Aiden's 3rd grade music program #AES

Thursday night we went to Auburn Elementary for the PTA music program.  They had the 3rd and 4th grade students perform a set of 6 songs together and they did great!  I am so proud of Aiden for being able to stand so still, keeping his hands and feet to himself during the performance.  (Though he did say he kept saying "banana" to the girl beside him by the end....lol)  Below are videos of the 6 songs... Aiden is on the top riser at the end on the right.... I hope you enjoy!

Big Wide Wonderful World

Come to Egypt

Kahleemehrahi Greece

Three Little Birds

Uma Familia

Take Time in Life

*Fifty Nifty United States

*my favorite of the show....I learned this song when I was Aiden's age over 25 years ago!

I hope you enjoyed the show as much as we did!

Grin and Bear It #CubScoutsRule #BearAdventures

Over the past month our Bear Den has been working on their "Bear Claws" belt loop and "Grin and Bear It"!  We still have a little work to do to on "Bear Claws", but we did complete "Grin and Bear It" and they should receive their first Adventure belt loop of the year at the November Pack meeting!!!

WTG Bears of Pack 348!!!

The leaders rallied together and got some great supplies for the boys to choose from.  This belt loop took 2 den meetings and a Pack meeting for us.  The first meeting was the Den meeting to plan and prepare for the carnival.  The Pack meeting came next, where we actually held our carnival.  The last meeting we had some fun and played some challenging games, then we talked about the carnival, made some awards and presented them to our "Carnival Superstars"!

We collected a toilet seat, a box from a toilet, rolls of toilet paper, several big boxes, all sorts of balls, markers, tape, stickers, glue, an old Nerf game net, poster board, scissors and their ideas!  We had 8 great games and had a really fun carnival!

The boys said that they liked the games, prizes and snacks.  We had a mixture of candy and trinkets for prizes and the boys said they would have preferred more candy...lol. I was able to give several of them a break, but some of them did not get to play very many games.  They would have liked an adult to step in for them as well so they could have more fun.  Overall the carnival was a success and the boys were all happy to have gotten to work with their parent to accomplish it all!

Aiden helped me put together "Carnival Award Packs" before the following den meeting. I used a keyhole drill bit and a small hammer to punch holes in the back of a solid mason jar lid.  Then I cut circles the size of the inside and had Aiden cut the yarn and then stuff the bags with one of each for each Scout.

At the beginning of the meeting we played a name game to get the boys more familiar with each others names, we tried to "group stand-up" game (not very many were successful at that game), and the "line up" game.  

Then we settled down to talk about how our carnival what went well and what they would have done different.  The talk didn't last long, but we covered the gist of things and were able to move on to something more fun and creative.  Aiden made me a "Carnival Wonder Woman" award and presented it to me for helping him with his game and for giving him a break to play at the carnival! I was very honored and have it tucked away in my jewelry box!

Our next Den meeting is still 10 days away, but I am hoping that we can complete the "Bear Claws" belt loop next and be able to receive it and their Whittling Chip cards in November too!  The requirement involves the boys using actual pocketknives and carving wood.  Finding a project for 8-9 year old boys has been a challenge, but I think I found the perfect kits!  They should be arriving tomorrow or Monday and I can't wait to check them out!

Stay tuned for more updates on our Scouting adventures! 

Rest in Peace my sweet baby! #TigerButt #ILoveMyCat #It'sBeenAHeartbreakingDay

Today has been the toughest day I have had to endure, but I had to be an adult and make a tough decision.  Our cat of 16 years had been going downhill for awhile now and it was time to let him go so he didn't have to hurt anymore. 

I have had Tiger Butt since the day he was born, Hell...I was even there to watch it.  I was there for him when he got sick at 6 weeks old and had to have chilled IV fluids to get his temperature down and when an old neighborhood kid decided to shoot at him with a BB gun.  He was my fur baby from day one, but he had gotten old and sick and miserable.

That's the part that was the hardest.  Knowing that my baby was starving to death and as much as I chopped his food down he still had trouble eating.  We had to start wiping his face anytime he drank to control the drool.  After a lot of research we came to the conclusion that euthanasia was the most humane thing we could do for him.  He was starving to death and having trouble getting around.  Then he developed a growth on the side of his neck and stopped being able to jump up on our bed.  

After today I have decided there is no good way to die.  It hurt so much to  see the light go out of his eyes after the tranquilizer shot took effect.  He was still breathing, but he just wasn't there.  Tiger Butt was born in the summer of 2000 and he held strong til the Fall of 2016.

We took him out to Mom's and buried him beside Pretty Boy.  Aiden and I went to the gully and found him a nice quartz rock, thankfully it was lighter that the ducks was, and we even found some flowers to adorn his grave.  We lost an awesome cat... friend... confidant... companion... family member today.  Rest in peace Tiger Butt.  You'll always have a place in our hearts! 

Happy Halloween 2016! - From my Ghouls to your Goblins!

This year we went back to our old neighborhood in Radford to do our trick-or-treating and we had a pretty good time.  We always stop to see our old neighbors Jim-Rose and Ms Rose & Mr. Robert and Ms. Connie, they love to see the kids growing and having fun! Although poor Aiden has been fighting some sickness, even the Dr. isn't sure what he has, she gave the green light for about an hour of Trick-or-Treating and we took advantage of every moment.  I got him started on his antibiotics tonight, but  he has still been running a low grade fever plus the Dr. wants him on prednisolone (IDK if that is spelled quite right...ooops) and she said that it could hype him up... sooo no school for Aiden again tomorrow, but at least he got some goodies to enjoy while he works on the homework I picked up for him today while I was at the girls class Halloween "party"!  There weren't any costumes at this school, but the Kindergartners at least got to do some Halloween art, play some Halloween games and Dance to Halloween themed videos on the active board!  Plus, their snack was bigger than usual including cookies, popcorn, grapes and a veggie tray, that many of the kids took advantage of! 

 

We got to see some great decorations...and a cute Pom dressed as a Skunk!

This was one of our favorites by far!

 

Of course, we saw some other awesome houses too! Plus, the kids were all wore out and ready for sleep...each complaining of sore legs and heavy bags... and after tripping over her feet twice Isabella came home with a cut and a band-aid, too.  All of them ended up happy with the way their night turned out and I was happy to see them happy! :0)

Last week we got to have some Halloween fun at the school Fall Festival too!

 

 There were lots of great games, fun prizes, bouncy houses, face painting and even a station to build at!  The kids played until the festival was over and it was nice to get to see them focus on the fun vs. focusing on the prizes.  

 
This year Josh won Best overall pumpkin at work with his Devil in disguise... there were horns under the hat and a little pitchfork tail too!  I thought he did a great job and we got a paid date night out of the deal too!  Thanks Aegisound!  

The first pumpkin we bought for Aiden, less than a week ago, started to rot before we could carve it so I had to exchange it... By the time I got back from Wal-mart we didn't have a lot of time so Aiden asked me to carve his pumpkin for him.   He picked the pattern. I did the carving and I think it turned out pretty great!



The girls decorated their pumpkins this year with the push in accessories...but I must say I did have to ask them if they were sure they didn't pick rocks when we broke a couple... lol... 


All-in-all I would have to say I have enjoyed the Halloween season this year and I am grateful for all of the great memories that we have gotten to make this year! 

Kindergarten field trips are fun! #SinklandFarms #Fall2016 #PumpkinPatch

Isabella                                             Emma                                              Julian

Last Friday I got to go to Sinkland Farms with the girls Kindergarten class!  These three were in my group and we had a blast!

We started our adventure with a Hay ride out to the pumpkin patch!

 

The girls were very picky when picking out their pumpkins, but eventually they found one that was just right!  The best pumpkins were dry, not too dirty, plump with lots of lines and not too heavy! (oh and the vines couldn't be too prickly!) ^^^^-- that was very important...if it pricked them back it went...lol

On the hay ride back from the pumpkin patch we took some fun pictures...

 

...and some fun selfies too!

Then we got to learn about how pumpkins grow and take some group pictures of the class.   The lady that talked to the kids about growing pumpkins did a great job of keeping the kids involved in the lesson by becoming the sunshine and rain that the pumpkins needed to grow.  She also had great pictures and real examples of the different stages of growing pumpkins!  I love how they had the side of the barn decorated for Halloween.  It really made an awesome backdrop!

 

Looking back on our day, we really covered a lot in a couple of hours!  After the group picture we learned that Sinkland Farms started as a Dairy Farm.  When the kids were asked what kind of cows the black and white spotted one's were they guessed: Milk cows, Dairy cows and Chick-fil-a cows!  Then even after being told several times that they are Holstein cows, when they were asked again they concurred that they were the Chick-fil-a breed...LoL!  Since the farm is no longer a dairy farm most of the cows are wooden or metal, but they are a tribute to how the farm started!

 

We did get to see and pet some real animals in the barn!  There was a peacock, some turkey, pigs, brown quail, rabbits, a huge brown cow, a horse, some donkeys and a couple of other types of animals.  There were hand sanitizer and hand washing stations provided right outside the barn to wash up after making friends with the friendly animals in the barn!

 

Before we went into the Corn Maze we learned all about corn from a gentleman that specializes in horticulture.  He talked to the kids about corn being in food, drinks, gasoline, different types of corn and so much more.  It was a very interesting lesson and he had some good visual aides to show the kids and keep their interest.  Then he went over the rules of the maze, gave us a map and wished  us luck!

 

There were 12 pumpkins to find in the maze....

 

...and we took a few wrong turns...

 

...but we worked together to read the map...

 

...and although we may not have quite gone in order...

 

...we found all 12 of them and we made it out of the maze after all!   The girls were sad that they had to go back to school after their trip, but their teacher was excited to talk to them about their morning and to see each of their pumpkins...so they went back to school and I took advantage of the time I had to run some errands!  

I am so grateful that I am getting the opportunity to be around for my kids and go on field trips with them.  It's so much fun to see them really enjoying themselves and I love getting to know their friends too...On Monday, Halloween, I am going to help with the girls class Halloween stations! ....Even though I will be going back to an office job when we move I hope that I am still able to schedule some vacation days for field trips and class parties!