Scout Camp

Noah left for Scout Camp on Monday morning. We dropped him off and said goodbye and as I was going back to the van, teary-eyed, the Scoutmaster stopped me. He told everyone to look at how cute it was that Noah going to Scout Camp made me cry. I'll admit it. It's true. I love to see the Priesthood brotherhood in action. Watching Noah be accepted as part of the quorum and seeing them all working together just set me off! I'll miss him this week, but he will have a blast! There were 24 boys going and it will be so much fun. They are headed to Forest Lakes between Payson and Heber and have so many AWESOME things planned.

Heard Pueblo

Jacob's Scout Pack went to the BSA Heard Pueblo in Phoenix for day camp this year. For three days, they had a blast with the theme of "Knights of the Pueblo." They jousted with water balloons, played water volleyball and kickball, went swimming, and had fun soaking their leaders, all in the name of staying cool in the afternoon heat. What a riot! I got to go with Jacob the first day and we had so much fun. Arts and crafts, clue hunts, a map and compass course, archery, bb guns, den yells, sword-making, and trips to the trading post were all memories made. I'm a fan of Cub Scouts!

Bug Camp

My friend Cheri, aka "The Bug Lady," holds bug camps in her home every summer. My boys love to go because she loves bugs even more than they do. It creeps me out to drop the kids off and pick them up some days, depending on what they are handling at the moment. Isaac's class was all about butterflies. He brought home a painted lady caterpillar and we watched it change into a chrysalis and then a butterfly. So exciting! Jacob and Isaac both went to the "Insects and Arachnids of Arizona" class and were holding real millipedes when I went back. They brought home an insect-a-soap to bathe with. Then, late one night, Noah and Jacob went scorpion hunting with Cheri. They used black lights and big long tweezers to catch their prey. Ugh.

Durango

This year for the Super Activity, Jeremy took his Priests to Durango, CO, to go whitewater rafting. They invited any Teacher who had started their Eagle project to go, too, so Spencer got to go with his dad.

They drove a big 15-passenger van and visited the Mesa Verde ruins on the way. (This is Spencer and his friend, Trevor.)

Eleven Young Men with Bishop Cowgur. Bishop made this whole trip possible by donating the lodgings at a nice condominium in the Durango Mountain Resort.

It was cooler there, and gorgeous! They took a hike at nearly 10,000 feet elevation and once they caught their breath, enjoyed the beautiful views.

They spent one day on the river with a rafting company. What a rush! (Jeremy is in this raft; he's in the back of the boat with the baseball cap on.)

Spencer is in this raft, although you won't recognize him. He and his friend, Brandon, put their shirts over their heads so they look like ninjas. Spencer is in the very center of the raft.

The boys really enjoyed themselves at the condo. The pool was great and they had fun on the waterslide. (Check out the scenery behind them!)

They liked the weight room, too. Spencer got a good workout in.

After five days it was time to pack up the van again and drive home. What an awesome trip!

Mohawk

Jacob needed a good short summer haircut and he said he wanted his head shaved after school got out. When we were planning to do it, he asked if he could have a mohawk. I am not sure what came over me, but I agreed to give him a mohawk for 6 days! Noah was mortified. He said, "Mom, we are not that kind of family! What will people think?" We shaved off the mohawk on Saturday night, just in time for Jacob to look like a Tibetan monk, or a Holocaust victim, for church on Sunday.