He Shall Direct Thee for Good

It was our third annual Eleven-year-old day camp and we decided to switch it up a little bit this time. Our theme was "He Shall Direct Thee for Good" and was all about finding direction in our lives. Spencer and Noah came with me to help out this year and I was so grateful they were there.

The boys and their leaders checked in at the Brimhall Ranch in Florence around noon.

They were given instructions for the day and signed the Buddy Pledge and Leave No Trace Pledge.

We are always blessed to be supported by our Priesthood leaders. President McClellan is our rock.

The most fun part of the day is always lunch on the Boulders. The boys have a blast exploring the cracks and crevices.

We gathered for the opening ceremonies and were paid a visit by Joseph Smith.

Brother Woods' preparation, both spiritually and physically, was evident. His delivery of the Joseph Smith story was so moving, so inspiring.

The boys were mesmerized as he talked about following Moroni's instructions and finding the golden plates.

My favorite part is when they boys each get to take a turn carrying the plates. It is always so spiritual to me.

As we came down from the hill, we were met by Lehi coming out of his tent.

Brother Eyring spoke about the Liahona and how we will be directed for good if we listen and are obedient to God's commandments.

Cute boys doing the opening flag ceremony.

Then it was time to get to work. The boys did some hard requirements while they were at day camp. Brother and Sister Roundy put them through their paces (literally) as they taught them to use a compass and complete a mile-long course.

Sister Marie Russell and her sweet family came and spent the day with us at the ranch. She and her husband taught the Geocaching merit badge with great success! It was a favorite class.

The boys were elated to each find a liahona zipper pull to put on their scriptures in their geocache. So cool.

Then it was time for the traditional hayride and tour of the ranch. President Brimhall and his wife Sherie guided it this year. What a treat!

A few lucky boys got to ride the Gator! Sister Brimhall is so cute buzzing around in that thing.

Recipes are all about following directions, right? We threw in a cooking class in the middle of the day so the boys could make a snack to eat. Cameron Wells (MaryAnn's son) taught them all how to make a baked banana s'more. Fun!

And they were all responsible to make their own dutch oven dessert, too. You can't beat chocolate cake!

Before dinner, each patrol showed their patrol flag and shared their patrol yell. I always love this part. It always makes me smile. These are "the Russells": get it? Russell from the movie "Up?"

Despite a few blown fuses, it was finally time for dinner. Niki always outdoes herself and keeps our tummies happy. She is the queen of cooking for a group.

President McClellan, Sister Brimhall, President Brimhall.

Me, MaryAnn, and Niki. I love these girls with all my heart.

President McClellan spoke at the closing campfire about the brother of Jared and how he sought and received direction from the Lord. A perfect ending to a great day. I love Scouts.

Kindergarten at the Zoo

I got to be a chaperone for Isaac's Kindergarten class when they went on their highly-anticipated field trip to the Phoenix Zoo. The excitement was uncontained as they lined up to get on the school bus that would take them to the zoo.

Isaac's little group had so much fun together, exploring the farm area, brushing the goats, and playing at the playground.

It was such a windy day! One little boy in our group just kind of shut down and when he couldn't handle it anymore, started to cry. We tried to comfort him and I even carried him around but it wasn't until later that the teacher told us he has a serious wind phobia! We wished we had known.

The other kids had  a great time, though! They LOVED seeing the komodo dragons, the black bear, the silly monkeys, and the giraffes. It was just so thrilling for them and Isaac has talked about it for days. I need to take him back more often!

Cool Beans

Noah's experiment for his advanced science class this year was called "Cool Beans." He investigated the effect of seed planting depth on the percentage of seed germination.

He wrote a great hypothesis and did an excellent job of carrying out the project.

His results supported his hypothesis: seed germination was greatest at the 4-5 cm planting depth.

His experiment was one of the winners from Taylor Junior High and he got to take his presentation to the District level.

I got to go watch as Noah presented his project and his findings to the judges. He was nervous but did an awesome job of answering their queries.

We tried not to get our hopes up as we waited until the next day for results. He came home from school and proudly showed us his third place finish (along with a $10 cash prize!). Woo hoo!



Celebrate America

I had seven students choose to participate in the DVMTA Cavalcade of Rhythm this year. It takes months of practicing, memorizing, and polishing before they are ready to go on stage. I am beyond proud of all of them and the hard work they did.

This is Brenden Ethington, pondering "Blue Suede Shoes" and "Rock Around the Clock" and waiting for the show to start.

Both of my Kalebs were in the same group, playing "Caisson Song" and "Battle Hymn of the Republic."

The skit this year was a battle between Captain America and the evil Dr. Dissonance.

Jacob and his friend Cayden played "Camptown Races" and "When the Saints Go Marching In." They did awesome!

Tatum and Katie played together on "Skip to My Lou" and "Old Joe Clarke."

We even had Elvis in a cameo appearance!

And then it was over. What a fun evening with so many talented pianists! Katie and Tatum wanted pictures with me afterwards. They are so cute and even gave me a flower to thank me. Sweethearts.

Webelos Rank

Brother and Sister Yancey are the best Webelos leaders EVER!!! They have wholeheartedly embraced their calling and treat the boys like their grandchildren. They keep them right on task and just zoom through the requirements, too. At the Blue and Gold Banquet last week, Jacob and most of his den received their Webelos rank.

Brother Langford (who, by the way, is growing a beard for the Easter Pageant) conducted a neat ceremony that involved painting the boys' faces. Congratulations, Jacob!

Immediately after the ceremony, Jacob and I grabbed some food and dashed off to his rehearsal for Cavalcade. We paused just for a second to get a good picture of his face all painted. (And note the ever-present football).