Pinewood Derby

Today, after weeks of anticipation, was the pinewood derby.  Brandt and Kent have been working on his car and the excitement has built to a near fevered pitch as the day approached.  Because anything Brandt does Blythe feels she should get to do too, Kent helped her make a car, and he also helped Izaiah Wilson, his new home-teachee and Brandt's school classmate.

When we got to the church for pack meeting, all the little boys were running wildly around, jittery with frenzied emotion.  The track was set up with a cool computerized system to determine who raced when, the big weigh-in, and lots of comparisons between cars.  It was super-charged!  Brandt had talked about winning, coming in first, being the best, but we reminded him (repeatedly) that the pinewood derby was just for fun, and while it would be great to win, he shouldn't be disappointed and let it ruin his night if he didn't win.

When it got right down to it, I think everyone had a good time.  Brandt won a heat or two that he was in, but didn't win overall.  Izaiah won a heat and didn't do as well as Brandt overall, and secretly I was grateful for that as Kent had helped him with his car too and I worried his would go better than Brandt's and Brandt would feel hurt.  Greyson Bushman won overall, but Brandt was happy for him and congratulated him.  Blythe was able to race her car in the post derby runs and made a fair showing.

And phew!  We are all done until next year.

 

Blythe colored her car with markers.  It is very bright and colorful.

All the boys' cars,

and Blythe with hers.

Brandt getting an award of some sort.

Brandt called his car the FBI

All the boys crowded around the end of the track to watch the cars come in.

Our across-the-street neighbor Jarom came in last this year.

Oddly enough, he was first last year.

Brandt's and Blythe's cars racing each other.

Haircuts and Ice Cream

The kids got haircuts today.  It was soooooooo time.  Brandt's hair was wild flippy outy all over the place, and Blythe's bangs were in her eyes.  After the woman cutting her hair had worked for a bit, she called me over to ask if it was short enough or if it needed to be shorter.  Without waiting for my reply, Blythe said, "Shorter."  Shorter it was.  I got them ice cream afterwards as a reward/treat.  Silly for haircuts, but there you are.

Sunday Evening Treats

Sunday is a treat evening.  Ask anyone.  They'll tell you.  It's an undisputed fact.  And as today is Sunday, there had to be a treat.  Before shopping on Friday, I was thumbing through a cookbook and found a recipe for pizzookies, essentially cookies baked in custard dishes, then topped with ice cream and chocolate and caramel sauce.  Doesn't that sound delicious?

It was.

Knowing that if I made pizzookies and had more than one left over I would eat them all, I invited Guy and Mikayla, and Mom and Bryan with all their children to come over and eat some with us.  It was a lovely evening and we sat out on the patio and date treats, visited, watched the children run around, and laughed.  It was so nice to be together.

Before everyone came, and during the long Sunday afternoon when we can't watch TV or play with friends, Brandt and Blythe were outside making mischief.  They were up in the tree harvesting "popcorn," picking off clumps of our large white blossoms and gathering them all into a bin.  They were very intent and focused on their work, and I sort of worried someone was going to fall out of the tree, break an arm, and we were going to spend the evening at the ER getting x-rays and a cast.  Fortunately, we spent the evening eating pizzookies and visiting.

 

 

Snaggle Tooth

Brandt has a loose tooth.  He doesn't like anyone messing with his teeth, including himself, so I have found that it always takes weeks for his teeth to fall out once they are loose because he won't touch them.  He doesn't wiggle, he doesn't let me put dental floss around them, he doesn't even let us feel to see how loose they are.  Instead, he worries the tooth with his tongue.

Today during sacrament meeting, Brandt was lying with his head on my lap, and he was worrying that loose tooth with his tongue.  A lot!  It was funny to watch him, and while I don't often have my phone with me, today I did.  I pulled it out and took his picture, with his snaggle tooth hanging out.  It's got to pop out soon.  We'll see how much longer Brandt can nurse it along.

 

Big Guy Little Guy

This morning, Kent took Brandt and his friend Izaiah Wilson to Big Guy, Little Guy at the Provo Library.  This year's theme was Heroes in Training, and when I ran in to give Kent the camera, it looked like a super lot of fun.  There were Legos and superheroes in costume whom Brandt was bashful around so no picture with them.  The superheroes themselves were unabashed and seemingly confident in their physical presence and prowess.  Pictures to follow.  There was pizza for lunch, huge inflated balls that were meant to be used to knock over pins, but were instead put to use knocking one another over, contrary to the rules, but way much funner.  There was also a free book for each participant, and both Brandt and Izaiah chose stories from the venerable Captain Underpants saga (Blue Sky Press).  All things considered, I think Big Guy, Little Guy is much more interactive and fun than the fairy tea I took Blythe to.

 

 

There were capes too!

 

 

The unabashed superheroes. 

Field Trip Friday #28--Primary Service Activity

I had a very hard time coming up with something to do for field trip Friday today, and since there was a Primary service activity already on the schedule, I let that count.  The children wanted to do something else and felt a bit let down that I hadn't suggested something else, but I was drawing a blank, so service it was.

Before we left for the Primary activity (not until 4:00), I let Brandt have a lemonade stand with friends.  As you can see from the picture, there were lots of people involved.  Jarom and Sam Oyler helped, as well as Bowen and Merrick Porter (new around-the-corner neighbors), and Blythe, Lilly, and Emma rode/ran by from time to time.  I was concerned about how much lemonade they would sell because with all those helpers, it didn't seem like anyone would come away with much money.  The girls didn't really help so they didn't get any money, and by the time we needed to wrap up sales and go to the activity, Bowen and Merrick had gone home, so the monetary sharing wasn't spread as thin as I had worried it would be.  

 Emma, Merrick, Sam, Brandt, Blythe, Lilly, Bowen, Jarom

The Primary service activity was to go sing at the Food and Shelter Coalition while dinner was being served.  The kids were the entertainment.  After we gathered, Hilary Davis shared a bit of history about the FSC, and then we drove down to sing.  They probably sang 10 or so songs, and they did a great job.  They looked so sweet and pure and sang beautifully, and I was glad I volunteered to drive so I could be there to hear them.  There was a very nice spirit as they sang.  Everybody got a brownie after the singing was finished, and we were home by shortly after 5:00pm.  Yeah for service on a Friday afternoon!

 

Unfortunately, I forgot the big camera when we went to sing, so I only had my phone camera.

It doesn't take very good pictures inside.

So Brandt and Blythe are in the middle in the third and second rows, but everyone is blurry.

Oh well.

Here are Brandt and Blythe after the singing enjoying their brownie.

Brandt has his on his face, and Blythe has hers in her napkin.

Patterned Style

This is what Blythe wore to school today.  When she came downstairs wearing this very busy outfit, she said, "Lauren has these same shorts, and Lexi has these same pants.  Now, if either one of them wears them, it won't matter, because we won't look the same because I'm wearing something different."  

Something different indeed.

That is a lot of colorful pattern, but our Blythe is so confident in her style, it looks nothing but great on her.

Easter Basket Auction

And as a subtitle: 

BIG Lapse in Judgement

At the beginning of the year I was asked to serve on the board of the Provo School District Foundation, a group that raises money for programs in the school district.  I have been aware of the Foundation for many years because I have served on the selection committee for outstanding educators in the district, but this year I have actually become part of the board and have attended meetings and stuff.  Doesn't that sound official?  One of the big activities the Foundation puts together each year is an Easter Basket Auction fundraiser, co-sponsored by Brent Brown and some other guy who has lots of money and is willing to give it to the school district for various programs.

As a member of the board, I solicited donations from several local businesses, and I put together a basket of donated items from Droubay Land and Livestock.  I then attended the auction and figured I would bid on a basket.  The baskets are not typical candy and chocolate Easter bunny type baskets, but large gift baskets with cool stuff in them.  I asked Kent how much I should spend and we agreed that $100 was a reasonable amount.  Off I went.

Here I am on the red carpet in my red cardi at the beginning of the action.

I did, indeed, bid on a basket which I won for $90.  I helped work the silent auctions and circulated, talking with people and hoping we were raising lots of money.  I had posted the above picture on Instagram with the message, "I'm at the Provo School District Foundation Easter Basket Auction.  Come join me.  Bring a big wad of cash!"  Christopher began texting me, wanting to know what sort of stuff they had, did he want any of it, what was happening.  I was trying to work and respond and figure out what he might like, while at the same time there was live auction things being bid on.  It was sort of crazy, and I eventually just called him to try and figure out what to tell him.  While we were talking, he asked what was being auctioned, and a trip to Maui came up.  I was trying to get some information about the trip while bidding was in the process and Christopher was saying, "What's happening?" and then it was sold.  Christopher said he will just come with me next year and we were going to stop talking, and then something terrible happened.  

Another trip came up for auction, this one for a week in Cabo San Lucas at Brent Brown's four bedroom house on the beach.  While Christopher and I were on the phone, we got sort of carried away and bid on it, twice, and won it, for $5000.  I don't know what I was thinking.  I wasn't really.  They made it seem like it was a sweet deal, that the place was fantastic, that it was a steal because they could normally ask $12,000 for the week, and we were getting it for so much less.  I was giggling (when I'm in a situation where I feel out of control, I tend to loose it and giggle), and then handing over my credit card, and then getting a horrible sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach knowing that I was going to go home and have to tell Kent what I'd done.

But here I was before going home, 

looking sort of giddy.

Kent did not take my announcement well.  In fact, he was mad.  We don't hold with the marital advice "Never got to bed angry," so he did.  I felt miserably bad.  I tossed and turned trying to go to sleep, and then woke in the middle of the night bathed in guilty sweat.  Can I just say here, my guilt smells nasty.  Kent woke about 2:30 to go to the bathroom and I was so grateful.  I apologized much more sincerely than I had when I got home, told him I felt as though I had been unfaithful to him, and asked him to forgive me.  I promised I would find a way to get out of the week, mentioning several people we knew who might be interested in taking the week's vacation off our hands, and promising I would never make such a foolish mistake again.  He told me it would be fine, which was enough of an acceptance for me that I was able to go back to sleep, after removing my disgusting smelling pajamas and throwing them on the floor, far enough away from my nose that I couldn't breathe in the stench.

All is not entirely well.  Unfortunately, I have no details about the place, which isn't even finished being built yet.  Kent has mentioned it several times since, never throwing me in a very positive light, but he promises me he will probably get over it in the next ten or fifteen years.  Phew!  

Anyone out there interested in a seven night-eight day Cabo get away?  At true steal at only $5,000!  Give me a call.  My marriage will thank you.

Dentistry

Look who got to go to the dentist today. 

Look who didn't like it one little bit.

 

A Heavy Load

Brick and I walked over to school to pick up the big kids this afternoon, as we do most afternoons.  Brandt always gets out of school quicker than Blythe, and he took off with Brick, leaving me waiting for Blythe and Lilly.  When Blythe and I walked around the house, this is what we saw--Brandt pushed Brick around in the wheelbarrow.  Brick was absolutely loving it, giggling like crazy as his cousin pushed him around.  They both thought it was super funny, and so did I.  Brick is always excited when we go get the big kids and they come home to play with him. 

I love Brick's face in this picture, and Brandt's hair.

He really, really, really, really needs a haircut, 

but he really, really, really, really doesn't want one.

Wish Brandt was looking.