Pinewood Derby

Every year our ward sponsors a Pinewood Derby-- not just for the scouts, but for everyone in the ward. Lance and I look forward to the "derby" each year. The weeks leading up to the big race find our home filled with sawdust and power tools and paint-- and Lance and I, all business, with our game faces on.

You would think with such a competitive spirit and drive, we would be fierce competitors every year. Sadly, this is untrue. In the past two years, I have yet to win a race. Lance did slightly better than I last year. We tend to focus on style and originality. Last year, I made my car into a shoe-- a lavender sling back wedge. Cute shoes-- slow car.

This year, my goal was to win a race-- just one. In the past, I have been the ONLY woman to compete.

Lance blew everyone away with his realistic rendition of the Batmobile. He easily won the award for Best Workmanship. And it was pretty fast too. He made it all the way into the final few races.

(really bad picture)

I created a skateboard and was the runner-up for Most Original. I lost my first race, but won my next two! VICTORY, at last! This year there were several woman competing, including my sister Heidi who had Lance make her a silver 1987 Alfa Romeo (to her specifications).

With the sweet taste of victory (albeit a small, sweet taste), we are already thinking of next year's big race. Any advice is welcome.

After the ward activity, we took the kids to a birthday party where Zoie and Tobin had their first cotton candy experience (and heartily approved).

Our Week

We have had so much fun with Steve-- I thought I would recap some of it for everyone.

Saturday- Steve and I take the kids to the park. Afterwards he taught Zoie how to eat pizza "Brooklyn style". I can't believe how quickly Tobin and Zoie have taken to him.

Sunday- Church and Easter dinner at Heidi's house. After the kids went to bed, Steve and I created a shuffleboard-type game involving brooms, a pair of flip-flops, and some Diet Coke cans. I have at last found a sport I excel at. I have missed my calling in life to be a shuffleboard pro. I remain undefeated. (Please take the time to admire my pajamas-- a flowered shirt and plaid bottoms)

Monday- We all went to our favorite pizza place down on the bay where Steve and I engaged in a Diet Coke/ Buffalo Wing contest (He beat me at Diet coke, I killed him in the wing category). After which we had the infamous game of Celebrity.

Tuesday- Steve went to Tallahassee with some friends and I took Tobin to the doctor. He and I have had a lingering cold for a few weeks. The good news is that Tobin had neither bronchitis or an ear infection. I asked the pediatrician to examine my ears and he announced that he suspected that I have both bronchitis and an ear infection.

That night Zoie and I made cookies. By the end, it looked as if the kitchen had exploded on itself. I spent more time cleaning up then I had making the cookies.

Wednesday- I spent all morning at the doctor's office to be diagnosed with bronchitis, a sinus infection, and an ear infection. He prescribed six different medications. So we took out a 2nd mortgage on our home to pay for all the drugs (kidding-- but they were a FORTUNE!)

That night we stayed up 'til 2 am watching a CSI:Miami marathon and practicing our David Caruso impressions (Lance's wins hands-down).

Thursday- Today we say goodbye to Steve. We will definitely miss him. He has been the ideal house guest. He is unimposing and enjoys downloading music and fixing our computers for us. And since he has been staying with us, I have probably drunk my weight in Diet Coke. Steve, come back soon!

Celebrity

One of the inevitable by-products of having three Slovacek kids together (with Steve, my brother in town), is the playing of games-- many, many games. Last night we played the game of Celebrity. The rules: each player lists thirty celebrities and they all get put in a bowl. Players form teams and try to get their teammates to guess the names as they draw them from the bowl. It sounds civilized, but last night all chaos ensued.

Perhaps we should define the word "celebrity". From Wikipedia: "A celebrity is a widely-recognized or famous person who commands a high degree of public and media attention."

Below, I have identified the craziest names each player put in the bowl. Please feel free to agree with me that many of these figures are not celebrities.

Lance- all of his names truly were celebrities. The most difficult was probably Steve Zahn-- but still, he is a celebrity.

Kira- Dana White (President of the UFC)... okay, not an easy one.

Steve- Where do I begin? Um, I know with MARCEL PROUST!! Huh? There was also Louis Farrakhan and Benjamin Disraeli. Please tell me how to describe either of these individuals in a matter of seconds.

Heidi- Heidi's names would only make sense if you are...Heidi. They include Lauren Conrad (from The Hills), and Logan Huntzberger (Rory's ex boyfriend on Gilmore Girls), also Oprah' life coach and someone from Oprah's book club.

Typical of a Slovacek Game Night, there was much arguing and laughing. It wouldn't be a game night if at least one person didn't threaten to quit playing (Lance-- after getting the name Benjamin Disraeli). In the end, fun and frustration was had by all.

Easter Images

What a fun day!
Thanks to "Papas" for the cute church outfits.
Thanks to Heidi for hosting Easter dinner.
Thanks to the Easter Bunny for visiting TWICE!

Thanks to Steve for being in town.

Thanks to You Tube for teaching me how to french braid Zoie's hair.

And of course, we could never forget the real reason for our Easter celebration.

Neutered!

We had Bluto neutered this week. Poor guy. I think this picture says it all.



My sister's dog went through this same procedure last week. He went to local vet and was given ample pain medication both during the surgery and for a week afterwards, a cone to prevent him from licking his wounds, and pampered treatment in the post-op recovery room.

Because Bluto had an unusual condition, the price tag of this surgery was astronomical. I found a place about an hour from home that would do it at very little cost. I am always wanting to save a buck, so we took Bluto to this particular clinic. When we picked him up, they handed his leash to me and said, "see you later!" No pain medication, no cone, no instructions, no post-op recovery time. Poor Bluto.

Is this a foreshadowing? When Tobin breaks his arm playing football, am I going to refuse to take him to the hospital and instead hop a flight to Tijuana for some cheap, creative doctoring? Maybe-- depends on how much there is to save.

Bluto seems to be recovering well--despite my frugality.

Measley Mustaches

In the grand tradition of "Mustache March", Lance and his friends Jared and Ariel (yes, its not just a mermaid-- its also a boy's name), decided to have a mustache growing competition. The goal was to go the longest without shaving it. Winner (and spouse) get a nice dinner paid by the losers.

I was sure we had this in the bag. Lance is known for his lack of "facial-hair-growing" ability. And also, I love going out to eat (but hate paying for it.) Yes, if there was ever a competition designed for Lance and Kira Rasmussen, this was it!

I was definitely not prepared for the atrocity that was my husband's pubescent facial hair. And yet, I am very competitive and refused to allow him to shave it and lose the contest. Poor Lance. He was such a good sport.

The contest was ongoing throughout our trip to Utah and our friend's wedding. At the reception, my introductions went something like this, "This is my husband Lance...he's not a pervert...he's just in the middle of a mustache contest."

Last night we went to a party and saw Jared and Ariel. I was sure we were going to be witnessing a couple of bushy staches. I was shocked to see that their mustaches were as sparse and pathetic as Lance's! What are the chances of three 30 year-olds not being able to grow facial hair? There were a few guys at the party who had shaved just that morning that were hairier than the three contestants.

Short story long-- Lance and Jared shaved today giving in after just two weeks. Ariel Garcia is Mustache King. Congratulations, Ariel. I am just happy to have my handsome, clean shaven husband back.

Here are some pictures-- Be Warned... these are not for the faint hearted.

3 Measley Mustaches-- the last night of the contest (you may have to squint to pick out the facial hair)

Jared Filetti- Mustache Loser

Lance Rasmussen- Mustache Loser

Ariel Garcia- Mustache King!

Life Goals

I have been tagged with the topic: 10 Things I Want to do Before I Die. I think this is hilarious because this is exactly what Lance and I were talking about last night in bed.

Sometimes Lance wants to fall asleep before I do, and to "trick" him into conversation, I bring up these kinds of topics. Last night we talked for another hour and a half after he swore he was too
tired to do anything but sleep.

Anyway, back to the task at hand--

10 THINGS TO DO BEFORE I DIE (in no particular order):

Publish a book
Travel to Greece
See my kids sealed in the temple to amazing people
Have Grandkids
Go on a mission with Lance
Have a smoking hot body (which, lets face it, may require surgery)
Go scuba diving
Get my Master's Degree
Learn how to take beautiful pictures
Wear a fancy dress to a major awards show
( I never attended any high school dances, so I'm still waiting for my "big night")

Yeah, I know some of these are rather shallow-- just being honest. That was fun. I tag Jen and Heidi.

The Utah Rasmussens

The highlight of every trip out west is spending time with family. My kids had a blast with their aunts, uncles, cousins and Grandparents. Tobin took a particular liking to Grandpa Rasmussen and Zoie had been asking for Grandma ever since we gt home. Here are some pictures of the family:

Wedded Bliss

While in Utah, I was able to see my old roommate and one of my best friends sealed to the perfect guy (for her-- the perfect guy for her).

Catie is the kind of person who makes you laugh so hard that soda squirts from your nose on a regular basis. She is always ready to down some french fries and honey mustard at Friday's. She is, in part, responsible for Lance and I being married. She has no issues with picking up roadkill with her bare hands if a good prank will ensue. She wore an unflattering bridesmaid dress at my wedding with only minimal mocking. She and I lived together from the day I moved out to Utah until the day I married Lance. Everyone should have a friend like Catie. She is fun and amazing. I defy anyone to meet her and not love her. Its just not possible.

I was so happy to be able to spend time with her and our friend, Brooke. It was an unforgettable experience. Congratulations, Catie and Kyle!

Cafe Rio- 1, Willpower- 0

On December 1st, I gave up eating carbohydrates. No more bread, rice, pasta. Sayonara sugar. I can usually stick to this diet with minimal suffering and decent results.

In my Christmas stocking, I had sugar free candy. For New Years Eve, I drank Diet Ginger Ale in lieu of Martinellis. Valentine's Day brought buffalo wings instead of the traditional chocolates. I did not even bat an eye at Zoie's birthday cake. Heading out for our annual Utah trip, I was not the slightest bit concerned with being able to stick to my diet. I am Superwoman.

Enter Cafe Rio. I had envisioned this moment again and again. I would order a delicious chicken salad with no beans, no rice, no tortilla strips, and no delicious fried tortilla shell. I heard Lance order his usual Beef Burrito with rice and black beans-- served enchilada style with dripping cheese. As I opened my mouth to order my Atkins-friendly meal, out came the words, "I'll have the same."



Yeah-- I broke. I don't even have any regrets. It was way too delicious. Later that day, my friend Brooke bought me a Granny B's pink Sugar cookie. Also delicious.



Post- sugar cookie, I recovered and am back in a carb-less state. I am happy to report that I gained no weight over our vacaction.

Happiness Is...

Your kids sleeping on a transcontinental flight.

We traveled to Utah and and back last week. Managing two small children on long flights is a very real sort of torture. It did not help that, both on the way to and back from Utah, we spent our layover racing across the airport to catch our next flight. Yeah-- we were those people.

Some poor unsuspecting soul believes he has managed to get a row to himself when right before take-off, a horde of rag-tag travel-weary passengers board the plane bearing car seats and tired children with dirty diapers.

Somewhere between Chicago Midway Airport and Salt Lake International Airport-- some 36,000 feet in the air, Lance and I pinky swore that we would not have any more children. Sorry Mom and Dad-- but not that sorry.

Florida Winter

We have had a fabulous winter. We spent many afternoons at Busch Gardens and have spent many mornings running. I have enjoyed wearing jeans and 3/4 length sleeves.

We sent off winter with a traditional visit to see the manatees at our local power plant. I know how odd that sounds. Tampa Electric Company has a large power station on the bay and every winter it becomes inhabited by manatees. I have taken Zoie the last several years to see these huge sea cows. Its pretty cool. They usually leave the area mid-March, so I took the kids last week and we easily saw over fifty manatees. (I forgot my camera, so enjoy the stock photos!)

Now we are gathering our "warm" clothes and taking them off to Utah for a week. My hope and wish is that the weather will be seasonably warm (I literally do not own a single pair of shoes that have toes), but that we can find a patch of snow in the mountains to let the kids play in. They have never seen it.

My old college roommate and one of my best friends, Catie is getting married in the Provo temple this weekend. We are so excited to see her and our family and friends.

And I am now bidding adieu to winter because I have been laying out and getting a tan while my kids take a nap in the afternoons. We are transferring our Busch Gardens passes for Adventure Island-- a fun water park, and we are making plans to hit the beach this month. Good bye, winter-- we eagerly await your return.