Isaac's Sweet Rides

Sometimes when you go on a hike with a bunch of people who are taller than you, your legs get tired and you really, really need a lift.  And sometimes some of those tall people are very accommodating and give you a ride.  I always think this is hysterical because if you compare weights, Isaac weighs more than half of Ben and something large of Michael's.  I love it when my boys help each other out.

Josh's First Meet

Yesterday was Josh's first track meet.  The weather was incredibly accommodating and Jason was able to get off work to take some pictures while the other boys and I hung out at soccer practice.  Josh was thrilled to come home and announce that he had won first place in the 400 meter!  

Ward Pinewood Derby

At the end of January our ward decided to do a family pinewood derby.  Looser restrictions and a motorized division to make all the dads people happy who get a little competitive in this kind of event.  Jason and the boys did a last minute thing and added more weight to some old PWD cars we've used for scouts.  Josh even created a "motorized" car by adding a balloon to one of his to try to give it more thrust.

We usually keep Isaac at home for the cub scout PWD (he likes to try and walk on the track), so he thought this one was great fun!

Michael and Ben did pretty decent in their age division and were very interested in watching the races.

Josh was pretty stoked to win second place.  Interestingly, there were only two cars in his motorized division and the other car actually had a motor.  In case you are wondering, transportation by motorized vehicle is indeed faster than by hot air balloon (as it were).  Since the prize was a cup full of Skittles, those minor details didn't matter one bit to him.

The boys and their cars:

WOLF!

Ben earned his Wolf badge at our January pack meeting.  However, since I am both mom and cubmaster, I have no pictures of the actual event.  I DO have pictures of him chowing down on the gorgeous treats we had afterwards.  Belated congrats, Ben!

Chess

Three months ago, Michael participated in his first ever chess tournament.  It was, shall we say, a learning experience.  And those are usually good if not always successful in the traditional sense of the word.  Proud of him for trying and he was happy to eat the treats!

Mental Health Day

We just needed a mental health day.  I will at some point blog about the drama that buying a house has been, but needless to say, we needed a mental health day.  It was sunny and it was Sunday so we played hooky from church (the boys were variously in a state of shock or relief) and went to Tumwater Falls.  It turns out, Jason had never been there.  

There are some serious gaps in his hiking experiences in Washington.  

I think that job thing of his probably gets in the way.  

So here are some pictures of the glorious sunshine and some good-lookin' minions.

Human Boy Dog Pile

Any guesses on how much weight is on top of Josh??