Our First Pinewood Derby 2013!

Our scouting journey begins!  This is Ben on his first night of cub scouts.  He waited nearly all year for his 8th birthday to join the rest of the boys in his primary class!  He could hardly wait for the pinewood derby!  

And the derby didn't disappoint!  Since Baltimore (and Ben) are in purple heaven right now with the Ravens advancing to the Super Bowl, Ben decided he wanted to make a Dennis Pitta (a former BYU player and current Ravens tight end, #88) car.  After watching an hour long video on the physics of the derby, David and Ben got to work.  A man in the ward opened up his wood shop for the cub scouts to cut out their cars.  My friend Krista, loaned her kitchen scale.  The center of gravity was calculated.  Paint, weights, sand paper, and graphite were purchased.  David used fishing weights and wood putty to create the head of the Raven.  It weighed in at 4.9 ounces.  Ben's favorite part...blow drying the paint!       

Kate and Jacob were Ben's biggest fans (second to Mom)!

Ben received his Bobcat badge during the derby!

And the final results.... David (I mean Ben) took 2nd Place!    

One derby down....5 to go!  

 

Life According to Ben & Kate 2011-2012

• Time to print my blog into a book again....looks like Kate stole the show these past two years.  
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  • Kate:
  • After walking into a wall: Kate: "What! I don't want anyone to put a wall there. Put it over there. That hurt!" (01.26.11)
  • Annoyed that the gas station dropped their prices 6 cents right after I started filling up I started complaining. Kate: "It's going to be okay Mom. Maybe Ben and I could share some of our money with you." (5.20.11)
  • Karen: "What am I going to do when you grow up and leave me?" Kate: "You're just going to have to grow up too." (5.21.11)
  • While watching a Bare Minerals commercial...very upset, "Mom, they want you to change your skin?" (6.16.11)
  • Kate: "What does grumpy mean?" Karen: "Mad, angry, not in a good mood." Kate: "Oh, like Daddy?" (7.22.11)
  • After stepping on and smashing some dry cereal she had just spilled on the dining room floor: Kate: "Sorry. I didn't see it. I just wasn't wearing my glasses." She does not wear glasses...ever! (8.14.11)
  • Nana sent Ben some boxers. Kate was obviously jealous and asked, "When is Nana going to send me my punchers?" (8.16.11)
  • Yelling from the bathroom...Kate: "I'm pooping a family in here. There's a mom, a dad, a kid and a baby. There's four of them!" (10.6.11)
  While driving at night, Kate: "The moon keeps following us!" (01.07.12)
• Kate: "Mom, you have a big bum." Ben: "Kate, that's not nice to say." Kate: "Fine, it's huge." Ben: "No it's not." Kate: "Fine, it's big and huge!" (02.06.12)
• Kate: "Thunder is just big giants stomping." Ben: "No it isn't Kate. You are just making things up." Kate: "Really, I saw it on the news. I'm smarter than you think Ben." (05.29.12)
• While bathing Kate I pulled a long piece of hair off of her perineum. She looked at it funny and asked: "What? Does it think I'm a Mom already?"
• Kate: "What color skin is our baby going to have?" David: "What do you think?" Kate: "Well it's not going to be brown because she's not from China." Ben: "Kate, Ms. Shang is from China and her skin is not brown!" Kate: "Well, how come Ms. Rahmaan's is?" Ben: "Because she's from India!"
• The kids informed me that both of them had lice checks by the nurse at school today. They both claimed to be the only ones in each of their classes that were checked. Karen: "Why did they only check you guys?" Kate: "Maybe they just checked the beautiful kids." (09/11/12)
• Kate: "I had some firework toots when you left the room!" Karen: "What are those?" Kate:"Really loud ones." (12/04/12)
• • Ben:
  • Ben: "I'm so hot I could hug a snowman!" (4.25.11)
  • Today's temperature: 104 with heat index at 121. While helping me carry in the groceries, Ben: "I didn't know my bum could sweat!" (7.22.11)
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Christmas 2012!

We had a quiet day at home since we were all (except for Emily) recovering from a nasty cough, headache, congestion, fever, aches, you name it (it just may have been the flu)!  The kids (and David) played with their gifts all day while I cooked.  I've decided we need to live by family so I won't have to do ALL the cooking.  Kate loved her first "American Doll" courtesy of Nana and Boo.  Ben had a year of Legos (they kept him busy the entire Christmas break).  Jacob was just content to bounce around on his cow!  When we asked him what he wanted Santa to being him, all he ever said was a candy cane.  I got a new Dyson vacuum cleaner.  David and I had fun vacuuming all week.  I was amazed (and a little disgusted) at how much dust it picked up.  And of course, our best gift of all was sweet, healthy, beautiful Emily.        

Kate was dreaming of a white Christmas and she got it (barely).  The kids had a great time playing in the snow (while it lasted).  Jacob was here to remember our previous big Baltimore snowstorms of 2009-10 so this was really his first encounter.  He wasn't too happy with his gloves....they kept falling off and it took some coaxing to get him to put on those crazy snow pants!  David even joined in on the fun! I stayed warm inside with Emily (except for a quick trip to take these pictures).

Washington D.C. Temple Lights

Since living in Baltimore, it has become a yearly tradition to visit the Washington D.C. Temple and Visitors' Center to see the Christmas lights and International Nativity Sets.  This year, we took Linda (Kate's favorite neighbor) with us.  Linda is from Jordan...I was hoping there would be a nativity from Jordan and there was!  And of course, we stopped at Cafe Rio on the way!  

2012 Christmas Card

Here is our 2012 Christmas Card

Front:

Back:

Emily's Newborn Pictures

As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I told David I was getting newborn pictures taken.  I've always wanted them, but for some reason or another never got them.  I'll treasure these forever!  Photos courtesy of Stacy Ward Photography.  Could she be any more beautiful?  

 

And here is the whole gang!