The Amazing Race 2

Remember last year, when we threw the Amazing Race Party?  We decided it was so much fun it should be an annual tradition. Last summer we did it in August. This summer, I decided to do it a bit earlier, thinking August is usually crazy busy for us (and totally neglecting the fact that June is equally crazy). We decided that the same gnome should be used as the prize this year, and every year he'll just remain at the winner's house. (Katie added the mustache, isn't it awesome?) 

Anyway, if you don't know how the Amazing Race works, google it. It's a pretty awesome show, and usually it coincides with game week. (Which I told the boys we might not have this year, so they all put a game on their summer bucket list to force me into it anyway.) But, I thought since it's so hot here in the summer, I could put it with water week (which is always Peyton's birthday/Fourth of July week), and just make the events water related. 

Each team designed their own plate for the race (you'll see how these come into play in just a second). 

It's little Kevin's first Amazing Race Party! He missed it last year by like a week, because, you know, he wasn't born yet. I'm pretty sure next year he can totally compete. 

So, we put out all the plates (though there's one here for a would-be team of Katie and Justin and they ended up sitting out this year). Katie had to watch the baby, and Justin took pictures for me (and he got some GREAT ones!) so it all worked out. Oh, and we've got that sweet Bucs plate that Justin drew now too, since he left it for us. 

And the backyard was set for the race... 

...although I will say it would be nice to have a little bigger of a backyard for this. 

Each leg of the race has three parts: The Route Info (which is in those fun tear open envelopes just like the real amazing race! Those tell you how to get from one place to another), a Detour (a choice between two tasks), and a Roadblock (one team member is to perform). 

I explained each route card was just a water relay. You got the water from the big red bucket to the cup on your plate. Once you were above the last line on your cup you could move on to the detour. 

We made this little course out of pvc pipe, pool noodles, and hula hoops that you had to manuver with your water before you arrived at your cups. 

The four teams: Tracy and little Johnny, Asa and Hayden, Kevin and Angela, and Calib and Peyton. 

On my go, they got to rip open their envelopes and they found this card. 

So everyone used their dixie cups to fill up their cups at the end of the course on their team plates. 

Once completed, they moved on to their first detour. 

Detours are a choice between two tasks. 

Here you could either go with "toss the water" 

Or pureed lunch

The teams read their cards, and made a decision. 

Everyone except Calib and Peyton chose the Pureed lunch. It was just baby food (and the fruit kind, so it wasn't that gross!) 

Calib and Peyton went with toss the water. 

Poor Calib got more water on his shirt than in his bucket. 

Next up is the roadblock. 

In this task one team member had to get three marbles out of the baby pool using only their toes. 

Once completed, the teams made their way to the pit stop mat. Some day what I really want is a real Amazing Race mat. I think they make them for your front door. But, in the meantime, the kitchen rug will have to do. 

Kevin and Angela arrived first, followed by Asa and Hayden, then Tracy and Johnny, and finally Calib and Peyton. 

However, it was a non-elimination round. 

The seconod leg starts with another route card. But, with staggered times depending on where you finished in the first round. In this round, teams had cups that were cracked and would leak. 

The detour this round gave them the choice between two tasks....

Marshmallow Launchers... 

.,..Or the penny drop (thanks for bringing all the change, Crandalls!)

Everyone chose the penny drop.... 

Except Tracy and little Johnny, they went with the marshmallow launchers. (Which were time consuming, and difficult-- but FUN!) 

The road block was trying to get a beach ball into the pool ring in the middle of the baby pool. 

Kevin and Angela again came in first (giving them a 7 second lead in the next round), then Asa and Hayden, followed by Calib and Peyton. Tracy and little Johnny came in last, and were eliminated. (I love this picture Justin caught, it's so funny!) It was a very good effort by the Davis's though. I mean, come on, he's 6, and he held his own! Next year, look out for them! And don't feel too bad, little Johnny had lots of fun after the race and got to take home all kinds of things from the race. 

The next round the teams had sponges to use to fill their cups. 

The detour was a choice between alka-selzer necklaces (which I can't believe I didn't take a picture of, they were awesome-- but HARD to make, Asa broke like 10 tablets before he was able to successfully drill holes in the middle of them). 

And popcorn shoes. I just taped some rubber bands to the bottom of some cups that you could put on your feet. 

Two teams went with the alka seltzler necklaces. (Which were SO fun, I used the extras after the race to have a 'war' with Angela to see who could get the other's alka seltzer to fall first). 

Calib and Peyton went with the popcorn shoes. 

The roadblock for this leg was racing with rubber ducks by using squirt guns to get your duck across the slip n slide. 

Asa killed this one, and he and Hayden finished first in this round. 

It proved too much for Calib and Peyton to overcome their 3rd place finish the leg before... 

And they were eliminated (another good picture from Justin). 

For the last leg, we had two teams remaining. 

Asa and Hayden got a five second head start in the next leg. 

Their route cards told them about the pool noodle arms they would be using to transport the water. 

The last detour game them the choice between two tasks... 

Pudding Pictionary.. 

Or water slingshots.. 

Asa and Hayden went with the pudding Pictionary... 

While Kevin and Angela went with the water slingshots. 

I thought the last roadblock would be difficult. I froze little plastic fish in balloons (so it looked like an egg) and they had to get the fish out of the egg. 

I'm sorry to report pre-race I forgot to take a picture of the eggs, but they were in the cooler with a bag of ice as to not melt during the race. 

Asa threw the fish egg on the ground and it shattered immediately. 

Yup, that's the fish alright. 

And while Kevin and Angela were still trying to get a ball in the bowl with their slingshots, Asa and Hayden raced to the mat. They were the winners! (After being out first last year, Hayden was VERY excited.) 

So, the gnome will live here for the next year. We'll have to add something to him too. 

But, I this year second place got a prize too, a smaller second place gnome! 

It's the second year in a row Kevin and Angela have come in second. 

After the race, the kids (sans Peyton who doesn't like to get wet in his clothes, or messy) played on the slip n slide. They also played with the remaining fish eggs, and Angela and I used the last two alka seltzer necklaces. 

But then things got a little out of hand. I mean, there was water everywhere, and bowls and buckets and squirt guns, what's a kid to do? It was lots of fun, though. 

Things got a little out of hand when the ice from the coolers and the pudding got involved. But it was FUN. And, we've had lots of birds in our yard eating up the popcorn that was everywhere. 

Eventually, they hosed off and came inside. 

Katie and I worked on cleaning up the back yard a little (I really should have taken a picture it was a MESS, sorry neighbors!) while Kevin, Calib, and Asa went out to get dinner. 

Calib won six person spy alley, and everyone played wits and wagers. 

There were fuzzy navels, and pvc pipe tennis rackets, a few light sabers, and Minecraft. All in all, a nice day, so thanks for coming everyone. 

A couple of words to the wise. If you're doing this... one, it's way more work than it looks like (but it is fun to do), also maybe don't let pudding sit on your table/chairs/glass doors in the Florida sun for a few hours, but thanks Justin for helping get all that taken care of. 

It was a super busy preparation week for me since I last blogged. Not only did I have the Amazing Race to worry about, but the Waterstraut Olympics is just around the corner, and I did two presidents birthday's to boot. 

But, we have had a few other things going on this week. In an effort to save our plants from aphids, we ordered some lady bugs. 

Maybel was quite interested in them. 

We set them free.. 

and we have a few that stuck around to eat all the aphids. Hopefully it'll help our plants. 

I changed out our June birthday to our July birthdays.. 

And we had a very good mail day. 

Not only did we get our picture in picture picture (don't ask me why Hayden looks confused in the picture, that's how he wanted to pose.) 

Asa's diploma came in the mail!

So, mom offered to foot the bill for dinner out to celebrate. The boys were a little wound up. 

We decided to go to Lee Roy Selmons, and Asa got a margarita. 

The boys got some serious big dinners and they ate nearly all of it. I've never seen Peyton eat that much in my life. 

This looks like Asa got a HUGE dinner, but it's actually the dinner for two, we shared. 

And there was desert. Nobody could decide  between bread pudding or peach cobbler, so we got both!

And Asa had another margarita. 

The best part about dinner, besides the food of course, is the hot towels they bring you at the end to clean up. Hayden loved them. Thanks again, mom. We had a great time! 

Saturday was Super Saturday around here. Since we're finishing up our 'summer' schedule, there wasn't much to go on. 

I'm pretty sure this is when Peyton figured out the 'sorry not sorry' category was math. 

Asa, as always was our host. 

The fun part was Calib's $500 question on the Fendersons. You might remember, Calib was paid off to help Casey Fenderson escape in Africa. Later, the agents were informed that SOMEONE was paid off for the escape. But, despite arguing and accusing, nobody knew who (except Calib of course). 

So, for the $500 question Calib had the chance to finally own up. AND HE DID. His brother's were angry... 

...And it was hilarious. 

The yelling went on for like ten minutes. Calib just kept shouting "I got paid to do it, and I'd do it again!" 

We'll be doing some water week activties this week (although we've had a very rainy morning), and of course we have Peyton's birthday, our 3rd of July Disney trip, and the fourth of July Waterstraut Olympics this week, but the first part of the week is pretty open. 

However, what Peyton said he REALLY wanted to do for his birthday (besides stay home, he HATES the holiday crowds), was for the whole family to stay up all night. In an effort not to have Peyton sleeping through half his birthday, or Asa working being totally exhausted, we'll be doing that tonight. Everyone is super excited. And Peyton told me I was not allowed to do work at all during the all nighter, after I suggested I could work on some president's birthdays. 

Up Next: Peyton is about to be a TEENAGER!

 (In all fairness, so far, I like the teenage years. Calib's made it easy on us and there's no indication Peyton will be any different.)