Pinewood Derby.....

This is our very first experience with the annual pinewood derby held by the scouts. Well, the first for Ethan. Shawn has been doing this since he was a boy. After witnessing the planning, making, and racing of the car, I've come to the conclusion that this activity is made for the men. There was many a night when Shawn was alone in the room greasing up the wheels with Ethan no where in sight. Ethan watched as Shawn painted the racing stripes along the back and sides. I do have to say that it was one fancy car. Ethan chose the design online and called it "The Missile".

Because Shawn is one of the leaders, he was in charge of sending the cars down the ramp. Anyone that knows Shawn understands his lack of facial expressions. He's pretty hard to read seeing that he has the same look on his face whether he is at a funeral or Disneyland. However, I've been around him long enough to see how he feels in his eyes. I watched him close as Ethan's car continued to place first in each heat. I could tell that he wanted to scream "wahoo" at the top of his lungs while throwing happy punches into the air. I captured a rare glimpse into his feelings with the camera. If you notice his slight smile and the way he's holding his hands you should be able to tell his inner-child was whooping it up.

I was proud of his composure as Ethan won 1st place over-all. Ethan won a plaque and a box of twix candy bars. When we arrived at home Ethan handed Shawn half the box of candy bars and said, "You did most of the work dad, so you deserve this prize." Shawn spent the next 30 minutes trying to explain to Ethan how much work he actually had helped with. Good work Shawn. I mean Ethan. Well done, well done.