Go Scouts

This summer I was able to attend the Scout Day Camp in our area. I am a cub scout leader (yet to get my lovely shirt) and am thoroughly enjoying spending this time with Bryce. This was my first Day Camp and it was so much fun! Hot...but fun ;)

They had the Jr ROTC there to take the kids through an obstacle course which I think the kids had the most fun. They learned about safety and had team building exercises. I was so glad to be able to attend and can't wait til next year...GO SCOUTS!!!

Bryce working is way through the course. So proud of him!!!

During the team building exercises they had to get these boards across the "hot lava" and then bring there team across. Bryce ended up knocking his nose on the board and tried to be so brave and not cry in front of the other boys. He asked me for a hug so that he could hide his tears and when he felt better he turned around and tried again. I was so proud of him and was even more thankful that he still wants my hugs in public, lol.

Nicole (another leader) and I roped in to helping the boys assemble their first aid kits...

and yes I did end up with a sunburn on the backs of my arms and neck, great fun!

Scouting

With Bryce turning the big "8" he is now able to attend scouts. He has been so excited to go...especially when I was called to be a cub scout assistant. Every time I told him about our activities his eyes would light up and he would ask how long until he would get it go.

The day finally came and after outfitting him at the scout store (who knew that was going to cost so much) we headed to scouts. He had so much fun being able to hang out with the other boys and just do boy things. Being sandwiched between the girls can get a little to "girly" for him sometimes. Not that he complains or anything. After the activity he was so pumped up and excited that he came right home and started working on his Bobcat award. Needless to say he passed it off that night which meant I would experience my first pack meeting.

I have only been in Scouts for a few months, but every time a pack meeting would roll around I had prior engagements that I couldn't get out of. Added to the fact that I had no brothers growing up the scouting world is a whole new experience every time I attend. With Bryce, and the rest of the family in tow, we arrived at the church just in time. And I must say we all had a lot of fun. Our Cub Scout Master is such a hoot and I just love her!!! She made the whole thing so much fun and Bryce was all smiles! When it came his turn to be welcomed into the pack she really made him feel special and he was all over that!

Then it came time for him to be awarded his Bobcat and that was awesome! As his leader I got to help with the painting of his face...

and then stay up there so that he could pin me! That was a fun little surprise for me!!

I must say that I don't really understand the whole scouting world yet, but I'm starting to see how it really effects these boys for the better...especially Bryce! He needs this and everything that it can offer. So yay for the scouting program and all the fun years ahead of us!!!

Blessings, Birthdays and Baptisms (part 4)

Well we rounded out the week with the greatest event of all...Bryce's baptism. 

He was so excited...as was Noah (who that he was getting baptized as well). I told him that he could have anybody he wanted help out for his special day and wouldn't ya know it...he wanted me to give a talk. I was happy to do this for him and thankfully it was a talk on Baptism so I wasn't too worried about that one :)

Papa J helped by giving the opening prayer and along with Uncle Ron served as the witnesses for the Baptism. Along with my talk I recited this little poem and then gave each of them (he shared his baptism with his friend Neal) a copy and their very own white towel. Here's the handout I designed for each of the boys:

After we all headed back to the house for a BBQ and swimming celebration (ya know with the pool still warm from the birthday party) We all a great time, but Bryce especially. He truly felt loved and we truly feel blessed to be able to have him in out little family. Congrats Bryce!!!

Blessings, Birthdays and Baptisms (part 3)

In our home every other year is a Birthday Party year. And I know it sounds crazy, but I have all the kids on the same year so that on the off years it's nothing but simple family fun. Well this year is the party year and Bryce's was first up. He originally wanted to have kind of a beach party theme, but that seemed a little broad so I asked him to narrow it down and this is what he came up with:

Courtesy of a cute little store on Etsy, but I can't remember which one right now! I'll find it and let you all know ;)

I had all of these grand ideas and ordered a lot of it off the Internet and as usual my luck always runs out and pretty much nothing was delivered on time. Go figure!!! Thankfully I'm getting really good at improvising ;)

I made Shark sugar cookies and cupcakes (which were supposed to have little plastic sharks in them...didn't come) but at least they had blue (ocean) frosting ;)

First the crowd frosted/decorated cookies while we waited for guests to arrive...

Next we played a little toss the shark for some fun shark inspired prizes...

I found these cute little hammerhead sharks at Target that were just perfect for this!!

Then we headed to the pool to cool off and have some fun! We actually heated the pool and it was a refreshing 92 degrees by party time. Just perfect for this April day!!!

Bryce was having so much fun and made sure I came up with a lot of water games to play. We had swimming races, holding your breath, etc. It was super cute to watch him with all of his little buddies. He is such a quiet little kid that it always amazes me to see him interact with his friends.

Afterwords we rounded the kids up for some cupcakes and presents.

And luckily the UPS man showed up early and delivered the grand finale. I really would have been upset if this little guy didn't make it.

All in all it was a great party and according to Bryce...the best day ever!!! So worth the frustration!!!

Blessings, Birthdays and Baptisms (part 2)

Tuesday brought Bryce's 8th birthday. I can't believe he is that old...he is growing up so fast. He has such a quiet sweet spirit about him and brings so much to our little family. Though he is not fan of cleaning his room, he really loves to take out the trash and for some reason to scrub the toilets. Which for me is a trade off worth having ;) We really wanted to make a big deal out of this Birthday and really went out of our way for him. We started the morning with some very special pancakes which I think The Hubby had more fun making them then eating them ;)

Bryce was so excited to bring treats to school to celebrate his birthday. They always do this cute little thing to celebrate and I love watching it. It really makes the kids feel so special and it's something I know he'll always remember. Afterwards Noah and I helped Bryce pass out his store bought Sugar Cookies.

 Luckily I was able to talk him into store bought since I was spending the day surprising him with this:

Sharks were the theme this year and I really had fun making this little guy. Bryce was over the moon when he saw it and I was happy to see his big smile :) Later that evening we had family over and celebrated together. It was very fun and Bryce was so surprised when he was given a DSI. We had always told him that if he wanted one he would have to earn it on his own. Well two years later he was still trying to earn the money and I couldn't bear to watch him wish for it any longer.

It was such a great day and Bryce really felt the love that surrounded him! Happy Birthday, Bryce!!!