a dad's derby duty

a father's inherent obligation and duty, one that he probably looks forward to with intermingled senses of fear, excitement, and a little competitive edge, has presented itself before paul earlier than he or i expected: helping carson build a winning pinewood derby car (for a ward activity this saturday).

it took the majority of last saturday morning (after carson woke up every day during that week, rubbing his eyes, clutching his car kit, and asking first thing, "is dis duh day daddy and i can build my car?" only to be sorely disappointed to find paul already gone to work). i think it was worth the wait, though: carson is in love. he carries that car everywhere, drives it around, cradles it in his arms, finds "safe" places for it to park while he's gone, etc. he plays with it so much that paul and i are actually a little worried it won't make it until the race in two days. dah well.

p.s. carson's love for this car is happy and heart-warming and stuff, but the best, for me, was watching paul re-enter childhood with his son while sawing, sanding, building, painting, adding more windows and racing stripes, and otherwise perfecting the car...whose "finished" product kept getting more intense (the fabulous end result actually isn't shown here). carson couldn't have been more thrilled with his cool dad and his sweet skills. i love my boys.

p.p.s. do you like how un-involved carson looks in these photos? he did help, really. :)

p.p.p.s. note to self: when i'm old and gray and am looking for one of my children to take care of me, i'll simply grow 4 wheels, paint myself blue, and viola! instant t.l.c. from my firstborn.