Boy Scout Camp

Well we got all the laundry done and packed back up again so that all three of my guys can go off to Boy Scout Camp.

This is what I expect them to look like on the way back.  I guess they are just trying to get ahead of the tiredness!

NYLT Graduation Pictures

And then we brought him home again...

He's stinky and dirty and had a great time at NYLT.  He seems more confident and grown up.  Not grown up enough to have actually used all the clean clothes we packed to go on camp but supposedly they didn't have time to shower every day.  LOL!!

He learned a lot of funny songs and has been singing them non-stop since we brought him home.

Can't believe I didn't talk to him for almost a week and how much I missed him.  But at least when I went to pick him up, he ran up to me in the learning room and gave me a big hug in front of all the other scouts because he missed me too.

42

Today is my birthday.  I'm 42 years old.  I certainly feel old today.  The packers have been here since 10AM working on getting all my worldly possessions out of the house and into the back of a truck.

It doesn't feel like a birthday either because my kids aren't here with him.  ((OMG is this what it will be like when they leave me???))  But before the little one left, we did have lunch with some friends.

Darren and I both got apple watches today.  He got me this one pictured above and he got the black aluminum one.  His was a belated father's day present.

National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT)

How is he old enough to go away to camp all by himself for a week where I can't talk to him at ALL!?  Didn't he just turn 13 the other day (LITERALLY)!!?

Well here we are on a Sunday afternoon, dropping this happy kid off to camp by himself with a bunch of people he doesn't know to learn leadership skills for Boy Scouts.  I can't wait to see him again next Friday!!

Last Day of School in VA

((finally))  It seems like the last months of school have taken longer than the first 3 quarters.  It doesn't help that school went really late into June this year too.

We finished off the year with an all school assembly where all the students were marched across to receive certificates of achievement.  It took forever because of course all the first grade students excelled in all the subjects, which makes me think that makes them all average by definition, right?  And then there was a very disorganized CYO track awards give away.  Just another reason why the school needs a CYO assembly just for the CYO sports.

My kids both did really well again in school.  Evan's teacher wasn't there because of a death in the family so the class aide read off all the names while the principal shook their hands.  Evan excelled in everything and it still makes me worried about how he could have done if we hadn't put them in this school because his class was so big.  But they always saw hindsight is 20/20 and I just need to let it go and make sure that he continues to excel at his new school in TX.

Ian also did well.  Middle school was harder for him and a big misstep in Spanish around Thanksgiving really shook him up.  I again wonder if I made the wrong decision putting them in private school and if he would have been better off switching schools and being in a bigger school.  I guess I'll never know the answer to that and I need to own what we did decide and just make sure I am there to help guide him in the future.

Ian's teacher Mrs. Landon said some really nice words about Ian, Evan and the rest of us and made me cry during the ceremony.  I know the boys will be missed a lot at the school and I'm sure the work that I did volunteering will be missed too.  I know Ian is sad about moving because he didn't get to run for student council this year and I know he wanted to do it again.  Evan is sad about moving because he finally has a best friend.  Hopefully they both will be good pen pals to their friends and will keep in touch with them.  We live in an age where keeping in touch is so easy and the world is so small these days that it would be sad for them not to keep in touch and meet up with them again in the future.

Wordless Wednesday

My big boy is a TEEN

I can't believe it has been 13 years since he was a tiny little baby that even premie clothes were too big on.

He celebrated with his class.  They had their 7th grade picnic and his classmates were so wonderful that they made it a combined bon voyage/birthday party for Ian too!

Advancement Camp Spring 2015

This one had his first campout as a Boy Scout this weekend.

He did great and got a lot of requirements checked off.  He earned the rank of Scout and also the Firem'n Chit and Toten Chip.  He's ready for Summer Camp now!

I played with my camera after it got dark.

Memorial Day

We hiked around Washington DC on Memorial Day to do the History Of Scouting Trail (HOST) hike.  It was a busy day because there were a lot of people downtown.  We even saw the President in his car as he drove over to Arlington Cemetery to lay a wreath.

#OA100 

Weekend Away

We decided to take Memorial Day weekend and go visit Busch Gardens Williamsburg.  We stayed at the Doubletree that was right outside the gates.  I feel like people who parked really late in the day were actually closer to our hotel than they were gates of the theme park.  It was a super nice hotel and had one of the best breakfasts I've ever had in a hotel.

We left right after the boys got out of school and it took FOREVER to get down there but we knew the drive was going to be bad so we planned for a nice sit down dinner along the way and also brought the audio book Eragon to listen to.  It really makes the time go a lot faster when you can listen to a book on "tape" instead of just the radio.

We woke up ate a great breakfast and were pleasantly surprised when we got to the park Saturday morning and found out they were open early!!

Evan was tall enough to ride all the rides, even the big roller coasters.  That didn't end up happening.  A teary eyed 10 year old came running out to me from Apollo's Chariot because he was just too scared.  But oh well, I don't like roller coasters and he's just 10.  He's got plenty of time to learn to like them!

Riding one of my favorite rides, the teacups -- called Turkish Delight!!

These two did Apollo's Chariot even though Evan didn't want to.  Darren told Evan when he got off that Evan made the right choice, that drop was a BIG one!

We met up with our friends the McNerney's and their 3 kids all loved riding roller coasters.  This first picture Darren and Ian are in the back row at the far end.

Their three kids are in the back row in the seats closest to us.

Then Darren decided he was done and the 4 roller coaster lovers road Griffin again.  This time they all sat together in the middle.

Then the roller coaster lovers rode Alpengiest.

All of them loved riding the water rides like Roman Rapids and Escape from Pompeii.  They all wanted to stand in the "splash zone" of Escape from Pompeii, Evan escaped the splash at the last minute by jumping behind the view window.  Smart boy!!

We spent the night at the hotel again after we were done at the park because it was a long day and it was nice to just relax in the hotel at the end of the day.  We played Ian's new Star Wars role playing game until bedtime.