Pinewood Derby 2008 and earning a Bear

Another year has passed which means it is Pinewood Derby time again. I remember as a child that this was a very special time of year. My older brother, Shawn, would spend hours on his car for this Cub Scout annual event. And now, as a mother, we look forward to Pinewood Derby time every year.

First, let me say that Cayden is fully in charge of this project. We order the car and supervise, but Cayden is in charge of most everything else. He brought me a drawing of his car weeks and weeks ago. This year? A basketball car. Rob showed him how to sand it down, measure the right weight, and caulk it. Cayden also spray painted his car all by himself and did a fantastic job! Rob helped him get the wheels on and I helped him with the lines on the car and we were done.

We had a little pressure this year because Cayden took first place last year. We kept reminding him that it didn't matter if he won again, it just mattered that he was a good sport and that he had fun. That is one thing I admire and love about Cayden. He really does find joy in seeing joy in others. He would have been just as happy and excited if his best buddies Ben or Ethan would have won.

We also let the girls do a car, just for fun. No cutting, sanding, caulking, etc. They get a block of wood on wheels and they get to paint it and decorate it. This seems to be enough for them.

I would be lying if I didn't say that it for sure helps that Cayden has a dad who is an engineer. He does have a few extra ideas and "tricks" that help. But most of all, they have fun working on it together which is what it is all about.

So, we had the big event tonight. We were a little nervous because at the last minute, something happened to one of the axels on the car and it seemed to slow it down a little. But in the end, Cayden won again. He was a really good sport and a humble winner. He showed genuine happiness and excitement and interest in the other boys' cars. I was very proud of him. We were also very proud of him because he earned his "Bear" achievement tonight. He has only been in the bear den for 6 months but has worked really hard to earn his "Bear". He also has great scout leaders, the Sweets, who have been great to help him. It was a special evening for Cayden and our family.

The beginning stages - sanding, caulking, etc.

The two Pinewood Derby experts!

Ashlee's Car

McKell's Car

McKell loved watching Cayden do his car

The car is all sanding, prepped, and ready to paint

Cayden painted his car all by himself and did a GREAT job!
It was shiny and smooth and looked terrific!

Cayden with his cool Basketball car

FIRST PLACE! Way to go champ! It was a close race for sure, but Cayden pulled out the 1st place win for 2008!