"Catch the Vision"--Aaronic Priesthood Encampment

The boys had quite an exciting week at scout camp. It was a 20 stake Aaronic Priesthood encampment at Camp Cowles, in Newport, Washington. It was definitely an experience to be had for boys between the ages of 12 and 18. Nothing this big has been done in Eastern Washington since 1984, when the last huge encampment was held at Farragut. Over 2000 boys attended, with 1400 leaders and helpers from surrounding stakes and areas. Each stake was given a camp location that they've been preparing and beautifying over the last year.

The Spokane Valley stake was the host and organizer of this major BSA feat. President Brian Pitcher and hundreds of other advisers, scout leaders, and ward members from 20 different stakes pulled this 6 day event off with class and order that only members of the Church could!

The boys left Monday at 5:30am and went directly to the camp to set up. We were on pins and needles sending Nathan less than 3 months since having major surgery. Cameron was pulled aside, on a couple of occasions, and given the pep talk about having to help Nate with his shoes and socks, clothes, and monitoring if he needs help or pain control. Unbeknownst to be, their dad snuck a cell phone into their pack and told Cameron that he was only to call if Nathan couldn't hack it. Ahh. I just corned every one of the men going and told them to call us if needed. Same protective instinct, just differing ways of going about it.

Handing over a boy, that's been through hell and back, to a group of scout leaders for a action-packed week, was a little daunting. If the doctors had said he couldn't go...he wouldn't have. But the one that did Nathan's physical thought that this would be a great opportunity to lift his spirits and get him excited about using the muscles that have been weakened or deteriorated under his hip collapse. He gets to be a KID!! And to be truthful, I fully expected to get a call after a couple of days, or at least by mid-week, to come get him. But we didn't hear anything. I actually started to get a little concerned and texted Brother Wright, our bishopric member that was going up every night to the camp, to give me a report. I just wanted an update on his spirits and pain level. We were a little astonished. He was doing great!

The boys sure admire the older scouts in the ward and were readily included in all the activities. Cameron went repelling a couple of times...Nathan didn't. They both loved the skydivers for the large group fireside and motivational speaker. Nathan and Cameron both loved shotgun shooting, knife throwing, archery, arrow guns, and working on all the merit badges. There were 40 badge clinics were offered. Nathan finished 6, with 1 additional badge partially completed. Cameron completed 7 merit badges, with 2 additional badges partially completed. Not BAD!!!

The washing machine ran around the clock when they got home. Everything was filthy, although, there was still 5 pairs of clean socks in Nathan's pack. Hmm. Maybe Cameron wasn't helping out as much as I thought ;)

Jeff and I had a chance to talk to several of the boys' leaders, including a member of the stake presidency and our Bishop. Nathan did wonderful this week and what impressed every one of them the most...was he didn't complain, not once! They really felt that the pain or the challenge of the terrain could have discouraged him or caused him to take advantage of others' help. Neither happened. And, even better, the other boys rallied around him. He was transported by utility carts, as needed, to where he wanted to go. Many leaders, on every level of staffing, were watching out for him. But it turned out, that he was just a boy scout there to enjoy this great event and his fellow troop members served when needed and took up the slack.

It was truly an amazing week for both boys. They can't wait for the next event. I'm already hearing about another camp-out this summer and a canoeing trip. Cameron has been on the computer all day looking up the costs and dates for the National Jamboree, held in Washington, DC, every four years. After 2000 scouts...he's ready to take on 50,000 scouts and 100 merit badges! He wants to go and is already thinking about how to make that happen. If nothing else, I think this week converted them to the Boy Scout program, for life!
I have never seen either boy as dirty as they were when they got home. Cameron was covered in more than just dirt, but also a rash, caused by some sort of contact with nature. He was pretty sunburned and ready for a nap...after he begged to use his lawn mower. Nathan was brown...literally, more from dirt than any sun exposure. One shower didn't quite serve him well enough.

These are definitely two happy campers. And they already have their brother talking about what merit badges he's going to work on...and Braden is a full year out from even going into Boy Scouts!

The theme was "Catch the Vision"...and I know that my boys did!

Twinner Brace Faces

I left the house with a small posse of kids this morning at 11am and didn't get home till 4:30pm. Then I crated dinner up for another family that just lost their husband and father--and didn't get home till 8pm. It's been one of those CrAzY days!!

We started by getting Ashley 7 yards of fabric to work with on a value project for her Young Women's medallion. She's going to make all the girls a personal progress holder. I think it's very ambitious, considering she's never sewn a thing before! But it looks simple enough to have a go at. We got the idea from http://chocolateonmycranium.blogspot.com.

The colors are great. The intention is great. We'll just see how it goes over the next couple of days. She might change her mind about this type of project...or I might lose my patience van guarding her. Time will tell. For her other project, she started her own blog. I'm sure she'll outline all the details from this project there...so it should make for great fun to compare notes and see the different perspectives on the whole event.

After the fabric store, we were on to a pre-determined meeting spot to meet the buyers of Cameron's first craigslist deal. Cameron decided he needed to earn some more money to get his business plans off the ground. He racked his brain as what to sell and what to buy to get the show on the road. He decided to sell his I-Pod on craigslist so that he can earn enough money to buy a new lawnmower versus an old junky used mower. So he got his accessories together and laid everything out and took a picture of what he was selling and then listed them online. (Amazing that he did it all by himself!!) He had several e-mails from interested parties, and all but one, tried to get him to lower his asking price. He pursued that buyer. They scheduled a meeting place here in the valley for this afternoon. We waited for over half an hour with them being a no-show. We couldn't stay as we had more important matters to take care of--namely his appointment with the orthodontist. Then on the way...he got a call from them explaining they were running late. He rescheduled another location and time. It happened to concur at the same time as his meeting with his new metal accessories! So he left me to handle the I-Pod transaction while he attended to his teeth.

He now has a full set of braces, with red and orange brackets, for the next two years. They match the set that is on his twin brother! [We thought Jessica was getting hers on today as well...but I misunderstood the treatment plan and time frame. She had a W-arch put in that will spread her upper palette for the next year, and then she'll go into phase 1 of partial braces]. Yea! It seems like we are on a first name basis with the orthodontist now. We should exchange Christmas cards with him or something, because I've seen him more in the last 8 years than many of my very best friends!

It turns out that the buyers showed up at our second rendezvous location and Cameron's I-Pod went to their little guy that has been saving his lawn mowing monies! How ironic. It turns out that we know them in a round about way. They looked at our house when it was for sale and didn't pursue it because it was already under contract. I laughed and told her so much for that deal. They ended up building out by another house we looked at in Colbert. What a small world. Her boy is very pleased with the I-Pod and the obvious care that Cameron had for it. Cameron is now looking at new Husqevarna mowers at Country Homes. Gotta give him props for all his motivation and determination to follow through with his plans. **He's savvy enough to want a "warranty". The kid has been doing his research!

So for now, we'll take care of paying for the teeth...and he can take care of paying for all the expensive hobbies he wants to pursue--with what he earns with his very own lawnmower!

Tied Up...

Tonight the boys had interviews with Bishop Larsen so that they can be ordained as deacons in the Aaronic priesthood on Sunday. Meeting with your church leaders is reason enough to dress up, but this was a very important interview, and they wanted to look their best. Nice shirts and slacks are standard attire for our Sundays, and ties are in a league of their own. Getting the priesthood is an honor that called for Sunday best + ties.

It was kind of funny to see their different approaches to wearing a tie for the first time. And being that Jeff is on perpetual graveyard, he wasn't up to give them a necktie demonstration. Cameron didn't say anything, he just got a computer, and went right to www.youtube.com to watch a virtual demonstration. Incredibly able and resourceful.

The instructions were good enough, that Ashley, watching over Cameron's shoulder, was able to get Nathan's tie tied and then loosened enough to put over his head. Incredibly able and resourceful.

Nathan didn't mind the help, except the knot needed some perfecting. Ashley stepped in again to adjust her handiwork and helped Nate look fantastic in his new white shirt and tie!

They are both looking very grown up and eager to be the newest deacons in the ward. [Cameron had his hand rebandaged today and things are looking as good as they could be on the inside. The stitches will be out just in time for his first swoop through the chapel in a week and a half.]

After the interviews, I took my snazzy-dressed boys for some frozen yogurt. Talk about two very handsome young men! They sure are incredibly able and resourceful.

And...I LOVE the ties too, if I say so myself!!!

Happy, Happy Birthday to Nathan and Cameron!!

Nathan and Cameron turned 12 years old today!

Cruising on the lake was fun, but going back for presents, ice-cream cake, and opening birhtday cards was first on their list of things to do.

They got black slacks, new white shirts, belts, and ties so that they will look really sharp when they pass the sacrament for the first time in a couple of weeks.

They have graduated from getting Cub Scout shirts for camp to Boy Scout shirts. Cameron complained that his birthday haul was looking an awful lot like last year's! He did not receive the requested lawn mower or numerous gift/cash cards he wanted.

He was definitely voicing some concern, much to our chagrin, until we got to the big gift! Not exactly an archery set, also requested, but BB guns are definitely a hit for these boys.

Braden was looking on with envy! (Bummer! He'll have to wait 3 weeks to see what great things he'll get!) The boys headed for the deck and immediately started target practice. We learned that Cameron has a wicked aim. And between the two of them, there was over 50 holes in the aluminum cans.

Shooting with BBs can be a lot of fun...until you drop the container! Cameron let loose of the container with over 6000 of those little hummers.

But he's a thinker and figured out how to get them picked up faster...Grandpa and his sisters!

It was luck that Gale, Great-Grandma Ida Mae, and Grandma and Grandpa Eibert were in town to celebrate the big day! Gale bought them a yummy ice-cream cake from Dairy Queen. They enjoyed the requested steak and shrimp dinner--and I must add, it was fabulous. It was a great day-- filled with good fun, grand people, and great memories!

But, Where, Oh Where, has the time gone???

Chicken Parmesan

Yesterday we had a day of thundering and storms. The temperatures were in the high 50s and very refreshing after a couple of hot days. Things have been kind of quiet and peaceful since the bulb to the TV burned out in the morning. And it might be a while till it's replaced because I'm kind of liking the quietness!)

It got to be lunchtime and Nathan and Cameron said they wanted to make something really good. I was all for macaroni and cheese with some hot dogs. Nathan took charge and wanted to direct the show. He decided that everyone loved his Chicken Parmesan before and that it was worthy of a repeat. So he went to work. We love the chicken tenders from Costco. In about 25 minutes the chicken is done and ready for sauce and mozzarella. It gave the boys just enough time to make some spaghetti noodles for the chicken to be served on.

After it was all assembled, it was impressive to look at, and pretty tasty as well. Nathan was pretty chuffed with himself and said that he "nailed it." Cameron, more of the culinary cheerleader and juice dispenser, said that Guy Fieri would make all kinds of guttural noises and be impressed. **I tell 'ya--you're brother is your toughest critic when you're working in the kitchen! I guess that means that they did OK. I think the mac-n-cheese days are numbered. Every single plate was empty...and that said more than anything :)

Update the Blog, Mom!

The wheels on the car go round and round...but the motor in the window doesn't. And somebody took it upon themselves to fix it. Actually it was the driver's side window that broke, but until we have some extra cash to get a new motor, Jeff is swapping the motor from one of the passenger windows for now.

Cameron's pretty good with the mechanics of how things work and Dad decided to let him have a little experience. Talk about letting a kid loose in a candy store! And with all the running around to do this week--it's always nice to have a window that works.

Today, one of the kids told me that I needed to update the blog. I guess he was tired of reading the last blurb over and over. Jeesh! As if I don't have anything else to do ;) Lots has been going on, yet not of anything worth taking pictures of and elaborating too much on, or so I thought...until now.

My week sounds like the same old story over and over...just with different kids taking the passenger seat. "I took Cameron to the doctor." "I took Braden to the doctor." "I took Jessica, Nathan, and Cameron to the orthodontist." "Taking Ashley to the orthodontist." "Taking Braden, Cameron and Jessica to the dentist...." "I took Braden and Nathan to the eye doctor...." Well, actually, I got out of that trip because Dad had to get his eyes checked too and saved me that drive since I was picking Ashley up from the girls' camp meeting on the north side. So what it comes down to is--I drive, I drive, I drive!

Nathan is now scheduled with an pediatric infectious disease team here in Spokane. Haven't decided how to handle the Spokane surgeons yet. We are still dealing with the team at the Mayo via the phone. They've ordered scripts for x-rays and blood work. Those are coming up soon and then the results will be mailed back to them for review and progress. I got a little frustrated with the global billing side of the THR and thought it would be cheaper to fly (NOT drive!) Nathan back to the Mayo in Minnesota. I think we finally have a way around that, but we are on our own for a few weeks until the 12 week billing ends. Today marked 4 weeks from cut day and it was also the first day in months without pain killers! He's still a little whiny, but on his own as far as pain control.

After some less invasive kind of appointments, we learned that he definitely comes from our gene pool...and is getting glasses. They should be in next week. (Now, when I thin him down a bit, he'll look like Clark Kent). Every time he goes to the dentist or orthodontist from now on...he gets to take an antibiotic beforehand--for the rest of his life. Yep. Good stuff. I still have to get him scheduled for his physical "therapy-a-thon". We're months from a "full" recovery, but at least we are heading in the right direction. So bye, bye muscle atrophy, arthritis and painful limps. Hello walking, Mr Nathan, even if it means more driving! (Like I said: drive, drive, drive).

Cameron is done with his battery of testing at Sacred Heart. We will start educating ourselves on his specific needs and then I'm sure we will continue to drive, drive, drive. So far he's one of the lucky ones, and still has 20/20 sight (unless he's agitated) and his hearing just fine, or should I say...only has issues with selective hearing.

Braden got bombarded with all kinds of change coming his way. We started out the week by meeting with his audiologist and doing some new testing. His hearing loss is getting more profound and has finally reached the point where we need to make some decisions. We have an appointment in a few weeks with an ENT specialist and will also be repeating a series of hearing tests before we decide which kind of hearing device would work best for him.

After that morsel, he was on to the opthamologist and got some more bad news. He needs glasses. He's not quite as bad as Nathan, but close, considering he's two years younger. But with the whirlwind of expenses, we are going to wait a till school starts to get his pair...which won't be too long, since his school starts August 13th, this year! Poor kid. His hip is driving him crazy and it's a good thing we'll be seeing Dr Tompkins in a few weeks. And even with Ashley's braces coming off in a couple of weeks, Braden is going to have to wait awhile to start working on his chompers. It looks like he's an over-achiever in the bum department, but we'll get him straightened out yet!

And inbetween all those trips, I still managed to see my chiropractor and go with Jeff to his MRI. Bulging discs...Yeah! He made it through without the mind-altering drugs, this time!

And in between all the trips around town, someone made a trip to see us on Wednesday night. I must have an "S" emblazoned on my chest (for scouts...of course. Whadya think it stood for???) Yep. Cheers! Here's to being a den leader again. I'm going to love it and can't wait to start. But this area we're in is a little more spread out then what I've been used to in the past. Driving?

Jeff has an exciting bit of news that he wants to mull over for a few days. (Nope. No cub scout assistant-ships for him this time!) I'm sure he'll love it and we can "car pool" most of the time. The kids are definitely keeping us running around. If nothing else, we are doing a lot of......driving!

Grant's Farm

Looks like we got to Missouri just in time for all the freak weather to start! We got home in the late afternoon from a day's adventures, just in time for the storms and winds to start. Jan and Dave headed home because where they live was getting hit with hug ice bombs. We slept through the bulk of it that night. And after all the tornado-like winds and hail the size of baseballs that swirled through St Louis on Saturday evening, Sunday was calm and overcast.

But we woke up to reports of 2 deaths downtown, thousands of cars that were damaged, and buildings with windows that were blown-up out by the mighty hale--literally.

Our day started out with a wonderful breakfast at Cracker Barrel, and then we were off to Grant's Farm. Grandma stayed home to rest, and we met up with Dave and Jan for the outing.

The 80-acre farm was once owned by Ulysses S. Grant, but was acquired by August Busch (founder and owner of Anheiser-Busch Brewery) in 1907. It was a hobby farm that was so beautifully kept, that his friends suggested opening it to the public in the 1950s. The famous Clydesdale horses were kept there until they were moved to their own state of the art facility in Boonesville, MO.

At the beginning of the ride is the house that Ulysses and his wife Julia Dent lived in after they were married. Her father gave them the property as a wedding gift. The tram takes you through the grounds were odd and unusual breeds of deer, elk, and cattle are free-roaming before it drops you off in the center, near the carriage house.

As you go through the perimeter of the property, you see the fence that is surrounding the estate. The history behind it is very impressive. It was made from decommissioned guns of the soldiers of the Civil War. The guns were stripped down and taken apart and the barrels were welded together to form the fence around Grant's Farm. That is one of those odd tidbits that I find so fascinating!

After we got off the tram, our first stop was the goat pen. I've never seen so many baby goats all in one area. The farms have a very cost efficient way of feeding the multitudes...visitors buy bottles of goat milk for $1 a bottle and then go into the pen and feed them.

They are very fast little suckers, because if you're not careful, the milk is gone in just a matter of seconds to one greedy little goat. Nathan and Cameron had a ball in the pen.

Many of the warm-weather animals were not out for display yet, so we headed on to see Bud...the elephant. We attended the "elephant education" exhibit and because of the wheelchair, were as close to the elephant as the presenters.

So close, in fact, that when Bud showed everyone how well he could spray water, he drenched Nathan and Cameron. Nathan was not pleased, but Cameron thought it was all in good fun.

The carriage house and stables looked like they had been modeled after a Bavarian village. They were beautiful and housed all the carriages from the past century that were pulled by the draft horses. Some of the most impressive were the fire wagon and parade wagon.

Above all the carriages, were busts of animals from hunting acquisitions throughout the years. The most impressive of these were in the center...a zebra, a buffalo, and a long-horn elk.

We went to see the Clydesdale's in the stables beyond the park. They are extraordinary and HUGE!!

Such impressive animals. Gale says that she remembers times when the corrals and fields were full of hundreds of them. Now, most of them reside at the breeding farm of Warm Springs.

We stopped to see the cannons that were near the mansion at the entry. They are Howitzer cannons and were part of a pretty impressive artillery at one point.

We had the greatest day and I hope that we get to come back and explore this beautiful piece of history.