It's a race!

Oh yea oh yea, it's the great Pinewood Derby! Our boys worked hard and had a blast. Jake came in third place and was very happy with his car. He has a good dad who helped him out. Jake's car was the Punisher--painted sleek black with a a "Punisher" skull. If you don't know who the Punisher is, ask a comic book fan. (Not me--I only know a little bit about him. Corky's the guy.)

If you're wondering why everyone is always looking up in these pictures, it's because the information was projected on the wall. It's a great deal--we have the boys' pictures with their cars, and then we can see who is next in line to race. Below is my comrade-in-arms, Emily. She was the "wrangler" for the upcoming race.

I love being a Cub Scout leader. This is my fourth go-round. I was over the Bears and then the Webelos when Taylor was just 3, so when he turned 8, I knew what was going on. That was nice. I volunteered to be his leader (I told the bishop I had my own shirt and an 8-year old--took them 9 months to get the hint). I was leader for his Bear and Webelos years. And then for the next year I was the Cub Committee Chairman. That was interesting because our ward hadn't had one, and nobody could tell me what I was supposed to do. I did a lot of digging, asking, reading and finally doing. It can be a big job! I liked that calling, but took a break for a year before it was Dante's turn.

Then with Dante, I was Den Leader for his Wolf and Bear dens. He had had enough of me and had a good leader for Webelos, so I stepped out. But here I am again with my baby. Jake turned 8 in August, but there were only about 3 things marked off in his book from August to December, so when I took over in January, we really started working to get things done. We've had a great time. We've been to the fire station, pounded nails in wood, and just this month we have made pine cone bird feeders, pop bottle terrariums, had the pinewood derby and tomorrow we're going on a picnic and will pick up garbage in the park. Part of that will count toward their Outdoor Activity Patch--a great one that they actually get to wear on their uniforms. I love that. Saturday is Scout-o-rama--we are having a booth where the kids will get to paint bug neckerchief slides. I'll take a picture! I'm actually getting good at remembering to take my camera, and then actually take a picture. How about that.

Oh, and next week, well you'll love this--we get to go to the dump. We are learning about recycling and they give tours and will tell us all about it. Being at the dump--could you possibly have a better day?