Memorial Day Flags

Oh my goodness, you guys, does it get any cuter than this?!  I really don't think it can.  They had their first official event with both of them as scouts... so incredibly cute to see them having something else to bond over.  We spent a couple hours at the Houston National Cemetery this afternoon raising flags.  Other people had come out earlier this morning to place the tiny flags on each grave but the scouts worked to raise large flags on poles that were placed all along the roads and paths throughout the cemetery.

The boys were such troopers even though it was incredibly hot.  Annie was too!  She clapped and said it was beautiful when the flags were finally flying! :)  It felt good to actually do something honoring veterans this year.  My boys were so respectful and serious about the task at hand.  I think it must have had quite an affect on Noah J cause this evening he told me he no longer wants to be soldier and instead wants to be a sea rescuer.  He's such a sensitive little thing - I just love his heart.

Camp Bovay - Part 1!

I just had to take a picture of Josh's first time in his official Den Leader gear!  If you had said to me 17 years ago when I first met Josh that we would get married,  have three babies and he would be a cub scout den leader I never would have believed you!  Not even a little bit.  He is the best.  For real.  :)

He took Noah J on his first ever overnight campout with his pack to Camp Bovay this weekend. We thought we would all go as a family, but we were told that Wyatt would not be able to participate in any of the activities.  We figured he would be so very sad so we decided that I would stay home with the two littles.  Wyatt got to spend the night with his grandma and grandpa and pretty much had his dream weekend, so that helped to ease the pain of Noah camping without him.  Check out our new instant tent... it really goes up in just a minute.  It is pretty great!  Noah called me Friday night telling me how excited he was to be camping right next to a beautiful lake. 

We really had no idea what to expect as far as the trip went, but he was thrilled cause he knew he might get to earn his BB Shooting Belt Loop.  Don't ya just love that little smooshy face?!  Josh took tons of pics for me since I had to miss it all.  So be warned!

They started off the day Saturday with a session on soccer.  Noah really loves soccer but hasn't played since we didn't join the YMCA group again this year.  You can see how much fun he had.  I just love all his smiles on the field. 

They finished that up with a game of kickball.  He seemed to really like that too.  Since we aren't part of school that has official PE classes he hadn't ever experienced kickball.  Ohh, I hated the pressure of kickball when I was a kid, LOL.  :)

I will have to say the scouts know exactly what little boys like cause their next activity was digging up fossils.  And his dig ended in the best way possible with a giant shark tooth! 

Blue and Gold Banquet!

 I think it would  be safe to say my boy is officially in love with scouting.  Most things he does for a little while, or just one season, and while he enjoys it, he doesn't want to continue.  But that is not the case with scouts!  He has told us he wants to be in scouts till he earns every single, badge, beltloop, and pin.  :)  Please swoon over his little toothless smile with me!

We weren't sure what to expect for the blue and gold banquet, since we are new to this scouting thing, but all the kids had a blast.  We were served dinner, so it was automatically a winner in my book.  The rest of the gang enjoyed it too. There was a dessert decorating contest, which we knew we simply MUST enter.  It was nice that they had a child decorated category and a family decorated category.  Noah and I brainstormed about what we should make and we decided on wolves, since that is what level he is at.

Aren't they adorable??!  I have to take absolutely no credit for them.  I followed the directions in this book I got for Christmas years ago.   It had directions for werewolves so we used that with gray icing and used a grass tip instead of what they recommended.  Noah was tickled pink with them!  I was so happy we were able to bring something he was really proud of.  AND they won for best family decorated and he got a Sonic giftcard, so that only sweetened the deal for him.  :)

They also had an awards ceremony and he got some new beltloops, some badges, and even a ribbon.  I was pleased about the ribbon cause earlier in the week he was lamenting about how he's never won a ribbon and it seems so wonderful. LOL

The biggest news scouting wise is that Josh will be his new den leader.  The original one is moving, the replacement had to quit because he will be traveling so much with his work schedule, and nobody else stepped up.  So Josh reluctantly took the job.  He is such a great dad and is actively involved in every scout meeting, but he really didn't want to have to plan it all.  Luckily he is married to a gal who loves planning!  I have already got the rest of the year all laid out.  Woo hoo!

Our First Raingutter Regatta

First of all, I can hardly stop myself from referring to this as a regatta gala, ala Rachel from Friends.  I must have practiced "raingutter regatta" in my head a hundred times.  :)  Second, isn't he just adorable?!  There is not much cuter than a little boy in a cub scouts uniform.  We just joined this year and he really loves it.  For those of you that don't know this is an event most packs have each year.  They give each boy a kit for a boat and then they come race them against each other in a rain gutter filled with water.  Noah immediately declared he wanted his to be a pirate ship with cannons.  I was not sure how that would work out but Josh had the great idea to cut the mast that we didn't use to turn into cannons.  Check out how adorable it came out!

Noah helped cut it, sand it, and painted it.  He even did the shopping at Hobby Lobby for the paint and stickers.  It was fun to do something together with just him.  We used these instructions to alter it to a catamaran design and it was so fast!  He was pretty nervous about racing it but he did great.

He actually won 18 races, tied 1, and lost 1.  I think that is an amazing record for your first time!!  Of course Wyatt had an excellent time too, playing with Melissa.  They are so adorable playing together each Tuesday.  She even packs him snacks!  :) 

He even got to race the ship once before we left!

And Annie did was Annie always does..... runs around and is as troublesome as possible!

Now I guess we have to look forward to the car race thing next!