Court of Honor

 Caleb had his first Board of Review tonight and went to his first Court of Honor.  He earned his Tenderfoot, 2nd Class, and 1st Class.  We are so proud of all his hard work.  We're also grateful for his great leaders who have also worked hard to help him get to this point. 

 I sat next to the Cub master, who happens to also be the wife of Caleb's current scout leader, and she just couldn't stop talking about how great Caleb is, and that he is already showing his leadership. 

She sat in on the Board of Review and said that her husband was getting choked up as he introduced Caleb to the others in the room. 

Boy Scouts

Here is Caleb the first night he went to 11 year old scouts.  He had scouts on a Wednesday night, and then on Friday he went on his first campout.  He kept saying he could hardly believe that he had only been to scouts once and then was going on a campout.  He was a little nervous, but mostly excited.  He went to Heber Valley Camp with all the scouts from our ward and had a blast.  They stayed in cabins and went sledding.  He came home exhausted and went straight to his room and slept for a while.  He has also helped to collect food for the Scouting for Food drive. 

Blue and Gold Banquet and Arrow of Light

 Last month at Pack Meeting Caleb earned his Arrow of Light!  We were so proud of him for all of his hard work to earn it.  The cub master had arranged for a special ceremony to present it to him.  This man asked Caleb a lot of questions, and Caleb did a great job.  He also built the bridge to pass from Cub Scouts onto Boy Scouts.  He had to know the Scout law because the planks on the bridge had the values of the scout law on them, and only fit the bridge if they are in the correct order.  It was a very special night for Caleb! 

With the new cub master Debby

Practicing knots

Parker earned his Wolf Badge!

Pinewood Derby 2014

Caleb with his Pinewood Skateboard

 Keith helped the boys with their pinewood derby vehicles again this year.  Caleb wanted a skateboard, which is funny because this is his 3rd, and probably last pinewood derby, but he never made a traditional car.  The first year he made a truck, then last year he had a big jeep. 

Parker showing off his 2nd place medal with his BYU car

 I wasn't able to go this year because Alyssa was sick that day, but Keith took all the boys.  Keith said that most of the cars were very fast this year.  Caleb didn't place as high as he has in previous years, but he showed great maturity and good sportsmanship.  We are proud of them and glad for the chance they had to work on them with Keith.  Parker was especially excited to get to make a car after watching Caleb the past two years. 

 

Caleb's skateboard was so light that they had to add a lot of weight to it to get it closer to the weight limit.  In this picture you can see all the weights on the bottom of it.  He still didn't have enough weight, so Caleb suggested they add screws to the top which made it look even more realistic as a skateboard.  Smart boy!

Highlights

Parker modeling his new robe

This week Parker said to me that he never wanted to go to a fancy restaurant again.  He said he does not like it because of all the fine food.  He just likes food like chicken nuggets and french fries.  He also doesn't like fancy restaurants because of all the rules.  I wonder if he will change his mind as he grows?

Today I asked my kids to get dressed for church.  Spencer went up to his bedroom and got his church pants out of his drawer.  I was so impressed that he found the right pants to wear.  He will frequently empty his pants drawer, but today I was a proud mama when he retrieved the one pair he needed today.

Yesterday I took Spencer and Alyssa out back to play in the snow.  They had a great time.  I did not take the time to hunt down boots and snow pants for Spencer, so we did not stay out very long because he was wet and cold.  He cried when I brought him back inside.  He has learned how to climb the ladder and slide down the slide on his stomach, and he loves it.  He did learn to wear mittens after falling on his bare hands a few times.  

I took Spencer to the doctor for a checkup this week. He is 19 lbs. 7 oz and 30.5 inches long.  He is extremely smart and has figured out how to get into almost everything.  He pushes chairs all around the kitchen to he can get into even more things.  He watches closely, and learns by watching his older siblings. 

Nearly every day when Keith gets home from work, Spencer rushes to the door as soon as he hears it open.  Then Spencer likes to go to the refrigerator with Keith, get out a cutie, open the garbage can while Keith peels it, then go to the table to eat some.  He will be sad when cuties aren't in season anymore.  It doesn't seem to matter that I have usually just fed Spencer a snack,  he loves to have a snack with Keith. 

I registered Alyssa for kindergarten.  She was so excited to go!  The parents stayed in the lunchroom while the kids went with the kindergarten teachers to the music room.  I was glad that she went with a couple of friends from church and a boy in her preschool class without any problems. 

Guarding her door because she did not want me to come in!

Today I sat with a friend at church.  She helped with my kids since Keith was not there today.  She even brought fruit snacks for my kids!  At the end of the meeting she thanked me for letting her sit with us.  I was grateful that she was there with us.


My neighbors asked me to shorten a prom dress.  At first I thought I would be able to do a rolled hem, and that it would be easy.  After experimenting on a small piece of fabric, I realized I would not be able to do it on my serger.  I started to panic Thursday because I did not know how to make it work.  After some consultation with my sister, silent prayers, and Internet searches I realized I could use my regular machine with a narrow, short zig zag stitch.  It turned out great, and my neighbor looked great in the dress.

I have realized since I started sewing more in the past few years, that I pay more attention to how clothing is constructed.  I also get a little frustrated buying clothes in the store because I think how I would change it if I just made it myself, or how easy it would be to make myself. 

Today at church new den leaders were called.  We think they will be for the Bears.  Caleb is excited because he has not had a den leader since he turned 9. 

Pinewood Derby

Caleb has been involved in Cub Scouts since March, and is really enjoying all of the activities.  He was especially excited to participate in his first Pinewood Derby.  He decided that he wanted to make a pickup truck.  Keith helped Caleb build his car.  They did a great job because Caleb won the Pinewood Derby!  Caleb does not like to lose, so I was trying to prepare him before that his truck might not be the fastest vehicle.  He was so excited watching his truck race down the track, and realize that it was faster than all the cars.  He loved spending time with Keith learning how to use some of the tools in the garage.