AWAITING THE INDY 500............

OK, OK, SO MAYBE IT'S NO INDY RACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BUT IT MIGHT AS WELL BE TO US!

KODI HAS BEEN WORKING ON HIS PINEWOOD DERBY CAR FOR CUB SCOUTS.

ACTUALLY, THIS VERY QUICKLY BECAME A "FAMILY" PROJECT.

ERIC AND KODI CUT, DRILLED AND SANDED THE CAR TO KODI'S PERFECTION.

NEXT......

THE CAR HAS TO WEIGH A CERTAIN AMOUNT. NO ONE CAR CAN WEIGH OVER 5 OZ.

THIS IS VERY VERY PRECISE...TO THE POINT THAT THEY WEIGH EACH INDIVIDUAL CAR.

THIS IS WHERE BROTHER GAVIN COMES IN...... HE AND KODI KEPT WEIGHING THE CAR. THEY HAD ERIC'S LITTLE SCALE OUT (THAT WE USE FOR WEIGHING OUR ARROWS) AND KEPT TELLING ERIC... "WE NEED MORE WEIGHT" OR WE NEED TO TAKE SOME OUT. (THEY STRATEGICALLY PLACED LED IN THE BOTTOM OF THE CAR TO GET IT CLOSER TO 5 OZ....TO GET MORE SPEED)

NOW....U ASK...HOW DID THOSE LITTLE MINDS FIGURE THIS OUT? AGAIN...

BROTHER GAVIN.

HE GOT ONLINE FOR KODI, AND GOOGLED PINEWOOD DERBY CAR RACES. HE THEIR FOUND LOTS OF GOOD TIPS ON HOW TO MAKE YOUR CAR THE QUICKEST IN THE PACK!

(PERFECTLY LEGAL... I SWEAR...SCOUTS HONOR!!!)

SO AFTER WE GOT THE WEIGHT JUST RIGHT.... YEP MAMA RACHEL HAD TO GET IN ON IT.

KODI AND I DECIDED WE GOTTA SPRUCE OLD #85 UP A BIT!

WE GATHERED PAINT FROM NEIGHBOR BOB (WHOM IS BIG INTO HOBBYING AND MODELS) WE ENDED UP WITH WHITE, BLACK AND ORANGE.

I HELPED HIM PAINT HIS CAR SO IT WOULD BE JUST AS HE WANTED.......... HOWEVER..... REMEMBER THIS IS OUR KODI... AFTER WE GOT ONE COAT DONE HE SAID

" NAH I DONT WANT THAT WHITE, I WANT THAT PART BLACK".

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WITH A SMILE I SAID OK.

WE WAITED FOR THAT COAT TO DRY, AND WE PAINTED OVER IT.

AFTER ABOUT 4 DAYS WE FINALLY GOT THE PAINT DONE. IT TOOK SEVERAL COATS TO GET IT LOOKING THE WAY HE WANTED.

SO WE ARE DONE, AND AWAITING THE BIG RACE!!!

WE HAVE A WHITE BLACK AND ORANGE CAR...(AKA A CINCINATTI BENGALS CAR)

HE WILL FIRST RACE AMONGST HIS PACK. THE TOP FEW KIDS THEN WILL RACE AGAINST OTHERS FROM HIS SCHOOL....AND THE TOP FROM THEIR WILL GO ONTO THE BIG CITY RACE!

IT'S ABOUT A MONTH DOWN THE ROAD BUT KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED FOR #85 AND KODI!

GOOD JOB KODERS..YOUR CAR LOOKS AWESOME AND IT HAS ALOT OF FAMILY LOVE IN IT!!!!

Update -of "Proud Parents post"....

HERE IS A QUICK LITTLE UPDATE...
GAVIN GOT HIS OFFICIAL INVITE IN THE MAIL ON SATURDAY-
WE INVITE YOU ALL TO CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW, AND CHECK OUT GAVIN'S RECOGNITION ON THE WEBSITE......YES YES... I KNOW WE ARE GUSHING-BRAGGING-PROUD PARENTS.... WHO WOULDN'T BE?????????????????????????
http://www.yakimavalleygridkids.blogspot.com/

PROUD PARENTS

WE HAVE SOME VERY EXCITING NEWS........WE ARE VERY EXCITED AND PROUD TO ANNOUNCE GAVIN WAS NOMINATED TO ATTEND FOOTBALL UNIVERSITY'S YOUTH ALL-AMERICAN FOOTBALL COMBINE!!!!!

THIS IS A HUGE DEAL!!!!

AT AN EARLY AGE THEY WILL BE RECOGNIZED BY TOP ATHLETE SCOUTS, TRAINERS AND COACHES. THEY INVITE ATHLETES THAT THEY THINK COULD BE THEIR FUTURE................BOYS TO THEM THAT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE FOOTBALL PLAYERS AT HIGHER LEVELS.

WE ARE SO EXCITED, AND WE ARE AWAITING HIS OFFICIAL INVITE IN THE MAIL.

AS MOST OF YOU KNOW, SPORTS CONSUME MUCH OF GAVIN'S WEEK...... AND YOU CAN SEE WHY WE LET HIM ENGAGE IN SO MANY SPORTS THROUGH OUT THE YEAR... HE NOT ONLY LOVES IT, HE IS GOOD AT IT...

AND WE ARE A PROUD MAMMA AND DADDY!
(FEEL FREE TO LEAVE HIM A CONGRATS COMMENT.... HE IS ONE OF ONLY 18 FROM THE WHOLE COUNTY OUT OF HUNDREDS OF KIDS THAT IS GOING... A HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT, AND HE IS VERY PROUD OF HIMSELF)

HERE IS A LITTLE ABOUT THE PROGRAM:



Parents of Invited Athletes: Congratulations on your son's selection to Football University!

We realize how special your son's football career has been so far and understand how talented he has become. By virtue of his invitation, our selection team has identified him as a promising football talent.
FBU was started to identify the nation's top football players from 6th grade through to the 11th grade and provide them with the nation's best instruction from the NFL ranks. To enhance our instruction, the curriculum features the latest technology such as slow motion high definition video. This allows our athletes to view their on-field skills at 500 frames per second. Although the FBU experience will center on elite technical instruction, the three day weekend also includes advanced performance training and testing, nutrition, character development, and classroom instruction. Our NFL instructional staff places additional emphasis on the tremendous amount of work needed to succeed at each level of football. The number of athletes per weekend is limited to 200 (120 High School and 80 Youth) to ensure high quality instruction, frequent repetition, and an athlete instructor ratio of 9:1.

MLK DAY.....AND A DAY OFF FROM SCHOOL

THE BOYS HAD NO SCHOOL TODAY IN OBSERVANCE OF MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY.
WITH NO RUSH TO GET OUT THE DOOR TODAY, WE ALL SLEPT IN.
WE GOT UP TO SOME YUMMY PANCAKES THAT DADDY SO KINDLY MADE THE BOYS BEFORE HE LEFT FOR WORK TODAY.
AT 11:30 WE HEADED DOWNTOWN TO THE PARADE
THIS TIME IT WAS GAV'S TURN TO MARCH IN A PARADE.
GAVIN JOINED HIS TEACHER, AND SOME OF HIS CLASSMATE FOR A 6 BLOCK MARCH DOWN MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. BLVD THROUGH TOWN.
IT WAS AN OPTIONAL MARCH... BUT IN DOING SO HE RAKED IN 20 EXTRA CREDIT POINTS!! WHO COULDN'T USE THOSE WHEN YOU ARE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL RIGHT?????
IT WAS FREEZING OUTSIDE, AND NATURALLY... I TOLD THE BOYS TO PUT HEAVY COATS ON...AND NO ONE WOULD LISTEN! GAVIN WAS IN A HOODED SWEATSHIRT AND KODI A SPRING COAT????????????????
I MIGHT BE THE MOM.. BUT THEIR COMES A TIME WHERE YOU CAN LEAD A HORSE TO WATER BUT YOU CANT MAKE THEM DRINK....THEY WERE FREEZING..................MAYBE THEY WILL LISTEN TO THEIR MOM NEXT TIME.
GAV MARCHED AND KODI AND I RAN FOR COVER TO THE WARM CAR.
WE HEADED HOME AND HAD LUNCH... THEN BACK OUT THE DOOR AGAIN TO HEAD TO TOWN FOR BOXING.
BEFORE BOXING WE MADE ONE STOP:
TO THE DUCK POND!
THIS IS SOMEWHERE THE BOYS LUVVVVVV TO GO THIS TIME OF YEAR. EVERYTHING ELSE FREEZES SO THE LOCAL DUCKS AND SOME MIGRATERS MAKE THEIR WAS HERE. SO WITH OLD BREAD IN HAND THEY JUMPED OUT AND STARTED FEEDING. IT'S FUNNY TO WATCH BECAUSE THE DUCKS WILL ACTUALLY CHASE THEM FOR BREAD.
I TOOK SOME PICS .....
THE FIRST IS OF THE BEAUTIFUL MALE WOOD DUCK(I TOLD GAVIN IF HE WOULD ONLY GET ONE OF THESE WE WOULD MOUNT IT... BUT SO FAR AFTER TWO YEARS... NO WOOD DUCK)






























THE BOYS RUNNING FROM THE CROWD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




THE BEAUTIFUL DRAKE MALLARD

NO KIDS

WE HAD NOOOOOO KIDS TODAY.
KODI IS WITH HIS MOM THIS WEEKEND, AND GAV WENT SNOWMOBILING.
ERIC AND I SLEPT IN TOGETHER, ATE BREAKFAST TOGETHER, THEN HEADED UP TO GO SEE THE ELK AND THE BIG HORN SHEEP.
FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT DON'T KNOW...EVERY YEAR DURING THE WINTER THE DEPT. OF FISH AND WILDLIFE HAVE FEEDING CENTERS SET UP IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE STATE TO HELP THE ANIMAL WINTER.
WHAT THEY DO IS FEED THEM HAY, THERE -FOR IT HELPS THE HEARD STAY STRONG AND MAKE IT THROUGH THE WINTER. WE ARE LUCKY IN YAKIMA, BECAUSE WE HAVE THREE OF THEM WITHIN SO MANY MILES OF THE HOUSE. THEIR IS ALSO ONE FOR THE BIG-HORN SHEEP.
WHATS EVEN MORE EXCITING IS THESE ARE ALL THE ELK THAT ERIC AND I ARE CHASING FRANTICALLY THROUGH THE WOODS DURING ELK SEASON!!!!!!
YOU WOULD BE AMAZED AT HOW CLOSE YOU CAN SEE THEM AT IN THE FEEDING STATION...
NOW.... YOU TELL ME.. WHY DON'T THEY STAND LIKE THIS DURING HUNTING SEASON????????
10 FEET AWAY... SHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZ.

IAM ALSO INCLUDING A PICTURE OF THE BUILDING THAT ERIC IS BUILDING RIGHT NOW... (AKA..HIS OTHER GIRLFRIEND..HAHAHA) IT IS A SCIENCE EMPORIUM FOR LA SALLE HIGH SCHOOL. I SAY HIS OTHER GIRLFRIEND BECAUSE IT CONSUMES MOST OF HIS TIME LATELY.