Pinewood Derby

I have really been enjoying Cub Scouts this year. One of the big Cub Scout events is the Pinewood Derby.

A month ago, Dad and I got our Pinewood Derby car kit. It consisted of a block of wood, some little nails to serve as axles, and four wheels.  Dad told me we were going to make it into a car. I couldn't believe it.

First, we went over to a friend's house with some of the other cub scouts in my den. I got to draw a picture of what I wanted my car to look like. Then I watched as Dad used a table saw to cut the block of wood into the car shape that I drew.

Next, Dad helped me sand the car. We had an electric sander and I got to hold the car (with Dad's help) while we sanded it down. I was pretty amazed at how smooth we got it.

Then, Dad and I cut out a little hole in the bottom using a chisel to store more weight in the car. When Dad told Mom we were going to chisel, she thought it was some kind of slang for relaxing.

Over the next few weeks, we worked on the remainder of the car. The next step was to paint the car. We went to the store and I got to pick out the paint colors. I picked out blue and green. Dad let me paint the car all by myself. It looked pretty good I thought. Once the paint dried, we put the weights in, put the wheels on, and gave it a test ride in the back yard. Hazel and Turner were pretty excited to watch.

Finally, this Saturday was race day. We brought the car over to the school Friday night to get it officially checked in and make sure it wasn't over weight. I had to name my car, so I named it "BAM." After checking in, I played a little basketball with a friend.

My car, BAM, is the dark blue and green
one (slot 17 if you zoom in)

On Saturday, we arrived at the school to find the track all set up. Lots of scouts and their families were there to watch. Each car was raced four times in a heat of four cars. There were computers there to record the times and show the heat winners and times on a big screen at the front of the room. It was very exciting.

Mom, Hazel, and Turner came to help Dad and I cheer for our car. We did pretty well. While we didn't win, our car finished as high as second on one of the heats, and seemed pretty fast to me. Most importantly, we had tons of fun making it.

March Madness is Here!

Turner says, "Go Kentucky!"

Welcome Elizabeth Mae!

On February 27, 2015, we got a new cousin! Aunt Laurie and Uncle Jonathan had a beautiful baby girl - Elizabeth Mae! Everyone is healthy and doing great. We can't wait to meet our new cousin.

Valentine's Celebrations!

Hazel and I had a great time at our school Valentine's parties!

Hazel's class dressed up in grownup clothes (Hazel wore some of Grandma B's costume jewelry) and had a tea party. Hazel said her favorite part of the party was watching her classmates have their photos taken while they were wearing toy mustaches. 

My class caught Chocolate Fever. We wore pajamas and made ice cream sundaes. I surprised Mom when I gave her a huge hug at the end of the party and hugged Hazel when I saw her. Love is in the air! 

We even willingly let Mom take this picture of us! Hazel wanted to make a heart with our hands and I wanted to hug in the picture. So we did both! 

Turner had a Friendship Party at preschool on Wednesday. They all took a favorite fruit and made a big fruit salad to share. He had a blast and told us all about his friends wearing the icing from Valentine's cookies they ate.

For Valentine's Day, Mom hid our gifts and we did a scavenger hunt for them! It was a ton of fun!

Fancy Girls

Mom and Hazel went out together for a fancy girls' lunch at Chez Zee on Sunday. Hazel and Mom were very excited to go, and while Mom was getting ready to leave, Hazel kept asking if it was time to go yet.

Not only did Hazel and Mom dress up fancy, the restaurant was very fancy. There was a red grand piano, with a guy playing music. There were twinkly lights everywhere, and it was very warm and cozy, even though it was a cold day outside.

Lots of people there were talking, and Hazel asked Mom why it was so loud. She said she "thought it would be quiet and peaceful" there.

The food was fancy too. Hazel had creme brulee French toast and Mom had veggie eggs benedict. They also liked the croissants with strawberry butter. When Mom and Hazel planned the outing, they originally thought they would just go there for cake or pie. Chez Zee is known for its desserts. But by the time they finished brunch, they were so full they decided they'd have to go back another time and just get dessert. They figured it would be fun to have another girls' day anyway.

Hazel really enjoyed the decor, and after they finished eating they walked around and looked at everything before they left.

Hazel liked it so much, she decided she wanted to go back for her birthday.

While Hazel and Mom were out at lunch, Dad stayed home with me and Turner and we watched football, played Candyland, and took naps (well, Dad took a nap while we played).

We are really enjoying winter break! It's going to be hard to return to school next week.

All I Want For Christmas...

... is my two front teeth!

Bubbe was singing that song all weekend (she's so silly), and then today my second front tooth fell out while I was chomping on my lunch.

Check out my new grin!

Happy Chanukah!

Delicious latke dinner, courtesy of Bubbe

This time of year is pretty fun. In addition to getting a nice long winter break away from school and the opportunity to spend lots of time at home with mom, Hazel, and Turner, it's also Chanukah. Bubbe flew in from Atlanta to help us celebrate.

Each of us kids gets to take turns picking the candle colors for the Menorah. Most nights, we eat dinner by the bright candle lights of the menorah. Then we play dreidle and open presents. When Bubbe was here, she made delicious latkes that we all gobbled up.

Go Wildcats!

It was a pretty lazy weekend so that we could stay home, play with Bubbe, and play with our presents. One fun activity was we all watched the Kentucky basketball game. Kentucky won by a lot. Dad is pretty sure Papa was watching the game with us from Heaven.

The weather was reasonably nice as well, so Bubbe took Turner and me riding our bikes in the park. She was pretty impressed with how much we liked it.

The only downside of the weekend was that Hazel was a bit under the weather. But that didn't stop her from opening her presents!

Here are some pictures from Chanukah and Bubbe's trip.