the pinewood derby

I am playing catch-up with the blog. I always have the best intentions, but then when push comes to shove, I end up choosing Oprah or Law and Order or reading to my babies or sleep.

So, I have made the goal to catch up over the next few days.

Two weeks ago we had the Pinewood Derby. Mike is the Cubmaster and I am the Primary counselor over Cub Scouts, so we were in charge of the event. We thought we planned well, but we quickly found out that we were unprepared for a few things.

We were not prepared for the intensity of it all. We had some scoring issues along with some other problems. We learned a lot from the experience. Part of me wanted to do another one next week to improve it and fix our mistakes. The sane part of me is grateful it will be a few more years.

Our most important goal was for the kids to have fun. I think we succeeded in that.

We made the decision several months ago to include the girls in the derby. The girls and the boys had such a great time.

Mike had the kids design their own cars. Andrew's was designed with speed in mind.
Bev's was more of a form-over-function kind of thing.
So, Mike helped the kids cut the wood and carve out the cockpit--is that what it's called? Anyway, they used the saws and the Dremel. Then he had them sand their cars. Of course, I couldn't resist doing a second sanding on them. Bev saw me sanding her car and made me stop. She said, "Mom, this is my project--stop."

I am as bad as those dads that don't let the kids touch their own Pinewood Derby cars.

I then helped the kids with the painting. Andrew would have let me do the whole thing myself. I will admit that I did glue the pin stripes on. But, he cut out the U of U sticker and painted the car.

Bev, on the other hand, wouldn't let me touch it until it came time to put the stickers on. She picked out her own paint and glitter and rhinestones and did the work with minimal help from me. I carefully put the glittered stickers on. They looked fabulous. Then, Mike went to put the wheels on and we realized that the first and last letters were behind the wheels. So, I took them off and did it again.

Ironically, Bev's car--that was built for it's cat and aesthetic appeal--got third fastest in the girl division. Andrew's was fifthish.

We are grateful it is over and happy that the kids had fun.

I get no respect.

Jessi drew this in church last week. She handed it to me and told me that it is me. I asked her what was next to me and she said it is a broom.

raising socially-conscious children

With the weather changing, I have done the annual clothing needs assessment. Andrew needs long pants and a hoodie. Jessi needs some jeans (hopefully some that will accommodate her tiny waist and long legs.) Bev and Kiki need long-sleeved shirts.

Friday, Bev and I headed over to Target to check some things off the list. We were in the girl's section when she turned to me and said, "Mom, it makes me sad--some of these clothes were made by kids."

Me: "Say what?"

Her: "We learned about it in Social Studies."

I knew she had been learning about the economy, but apparently she had learned about child labor as well.

She told me that she had learned that children around the world work for a dollar a day to help support their families.

Neither of us was really in the mood to shop anymore. We got the gifts we needed to buy and left.

As we were driving home she asked if we could only buy stuff that little kids didn't make. She is SO my daughter.

I took this global economy class in college where we studied U.S. companies that moved their manufacturing overseas for cheap labor. I didn't buy Nike or Levi's or Dole for a long time after that class.

I do now. I got apathetic. I just buy whatever my precious Target sells me--like a zombie consumer. I guess I better do some research. She's not letting it go. I overheard her telling Christian (as he was putting his laundry away) that, "Little kids probably made that underwear."

I love you Aunt Ava.

Ava Huff

1957 ~ 2010

Ava Jean Rawlinson Huff, 53, died Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at her home in Spanish Fork. She was born on March 23, 1957 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the daughter of Neil C. & Verdene Finlinson Rawlinson. She married LaMar Elmer Huff on June 22, 1979 in Delta, Utah. They were later sealed in the Manti LDS Temple on April 3, 1998.

Survivors include her husband, LaMar, of Spanish Fork; one son: Jacob Elmer (Heather) Huff and one daughter: Jamie C. Huff, both of Spanish Fork; four grandchildren; four brothers and three sisters: Darryl (Claudia) Rawlinson, of Fremont, CA; Karen (Bruce) Curtis, Delta, UT; Gordon (Mickie) Rawlinson, Kanecohe, HI; William (Emma) Rawlinson, Las Vegas, NV; Duane (LaRene) Rawlinson, of Delta; LeAnn (Doug) Smith, of Garland, UT; Janell (Eric) Whitney, of Fayette, UT; many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and one brother: Gary Lynn Rawlinson.

Funeral services will be Monday, October 4, 2010 at 11 a.m. in the Spanish Fork 6th Ward Chapel, 585 North Main Street, Spanish Fork. Friends may call at the Walker Funeral Home, 187 South Main Street, Spanish Fork on Sunday evening, October 3, 2010 from 6 until 8 pm or Monday morning at the ward relief society room one hour prior to the services. Burial will be in the Spanish Fork City Cemetery.

I am still in a bit of shock. She was only 53. Her death has caused me to consider my own mortality. At the funeral, her bishop talked about her unfinished paintings in her studio. He talked about the things she had started but hadn't completed. He said that if we knew when we would die, we may not begin anything. He mentioned that she was not ready to go.

At the cemetary, it rained...hard. When they brought out the casket, it was pouring. The pallbearers were dripping wet. The microphone stopped working and my dad was going to dedicate the grave. The bishop made the comment that Ava must be crying. When my dad went to say the prayer, the rain immediately ceased.

Ava was a very spirited person. She loved her family and grandbabies. She wasn't ready to go. For me, the total downpour symbolized that she was pissed--pissed that her life was cut short. The rain stopping was her accepting it.

I have thought a lot about being ready--being ready spiritually and physically, raising good kids, doing the things that are most important, taking every opportunity to love the people around me.

Harvest Time

Mike brought this in from the garden last night.

It looks like we will be eating zucchini (I'm not sick of it yet, but my family is) fajitas (I finally got a red bell pepper!) four peaches (only four, but we only planted the tree last year) and Cafe Rio salads (we finally got tomatillos for the dressing.) I need to figure out something to make with the tomatoes--either salsa or pasta sauce.

I love having a garden. Maintaining a garden--not so much. I'm glad Mike doesn't mind taking care of what I planted.

The Marathon

No, this is not a running marathon I speak of. It is the marathon of life I ran today.

The kids have been off track for the last three weeks, so we have tried to fit in as much fun as possible. We have also had the regular stuff going on as well. I want to document this day because I want to have perspective on this craziness and remember to be grateful for my ability to do it--one day I know I will be too tired to do what I did today.

Before having children, Mike and I talked a lot (okay, I talked a lot and he listened) about having children. My uterus had already been through a lot, so we knew we couldn't necessarily rely on it to get us our children. We talked about how many we might have, how far apart they might be, how we might need to/want to adopt. Mike wanted to have the kids close together. He wanted them to grow up knowing each other--to be friends with each other. Close together they are!

There are five years and four months between Andrew and Jessica, with Bev and Kiki in between. There are many blessings to having them so close together. We did all the diapers and baby stuff over the course of just a few years. We can do activities that they all enjoy together. They always have a playmate. They get to experience things together.

The biggest drawback for me is trying to meet all of their needs. They all need/want so much from me, it is hard to give it. We do stories/snuggle time before bed most nights. There will be times when all four kids want to have snuggles. I only have two arms to snuggle them with, so they have resorted to taking turns snuggling my legs. I suppose that is why we have four children--I only have four limbs.

The other big challenge is helping them each have their activities. We really want to give them each the opportunity to try different things, to explore their interests and find out what they are good at and what they like. Sometimes this presents challenges in getting them to their various activities.

This is what our Thursday looked like:

The kids are off track, so Mike got up and woke up Bev. I got up and helped get her ready. He took her to work for the morning. (The kids have expressed an interest in what Dad does at work, so he has taken them in for some exposure to the harsh reality of work.)

I got up and did a load of laundry--sports attire for the day. The kids watched iCarly.

We had cereal for breakfast--my own little secret mix of regular Cheerios and Honey Nut Cheerios--less sugar. Christian shook the orange juice box and the lid wasn't tight, so then I cleaned up an oj splatter.

I took out the garbage and Jessi waited for me on the porch. She left the door open, so Tiger escaped. I then went on the hunt for our naughty kitty. She loves being outside, and we know that she is looking for love, so she is under house arrest. I found her in the bushes and got her inside.

Then I got a call for a political poll--I am a sucker and can't say no to those. The guy was asking a lot of questions about the Tea Party.

We left at 10:00 and the kids waited for me while I had my blood drawn. Then we went to Mike's work to pick up Bev.

Headed to Hogle Zoo. We let our membership lapse because we were trying different places, but ever since Jessi and I went with Christian on his field trip to the zoo, Andrew and Bev have been wanting to go back. We are members again. It was going to be $37 for that day or $60 for me and the kids for a year. We watched baby Zuri and the kids got to see the wildcat that looks a lot like Tiger.

I went to buy Bev a piano book that she needs. When I called, they said they had it. When I got there I found out that they did not have it after all.

As we got back in the car, Christian announced, "Mom you have a hoarders car." Um, yeah, I think it did qualify as such. In the front passenger seat and floor were the following: a bag of snacks and water bottles, gear and outfits for football, soccer and dance, a pile of mail to go through, Christian and Jessica's activity books, a Target garbage sack that was full of garbage, a pile of DS and phone chargers, a pile of DVD's for the kids to watch, several pairs of sunglasses, sunscreen, a bag of returns, a stack of gas station soda cups for refills, a bag of donations to drop at the school and on top of it all a pile of sleeping bags to take to the dry cleaners. Yes, indeed, it looked like a hoarder car.

We took Jessi to tumbling and then stopped by our new favorite place, The Sweet Tooth Fairy bakery, for cupcakes.

Dropped Andrew and Bev off for piano and then drove across the valley for Christian's karate testing. He did a great job and earned his brown belt. It always amazes me that this kid that, in the true words of his Aunt Mimi, doesn't walk--runs--everywhere, sits up straight and shows such respect and restraint during karate.

Mike was supposed to meet us, but got tied up at work, so I busted out as soon as testing was complete to get Andrew to his football practice which was a scrimmage (that I called a scuffle--learning all of this football lingo is a process.) As I left karate, I realized that I only had 3 miles worth of gas left. So, I stopped at the gas station to fill up.

Andrew got home from piano and got himself ready. We picked him up and drove around the block to get Bev for the "scuffle."

Mike met us at football. I never thought I would be the type to sit and enjoy watching football practice, but I am finding it relaxing and educational (I pretty much understand the whole point of it now.)

As we were watching practice, I turned to him and asked him to ask us out to dinner. I couldn't even think about thinking about fixing dinner. We went to Red Robin (which, let's be honest, always sounds better than it really is.)

We got home around 9. Got the kids bathed and then enjoyed Pace bars while watching the Brady Bunch.

I watched, like a zombie, as the Brady kids learned important life lessons about working together. We tucked the kids in bed and I tucked Mike in bed and then I headed to the computer to finish the last 20 minutes of my online traffic school.

I went to bed at midnight and I don't think I was even in bed for 30 seconds before I was asleep.

Not all days are like yesterday. It just happened to be one of the more crazy ones. I like that I am with the kids and that we are able to do some fun stuff. I am also glad that they go back to school on Monday. Mama is tuckered out, and the house needs to be put back together from these three weeks of partying.

Splash Pad

After our trip to BYU, the kids and I headed to Spanish Fork to meet up with my parents at the new North Park. The kids played in the great new splash pad.
Yes, my kids wear their goggles for any water-type events.
Then they made a slide out of an edging by the stairs. It's a good thing swimsuit season is almost over because their swimsuits got a little worked on that slide.

After playing at the park, we had dinner at "Mexican." We have never called it by it's real name, Mi Rancherito. It has always been "Mexican." It was great to slip in one more water event while the weather cooperated.