Friday, February 8, 2008

Madison Turns 12



Madison had a great time turning 12. There was a lot to look forward to. She had a party with the family and then had a friend party with 20 girls at an ice skating arena. They skated for over 2 hours and had a blast.



Madi has more friends than anyone I know. She has this incredible, friendly, compassionate personality that people want to be around. We are certainly proud of the young woman she is becoming.



So, give it up for Madi the 12 year old preteen princess of 116th Street.



Pinewood Derby



Ok - So we have entered alot of cars in pinewood derbies in the past 10 years. We had some cool ones and some interesting ones, but this year we had a fast one. Ethan and I worked hard to build his hotrod truck with axle polishing and perfect placement. The wheels were polished smooth. I think that the glossy paint was even a factor.


We raced through the prelims and advanced to the final heats. Ethans' truck and the final winner had to race and re-race as the winner depended on the lane assignment. We finally lost two races in a row by a fraction and finished with a very exciting 2nd place.


I am no wood craftsman or any other kind of craftsman. I am an engineer and people sometimes confuse this with handyman skills(does not translate). I can design it, but don't ask me to build it. So finishing this well is a particular source of pride and joy. Ethan did do most of the work by the way.(sidenote)


The best part of the whole evening.........At the end a reporter from the local paper was interviewing the 4 top place winners(including Ethan) and this crazy cubscout kid comes running across the gym, trips, and crashes into all of the boys, their awards, and cars, and they all go flying into the gym partition like bowling pins(He is shouting the whole time "Hey wait for me, I want to be famous too!!!!)


Darci asks the mom standing next to us if this kid is on medication or something and she leans in and says "No, he's just home schooled". That is funny as heck.


Good times. Even Madison was excited to see her brother be so successful