cub scout cuboree

we are in full swing of our second year of cub scouts. well, jonah is {and i am} in his second year and jett is in his first year.

this year we made it to the cuboree. we missed it last year cause...well, i don't remember why. but, i was determined to not miss it this year.

this is the only event our boys can earn their bb gun and archery belt loops. i just didn't want to miss it for a second year.


he hit the target two out of five shots. i may have a sharp-shooter on my hands!


jonah {far right} with all of his webelo buddies! these boys are all so good with one another. i pray they grow up in scouts together!


jett and his new bud. {i love how these boys all become like third, fourth and fifth sons. the boys in my boys pack are all like my kids, too!}


dinner. you guys, i just love the cub master's wife/my friend, coleen! she prepares all this yummy food for every campout. and, yum! that's all i can say. thank you, coleen for dinner!

cub scouts, y'all. i love it. i love that my boys love it. i love going and having adult conversation with my girls {the other moms} on thursday nights. i love camping with my boys. i love, love, love it all.

do your boys participate in scouts? what's your favorite part? got any tips? special camping recipes? i need deets. tell me. :o)


{there aren't too many pics cause i had mabry as a tagalong. when the boys were doing their activities i was either helping cook lunch and dinner or i was nursing. a momma's duty is never done.}

the cub scouts visit the fire station.

thursday is cub scout night.
i, er, jonah looks forward to it every week.
it's just so much fun.

last night was extra special.
the pack visited the local fire station.




the boys were given a tour of the fire trucks, inside and out.










the boys even got to use the water hose!




{jonah and his bud, david.}


the later it got the sillier the boys got!





thank you, nassau county fire fighters for letting a bunch of rowdy cub scouts invade your space for a couple of hours!!

let's talk about cub scouts.

my jonah joined cub scouts this year.



i knew when jonah expressed interest in scouting that it would be a good fit for him.

he loves the outdoors.
he's eager to learn.
he loves to fish and shoot guns {with supervision}.
he plays well with others.

he's been going every thursday for three weeks and LOVING every minute!
i go, too. and i'm loving it right along with him!!

our first week we were late because i misunderstood the calendar...but, it was raining so they didn't do much anyway.

our second week the boys covered their books with paper bags that they colored with markers.



last night the boys worked from their handbooks on the flag ceremony achievment.
the american flag is very special to our family, since we're a military family.
to see all of the boys so eager to learn how to be respectful of the flag was super!





one more thing jonah loves about cub scouts?
he gets to hang out with his new bud.




remember how i told you i am super excited about scouts, too?
i am.

in a couple of weeks jonah and i are going on our first cub scout campout!!!
and sleeping in a tent.
on the ground.
for real.
{well, i will be taking an air mattress...}

on our camping trip jonah will earn his fishing and swimming badges.
there is also an enormous rock climbing wall that jonah's pretty stoked to climb!

i can not wait to share those pictures with you!!!



since joining cub scouts i have searched and searched the web looking for anything and everything cub scouts.
and there's not much.

in an effort to give a mommy perspective on scouting, you will be hearing about all of our cub scout adventures!
get ready! we're going to have LOTS of fun!!!



one more thing.
jonah's cub scout pack began selling popcorn last night.
if you would like to support jonah please email me at jakemelissajakea AT aol DOT com and i will give you the information you need to order online.

12 days of Christmas. {teacher edition}

a few days ago ashley posted a picture on her instagram of a gift she was giving her son's teacher.
and then the next day she posted another.
i loved it.
and knew my boy's teachers would love it too.

it's a small gift every day for 12 days.
and an inexpensive way to bring a smile to your child's teacher's face every day, for 12days.

on the 1st day of christmas...






on the 2nd day of christmas...






on the 3rd day of christmas...




on the 4th day of christmas...




{i forgot to take pictures of day 5.}

on the 6th day of christmas...




on the 7th day of christmas...


i still have days 8-12 to go.
it's not too late for you to catch up.
i had to play catch up for days 1-4.

one of jake's teachers texted me as soon as she got it saying it was one of the best gifts she had received in a while!

the boys are excited to take a gift every day.
i might have created a couple of gift giving monsters.

{original idea was found here.}

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what do you give your children's teachers for christmas?

halloween 2011.

halloween was so fun this year!
hubs was home.
{in our almost ten years of marriage he's only been home for like three halloweens...}
mckinley totally understood the whole trick-or-treating idea.
and she was lovin' that those three little words prompted candy in her bag!







these pictures of jake crack me up.
he only wanted this crazy old man mask for his costume.




jonah was a mad hatter.
creepy.


jett was captain hook.


he was perfecting his hook.


argh, matey!


mckinley was a gnome.
so cute!


jake and jonah's bud, simon, came along with us.


and nani and grandpa came up for a short visit.


it was a good halloween weekend!
this will be our last halloween in ft. campbell...sad day.
but, next year we'll be back in florida and enjoying a warmer halloween.

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did you have a fabulous halloween???

{i can't think of a title}

this picture makes my heart happy.
jonah was having so much fun in the leaves.
he threw some above his head and stood still as they fell back on his face.
such a sweet moment.

happy sunday, y'all.

in the archives.

i found a picture of jonah and one of his buds in my old files.
i had long forgotten about these photos.
this was taken at his 6th birthday party.


{i think i'm gonna start posting an oldie every now and again and call the post 'in the archives.' }

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how's your saturday shaping up??

pumpkin patch, part two.

so, yesterday i left you with the beginning of our fun day at the pumpkin patch.
it was a beautiful, sunny day.
fall was evident in only the trees...it felt more like a cooler summer day.

we were all hot and sweaty after playing on the slides, hamster wheels, and 4x4's.


it was off to the snack bar for us.
everyone, except for jake austin, got an apple cider slush.
YUM!



mckinley made it her job to pull this wagon around. everywhere.


then, we were off to play again...

can i just say it was me, ME, who jumped up on these big 'ol tires and schooled all the kids on how to leap from tire to tire.
{what happened to the playground equipment we had as kids?
merry-go-rounds that you ran around to start and then jumped on, swings that went so high you thought you might go all the way over, tire courses that you leaped across....my kids would have LOVED the playgrounds i grew up playing on!}

jonah was so proud that he made it all the way around, without falling even once.



at this point we had been at the orchard for three or so hours.
hubs was past his "i'm so excited to be here" point.
it was time to go find the perfect pumpkins, sorghum, pumpkin roll, apples, and gallon of apple cider.



i told jake austin he should find him a good lookin' knucklehead pumpkin.
cause he's a knucklehead!
he didn't think it was a funny joke.





see you next time, jackson's apple orhcard!

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ready to see a picture that is nothing short of a miracle???