Camp Chawanakee - Part 2

I needed a second post to cover Darren's part of the week. He was at scout camp with his troop and his Dad, having a great time too! We all drove up on Saturday, June 19. On Sunday morning we had Sacrament meeting at our camp site which was also Father's Day! We made yummy breakfast burritos and tri-tip dinner for the Dads and Bishop that were with us. That afternoon, the troop headed over to check-in at Scout Camp.

 

Tehachapi - This is the camp site assigned to Darren's troop


Here is a shot of their site and tents. Below is a shot from the back side. They were right at the water. Those are their tents to the left. These boys were really 'roughing it' huh??






A highlight for Darren is that his best friend Andrew was at Chawanakee with his scout troop during the same week. They had a couple merit badge classes together and got to hang out a little too. They've been best buds since birth - Andrew's mom being MY best friend, Margaret.

 

Flag Ceremony:


Jason enjoying his view from his private quarters:



One of the merit badges Darren earned was Archery. He loved this and is quite skilled at it! He also earned Pottery, Indian Lore, Geology, Photography, Carpentry, and Tracking. The last two were special merit badges, only available to earn this year. It is the Boy Scouts 100th Anniversary, and they offered these merit badges that had been retired many years ago. They will have a special meaning to Darren.

 

 

Disneyland!

Another trip to Disneyland. We took the motorhome to Anaheim and stayed at an RV park just a block away from Disneyland. We were able to walk to and from the park, and visit for a couple days. This is one of our favorite family outings!









(June 14,15)

Mormon Helping Hands Day!

The kids and I participated in Mormon Helping Hands Day this year. Our ward was assigned a park in our city where we planted trees, spread mulch, and just beautified the grounds. I'm so proud of my kids for their eager willingness to help in their community. What a great way to teach them service and community pride. It was a great day. (May 8, 2010)

Girls Night Out!

While the boys were off on their air soft adventures, Mommy & Alli found something to keep them busy too! We went to dinner and the salon for manicures and pedicures! It was a first for Allison but I can assure you it won't be the last time! We had a blast and I loved watching her enjoy this experience with me! Yay for girlie activities!!




6/11/10

Camp Pendleton Airsoft

This is how my boys ended the school year... air soft wars at Camp Pendleton Jericho!! Jason took the boys and a couple friends to camp on the beach in San Onofre after school, and they got up early Saturday morning to do this:

Joshua Tree

Jason headed up a 4-night camping trip for the scouts to earn a merit badge and rock climb at Joshua Tree. They prepared with a couple day trips more locally, and then headed out for the big one! They climbed and repelled the 120ft. rock called Cyclops, along with others while there. Looks like fun, huh? (Spring Break, April 5 - 8)

Troop 706

Refugio

Over Memorial Weekend we joined a large group of friends at Refugio for a campout. We had a great site and had tons of fun with everyone!

Blake & Ryan's 9th bday

Here are my babies 9 years ago! Wow! I can hardly remember those sleepless nights. I do however, remember the joy! They still bring joy into our lives and our family is so blessed to have these precious boys be a part of it!


Here they are today, celebrating with their family. They will be finishing 3rd grade soon. Blake likes to read, play basketball and tease his little sister. Ryan likes to skateboard, play basketball, and loves art. They both have followed in big brothers footsteps and are getting involved in air soft. Air soft guns were their big gift this year.


Motorcross Cake - I saw this in a recent edition of Family Fun magazine and thought I'd surprise the boys with it. They loved it! Four layers of cake. Yum!



HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOYS!! WE LOVE YOU!!!

Baskin Robbins

If firefighting doesn't work out, Jason can always scoop ice cream as a backup! Actually, probably not! The employees didn't appreciate Jason's 'generous' scoops he handed out to patrons! (I mean, why not? It wasn't on his dime!)
The annual 31 cent scoop night was held at Baskin Robbins which doubles as a fire department fundraiser. Jason and his crew were some of the lucky firefighters to dish up the goods at the local ice cream store that night. He called us to come down and see him in action. The kids loved it!

General Conference Trip

We started our Spring Break a little early by taking a road trip to Utah for General Conference. Jason's parents joined us for our adventures. We left Wed. and drove to Las Vegas for the night. We had an amazing breakfast buffet at the Bellagio, hit a couple tourist spots for the kids.



Our next stop was Zion. We spent Thur. night there and part of Friday, touring the canyon. We headed on to Provo where we met up with Jason's brother and his son who flew in from Iowa. Here is cousin Joshua with the kids.


After dinner we parted until Saturday morning. We spent the day together and then the guys went to Priesthood session. It was Darren's first time to Priesthood session, and it was extra special to be there for the live conference, along with his Dad, Papa, Uncle & cousin.





Sunday morning we woke to 3" of snow all over our motorhome and campground. What a treat! The Easter bunny left a few small treats, but nothing to get in the way of our Sunday morning attendance at Conference.



It was a first time for me and the boys to attend conference live. Aside from Ryan's non-stop cough through the entire conference, it was perfect! Nana stayed behind in the motorhome to watch Conference on TV.



What I should have taken pictures of are some of the activities we did while driving. We spent many hours playing games at the table. Nana and Alli colored, played My Little Pony, any many other fun things. It was so great to spend some quality time with Nana and Papa. It was a great trip! Here are some random moments:

FREEDOM!

When your 3-year old finally learns how to pump a swing by herself, it means FREEDOM for mom! Woo-hoo!!! I am soooo excited that Allison finally did this! She's been on the verge for a while, but I could tell she was holding back. But left to her own devices in the back yard today, I glanced out the window and saw her doing it! Hallelujah!

Braces!

Darren has entered the world of braces! Daddy has entered the world of orthodontic bills!

BEFORE:


AFTER:

Fruit

I brought home a dwarf orange tree from Costco the other day and told Jason I wanted to plant it. He isn't a fan of the dwarf trees so he returned it and went to the local nursery to get a different tree. We ended up with a little more than I had originally anticipated, but I'm certainly not complaining! I now own 2 orange trees, a lemon tree, and a peach tree!! Wow! I'm so excited! Jason spent 2 full days digging out bushes to make room for our new additions. I need to read up on how to take care of them, and hope we eventually reap some fruit! Yum!