Mini Indy 2016

Mini Indy was so much fun this year.  I was able to be a lot more involved this year now that Mia's a little older and grandma and grandpa Ogden were here to babysit.  So Thursday morning Marsha watched Mia while I went with Randy to help time the pit stop races.  Some of the teams do it just for fun but most of them are pretty serious racers so we had to be right on with that stop watch. :)  Each time lined up and ran down a lane to their car where they changed drivers, put their seat belt on, changed the front tire and raced back across the line.  Only one lady fell and other than being embarrassed, she was fine.

Alex got to come with me because just as I was about to leave, he called me from school to tell me that his teacher thought he had pink eye and he needed to come home.  I knew he didn't have pink eye because at soccer practice the night before, he got dirt kicked into his eye and it was just irritated.  But instead of arguing with the teacher about it, I picked Alex up and took him with me.  He enjoyed hanging out with mom and dad and watching the races.  This pic isn't the best because the sun was so bright & made it blurry but it's the only one I got.

My cute assistant 

Thursday night, we dropped the kids off with grandma and grandpa Ogden and went to the Dixie Center for dinner and to help judge the "show" cars for Mini Indy.  Some teams use the same car for the race and show car but some teams definitely go all out.  I wish they would have let me take pictures of some of them because some were really creative.  We had a panel of 5 of us judging and each team brought their car out to be judged and to be judged on their costumes and everything.  It was all automated on a spreadsheet and we had to give a point value for each of the 25 categories so it was a pretty involved judging.  There was a full-on Scooby Doo van and characters, Where's Waldo, a couple of the Marvel superheros and some other really creative themes.  I was quite impressed.  It was a pretty fun date night for Randy and I...especially because we don't get date nights very often.  The even raised a little over $80,000 for Dixie's United Way so it was a success and hopefully it won't be taken away next year.

Friday morning, the boys went up to the old airport with Randy to watch the races while Mia and I came up later.  We got there just in time to watch the parachuters jump our of the helicopter with the American flag.  They always play "I'm Proud To Be An American" while it's coming down then to the National Anthem and it always give me goose bumps.

Alex watching the flag parachute down

So awsome!

NASCAR's Kevin Harvick's car

They had a race simulator there for the kids to try out and I think the boys did it at least 7 times throughout the day. :)  

Alex couldn't see over the huge steering wheel very well :)

Halen is a more cautious driver

The simulator screen

Mia needed a little help pushing the pedal and steering but she had fun

I was going to work in pit row again for the first time since Halen was born but they had a team drop out so they didn't need me which was ok because then I got to sit with the kids and hang out.  We like watching daddy work the pits though looking all official in his orange vest. :)  

I really should get pictures of the amazing lunch they serve every year.  They had a BBQ cook off and there's some REALLY good food and drinks that these guys put together for us.  If you leave hungry it's your own fault. :)

The "Marshmallow Man" is there every year but Mia never wants to get in the pic with him :(

It was a really good day.  The kids got to miss school, the weather wasn't too hot or cold, we got lots of yummy food and watched some fun races. Hopefully we get to do it again next year.