My little Bobcat

I still cannot fathom that I have yet another of my boys in cub scouts! Two have already moved on to boy scouts. Michael is our newest scout and has earned his Bobcat badge. He is now working on his Wolf requirements.

Reciting the Cub Scout oath and promise.

Advancements usually include getting your face painted - but only if you want to.

Michael is putting the Mother's Pin on my shirt. Or trying to anyway.

My new Bobcat.

Who can take a sunrise...sprinkle it with dew...

The entire 5th grade at Christopher's school did a play this past Thursday. Willy Wonka Jr. The kids worked on it for months. It looked like they had a great time putting it on. It was sure fun to watch!

The Oompa Loompas. Very funny to watch.

Christopher was a squirrel. He was not happy about the face paint. Apparently most the boys weren't thrilled about the stage make-up.

Our boys are midgets...

Over Memorial Day weekend we visited Russell's family as Kayann was getting baptized. The boys got out of the van at the church and this was the sight we saw! Instant midgets! :)

Planting Flags

Every year Sunset Cemetery has a Memorial Day flag plant the Saturday before Memorial Day. All the local cub scouts, some boy scouts and others in the community come to help in this endeavor. It was really neat to talk to some of the boys that got really excited when they found headstones of people that were in WW1 or WW2. They thought that was really exciting. I think it helped them be even more proud of our country and what our freedoms represent.

We were the only ones there representing our pack/troop. We are armed with our flags and working hard!

We had someone there get a picture of us before we headed home. I love looking up the hill and seeing flags waving. There is just something so patriotic about it. It's hard to describe. You just have to be there and be a part of it.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Nephi's kindergarten class did a play this morning. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. Their teacher adapted the book into a play since the class is studying about butterflies. They have caterpillars in their classroom at present that have turned into chrysalis'.

Getting ready for the play to start. There were many parents who came. The superintendent was even there. Nephi was Garden Keeper #2 and he is on the left in the blue sweatshirt.

At the end of the play. Their teacher likes to teach the kids sign language with the songs they learn. They are singing a butterfly song here.

A Cub Scout Hike to Cape Meares

For Cub Scouts today we went on a Leave No Trace Hike to Cape Meares. It was sunny, beautiful and very windy. With spring in the air the colors all around were just brilliant. The boys had a great time.

There is a really super old Sitka Spruce tree out here on the coast. We found the trail going to it. Four of the boys in a line going up the trail.

A gigantic tree trunk we explored along the way. The trunk is big enough for a couple of boys to even sit under it! Amazing.

At the very old Spruce Tree. The camera couldn't get the boys AND the tree so it's a two shot deal.

Even with the two shot deal - I still couldn't see the top of the tree. The circumference of the
tree was huge!

Moving on with the hike - we proceeded towards the parking lot of the Cape Meares lighthouse. Looking out over the Pacific Ocean. We truly live in a beautiful place. It was gorgeous to say the least.

We hiked up to the Octopus Tree. It's also another very old Sitka Spruce. The base of the tree didn't grow straight up like normal trees. It branched out into several "arms" and the circumference of the base is more than 60 feet.

On our way down to the lighthouse. Our little cub scout pack minus 4 boys. So - I guess half of us made it on the hike.

What's more relaxing than whale watching on the Pacific Ocean?

We got a tourist to take a group picture. This is at the lighthouse.

Cape Meares Light House. It's not very big compared to other lighthouses found along the Oregon Coast. I don't even know if it's a working lighthouse. I like visiting it just the same though.

We finished our hike back up at the parking lot and took one last picture at the Cape Meares sign. I think some boys will sleep well tonight!

An Amazing Stake Conference

We had an amazing stake conference today and last night for the adult session. I had debated about not going last night but I am glad I went. Elder Ballard came to our stake conference and what a joy it was to sit at the feet of an apostle of the Lord and listen to his counsel. He talked about the parable of the 10 virgins last night and how we need to constantly, daily fill our lamps by doing the little things each day. Scripture reading, family home evening, personal prayers, family prayers, praying together as a couple before retiring each night. Doing these things will fill our lamps and keep our testimonies strong.
Today he talked about sacrament meetings and that they needed to be a place for people to come and feel the spirit. Not a place for people to do their business. We should teach our children to sit quietly and reverently the 10 minutes before the meeting starts and be listening to the soft prelude music being played. Our ward does a pretty good job but like everyone - can do better.
He also talked about grandparents are the memory makers. Grandparents should make spiritual memories with their grandchildren and help in teaching them gospel principles.
We didn't have an opportunity to shake his hand as he needed to catch a flight back to Salt Lake immediately after conference.
What an awesome day we had. It's not often a general authority comes to stake conference.

Why we tell kids to not randomly eat things/plants from outside...

Here is a link to my sister's blog. This is why we don't eat things/plants from outdoors if we don't know what they will do to us...
http://thelougheedfamily.blogspot.com/2009/05/psychadellic-maaaan.html

Second Grade Spring Fling

All of the second graders at Michael's school had a concert last night. It was their end of the school year Spring Fling. They sang 9 songs. My favorite was the Orchestra Song. It's an Austrian round. The kids all looked like they had a great time doing it.

Michael is the one in orange.

After the concert. The kids were supposed to wear "beach" attire so I made him some bermuda style shorts that matched his orange shirt he wanted to wear. He got a lot of compliments on them from other parents. I thought that was pretty cool.

I love the sunshine, spring and gardening.

Yesterday afternoon was such a beautiful sunny day. The garden had dried out some - just right. It wasn't too muddy - actually - it wasn't muddy at all. I felt the urge to get out there and "play" in the soil. So I planted the garden. Michael came out after his homework was done and helped too.

My tomatoes that I started from seed back in February. They are doing very well. They are not in the garden. We will take out the rhododendron bushes on the south side of the house and put them there.

All of these went into the garden out back. We have.....

Corn

Beets

Zucchini

Chinese Forget-Me-Nots - because I like flowers

Carrots

Lettuce

Marigolds - because I like more flowers

Green Beans

Onions

Peas

Zinnias - because I just have to have my flowers

Regular Cucumbers

Pickling Cucumbers

Pumpkin

Red Potatoes

I am sad. The eggplant and bell peppers I started from seed in February aren't doing so hot. I will have to remember to start them around Christmastime I think.

Happy Spring! May the sun shine on you and your garden grow. :)

That's what little boys are made of...

Coughs, runny noses, coughs, stuffy noses, coughs, dark circles under the eyes, coughs, fevers, more coughs, sore lungs...

That's what a couple of my boys are made of. I hope they feel better soon.

Update...
Both boys have swollen lymph glands. Both will be on amoxicillan for 7 days. I hope they feel better soon.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to my moms, mother-in-law, grandma, aunts, sisters, sisters-in-law and nieces (not yet moms but will be someday).

I wish each of you a happy day. Maybe even filled with sunshine if you live in Oregon. Don't lift a finger and let everyone else wait on you. :) Love you guys!

Pictures from the 2009 Father/Son campout

Russell and the boys had a great time at the Father/Son campout. I asked Russell to take pictures since I wasn't allowed to go. :)

The car is packed. The boys are ready to go! Donovan is missing because he was up front.

Campfires are so COOL!

Michael is looking very sleepy.

Chris just chillin.

Smiley. Oh - I mean Nephi.

Donovan. Yes - a smile would be nice. Typical teenager.

The campsite. It looked like a really pretty place. Maybe someday I can actually go camping. In the tent. With my family. Instead of sending the male population off to conquer the great outdoors. Someday. I hope. Maybe.

Other ward members getting their dinners Friday night.

Saturday morning. A few of the guys getting breakfast ready in the dutch ovens. I bet that was super tasty.

I was gone all day at the cannery. To top it off my ride home had to drop off items to some family in Canby. So I really took the roundabout way home. I got home and Russell and the boys suprised me with having done their chores so the house was clean! And the camping stuff was all taken care of. And they even bought me a really cool griddle for a Mother's Day present. We will break it in tomorrow for dinner. When we have pancakes. Nephi wants green eggs and ham. So we will do that too. :)

Michael and Nephi wouldn't admit it but they were super tired by the time I got home around 4 p.m. You could see the tiredness in their eyes. So I had them brush their teeth at 6:30 p.m. They were on their beds by 6:40 so they could read. I closed the curtains and tucked them in at 7. They were completely zonked by 7:03. I wish they fell asleep that fast more often.

Father and Son campout

It's that time of year again. Our ward's annual father/son campout. It's always the Friday night/Saturday before Mother's Day. They must think we need some kind of break! :) I know our boys look forward to it all year long and the closer it gets - the more excited they are. Waking them this morning for school was a piece of cake! They were all ready for school in less than half the time it normally takes them!

Boys are funny creatures.

The great job detective...

Yes - I am the great job detective. I am in search of the job that will be flexible enough to allow me to be a mother first and employee second. Since Russell is no longer in the military - funds will be tight this summer. We have always counted on the time he was away in the summers to hold us over. Not any more. And Russell is starting his master's program the end of June - online. So I am filling out an application with DHS as a home healthcare worker. It seems to be flexible enough and looks like it would work with the boys' fall school schedule. I am excited to give it a try anyway. I still have my Mary Kay business - but I am not the salesperson I think/thought I was. I really don't like trying to "sell" stuff. Wish me luck!

experiments....

Remember that experiment a couple posts back? I have decided to throw in the towel. The experiment was washing my hair with baking soda and rinsing with apple cider vinegar instead of shampoo. It worked great for the first week or so. My hair felt really soft and nice. But since my hair is permed - I noticed it the curl is going flat in the front. I don't know if it is from the baking soda or the vinegar - but I do know it didn't do that with shampoo. So back to shampoo I go. I like my perm and want it to be around for a while longer.

Now I am off to take care of 25 or so pounds of chicken. It is 99 cents/lb at Fred Meyers this week! Who cares if I have to take off the skin! I will cut off a good portion of the breast meat to either freeze separately or can and make chicken stock out of the meat left on the bone.

Mister Masters....

It is official! Russell will be starting on a Master's Program starting the end of June. I am really excited for him. The whole program should take 20 months I think? Anyway - it's through Grand Canyon University and the great thing is the classes are online!