The Last Pinewood Derby
Thank goodness
Year 1 and 2: The car didn't pass the finish line. In Mexico we even ordered a pre-cut car but wheel placement was more than we could handle.
This year, the final year, we shamelessly spent whatever it would take to have a race that didn't end in tears. On the way to the race, Elijah was holding the Golden Bullet on his lap, pressing the wheel into place and praying that the glue would dry in time. Wheel placement had chipped the wood out of the axle groove. We arrived panicked and as Elijah let go of the wheel, it fell off. But the boy had prayed earlier that week that all would go well with the derby. That boy's faith paid off. We found the right man with the right tool. He sawed the groove back in and E won first place in the 3rd and 4th heats.
Field day!
Claire helped me cheer on her sister.
As soon as E found out the sack jump wasn't competitive, he spent most of his time dramatically rolling on the ground, bathing in the laughter of his classmates.
The egg carrier
This little girl voted yesterday.
She checked the "Anyone but Trump" box.
Shame on Arizona for choosing him over my wart.
A few months ago I was under the impression that I had finally been blessed with a calm, easy baby.
She pulled the wool over my eyes.
This is how diaper changes look, except less decent.
And a big shout out to the worst professional photographer I have ever not met.
I was hoping Spring Break would have been a relaxed, nothing-to-do-type of a week.
Quick recap (the parts I can remember, bc a week is just too much these days):
M: Chilling with the grandparents, soccer practice
T: Breakfast with friends and then carpooled to the science museum, soccer practice, drove to Tucson.
W: Poolside in Tucson, eegees, drove home, scouts
Th: Soccer camp for E, taking parents to the airport (They went on The Holy Land Tour. My dad offered me his spot which I was really, really, really tempted to take), gymnastics and parkour for the girls, soccer practice again for E
F: Bike ride and run to the park, playdate at another park, and a home inspection. After a lengthy online questionnaire, phone calls, and a detailed home inspection (not just the type where they make sure we live in a home, not a wigwam--they inspected every room and bathroom), Desert Labrador Rescue has told us we are not responsible enough to own a dog. I really wish they would have told us that before we decided to have 4 children.
And the weekend was filled with what it usually is: soccer, church, and cooking for company. I've been venturing abroad a little with my Sunday cooking: chicken shawarma, last week was Cuban sandwiches with a Cuban pork recipe, and before that it was butternut squash curried soup and calzones with homemade pesto and a homemade tomatillo ranch dip for the chips. I'm planning cereal for this Sunday, in case you were wondering.
Ooh, I forgot to say that we went to the Renaissance Fest on Saturday between tournament games. It was much better than the first time we went. The kids enjoyed the acrobatic and jousting shows.
On to the pictures!
Well, first a video. A few months ago, I bought something for Elijah to take to use in the classroom in hopes that it would help him focus his energy.
He brought it home yesterday.
For some reason, it was deemed too distracting.
My little leprechaun. The vest she is wearing was knitted by my mom at least a million years ago.
My snaggle-toothed leprechaun.
She has recently transformed from the army crawl to the real-deal. She's interested neither in walking nor being held. She just wants to find dirt to eat: gotta sharpen those 3 pearly-whites.
Don't let her angelic face fool you. She gave me a nasty virus this week.
I'll forgive her...this once.
This girl biked to school for the first time this morning. She learned a few weeks ago and has been at it like a demon. She's been able to use a balance bike for a few months now but was having a hard time translating it to her bike. Nothing a little bribery can't fix (I got her a bike basket with a stuffed animal in it, mainly bc it was on clearance for $4). Iris told me, "I had faith that God could help me."
Pics from the science museum outing:
Bed of nails
The boys were on this tug-of war machine for a long time
Iris on the bed of nails
This last pic is of E and his best friend Ian. We ate breakfast at their house before we went to the museum. Ironically, this picture of them is on a huge, mean insect.
Because, about an hour before this pic...
Elijah spilled his whole ant farm in the master bedroom of Ian's house. We tried to save as many of the ants as possible, but I'm afraid Ian's parents may have had a few visitors that night (their bed wasn't on a frame, just on the floor, right next to the accident site).
One last note: I never thought the day would come that Elijah would chose style over ease, but it has. He usually asks for a buzz cut but since Ian has long hair, he's resisting and I have to run a brush through his hair while he squeals. The boy won't brush it on his own, at least not consistently.
David and Elijah are in the other room watching the debates (the girls are asleep).
Donald Trump makes me physically ill so I'm catching up on pictures. I would vote for the wart on my middle finger before I vote for him. It's a lot more dependable. And a much better human being.
I did the Ragnar a few weekends ago. Below is half of my team. I only knew 2 of the 12 members of my team before we started. I did a 13 mile training run the week before and injured my hamstring at about mile 9. Running the Ragnar was painful. My first leg was 7 miles and I ran a sub-9 minute. After I threw up at about 2 am, I was good to go for my last to legs, both just under 6 miles, but progressively slower as my injury nagged me. The last leg was about half mile from our house so the crew cheered me on. Claire ran a mile with me and E ran 4. He was a trooper and sprinted like a maniac when he saw the fluorescent porta-potties at the finish line.
The next weekend, David ran the Phoenix Marathon. He set a PR of 3:22.
The squad:
Iris said it was rude to show our sign to other people. They might get offended.
Towards the end of the race, I told the kids that David wouldn't win. Claire said, "Mom, don't say that in front of Dad."
He stopped to kiss all 5 of us, otherwise his PR would have been 2:23 (he's a passionate kisser).
The kids sprayed him and many other runners.
The following pics are from E's bday party at Amazing Jakes.
Claire, chillin with the misters.
Elijah brought cupcakes to his class and then I brought a load of candy at lunch time that he passed out. His best friend said, "Wow! Elijah is famous!"
This kid is awesome. He has a flock of little kids trailing him every Sunday after church. They tackle him and wrestle him to the ground. He is such a good-natured kid. When he goes to sleep at night he says, "Mom, I want to talk to you about stuff." And the most amazing things spill out of his brain. A few of them lately:
If objects really aren't the color they reflect, what color are they?
How do you know what happens after we die?
How do I get more people to like me?
Why does my finger look bigger than that picture on the wall (perspective)?
What will middle school be like?
The kid is deep. Lying with him makes me realize I need to delve more often.
Hunt and Sarah got E a real-deal bow and arrow. They said it was pay-back for the machete we got for Max.
In the picture below, there was money in the balloons.
Other spoils from us included: a chess set from China, a water bottle for soccer, a water gun, pegs for his bike, Lucky Charms, and 4 mini-motors.
I love living where I can meet my mom, 2 aunts, sis-in-law and niece at Museum of the West.
Sybil loves her cousin Olivia so much that she usually screams the whole time she is in her presence.
My new calling:
He loves me so much.
Today I looked over to catch this one drinking like this.
Kids are innovative. I hope to be as cool and forward-thinking as they are some day.
