Pinewood Derby.....is this fun or what?!

OK. So we just had the Pinewood Derby. This year we had two cars to make because Isaac is now 8 - and therefore in scouts. So, after bugging Loyd and the Boys for days and days they FINALLY started their cars!

This would be Isaac blow drying his car with my blow dryer!

This would be Kyle sanding. Where are his protective glasses? OHHH - Uncle Nate would be so disappointed!

And here is Ellie. Painting in her BRAND NEW OUTFIT!!! WHAT!!?!?!

FINALLY AT THE PINEWOOD DERBY....

We had lots of Race Fans here to support our racers! Including Uncle Wes....who flew in from Houston just for the occasion (and a meeting for work)! Grandad, Grandma and Grandpa Bird came also!

Kyle won a few....lost a few!

Isaac won more than a few!

But Isaac was mostly happy to be there. He has watched Kyle race the Pinewood for 2 years now with great anticipation of this day for himself.

I have many more years of Pinewood Derby to come....

I wonder what Zane's car will look like!

How to Stop Time.....or Do I Want To?

Today we celebrated Kyle's birthday (although his birthday was a few days ago). I remember so well the day that Kyle was born, which is weird because I can't remember 2 days ago? When Kyle was born he was perfect in every way except that nobody could get him to cry! So they (the nurses) wisked him off to the nursery to be "examined" and "watched". Loyd followed him - at my request - because I was SURE that someone would surely try to switch my cute baby with their ugly one!! Anyway......after SEVERAL reports from Loyd that Kyle was fine and 5 hours had gone by.... my HORMONES kicked into OVERDRIVE and I decided I would like to see my NEW BABY!! I called the nursery SCREAMING and CRYING! (Not really my best moment!) Soon I had Kyle in my arms and I held him until we left the hospital.....and most of the next MONTH!! Yes, I admit that I have been known to HOG my children! I let people hold them BRIEFLY!!

But a very vivid memory is when Kyle was about one week old and I was sitting in bed in the middle of the night feeding him and Loyd woke up and I said "I want him to stay like this forever". Of course, he didn't. But then, every stage that he came to I remember thinking- Oh, this is fun......I want him to stay like THIS forever!! Kyle is now 10 years old! And I don't know how it can get any better. He is such a wonderful, talented, smart, sweet, amazing boy. He is a wonderful brother to Isaac.....they don't know it but they actually are best friends. They hang out perfectly together, laughing and having the best of times! He is so sweet to Ellie. If you figure Ellie out she can be so easy to get along with.....Kyle figured this out not to long ago and she LOVES him so much! And Kyle is such a big help with Zane. I am so glad that Zane will have such an amazing example to look up to.

Happy Birthday Kyle. I love you more than you will ever know.

Dancing in the Rain

Last sunday we had a lesson and I think this was the title of it but I guess I don't know for sure....either way up on the board in big letters was this...."Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass......It is about learning to dance in the rain". I had to think and think about this because I started to wonder if I had learned to "dance in the rain" this past year. I have been waiting to close the door on 2008 since it began because I knew it was going to be very hard from the beginning. It was hard for me to see all of the things I had to look forward to this year because I mostly looked forward to December 31st. As I look back on the past year (and listen to my Relief Society Lesson) I realize that I need to fix a few little things about myself. No.....I am not looking for a compliment here.....I just thought about the amazing year that I just had. To begin with.....I had the sweetest baby known to man. That in itself should have just made my year. But many other wonderful things have happened along the way and I have learned so many things about me and my family. I have learned to be positive and find good things around me even when it seems bad things are smothering you. But I don't know for sure that I "learned to dance".

So......2009.......bring on the rain. I am ready. By the end of this year I will be dancing come rain or shine! I am going to overlook the imperfections of those around me because I have so many myself. I am going to focus on what is important. I am going to be positive and find the good in each day and in others. I am going to loose myself in the service of others, and instead of "learning to deal with my situation" I am going to make my situation better. I am going to find the silver lining in whatever this year brings. At the end of this year I will be sorry to see it go (instead of happy) and proud of what I have accomplished.

So here's to 2009 (and lots of dancing)!