Two Boys Two Boxes

Look what can be made with a couple of gigantic boxes, duct tape, packing tape & markers. 

This studio box has plenty of room,

there is electricity to enable some modern technology

and, with the taped up smoke detector, it is completely up to code. 

 These two brave adventurers even spent an entire night hobo style. 

Zack was surprised that I was so supportive of this box project. My reputation as a hater of messes and garbage is well deserved, but I have always loved a good, solid, big box--the possibilities! I even allowed this baby to block my access to the backyard for weeks. But only for a few weeks. Eventually, all good things come to an end and this one ended when the window came apart and I started to worry that it might attract rodents. It is always rodents. 

Toilet Tips

Tip #1: Don't watch scary vine videos while sitting on the toilet. This could happen. It's highly unlikely, but it could happen. It happened to us. 

 And it was a mess!! 

Tip #2: Marry someone who is handy. 

This Car Actually Won A Race

Every year, when Pinewood Derby time rolls around, we experience the same things. It's fun? Maybe. It's stressful? Yeah.  We Matt totally procrastinates. Definitely.  The cars look cool. Totally. The cars never win. Yep. 

But not this year. We have discovered the secret to a fast car. Who knew? We certainly didn't as we took Zack's car in for weigh in just hoping it was close to weight. When he raced the first time, I was midway through the "it's just fun to race speech" when he won. I couldn't believe it! We have NEVER in all our years of derbies won a single race. And when he won his second race, we were shocked. Did we dare to hope that we might place this year? The Pinewood Derby took on a whole new excitement for us. What was this feeling? The thrill of victory? Amazing. And short lived. He lost his next race. And that's when he got ripped off because they forgot about the double elimination part of the rules and raced the remaining three cars for the trophies. We are good sports and were happy with 4th place. For us, that is amazing. And next year, Matt knows just what to do to tweak a car to be the winner. And he'll be doing it the night before, no doubt. 

Adventures in New Furniture

We had endured our broken spring couch for long enough and finally decided to break down and buy a new one.  Luckily we bought our faulty couch at Costco and they were willing to return it. Whaaat? I love Costco. I won't buy another couch there, but I love Costco. We rented a little trailer for our hauling purposes. Sure Matt & I were capable of doing the work ourselves, but why not let our kids experience a little work too? Good parenting, no, great parenting. Noah wasn't feeling the load/unload couch project. He begged. He whined. He complained. He protested. He told us we were lame. But we persisted. It would be good for him. And it should have been good for him, except that this happened. 

Right off the bat. They didn't even get the couch out of the trailer. Noah & I went to the Quick Care.  We were concerned about a broken finger, but it was only the fingernail, which the doctor pulled off. Fun! It was a little gross and painful. 

He knew he shouldn't have come. It never would have happened if we would have let him stay home safely playing video games. We are bad parents. Whatever.