Olympics Fever

We have a serious case of Olympics fever at the Carpenter Casa!  I have such vivid memories of being a child and watching Greg Louganis, Flo-Jo, Mary Lou Retton, and other amazing athletes make their Olympic dreams come true.  I remember watching the medal ceremonies and teasing my Mom because she would tear up every time that an American received a medal.

Fast forward to 2012...  My kids are glued to the TV when Michael Phelps is racing and love watching gymnastics.  Now I am the Mama who cries during the medal ceremonies.  The Fab Five winning the gold really got me!

There have been so many memorable moments already...  The legally blind archer from South Korea who set the world record.  How in the world???  Dana Vollmer winning the first USA gold medal of 2012.  Jordyn Weiber not qualifying to compete for an individual medal - I was heartbroken for her.  The Fab Five winning the gold!  Aly Raisman's parents watching her during qualifying - hilarious!  Gabby Douglas talking about how she "meditates on scripture" before competition - love her!  Michael Phelps becoming the most decorated Olympian ever.  The games have already been so amazing!  I'm so glad that we have another week to watch.  :)

My Hubs planned a super fun family night for the opening ceremonies.  I tease Wade about being "Fun Dad," but he really does come up with the best ideas.  He bought decorations, planned games, and bought fun prizes.  He made it such a fun night for all of us!

We all had silly hats to wear while we ate dinner in front of the TV.  :)

The first competition was Ping Pong Precision Pitch.  We had to bounce ping pong balls into cups of colored water.  The boys got way into this game!

Drew's was so funny whenever he made one into the cup.  He got soooo excited!

C-man's victory dance was pretty funny, too.  ;)

The second game consisted of trying to get a cut out of Wenlock and Mandeville (the 2012 Olympic mascots) across the finish line using only air.  The boys started out using a fan, but ended up just blowing the paper across.  Little Brother was the winner!

Owen was the line judge.  Ha!

I love how Owen is in the background craning his head forward to watch.  :)

The prizes for the first two games were a USA paddle ball and red, white, and blue glow sticks.

The third competition was Synchronized Snack Toss.  The boys took turns throwing Cheetos onto our shaving cream covered shower caps.  It was a definite crowd pleaser!

The grand prizes of the night were packs of Olympian trading cards.  So cool!  The boys stayed up extra late and watched the Parade of Nations at the end.  They lined up their cards and watched for their athletes as the USA walked out.  It was a fun finale to a super fun night.

We made some Olympic artwork for the mantle this week.  The boys used dixie cups dipped in paint to create Olympic themed canvases.  Then we painted paper plates, cut out the middle, and taped them to look like the Olympic rings.

I hope my boys will have very fond memories of the London 2012 Olympics.  :)