Great American Bike Race

On April 9th, I will again be riding the Great American Bike Race. This is a fundraiser for children with cerebral palsy and other physical disabilities. You hop on a stationary bike and pedal away as fast as you can. Funds raised help pay for equipment that is not covered by insurance. Last year I pedaled just over 16 miles in 25 minutes. This year, each rider pedals for 20 min, and my goal is 12.5 miles. If you would like to donate, click here Thanks!

Pinewood Derby '11

The most anticipated event of the Scouting year was held yesterday. The Pack 153 2011 Pinewood Derby. Who can forget the excitement of the Pack 153 2010 Pinewood Derby?

Grandpa was in attendance this year. The Ressler Family also came to cheer on the boys.

There were lots of exciting races. Jonathan got 1st place for our Den and 6th overall in the Pack. Eric just missed 2nd place for the Den by a fraction of a second. Jonathan wore his medal all afternoon.

Next year, I think I will compete in the Outlaw Derby.

Diva

The Diva had her 4 year pictures taken today. I did not stay within the $30 budget I set....

Jonathan vs Mom

Jonathan was describing the book series he is currently reading to me the other day. It's a fantasy/medievel type of book. I did my best to follow along. He finished his story by saying "That's the simple version so you could understand it".

Eric vs Barney

Eric is still struggling with Megan's current obsession w/Barney. She gets to watch one episode a day, much to his chagrin. Here is how he is coping:

Phase I

• He reminds Megan that Barney is a T-Rex, and T-Rex was a terrible Dinosaur that would have eaten little human girls if we roamed the Earth together
• He reminds Megan that dinosaur means "terrible lizard"
• He asked me if we could take Megan to Target to buy her a new stuffed animal, since she usually likes to watch the TV show that goes with whatever her favorite stuffed animal is

Phase II

• He sits next to Megan while watching Barney, and askes me why annoying kids' shows are so addicting
• He tells me that he doesn't like Barney, because he sees Barney skipping on the show, and then he wants to skip and can't stop skipping
• He tells me that the Barney show is sucking him in again, as he sits next to Megan on the couch while watching Barney

Phase III

We are not at Phase III yet, but I anticipate it may include Eric watching Barney w/o Megan

Bahamas??

Way back in January, Missy asked me if I wanted to go the Bahamas in March. I declined....I need to save my time off and $$$$ for Disneyworld (someday). Had I not declined, I would be in Nassau right now, at an all inclusive resort, soaking up the sun, walking along the beach, and sipping fruity beverages.

From the mind of Eric

Eric has been sad the past week-missing his Great Grandpa. He always has delayed reactions to these things.
On Saturday night, he was having a particularly tough time. I told him that we could have a family party to celebrate Grandpa's life. That got Eric all fired up! Here is what he has planned:
A Barn themed party....we can serve a convoy of barn food, like ham and corn and applesauce
Nursing Home Tag....the person who is 'it' is the nursing home worker. They try to catch all of the old people to bring them to the nursing home
Survival game....people see who can survive the longest doing a fun activity just like Grandpa survived a long time
Barn Drawing contest

Nursing Home Tag is my favorite suggestion.

Let's Bowl

Jonathan and Megan went bowling with their cousins on Saturday. Eric stayed home w/Grandpa. Tiffeny was kind enough to be Megan's helper. It was boys vs girls. The boys won.

Don't tell Eric

Megan loves playing with Eric's action figures. It gives her a nice break from her Barbies and dolls. It also goes much better when Eric is not in the room, and not aware that she is playing with his soldiers/action figures.

Snow ball injury

Prior to the events of Winter Fun Day starting, the kids from our Pack enjoyed a calm and gentle snow ball fight. Strict instructions were given, including a) no ice and b) no face shots.....

Jonathan's cheeks aren't red because of the cold-he was smacked in the face with an iceball. He was tough.

Winter Fun Day

Today was Winter Fun Day for our Scout district. The boys got to play broom ball, cross country ski, play kickball and baseball in the snow. We then succombed to the -10 windchill and went home to warm up. We only missed snow shoeing and the klondike sleds. It was unanimous that our warm home would be more fun after being outside for 3 hours.

American Idol

Commentary during tonight's American Idol, which we normally don't watch, but are giving it another chance since there are new judges....
"Guys with beards that look like kidnappers don't really look good in suits"
"Why are all these songs about love?"
"I can't understand when they sing in Spanish"
"She's not singing any better than yesterday when she didn't win."
"Most of these singing types I don't like"
"Maybe she's pretend crying so the judges like her more"