Pine Wood Derby 2013

In an attempt to document my family's life, I'm doing a bit of backtracking. In March the Cub Scout did a Pine Wood Derby. I'm the cub scout leader for the wolves and bears (scary, right?) so I took charge of decoration and food. As far as how to run a pack meeting or a pine wood derby race...I left that to more qualified people.

 Josh and Aaron hard at work shaping his car.

The finished product

 The race was a Western theme so I had all the boys take "mugshots." Then they made "Wanted: as an eagle scout" posters. Then they listed qualifications that they had. It was pretty cute and the boys were hilarious with their pictures. Aaron had come straight from swim (without a brush) so he naturally looked a wreck. The night of the event I was so busy setting up and such that I completely forgot to take pictures. We had made some really cute centerpieces (each boy was in charge of bringing one) and there were a bunch of big marshmellows that were dipped in chocolate and sprinkles with a note that said. "Please don't feed the bears (or wolves or webelos)." I thought they were cute. There was plenty of food and fun.

 After eating we got to the racing. Again no pictures of the actual race. Next year I will do better.

 At the awards, Aaron got his Wolf patch so I got to go up there to be pinned.

 Josh, Aaron, and Grandfather. What a handsome group!

 We had a little jail set up so the kids could take pictures. Doesn't he look like a menace?!

I think I'll leave this one behind bars.

A great year in Kindergarten

 Abigail attended Mesa Elementary in Clovis, NM for her Kindergarten year. They had an awards ceremony and she got the award for hardest worker.

 The teacher's aid.

Her teacher Mrs. Buzzetta.

It's hard to say goodbye...

Today there was an accident and our dog Riley died. Even though I often questioned what moment of insanity prompted us to get a dog...I find myself missing him tonight. This evening I have replayed what I could have done differently to change the events of today but that does nothing to change the reality. Playing games of 'What if...' or 'I should have...' only lead to feelings of guilt on my part.

 

The hardest part of it all is watching my children. As they sobbed over the loss of their dog, I held them and cried with them. Steven has been walking around the house this evening saying, 'Riley died.' Before he went to bed he was crying saying 'He's in Daddy's hole.' We buried him this afternoon and I think it helped provide a little bit of closure for the children. I took a few pictures that I'll add tomorrow (my technological skills fail me tonight).

 

He was a permanent fixture in our family (even though I refused to let him be in the family picture). The kids loved him and tried to take him everywhere. We'll miss him!

Josh picked him up while we were gone during the summer. I think he was missing the kids and wanted to surprise them. I had just finished potty training Jacob and was not thrilled about the idea of potty training a dog. Of course they fell in love with him instantly.

 Emma particularly loved him. She took him on walks, gave him baths, and always reached out to pat his head if he was close to her.

This afternoon when Josh got a shovel to dig the hole, Aaron went and got another one so he could help. He's becoming such a little man. Then he suggested we watch the cartoon 'All Dogs Go to Heaven' this evening. I think he was concerned about the girls being so upset.

Steven and Riley have grown up together. Steven is the first to put him in the laundry room if he's in trouble but he's also the first one to notice when his water bowl is empty. Riley was always there to clean Steven's face off after he had eaten and Steven was always dropping food on the ground so Riley could sample. They were buddies. Pals. It was so fun to watch them together!

Abigail and Jacob loved him too. When we went on a walk or to the park they wanted Riley to come with us. Change is always difficult but learning how to cope with it is essential to progressing in life. Shortly after our initial tears, Abigail asked me if we could pray. She and I went to my room and she offered a simple, yet heartfelt prayer. She prayed that Riley would have a good day in heaven and that we wouldn't be too sad. What an inspiration she is to me!

 

It's so hard to say goodbye, especially when that goodbye comes too soon, but we are grateful for the many wonderful memories that we have of Riley.

Skiing with the Cardons

Last January we had the opportunity to go with some friends to the Red River Resort for our first attempt at skiing. The cold and I don't get along too well but we bundled up and headed out for an adventure.

 

Getting ready for a day (or in some cases, an hour) of skiing.

 One afternoon the kids went tubing.

Staying warm and cozy in the room. They only came back to eat dinner. I think they had an apple for lunch. Emma loved it!

Aaron, Quincy, Abigail, Emma, and Addison.

 What goes up...

 ...must come down! Those girls were naturals. They went up and down the mountain until the sun went down.

 Good times!

 Nothing but the wind in her hair.

 

 He was a little marshmallow. At the time he was almost a year so he fell down quite frequently. He and I spent most of the time in our room except for when we ventured out to take pictures.

 This is how Jacob skied.

Proof that I was actually there.

Aaron's 8th birthday

 

 Aaron had a sports themed birthday party for 2012. He had a bunch of friends come over and they had relay races and obstacle courses. Pretty low maintenance but everyone had a lot of fun. Look at those muscles!

 One of our favorite neighbors down the street.

 Some of the boys just hanging around. They made labels for their sports drinks at the party.

We even had a concession stand. There was a lot of food but it's not in the picture. We had popcorn, chocolate covered pretzels, chocolate covered oreos that looked like baseballs and lemonade. He had chocolate cupcakes that were shaped into a baseball mitt. It wasn't as cute as the one on pinterest but Aarons was sufficiently impressed. Fun times in Clovis, NM!

Aaron's first swim meet!

Today is a first...I am actually posting something on the same day that it happened! Miracle of miracles! In January, Aaron started swim lessons at the Y. He had the endurance to swim but he had to work on technique and learning the actual strokes. At the beginning of March he tried out for the swim team and made it. He was so excited!

 Hanging out in the gym after warming up. He wears his goggles all the time which is also why he loses them all the time. This morning before the meet we couldn't find them because he had been using them for X-ray vision yesterday.

Lining up for one of his heats. He participated in 2 relays and 4 individual events. I was a time keeper for the whole 4 1/2 hours of racing. My back and legs hurt and my tummy was rumbling but it was all worth it. Josh stayed home with the others and it was a good thing. That place got a little crazy. Next month it won't be a home meet so I won't have to be as involved.

 

Aaron was so excited and surprised that he won a heat (and no he wasn't the only one racing). It was for his 100m IM (I think that stands for independent medley). They did a length of the pool in four different strokes. I just snapped a quick picture in between events...thus the poor lighting. All in all it was a fun, but long, day.

Science Fair 2012

I am attempting to recap the last year with the highlights. In New Mexico, the students start doing Science Fair projects in 4th grade. Emma did hers on preserving apples. It was kind of fun and she did almost all the work.