Go Speed Racer!

The night before, all the boys had to weigh and register their cars. Braden had to add some weight and it ended up being exactly 5oz...perfect :) All the cars got locked up until the race the following evening.

We charged our camera battery the day of and beat all the odds by arriving early and snagging front row seats, mission accomplished, all we had to do was sit back and enjoy the show.

26 cars, 4 races each (once in each lane)... Let the races begin!

Lane 2 - 3rd place

Lane 3 - starting position.

Lane 3 - 4th place.

Hum...that's a shame...it's not doing so well...did we forget something???

Uh-oh...graphite!!!!! I can't believe we forgot to add the key ingredient :(

He only has one race left...will it be enough?

Karen raced to the car and added graphite with just a moment to spare...here we go...


Lane 1 - starting position.

Lane 1 - "come on Bolt"

WHAT!!!??? He got 1st place? It worked!...too bad we didn't get it on sooner, Braden might've had a chance to place.

Karen was extremely disappointed, the car wasn't the best it could be (due to parental error).

We all had refreshments and watched as the boys got to compete again (just for fun).

Braden won 1st place - twice and 2nd place - twice. I felt for sure he could've done better but I put it behind me and enjoyed the night.



Award ceremony...cheese :)

Great job Braden!

A SUPRISE TWIST...

Our family was leaving when 2 officials along with Braden's pack leader stopped us, they were holding two sheets of paper and looked excited. The first paper was pre-graphite it showed Braden in 18th place...to be expected. The second paper was post-graphite and it showed Braden in 5th place.

Excuse me? Hold the phone! You mean Braden moved up 13 places with just 1 final race?

YAHOO...We were soooo excited to know that "Bolt" did better than we thought and if raced with graphite for all 4 races...he might have been in the top 3!!!

Oh...parental guilt released :D

Later that night I passed by Braden's room. He was laying in bed holding his car in the air and singing "I am the champion"!

Even though he didn't win the race, Braden was happy in the knowledge that he built an amazing and fast car...

And I'm happy that his last race was memorable. Who knows, maybe he'll have a son and can do it all again (vicariously of course) ;)

Which reminds me of the movie.

It was cute and funny :)

The Making Of...

Braden chose the design and colors, he sanded and painted his derby car...


car and supplies.

Naturally an adult had to use the power tool. Cool recessed lightning bolt!

Blue spray paint, it took a lot of coats.

Time to paint the bolt.

Lost in concentration.

The wheels were a power tool neccessity (for speed)...sorry Braden adults only but you did spray paint the trim pieces :)

Now for the final touches...glue on the trim, add the wheels and spray a clear coat.

Voila.

Job well done...we think :)

Race Day ~ Down and Derby

*Tonight is RACE DAY ~ Braden's LAST one!
You're welcome to come and cheer for Braden, the race starts at 6pm.

The Boy Scouts have organized for an electronic track to be set-up this year. I'm glad because Braden was cheated the other times when they had the wooden track. The first year his car kept getting stuck and last year they got his name confused with a Brandon and he missed some races! Here's hoping for a fair race.

Keep checking back...pictures will be posted of the big event.

A fun family comedy about a childrens' pine wood derby race that turns an average group of dads into an awkward bunch of competitors.

We plan on watching this movie with the kids. Never seen it before but it looks cute. Will let you know how we like it.

A Taste of Home

The World Market is sadly closing it's doors in Omaha. This means no more treats from across the pond (refering to the Atlantic Ocean).

It's enough to put me into depression :(

I'll miss eating...fruit pastels, fruit gums, crunchies, curly-wurlys, hob nobs and other digestive varieties just to name a few.

But wait!!!

All is not lost... at least I can still get a Cadbury bar from my local supermarket.
:D sounds of rejoicing :D

Thank you world trade, you saved the day ;]

My Girls

I love that my girls are so close ~ even though they're 6 years apart in age :)




Here Kaitlin is helping Kaeleigh on the big kid swing...she's so proud of herself but that feeling might disappear if Big Sis lets go.

Fairy footprints?

Could I have a sweet spring fairy at my door...or a naughty leprechaun?





YOU be the judge... will I get pretty daisy chains or an empty pot o' gold ?!

Oh...even better, I'll get lots of hugs and kisses!

But look out...she's a sneaky one, looks like she ran around the yard through puddles of melting snow :-s

Grandpa ~ Ceiling Collapse

Mike's grandpa lives at this assisted living in Bountiful, Utah. Grandpa was not hurt but it certainly looks nasty in there!
Below is the story from local news station...KSL 5

Everyone safe following ceiling collapse
February 24th, 2009 @ 11:00pm
By Sarah Dallof
A ceiling collapse at an assisted-living center in Bountiful Tuesday evening forced the evacuation of everyone inside. Bountiful police say the collapse was caused by a water leak.
That may not sound bad, but the leak caused a piece of ceiling the size of a fire truck to collapse.
In wheelchairs and with walkers, residents of Legacy House Assisted Living Center were evacuated. Eva Woolf was just getting into bed when she was helped outside.
"I thought another false alarm, and they started pounding on the door telling me to grab my coat," Woolf said. "I was in my nightgown, so I grabbed my robe."
Inside, chunks of ceiling rest on chairs and exercise equipment in the 2nd floor common room. Bountiful police say no one was injured. "Everyone's accounted for. I believe 97 people were moved to the church," Sgt. Ed Biehler said.
That church was quickly transformed into a shelter. Firefighters carried oxygen tanks inside, and nurses ran medication and blankets back and forth as family members arrived to check on loved ones.
"I had a note from my wife that there had been a cave-in, and my sister is here," Steven Nielson said.
Shella Shingleton, who's mother lives in the center, said, "The residents look a little nervous. I've had a couple of them come up to me and say: ‘Are you my daughter?' because they're waiting for family."
Singleton connected with her mom and got her two dogs. She plans on her mom staying with her at least for the night.
"I understand it happened in the center of the building at that time. I would say people were in the dining room eating, so I'm surprised no one was hurt," she said.
A lot of the residents we spoke to tonight wanted to pass along their thanks to the many people who stopped to help. They say many were assisting them across the street; others brought food and blankets.

Target Practice

My parents bought each other a BB gun for Christmas so naturally we all had fun shooting some empty pop cans.
We had a competition to see who could hit 10 cans with only 10 shots, Mum and I were opponents and each won a game....sooo.....I guess it was a "draw" ;D


Braden was a natural...he rarely missed.

Kaitlin did ok after a short lesson on aim. Poor little thing could hardly hold the rifle to her shoulder! She hit a few cans and had fun in the process.

Movie Review 11

For super-dog Bolt, every day is filled with adventure, danger and intrigue - at least until the cameras stop rolling. When the canine star of a hit TV show is accidentally shipped from his Hollywood soundstage to New York City, he begins his biggest adventure yet - a cross-country journey through the real world. Armed only with the delusions that all his amazing feats and powers are real, and with the help of two unlikely traveling companions - a jaded, abandoned housecat named Mittens and TV-obsessed hamster in a plastic ball named Rhino - Bolt discovers he doesn't need superpowers to be a hero.

I found this movie to have a sweet story sprinkled with comedy. Another feel good movie that families will enjoy.



Roger Ferris is a CIA operative in the Middle East; Ed Hoffman is his control at Langley. Cynicism is everywhere. In Amman, Roger works with Hani Salaam, Jordan's head of security, whose only dictum is "Don't lie to me." The Americans are in pursuit of a cleric who leads a group placing bombs all over Europe. When Hani rebukes Ed's demand that Jordan allow the Americans to use one of Jordan's double agents, Roger and Ed hatch a plan to bring the cleric to them. The plan is complicated by its being a secret from Hani and by Roger's attraction to a local nurse. Satellites and cell phones, bodies and lies: modern warfare.

I got a bit lost trying to follow the plot, it was quite graphic in places and the "f" word was used. I thought the action sequences were cool but on the hole wished that I'd never picked this one. It seems that they spent a lot of time making sure the movie was true to the brutality of war. Not for the faint of heart or haters of bad language. A big thumbs down for me.



Joe, an international hit man who follows a simple code, arrives in Bangkok for his last contract - four kills and then retirement. He hires Kong, a local street hustler, to run his errands, and he gets to work. By the second hit, Joe has started violating his four rules, losing his anonymity, leaving behind traces, and getting emotionally involved. Only one rule remains intact: don't ask questions. Can Joe regain his footing and get out alive?

Nick, Nick, Nick..what happened dude? I was expecting much more. This one was just "ok" I still enjoyed it but found the plot to drag out a bit. I think the "f" word was used here too but I don't remember. Not a repeat viewing for me I'm afraid.

My Friend

I'm so proud of my friend that I have to add a video of him. Go to the video bar to watch the short interview.

Jamie is my friend from school. He's a primate keeper at the zoo in Kent, England. He told me last month that he'd been hand rearing a baby monkey. It's not the first time he's done it but this time he was interviewed because of a large cash donation made to the zoo.

Enjoy watching :D

13th Anniversary

Mike and I went out for dinner to The Cheesecake Factory.
The perfect time to go is between lunch and dinner. The service was wonderful and the food was just as good. We will definately go again but probably not with the kids as it can get expensive. I couldn't believe how many people were waiting to be seated...we had to swim through people to get out!


Our choice of dessert...white chocolate raspberry truffle.




It costs $7 per slice of cheesecake but only $22 for a whole cake that serves 7-8. We figured for $8 more it was worth getting the whole sha-bang of deliciousness...teehee ;)