Pinewood Derby 2009

This year's pinewood derby was so much fun. All the boys had fun, and none of them cried or complained when they didn't win. (unlike last year). I think they just wanted to see their cars race, and they all made pretty fast cars so they still did pretty well. Well, that said, there has to be winners, right?
In first place was a kid named Kyle who was racing for his last time.(he turns 11 this year)
In second place was a kid named Dallin Singer, racing his piano. Yes, you read right, no typos. He wanted to make his car look like a piano. So he and Clint worked hard to make a piano. We were surprised that it did so well because when Clint was putting on the wheels a piece broke off, so Clint glued it, and screwed it back on. We thought because of that it would not do as well as it did.
Anyway, coming in CLOSE third,(try 1000th of a second), a kid named Calvin Singer with his car he calls Formula 2009. He was really surprised! He wasn't expecting to place, but quite thrilled to except his award. When Clint was cutting out his car, Calvin watched anxiously, making comments here and there about how it wasn't looking like the picture. Clint explained that it takes time and a few cuts to make it look just right. In the end, Calvin was happy with it.

We were very proud of all the cub scouts for their good sportsmanship and the creative cars they all came up with.Calvin and his friends, Cody and Caleb.

Calvin always hides when it's time for picturesThe kids cars! Abbys is the wagon, and Elsa has Dora the Explorer on hers.

Clint wanted me to post these times. Here they are;
Dallin's blue lane 2.965 Calvin's blue lane 2.952
white lane 2.935 white lane 2.934
red lane 2.973 red lane 2.988

Awesome story

I emailed this to everyone I could think of, and whose email address I had, but I wanted to post it too.

Written by an Australian Dentist

To Kill an American
You probably missed this in the rush of news, but there was actually a report that someone in Pakistan had published in a newspaper, an offer of a reward to anyone who killed an American, any American.

So an Australian dentist wrote an editorial the following day to let everyone know what an American is . So they would know when they found one. (Good one, mate!!!!)

'An American is English, or French, or Italian, Irish, German, Spanish , Polish, Russian or Greek. An American may also be Canadian, Mexican, African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Australian, Iranian, Asian, or Arab, or Pakistani or Afghan.

An American may also be a Comanche, Cherokee, Osage, Blackfoot, Navaho, Apache, Seminole or one of the many other tribes known as native Americans.

An American is Christian , or he could be Jewish, or Buddhist, or Muslim. In fact, there are more Muslims i n America than in Afghanistan.The only difference is that in America they are free to worship as each of them chooses.

An American is also free to believe in no religion. For that he will answer only to God, not to the government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak for the government and for God.

An American lives in the most prosperous land in the history of the world.

The root of that prosperity can be found in the Declaration of Independence , which recognizes the God given right of each person to the pursuit of happiness.

An American is generous. Americans have helped o ut just about every other nation in the world in their time of need, never asking a thing in return.


When Afghanistan was over-run by the Soviet army 20 years ago, Americans came with arms and supplies to enable the people to win back their country!


As of the morning of September 11, Americans had given more than any other nation to the poor in Afghanistan .

The national symbol of America , The Statue of Liberty , welcomes your tired and your poor, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, the homeless, temp est tossed. These in fact are the people who built America


Some of them were working in the Twin Towers the morning of September 11 , 2001 earning a better life for their families. It's been told that the World Trade Center victims were from at least 30 different countries, cultures, and first languages, including those that aided and abetted the terrorists.

So you can try to kill an American if you must. Hitler did. So did General Tojo , and Stalin , and Mao Tse-Tung, and other blood-thirsty tyrants in the world. But, in doing so you would just be killing yourself . Because Americans are not a particular people from a particular place. They are the embodiment of the human spirit of freedom. Everyone who holds to that spirit, everywhere, is an American.

What we did for New Years!

I thought I should post these pictures before it was Valentines Day. (I think I just made it.;) On New Years Eve the kids and I ate some fondue and watched a movie. Well, the boys watched the movie, the girls went to bed. Clint was sick with the flu, bummer. Anyway, despite that, we had a nice quiet New Years.

Abby's a Sunbeam

I can't believe my baby is a sunbeam! She is growing up so fast! It seems like just yesterday she was crawling around on the floor, now she's running around the house like a whirlwind getting into everything, playing in her cute ways, and just being 3. She makes me laugh atleast once a day. Every time she watches Strawberry Shortcake she always wants me to dance with her during all the songs. I guess that what I get for putting all the other kids in school during the day. I love it though and would rather play with her than do housework any day. I also love her because you never know what she's going to do next. For example, just tonight, after putting her to bed, she like always, got up. So I put her back to bed. Then the second time she got up, she needed her nose wiped. She's the only one of our kids who hates having a runny nose (well at age 3). She got up again and came to me and pointed at her nose. I grabbed a tissue and wiped it and then gave it to her and told her she could keep it in case she needed it. She then stuffed it down her shirt and said, "Look Mom, I look like you." Well, then a little while later, she came out again and pointed at her nose. I asked her where her tissue was as I wiped her nose with a different tissue. I then gave her that one and she ran to her bed grabbed her other tissue and stuffed them both down her shirt and said again, "Look Mom, I look like you." Then put her hands on her hips and started struttin' her stuff. I couldn't help but laugh. What a nut! I just hope she gets it out now and doesn't feel that she needs to do it when she's older. Anyway, back to being a sunbeam. She didn't actually go in her class. She was shy, and since I teach the 5 and 6 year olds, I sit behind Abby's class, so she felt like she wanted to be shy. Hopefully, she will go into her class next week. She has a fun teacher, she actually has babysat for us since before Abby was born, so I thought Abby wouldn't be shy. Just goes to show that you never know how your child is going to be.

Christmas at Stonehill 2008

Christmas this year was so fun! I think I speak for everyone in this household when I say that. This year we went to Grandma and Papa Anderson's home in Sparks. All of Britta's siblings and their families came too. It was fun to watch all the cousins getting to know one another and forming memories with each other. Papa wrote the cutest story for all of them and Elsa and Abby have wanted me to read it every night before going to bed. I loved getting together with all of my siblings and just hanging out. I can't wait to do it again. Hopefully it will be soon. Here are some pictures from our Christmas of 2008......Enjoy!The older boys got bigger, twin size, blankets made by Grandma to match with the story Papa wrote and the younger cousins got stuffed animals.Dallin and Calvin got skateboards for Christmas and I think they liked them.

Lookin' cool Calvin!

Abby and Elsa helping Dad and Papa make their bed The kids with their Christmas p.j.'s. I made the girls p.j.'s, but the boys p.j.'s I bought.

Abby's new p.j.'s

I got a watch with an r.c. car! Cool!Gimme all your presents and no one gets hurt!