cooper trying his hamster backwards.

Sawyer receiving last minute instructions from the big boys.

Miller (running) getting to the finish line to watch his car race.

By far the boys' toughest competitor in the open division!

Even the shark couldn't pull off a win!

Tanner lost to Barbie.

It's a great record.

Ten years, multiple entries: No wins.

Makes for a great family tradition.

Getting Ready for College

Every day we receive multiple flyers

from colleges and universities across the country.

I guess that's the price you pay for having a junior in high school.

Registering for ACTs and SATs probably contributes.

Tanner usually looks at them, laughs and throws them away.

Sometimes he is impressed with the quality of paper, and then throws them away.

Rarely, he may save them if the school is of such caliber his father would be impressed.

This one made his bulletin board.

He was impressed with his name ;-)

Good Genes!

Life's been a little fuzzy lately, worse when I'm tired.

So I checked myself into the doctor of eyes.

He found nothing.

20/20 vision

That's a good thing!

Thanks Dad.

F.Y.I.

This is inside a travel center, with a Taco Bell, outside Louisa, KY.

The whole plaza is decorated with guitars as it's the beginning of the Country Music Highway.

Nothing like strumming on a few guitars before a bathroom break!

There was quite a collection of memorbilia inside from country singing artists.

Some were a little bit more country than others ;-)

Others were a bit more rock and roll.

I just noticed the gas sign. We're at $2.79 today :-(

Come on by! We're open for business.

Brace Yourself!

Scary! At first glance. This is Cooper's mouth.

He has multiple teeth waiting to erupt but there's no room!

Real life version of the crowded, forward collapsing mouth.
He'll be wearing upper and lower palette expanders.

Miller playing in the orthodontist bathroom.
Nothing wrong with that when he's there for THREE hours!

The orthodontist's version of...I won't go there.

"Mom, don't you think I look better in braces?"

(He only has four ;-)

P.S. It's International Pancake Day - go eat dinner for free at your local Ihop!

Winter Wonder Snow

Sometimes weather conditions can produce the perfect snow.

We rolled and rolled, it was like a white carpet.

Much exertion was used to stick in the arms!

My winter snow for making snowmans finally came!

Spring may now begin ;-)

(Before we could put on a face, it melted!)

Happy Day!

After a two hour delay, the kids were back in school yesterday, first time since the 8th.

It took me a while to realize why all the moms were being "rude" and honking their horns in the drop off parking lot. They were celebrating!

I forgot the classes would be having their postponed Valentine's Day party, and was surprised with a Valentine from Sawyer.

"Mom, if I had known they were going to take my picture, I would not have worn my Star Wars shirt. Violence and love don't go together."

Coasting Down the Hillside

Frosty is the morning;
But the sun is bright,

Flooding all the landscape
With its golden light.

Hark the sounds of laughter
And the voices shrill!
See the happy children
Coasting down the hill.

Eyes with pleasure beaming,
Cheeks with health aglow;

Bless the merry children,
Trudging through the snow!

Now I hear them shouting,
"Ready! Clear the track!"

Down the slope they're rushing,

Now they're trotting back.
Full of fun and frolic,

Thus they come and go.
Coasting down the hillside,

Trudging through the snow.

Unknown

The Influence of People

When Mr. Brown Sign showed me this picture, it looked just like any other cemetery.

But when you start to learn about the person, it becomes a story.

Mr. Vinson was a real asset to Louisa, KY, and the town benefited from his presence, and is still doing better because he was born there.

He was a Chief Justice, Secretary of the U. S. Treasury, and a "great American servant."

And the town was a delight to travel in and through while we were there for a basketball tournament.

This is a sign from the other side of the bridge, in Fort Gay, WV. Near the trailer courts, dirt roads, and plywood bathroom stalls in the community center. Everybody traveling for the tournament noticed the differences, literally feet apart. Mr. Vinson was not born there.