Cub Camp - Day 1

I got to spend the day with my boys at Cub Scout Camp today. The weather was nice and they planned most of the activities in places where there was plenty of shade. The boys had so much fun with their friends. The entire den that my boys were a part of were kids from scouts they already knew so it was really fun for these friends to all get to hang out together.

They did handicrafts. Pounding letters and shapes into leather is fun!

 Making little bottle cap boats was next. 

 But getting to sail them down rain gutters full of water was totally fun!

 The men at the gun club took their role as archery instructors very seriously. 

 They boys were taught all about their compound bows, the arrows and how to hit a target. 

But the instruction about bb guns was especially strict. The boys went through drills with their guns before getting to shoot. Their instructor was quite a drill sergent. But the boys all seemed to respond well. I could tell some of the scouts there had never held a gun in their hands before and were a bit afraid. My boys, who have gone to the gun club with Grandpa a few times, seemed to do just fine and even hit their targets a number of times.

During the rest of the week they will get to put in some more practice with the bow and with guns. They have a trip to the gun club for practice scheduled into each days activities.

I didn't get any pictures during their hike. I was too busy avoiding poison oak. And I didn't get pictures of some of den activities like when they choose their name, made their flag, learned how to carry out a flag ceremony or review some basic scouting things. These were less exciting things to photograph. But they were still part of this long busy day in the woods for these boys.

The day was long and full and we rushed about from one activity to another but the boys still had plenty of time to just climb trees and be with their friends.

Ian and Henry can't wait until tomorrow when they get to do it all over again. And guess who else will be going again too :)

It is a bit of a break for me to only have to deal with 8 and 9 year old boys for a change. I left Molly and Sophie at home with my sick husband.  I guess they watched a few movies, played a little on the computer and had a lovely animal vet game going while we were away at camp.

Planning for Girls Camp

Sophie is going to Girls Camp this year. She isn't quite 12 but they go by grade level here so that girls can get 6 years of camp in before they graduate.  She is so excited! I have been telling her all about my years going up into the Sierras and attending our Church's camp for a week. It was so much fun and some of the girls I met there at camp are still my friends today.

Since Sophie was going I figured I should go too. I arranged for the other kids to have Grandpa camp with my parents and volunteered to help out at camp where ever I was needed. I thought they would put me in the kitchen or something since I volunteered somewhat late in the planning stage.  I recently got word that they needed another 3rd year counselor.  This means I get to hang out with the 14 year old girls and go on an overnight hike. 

Yesterday, the other  3rd year counselor and the men that will be going on this overnight hike with us and the girls decided to hike the trail that we would be following to make sure it was clear and ready for use.  I brought my kids and husband along with me too, since I knew they would have a lot of fun.

The trail was in need a some clearing in places and some of the steeper places needed steps cut into the trail. Ian and Henry were helpful with the shovel building the steps. They also were great with the clippers chopping some of the small branches that were hanging in the path. There was quite a bit of poison oak along the trail too. So I am glad one of the men brought along a sprayer to kill some of that. I really hope we didn't get exposed on our trek. I guess we will find out in the next day or so if any of us develop a rash.

 It certainly is a beautiful part of California we get to hike through.  Henry in particular enjoyed finding a few banana slugs along the trail.

We ended up only doing half the hike. The 2 mile, down hill part to get to the campsite was easy enough that my kids did great. Even Molly walked the entire time. After a short lunch at the campsite we happened to meet up with a group that was down near that site doing work and they gave us a ride back up via a curvy, bumpy, dirt road in a rickety old truck. I am so glad they were there and they had room for our entire group because even through my kids are pretty good hikers I think the uphill climb would have been difficult on Molly especially and I would have had to carry her. 

Now that I know what to expect as far as the hike we are now gathering the gear Sophie and I will need for camp. And of course this builds the excitement. 

I pulled out some of my old camp pictures to show the kids. These pictures are really long and were taken with a special camera that would very slowly move across the group.  4th year girls (we only did four years and not six when I was going to camp) were able to be in the picture twice.  So I have four of these scroll like camp pictures tucked away in a box from my childhood.

Here is the close up of me and some of the girls from my groups for two of the years I was at camp. Wasn't I cute.

 I had a perm in this one. Look at the curls.

I have a feeling camp will be a lot of fun, for both of us!

Ladybug girl

Each week when we head to the library Molly asks for more princess books. She only likes to read books about girls. That isn't exactly true. She is happy to let me read anything to her. I guess what I mean to say is that when she picks out a book for me to read it is always a princess book. 

A week or two ago I found a new series of books that she has LOVED! Ladybug Girl has become one of her favorites. There are several books in the Ladybug girl series and each one we have been able to read has been very fun.  In the first one Ladybug girl explores her backyard with her dog bingo. She is a very imaginative girl and looks at things very closely.  In others she goes camping, and to the beach. She even learns how to play nicely with other kids when she goes to the playground. They all become her bug squad and each is a superhero of sorts and they save the playground from unwanted pests.

This little girl reminds me so much of my mini Molly. She has a very feisty personality and likes to have everyone play her game. She can be rather bossy with her friends when they play together.  She knows what she wants and doesn't think she is too small for anything!

After several readings of the books. Molly asked me to make her butterfly wings so she could be butterfly girl. Sophie quickly stepped in and found an old cereal box in the recycling and went to work making Molly her own set of wings.

Butterfly girl isn't quite a princess but she is a very fun girl in whom Molly could relate.

Three more Lego Quests - Vessel, Maze and Creature

My kids are still excited to get a new Lego Quest each day. Assignment #3 was a vessel. Which I interpreted to mean something that could hold water. 

 Ian made a mug.

 Here is Molly showing how it pours out small legos.

 Henry hasn't been doing the challenges. He is too busy building other things.

 Sophie made a goblet.

 Molly decided to join in with the challenges and broke out her duplo bricks to build her own goblet.

 The next day I gave them the task of building a maze.
Here is Sophie's.

 In the lower left corner is a pack of dogs and toward the bottom right is a little ruby crystal which is the goal. Hagrid is at the entrance.
Molly again broke out her duplo legos and made her own maze. Wendy (from Bob the builder) is running through it. The house with the doors is the goal.

 Here is what Ian came up with. It is hard to tell what is going on. This one actually has a ladder and the little alien figure is at the end of the maze which is raised up. I guess I should of gotten pictures from the side or a better angle. I wasn't thinking!

 Assignment #5 was to build a creature.

Can you guess who made this dragon?

 Actually she told me it is a Pheonix.

 Here is Molly's bird.

 Ian went micro and build a little mini dog.

 Isn't he cute!

 Henry again didn't participate. He was building something else. He keeps looking up the directions to build Harry Potter sets that we don't have. He tries to build them with the parts we have in our box. Often he has to improvise and use something that is similar but not quite the same as what the directions call for.

So are we tired of seeing lego creations yet? There is only about 45 more lego assignments on the Lego Quest website.  I don't know if we will make it through them all.  But since my kids keep asking me to give them their next task I guess I will keep looking to see what the next one will be.

Belonging to Heaven - Review

I finished Belonging to Heaven this afternoon. I was in tears as I read the last few chapters. It was such a moving, emotional, wonderful story. The first half of the book covers the experiences of George Q. Cannon when he is sent to Hawaii with a small group of men to be missionaries for the LDS church. He goes to the island of Maui and immediately decides he needs the learn the language and teach the natives rather than the English speaking immigrants.  I loved how the feelings of a young, inexperienced, yet driven missionary are expressed.  It is amazing what he was able to accomplish. I loved all the description of Maui.  As he traveled around the island and visited different places I could recall many of them from my visit to that island. 

The 2nd half of the book focuses more on the life of Jonathan Napela, one of Hawaiian men who befriends and helps Cannon during his mission. Napela helps Cannon learn the language and later with the translation of the Book of Mormon. He then takes on a leadership role in Maui and Oahu as the church grows in Hawaii. Napela sacrifices a lot for his faith, his love of the gospel and his family. I especially appreciated the detail included about the Hawaiian culture and beliefs.   The image of walking the rainbow when our time comes to leave this life is so beautiful. 

I am very grateful for the notes often included at the end of chapters giving further information about people or events. They really helped fill in more of the story.  

This book wasn't a page turner for me. It wasn't a book that I had to read in one sitting. It moved slowly and sweetly through the history of these men. I found myself reading little bits here and there and enjoying each episode in their life. It is such a strong story of service, sacrifice and love. 

This was the first Gale Sears book I have read and I plan to pick up more of her books. 

I received this book from the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for a review. 

Lego Quest Assignment #2 - Monochromatic

My kids begged me to give them their next assignment for Lego Quest moments after finishing the first. I made them wait. I explained that they would get one challenge a day.  So assignment #2 was to build something Monochromatic. They each had to choose a color and  build something using only that color.  Sophie chose the color green, Ian picked up the large box of white and Henry settled on red. This is what they each came up with.

 Sophie built some sort of shrine.  There is a dragon (Norbert from a Harry Potter set) on an alter. I told you she is rather dragon focused at the moment. I guess the leprechaun counts as green since he is dressed all in this lovely emerald color but he does have a yellow face and hands.

Ian is very good at building ships. So I wasn't surprised when this white ship took form.

 Look at all the details on the wings. He didn't just build a ship but he decorated it too.

 Since the nose of the plane has stickers on that piece, I let him get away with the bit of red.


Henry built a red house, complete with fence and picnic table.

 Later he added a little red chicken so I guess this is a chicken house.

 The Lego quest is going well so far. The kids are enjoying these short little challenges.   I guess I better go and make sure I know what the assignment is for tomorrow. I have a feeling they will be asking me for the next quest soon.