After a mostly sleepless night, (too much fun and chatting to sleep)we started the day with a pancake breakfast. The "Opening Ceremonies" were complete with the singing of the National Anthem and introduction of the racing teams.
We worked on "Cousin Conundrums" (brain teasers/puzzles) while waiting for the races to begin. There was a cousin name word search, a cousin b-day crossword, and a cousin order sort (placing each cousin in the order in which they came into the family.) These were fun and a good way to get to know our cousins even better. Especially our "new" cousins that were just married into the family.
It was time for the official weigh in of the derbies. Each team captain was in charge of making sure their cars did not exceed the 5 ounce official weight. All kinds of weights and adjustments were made to the cars to get them ready to race.
Off to the races! Each car competed in several heats; against different derbies, on different lanes of the track. The kids were generally good natured and good sports about how their cars were doing. This was supposed to be all about fun, right?!
When it started to rain, the party was moved inside for sack lunches. As the rain continued, we moved the party to the nearby church, for more fun and more games.
The first of the games was called, "Roadkill Pick Up". The kids raced to see how fast they could pick up the "dead" (stuffed) animals and put them in their cart and make it back to the finish line. Next were "Go-kart Races". With a partner, you raced against time to weave in and out of the cones and make it to the finish line. "Spare Parts Shopping," was the next game. Each person quikcly found the "spare parts" in a box full of newspaper. -The car key was the hardest to find and proved to be a time killer almost every time. If it got stuck in the wadded up newspaper or in the bottom flap of the box, significant and precious seconds ticked away. This was quite upsetting and frustrating for some racers.
Next, we had a yummy BBQ dinner. We enjoyed hamburgers, hotdogs, salads, fruits, veggies, chips and cake for dessert.
We also played "Baby Who?", where we had to guess who the baby cousin was, in the picture. This proved to be challenging with 29 cousins! (Number 30 and 31 are on their way.)
Lastly, we had "Closing Ceremonies". Each racer was presented with a certificate and each team a candy trophy. The "Champion Racer" of the day, was Adam (4 years old). His car was the fastest and won the most races of all. His mom said that when making the cars at home, he actually had to be talked into "wanting" that car. None of her boys wanted that car. Poor little derby had to prove it's self worthy of wanting.
Thanks to Cathy and Nate for all their planning, hard work and wonderful hosting. The Cousin Party was a success and so much fun.
