Adventures of a Scoutmaster

Merritt's first adventure as a new Scoutmaster was taking the boys on a snow trip. Equipped with snow shoes, back packs and a replica of a Klondike gold rush sled they hiked a couple of miles to their campsite and prepared snow caves to sleep in. I am very proud of Merritt for the service and leadership and friendship he provides for the boys in his troop.

I overheard Merritt say to a grateful parent, "It was so much fun it didn't feel like service." And he commented to me that he couldn't wait until the day he would be able to take his own sons on an adventure like this. I'm grateful that I have three sons who will be raised by a wonderful father who loves them and puts them first in his life.

The wives of the Scout leaders also got together for a sleepover at a small lake house in Lowell, Oregon. It was fun to have a get-away with my friends and our kids. And I think we deserve some credit too. I was realizing that the Scouts may know how to make a snow cave, but they had to take care of only six boys with five adult leaders. We had NINE kids and only three moms. And not one of the kids drowned in the lake! We're amazing. :)

Resolutions for 2009

I love to make resolutions and set goals. It gets me excited. And I can always think of plenty of things I want to do and become. Some of my resolutions for 2009 include getting more sleep, learning Photoshop Elements, giving more service to others, and saving money for a piano (Merritt thought I should have a financial goal). I have also set a goal to make the Sabbath more of a delight for my family. I started by introducing the tradition of a Sabbath candle.

This idea was inspired by our advent candle we burned for the twelve days before Christmas. The candle burned for about one hour each night during which we did something together as a family. My kids enjoyed doing that so much. And they got so excited every time they could blow the candle out! I remembered that when I studied in Jerusalem we learned about the Jewish tradition of lighting two candles to welcome the Sabbath day. This was done by the woman of the house. We tried it and liked it.

We light the candle just before dinner. After dinner we have some family time. We may read some stories out of The Friend magazine or play a game. We also council together as a family. We discuss needs and plans for the upcoming week. We each share something that we learned at church that day. We have scripture study, sing a hymn, and a have family prayer. The kids then blow out the candle and it's time for bed. My hope is that this tradition will set apart the Sabbath day and make it special for my family.

Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam

I want to share this cute photo of Collin with his Sunbeam teacher Bro. Kennedy. He has really loved his Primary teacher this past year, and we have been so grateful for all his effort and love. He really taught Collin a lot and always encouraged Collin to share what he learned with his family.

At the end of the year, he invited Collin and our family to his home to see his nutcracker collection. Wow! We had never seen so many nutcrackers in our lives. Collin was very impressed. I was just so grateful that another adult had given of himself, his time and his love, to my child. I hope he knows how much he blessed our lives.