A Fall Campout

Last week we held a family meeting. The topic: do we want to commit to a year of Cub Scouts for Kaleb and Aaron, and Boy Scouts for Braylen? Or, are we done with Scouting? There was lots of discussion. In the end, all three boys voted for another year of Scouts. For Aaron, this is his first year as a Scout, but he's been an "honorary scout" ever since his brothers joined years ago. How could we bring him to 5 years of meetings and then say "no" when it's finally his turn? Plus, Tiger Cubs are the cutest group of Scouts. :)

With our decision made, we signed Kaleb and Braylen up for Webelos Woods. This is a camp out where the Boy Scouts do their best to draw the Webelos (4th and 5th grade Cub Scouts) into joining their troop when the time for advancement comes. Kaleb is still a year and a half away from advancing to Boy Scouts, but he said he'd like to attend this camp out. Braylen's troop planned to attend, so we thought this would be a fun way for Braylen and Kaleb to camp "together" as Cub Scout and Boy Scout.

While the boys were camping, Derek and I decided to join them...but not fully. We brought the camper and camped in a different area of the park. I'm not a Boy Scout or a Cub Scout, so why should I stay in a tent? :) Derek drove Braylen and Kaleb to their campsite while Aaron and I stayed at home to pack the camper. We took our time and the three of us made it to the park just before lunch. We didn't do anything with the scouts, but we did check in with them in the afternoon. Aaron especially wanted to see how Kaleb was doing. Of course he was doing fine and having lots of fun. We decided to have a little fun of our own.

Aaron and Daddy played lots of Trac Ball

Derek shows Aaron our hamburgers...yum!

a table set for 3

Aaron's favorite part of camping is the campfire.

Ginger Girl is 2 and 1/2 years old now. See the gray stubble beneath her chin? She and I can go gray together.

We rode our bikes, played frisbee, read books, worked a puzzle, and roasted marshmallows. It was a nice change to have just one child! At bedtime, we brought Kaleb to the camper to sleep. There wasn't anyone else from his den at the camp out, which meant he would have to sleep in a tent with some of the older boys. It worked out great for him to join us, as Aaron was very happy to have his big brother back. :) In the morning, we joined the group of Scouts for chapel. Our fall camp out turned out to be really fun! We'll have to do it again next fall.

Aaron attended his first den meeting in uniform this week. He's actually using Braylen's old uniform, and I decided not to remove the patches. Most of them are sewn on a pocket and they were real tricky to put on. Why take them off? (Right, Grandma?) Aaron has to be the most decked out Tiger Cub! :) He's still hard to take a picture of, since he loves to do silly poses. I figured, why try hard for a posed picture? This is a true representation of our goofy little Aaron!

Aaron also finished his half-marathon, but it was a cold morning when he did so! I held one end of his finish line and loved watching him run for all he was worth. :) I'm proud of his hard work, especially since he had to do most of his running in the early morning.

I really do love the fall and all the fun it brings!