The Final Chapter of Cub Scouts

Jack has now reached the last level as a Cub Scout (Webelos II) and will prepare to enter Boy Scouts. At their year-end campfire ceremony, Jack was awarded a coin that will help remind him of the qualities of a Scout. A Scout is: trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. I can't think of any better ideals to teach a young man, and I'm proud to say that Jack's character consists of much of these qualities already. Great job on another year of hard work, Jack!
Another recent activity that gave us a glimpse of our next level of Scouting adventures was the Denver Area Council Scout Show. It's an expo center filled with Scout-manned booths that feature activities for kids, all centered around a common theme. You probably recall Jack's building for their pack's booth: Heroes on the Hudson. We saw many awesome Scout creations--contraptions that were built outside, many using logs. The Boy Scouts that demonstrated these machines (things like catapults and can-crushers and obstacle course walls) were courteous and outgoing. We all enjoyed meeting them and having fun, but I think Jack was the most excited, knowing that big kid activities and outdoor adventures are just around the bend for him. See a video of our Scout Show Fun Here.

By the way, Jack is using email these days. You can reach him at JackG303@aol.com.

Colorado History Field Trip

To reinforce the history they have been learning, I accompanied the 4th graders on their field trip to the Manitou Springs Cliff Dwellings and the Western Museum of Mining and Industry. They got to see first hand how the Anasasi Indians ground corn and lived in tiny spaces. We also learned where the term "grease monkey" came about, panned for gold and saw a model of what is at work under ground at a gold mine. It was great to get a hands-on look at what life was like for some past Coloradans. Even better, for me, was opening up the brown bag lunch my son had packed for me and seeing a note that read, "I love you, Mom."

Celebrating Eachother's Victories

As school winds down, there's a little less homework for my 4th grader and 2nd grader. There are a few tests. Jack came home with an A+ on a science test and we celebrated with ice cream! I think Kate and Lily were truly happy for him, but it's great when you get to share in the congratulatory prize.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Earth Day Projects

Jack and Kate both had craft projects to make using recyclables, so we had fun getting out the craft stuff and creating! Here's an interview with Kate about her project:



Jack's creation will be a part of his Cub Scout Pack's booth at the Scout Show this weekend, entitled "Heroes on the Hudson". Kids that visit the booth will be able to make an airplane and fly it through the booth, with the goal being to land it on the "river". Cereal box buildings and skyscrapers will line the riverbank. (We watched this video to better understand what a feat the real-life landing was!) Since Jack has been known to sit with John and watch CNBC, the first NY building he could think of was the New York Stock Exchange. What a happy accident . . . .Mom just so happens to have a bunch of toilet paper rolls to use for the columns!

Happy Easter

April Fools

I fed my kids Kool-Aid and Cupcakes for dinner. APRIL FOOL!

Actually our dinner contained ground beef . . . .

and mashed potatoes . . .

the food colored pretzel salt only looks like sprinkles . . .

(and we had corn, but I didn't put it on the plates until after the reveal.) There actually really was Kool-Aid, but not in these cups . . .

It actually was a very yummy dinner, and TOO MUCH FUN!