Pine Wood Derby 2007...

Kenny took second place in the Pine Wood Derby this week! With a last minute trip to the Post office to weigh his car in we realized we didn't have as much weight on the car as we should've. We drove back home. Woke Arnold up (he was on Night Shift that week). And drilled two more holes in the car and placed a couple more quarters and nickels in to weigh the car down. When they were done with the add ons the car weighed a perfect .5 oz!
Kenny worked really hard on the design of his car and painted all the details by himself. I would have to guess that he was more proud of how the car looked than how it raced until he won second place. Then he decided it was pretty good to have a car that raced well AND looked cool all at the same time. Kenny also received the "Most Indestructable" car award at the Pine Wood Derby.

Jessica made a car to race in the Sibling heat at the Pine Wood Derby. Her car didn't fare as well as Kenny's did, but it didn't matter as long as she could get a picture holding the trophy! (And her's was definitely CUTE!)

Mobile Mystics and the Merry Mates...

Mr. Johnny and Ms. Linda brought us to our very first Mardi Gras parade a year ago and now it has become somewhat of a family tradition to meet them downtown on a Saturday afternoon and enjoy the Mobile Mystics parade with them.

Needless to say there was lots to be excited about and the kids had a blast! This was Kenny's favorite float as it had a shark at the front of it. Notice the beads hanging from its teeth? I am constantly amazed by the beauty of the floats and the unique masks and costumes that the parade riders wear for each parade.

20 Ways To Determine if you are a real Alabamian...

1. You can properly pronounce Arab, Cahaba, Opelika, Sylacauga, Oneonta, and Eufaula.
2. You think people who complain about the heat in their states are sissies.
3. A tornado warning siren is your signal to go out in the yard and look for a funnel.
4. You know that the true value of a parking space is not determined by the distance to the door, but by the availability of shade.
5. Stores don't have bags or shopping carts, they have sacks and buggies.
6. You've seen people wear bib overalls at funerals.
7. You think everyone from a bigger city has an accent.
8. You measure distance in minutes. (It's about 5 minutes down the road)
9. You go to the lake because you think it is like going to the ocean.
10. You listen to the weather forecast before picking out an outfit.
11. You know cowpies are not made of beef.
12. Someone you know has used a football schedule to plan their wedding date.
13. You have known someone who has a belt buckle bigger than your fist.
14. You aren't surprised to find movie rental, ammunition, beer, and bait all in the same store.
15. A Mercedes Benz isn't a status symbol. A Chevy Silverado Extended Bed Crew Cab is.
16. You know everything goes better with Ranch Dressing.
17. You learned how to shoot a gun before you learned how to multiply.
18. You actually get these jokes and are "fixin' " to send them to your friends.
19. You have used your heater and air-conditioner in the same day!

Finally: You are 100% Alabamian if you have ever had this conversation:
20. "You wanna coke?" "Yeah." "What kind?" "Dr Pepper."

Order of the Polka Dots...

We attended our first night-time Mardi Gras parade in downtown Mobile this year. We met three other families there and enjoyed the cool weather, the excitement of the colorful floats and the amazing "throws".
As always we took home way more beads than we'll ever need but for some reason the kids never seem to get tired of it! This group we went to see was called the Order of the Polka Dots. They are an all female group and the theme of their floats this year was "Birds of Paradise".

Stake Mini Youth Conference...

Dances, workshops, service projects, and games.
Boys, slow dancing, boys, more slow dances, and boys...

Sassy makeovers and karaoke....

Jessica's seventh birthday party included nine favorite friends, three totally hip teenagers, four makeover stations, a two layer double chocolate heart cake and one quirky but very fun children's karaoke cd! Life just wouldn't be the same without experiences like these!
Who knew Karaoke would be such a hit with seven year olds? During the party they feasted on cream puffs, croissants, and chocolate fondue! Before the evening got started the teen "experts" on hand helped each girl receive a manicure, makeup and new hairdo! Some were even brave enough to try the nail jewelry, body art, glitter lotion and perfume!

Happy Anniversary...

This month marks one year since I first started this blog back in February 2006. What started out as just a way for me to be able to post pictures of our children for friends and family after we moved, quickly turned into something far more reaching. I can still remember that very first post and how long it took me to get those pictures to load! We've certainly come a very long way!

Since then, some of my posts have made you giggle. Some of them have made you cry. Some even caused some controversy. But mostly they've helped us stay in contact with the people who mean so very much to us. Thanks for visiting our blog all these months. Thanks for keeping us a part of your lives. Thanks for sharing with us our accomplishments. And for sometimes a few of our sorrows. Thanks for being a part of our little family.

Here's to another year of joy, happiness, and sharing!

What makes them unique...

What makes a ninteen year old leave his friends and family for two years to serve a mission for the church? What makes him come to a place so different than anything he's ever experienced before? A place that can sometimes be cruel and unweilding? A place that never quite feels like home, but is his home for a period of time? To give up dating, football, scholarships, and careers? Movies, music, books and dancing? I'd say it was character, conviction, and a hope of things to come. A simple but profound promise made to them. A promise that will be kept. A promise that will be fulfilled. That is what I think makes them more than unique... It makes them simply astonishing.

Honor roll and perfect attendance...

Kenny received Honor Roll and Perfect attendance awards at school this month for the first and second quarters. The principal invites all the parents to attend and has each student come up on stage to receive his or her award. Along with the certificates Kenny received gift certificates to several different restaurants and stores in the area. It was a fun day for Kenny!

Seven and counting...

Jessica celebrated her seventh birthday this week with a double layer chocolate heart cake and a firework display after dark! Jessica says her "real" party is on Super bowl sunday (which we celebrate every year to commemorate her being delivered on Super bowl sunday seven years ago). But we couldn't pass up the chance to have cake on her actual birthday and set off fireworks we had left over from New Year's.
I'm sure our neighbors were wondering what we were celebrating in the middle of winter, but I'm sure by now they've realized we'll set fireworks off for just about anything!

Trip to the I.C.U....

We spent Sunday afternoon at the USA Women's and Children's medical center delivering 37 knit caps that Lisa had made herself for babies born in the Neo-natal ICU. The NICU can hold up to 80 premature babies at any given time and is most often at full capacity.

Lisa was welcomed with excitement by all the nurses on duty and took a private tour of the facility. We waited for her out in the hallway as we saw her put on scrubs and walk around with the head nurse to get a close up view of the unit. The picture she took with the nurses on duty was submitted to the Mobile Register Newspaper. What a great way for Lisa to be recognized for her time and effort!

Cinnamon...

Shrimp boils and sebei...

For New Year's day we had some friends over who are originally from Hawaii but moved here last spring because of their job with Chevron. Not only do we share the same background as far as where we grew up but they are also Korean which makes for some very interesting conversations as we compare childhood stories of being raised in America by Korean born parents who held tightly to the old customs of Korea and never let us forget where we came from or who our ancestors were!
Our friend's parents were visiting from California for New Year's and had never been to the South before. We treated them to an authentic Cajun Shrimp Boil (boiling of potatoes, corn, mushrooms, onions, garlic, hotdogs, and shrimp in a spicy blend of cajun seasoning) for lunch, participated in an annual Korean New Year's custom of Sebei (bowing and paying tribute to elder family members - notice Jessica in a Korean dress and our friend's son pointing the wrong "end" towards his grandparents?) with the children, and ended the day with fireworks out in the front yard! What a great way to start of the new year!

Ringing in the New Year...

One of the most interesting things about New Year's is how we subject ourselves to staying up all day preparing ourselves to stay up all night and waiting for the clock to strike midnight. It always helps to have some interesting people to keep you company in order to pass the time away. This year the Elders in our area were able to spend the night with a member family until 12:30 am as long as they had a ride to and from our house and didn't have to drive their mission vehicles after hours. That was all the permission we needed to spend New Year's Eve with a group of homesick but very energetic missionaries!

Lots of Fondue, Disney Karaoke, and a round of Torx helped keep everyone busy. At midnight we set off fireworks and rang in the new year! Roman candles were a favorite this year. That and the 100 count missle launcher (which was Kenny's favorite). I still can't get over how the kids enjoy those sparklers. You know the ones you can buy for a penny a box. I still seem to never buy enough of those. Maybe I'll remember better next year. Or maybe we'll just buy more of those roman candles and watch the elders chase each other around the yard again! Happy New Year!

Luminarias by night...

Christmas eve brought rain and thunder. Christmas day brought high winds and a frosty breeze too cold to stand outdoors in. Tonight was clear, calm and cold. Perfect conditions for lighting the luminarias we prepared several weeks ago during one of our family home evening activities. Arnold grew up in El Paso, Texas where luminarias are lit during the holiday season. We tried making luminarias a few times in Utah but this year it seemed to be more of a hit with the kids than in years past. Maybe it was the decorating. Maybe it was the assembling. Or maybe it was just the fact that we could play with matches and light a fire while watching the flickering candles beneath each decorated bag light up the walkway at night. Whatever the case may be...it was a fun activity for the day after Christmas.