This is what winning looks like!

Logan's hummer..

Logan and his car

Atlin's car...

And the winner is...

Today was vastly different than a year ago on the same day. Last year, this time I was sweating, running the half marathon in salt lake thinking I was going to die, people were cheering me on for 13.2 miles. The differance is today, I got to sit and fill out brackets for the Pinewood derby. Instead of sweating, I was eating a banana and a donut, instead of being cheered, I was cheering. Equally a great day as this time last year..except today I don't feel like my legs were filled with lead.


This was Atlin's first pinewood derby and I am so proud of both my boys because they finished their cars in one night. We were slow on the getting of the car and I even got laughed out of the scout store while I was purchasing them because it was so last minute. The cars turned out great. Curtis cut out what they wanted and they did the rest, the sanding, painting, wheels... I had to do nothing and i was feeling pretty good about not having to be involved until Curtis got called into work 15 minutes before the impounding was to start. So, here I was, the only mom in a sea of men drilling holes in the bottom of a car to fill will sauder so that they were the required 5 oz. Logan refused to have holes drilled in the bottom of his precious creation so he left it light. I warned him he needed the weight to carry the car faster down the track...but he declined. I thought of gluing quarters or taping them to the top which was a plan he could live with and I couldn't find one stinkin quarter in my gargantuan bag I carry around at all times. I put graphite on his wheels to give him a chance.

All in all Logan raced twice, and lost twice, but by a hair both times. His car did better than I thought it would. He did come up to Curtis and say "dad, next year I am drilling the holes to fill with weight". Hind site is always 20/20...can't say I didn't try to warn him. But, I was so happy with the outcome.


Atlin didn't lose a race until the final race with the top three boys from all three dens...He got third place overall. But he won first place in the whole Wolf den. I think there were about 25 boys who raced in that den. Not too shabby. It was pretty exciting, never thought I would be one to have fun at Pinewood Derby but I think I am a believer! In the meantime Atlin is on to District in May...wish us luck!


The most fulfilling part for me was seeing my boys' hard work pay off against the next kids' dad's shiny, perfect creation. You could see the pride in the boys' eyes that did their own cars, there was so much more joy there. Thanks to the dad's who were all about letting their boys have fun!