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.

Christmas Joy

What a joy it is to watch your kids' faces on Christmas morning! This was the first time we've stayed in Florence for Christmas. We usually travel to Utah to visit with family. So we got to have our first real Christmas tree! That was exciting for me. I also cooked my first turkey dinner. Yum!

Christmas morning lasted well into the afternoon for us. The boys want to play with every toy as soon as they open it. So we spent the day opening presents, hanging out in our PJs, and playing with our new toys. It was wonderful! Collin got a scooter and Star Wars action figures from Santa; Luke got a spring rocking horse that clip-clops and neighs when you ride him. Very fun.

Merritt gifted Collin a deluxe marble tower building set from Discovery Toys. I think this toy was the most played with. Dad always has the best ideas. Maybe it's because he used to be a boy once. I gave Luke a red train (James from Thomas and friends) and a train track extension pack. Luke's favorite thing to do right now is build train tracks, so he was pretty excited about it.

Merritt sanded and stained a cute little table and chairs for the boys. And they each got a puzzle, book and a game to work with at the table. The table was something that I was actually excited about too. It will come in handy when we're doing our home preschool.

Grandparents also sent fun packages. Grandma and Grandpa gave the boys this really cool Hot Wheels stunt set. You set up the track so that each stunt triggers the next, kind of like a row of dominoes. The boys loved it. The other hit was a blue light saber Collin got from Nana; it lights up and makes saber sounds. We couldn't have asked for a happier Christmas!

The only thing missing was a visit from the grandparents to see all our fun things. I remember that was always fun for me as a kid. On Christmas afternoon, my mom would display everything that we got under the Christmas tree and our grandparents would come for a visit. We would show off all our new toys to them and they would ooh and aah. Wish you were here!

Christmas Morning

Can you just feel the magic in the air? Here come the kids!!!

I am officially a digiscrapper!

We had a wonderful day as a family opening presents and playing with our new toys! I cooked my first turkey dinner tonight and it was a smashing success. And my husband cleaned up the kitchen so that I could scrapbook. Life doesn't get any better than that!

I just wanted to announce that I've gone digital. I used the money that my parents gave me for Christmas to buy Photoshop Elements and I am LOVING it! I finished my first ever digital scrapbook page today and I can't get over how fun and easy it was. I'll post it here for all to enjoy. Thanks to all who sent something special to our family and I hope you all had a merry Christmas! I'll try to post more pictures tomorrow...

'Twas the Sabbath Before Christmas

Today we walked into church during the opening hymn. Spotting an available space second from the front, we marched up to take our seat. Instead, we were greeted with a pile of books and someone's briefcase saving the spot for someone else. So. . .we marched back and found a seat in the very back of the overflow seating in the cultural hall.

The Christmas music program extended beyond the normal duration of sacrament meeting by 35 minutes. Luke, of course, makes many attempts to escape the chapel. Hoping it is the final song, I arrest him on my lap and offer him a sippy cup of water. After taking a huge swig from his cup, Luke joins in the chorus of Hallelujahs with an impressive gurgle.

I must have been trying to focus on the words of the choir because I had somehow been oblivious to this first offense. But his second offense was louder and much more obnoxious. People began to turn and look and it was then that I realized my son was gurgling at the top of his lungs. His gurgling abruptly ended with an equally loud burp, and people around us (including ourselves) began to quietly shake their shoulders in an attempt to contain their laughter.

Because Luke was actually "sick" recovering from a cold, April couldn't take him to nursery and began to roam the halls while I headed to class. The boys I teach (10-11 year olds) were the worst yet. We closed class by singing Away in a Manger...off key and in a higher pitch voice than their voices naturally ascend. On my way to sharing time, a member of the bishopric pulls me aside.

I begin to realize that I am being issued a calling (in addition to the one I already have)--that of Scoutmaster. I was asked to work with the 12-14 year old Scouts. I am informed that this is the hardest group of boys they have had. They all seem to have a personality conflict with their former leaders. For this reason, many of the boys have stopped attending weekday Scout activities. I was being called to rescue this generation of video game addicts and turn them into Boy Scouts. Of course, I graciously accept.

After church is over April heads down to pick up Collin while I look for the car keys (which are lost). His class wasn't quite over yet and Collin's teacher invited her to join them during the closing prayer issued by Collin. So. . .they all folded their arms and Collin began. . ."Dear Heavenly Father, please help our teachers to be better teachers". . .and I'm sure that the rest of the prayer wasn't heard by April who was probably trying to figure out a way to sneak out of the room with no one noticing.

Anyhow. . .just another typical Sunday here in Florence. Now we're off to prepare dinner for the missionaries who are coming over tonight. And it's raining cats and dogs. But we'll be dreaming of a white Christmas, and tall, tall snowmen. We were remembering the Sunday snow we had last time we were in Utah. This picture of the boys was taken then. We send our love to all, and wish you a merry Christmas!