Pinewood Derby

Frank participated in his first Pinewood Derby, which is pretty much the best reason to be a scout.

He worked hard on his car - the red one that is finishing here in 2nd place.

He finished 1st in one heat and 2nd in three heats.  His average time placed him 15th out of 41 cars.

Here he is getting interviewed as he accepted his award.

Every kid gets an award and Frankie got "Best Basic Design."  What?

Phoebe participated in the Friends and Family division with the cool BANANA MOBILE that she made and finished 2nd overall.  She beat out several dads, including her old t-ball coach, Coach Fuzzy.

End of Basketball Season

Frank wrapped up his second basketball season. It was a good one and he's gotten better and better, despite being one of the shortest kids on the team. Keep in mind that half the kids are a year or more older than him. But the important thing is that he was always scrappy and hustling and had a lot of fun.

Frank a blur on a fast break.

The last game of the season was his best - 6 points and a lot more steals and rebounds.

Post-game donut.

Trophy time.

Team shot.

Love Is Joy

Phoebe wrote and sewed a book,  Love is Joy.

Setting the stage.  A "hillbilly from the way back"???

The plot thickens.

On a ship.

Stormy weather.

These aren't all the pages, but you get the point.  Of course, there was a happy ending:

SUPER SNOW DAY!

After some disappointing ice days, the kids finally woke up to a legit SNOW DAY.  We got about 4 inches of real snow and it was amazing.  Groups assembled throughout the neighborhood, all heading to the house on the hill.

We were some of the first to arrive.  Phoebe:

Frankie:

It got crowded quick.

Provisions.

The police came and blocked off the street so that the kids could sled safely down the hill.  At one point, all three policemen were sledding.

Snowball skirmishes.

Fun.

Who owns a toboggan in Memphis?

Snowball fights.

Some kid on cross-country skis.

The local news showed up.

Later back at home, dad shoveled the driveway.  He was the only guy on the block to do it - probably the only one that owns a snow shovel.  Southerners!

Snow Z-Bo!

Gasol down low and Z-Bo on the perimeter.

We all woke up with serious sun tans from being out all day in the bright sun.

T.O. Fuller State Park

T.O. Fuller Park was the second park in the country open to African-Americans. It's completely hidden in South Memphis along the Mississippi River.  We did a 4 mile hike there a few weeks ago on an unusually warm winter day.  But first, the ranger showed us some injured owls.

Mini owl!

Trail head.

At the top.

Little bridge.

After about the third mile, the kids stared getting tired.  Phoebe gives herself a thumbs-up.

Little brudda gets a thumbs-down.

Taking it all in.

First Father-Daughter Dance

Phoebe's school has the dad-daughter dance every year from 4th to 8th grade. There is always a theme. This year's theme wasn't much of a theme really - it was "Dancing through the Decades."  We saw everything from people that looked like Little House on the Prairie extras to the 1990s.  I guess it is still too early to do the 00s. We were one of several Fonzie-poodle skirt couples. Before the dance:

I would've taken more pictures but the lighting made everything look red.  Lots of girls dancing, lots of dads standing around.

Phoebe shaking a leg with friends.

For what it's worth, Phoebe and dad almost won the Grease-style dance-off. We were the last couple to be eliminated before the winning three couples - two 8th graders and their dads and the Headmaster and his daughter.  Everyone said we were robbed, but it didn't matter because we had a blast.