and we're off ...

As I write this, I am sitting in the airport with John in North Carolina waiting for our connecting flight to Las Vegas. John has a conference and I decided to tag along...can't have him going to Vegas alone :) The kids are with my mom back in Pennsylvania and I have only called home 4 times since we left this morning around 7. The last time John and I went away without kids was when Broderick was about 19 months old. Needless to say, I am a little worried.

This has been planned for awhile, but I guess I just forgot to mention it. I can't wait to be there (neither of us have ever been), but I am very nervous about leaving the kids. We will be back on Saturday, so it is a short trip. I will update with photos when we get back.

We fly out around 1 today, but we just found out that it is overbooked by 20 people, so it may end up being later than that, but we plan on being in Vegas sometime early this evening. I plan on updating facebook (love it!!!) with mobile photos, so if you have access to that-check me out there....it not, here we are:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=272156&l=81f86ad695&id=1487943720


Thanks for checking in on us.

always late.....always something....

Well, I was going to submit one of these photos for this week's I heart faces contest, but because of an unexpected incident yesterday, I am too late and can't enter. UGH!!!!

The theme this week was "green" and the photo had to have some sort of green in it. Click on the link to see more "green" photos!!!

Well, here they are anyways! I guess since I was having trouble deciding and I can't really enter I will show you all the pictures. Next week is no flash week...these might work for that too. John actually took these--although I usually do most of the picture taking :)

(Thanks to our neighbor, Danielle, for the yummy St. Patrick's Day cupcakes).



And about the unexpected incident....I found out the hard way that you can actually break your finger if you slam it in the door of a van. Ouch!!! I am in a splint for the next 4 weeks and in a lot of pain. No fun!!! But, honestly, I can't blame anyone but myself. Stupid me shut my own finger in the car door. Like I said....always late....always something.

SnowMudball fight

Yes, you read correctly....the boys had a snowmudball fight!

We sent them outside last Saturday morning to play. We knew it was muddy from all the snow that melted and made sure that they had on old clothes and shoes. They were supposed to be enjoying the 70° weather.Maybe playing football, soccer, riding their bikes or just running around the yard. They had other plans though :)

John and I were inside and he happened to glance out the window just in time to see a huge ball of mud flying through the air. Of course, as mom, my initial thought was to run outside and start yelling. John said at least let him have time to get a picture first. Once the camera came out and I really saw how much fun they were having, I couldn't be mad anymore!

Camden truly thought he was in trouble though-hence all the very sad face pictures and even tears. He also realized (once we got outside) how dirty he was. Adalynn watched for a little bit and even stepped out into the yard for a few seconds, but quickly retreated to the safety of the deck. She was NOT interested in participating in their snowmudball fight! Such a little lady already!

They had fun and continued to throw mud at each other for quite awhile. They made a huge mess and Broderick's white t-shirt was ruined, but they had a blast and that is all that matters. I have the photos to prove it!

boys will be boys!

just a week late....

Sorry it has taken me so long to post a Pinewood Derby update...so much for getting it done that same weekend. I guess it was just wishful thinking on my part.

The Pinewood Derby has been on our minds since Mid-January when Broderick began to work on his car. For those of you who don't know, each boy is given a block of wood, 4 nails, and 4 wheels, and is to design a car of their choice. After a trip to the Scout store, Sears for some tools, the craft store for decals, along with countless hours of sawing, sanding, painting, and accessorizing we finally had a completed car.


Cars had to be turned in the week before the race and were officially weighed and measured. The car could only weigh 5 ounces and there were also requirements for length, width, and height, as well as spacing of the wheels and axles. Broderick's car was 4.99 ounces and although it was a little too long, he passed his inspection and his car was determined to be 'ready to race'. The den leaders held the cars in the "garage" until race day.


Race day started out with each boy receiving their pit pass, refueling tickets (for hot dogs, chips, and soda), and being taken to the pit area (where only Scouts with pit passes were allowed). The boys then went on a parade lap around the building waving flags before the race began. Broderick was a little overwhelmed and wasn't sure what to think, but very quickly warmed up to the excitement of it all.



Broderick was so excited during his first chance to race on the track. His car was neck and neck all the way down the track and was the second to finish his first race. He was elated and came straight over to us to tell us he got second-we assured him that we saw the whole thing. Even Camden was so excited for him!!

The track was 40 feet long and all computerized. That was a good thing, since many times you couldn't really tell whose car won. Everything was projected on a screen (from boys name, rank, and car's name---Broderick's car was "Dragon", to the finishing times and places for each race). Throughout the day each boy was able to race on every lane of the track and everyone had a chance to press the starting button. All of their times were then averaged to determine final winners. This was time consuming, but the fairest way that it could have been done.

Broderick's overall time was 5th in the Tiger den, and 11th in the pack. We were very proud of how he reacted and how he cheered on the other scouts. He was most proud of getting the "Best Driver in the Car" award (he glued R2D2 and a Lego guy on his car). His car wasn't the prettiest out there, but you could definitely tell that he did it. John and I did very little in the building of his car.



They even let the siblings who had made cars (which Camden did) have their own race. Camden had a little more help on his (which may be why his car was a bit faster than Broderick's). Camden's overall time beat Broderick's by about a 1/2 second. Camden came very close to winning his race. His car was only 0.001 second slower than the winning car (in the sibling race). Great thing it was computerized! His race was definitely too close to call!

The event lasted for about 3 1/2 hours and even Adalynn did great. As long as we continued to feed her and let her roll around on the dirty floor, she was happy. It was a great day and we all had a lot of fun!