Bobcat

Joshua had his first official pack meeting (meaning in a church, not at someone’s pool…which is the only way to survive here in the summer). He got several awards but is most proud of the fact that he got his Bobcat and now is on the trail to becoming a Wolf. Having never been to a pack meeting before, he was enamored! He was very taken with the ceremony of putting a boy that is advancing behind a screen, and then blowing smoke all over the church, and then having him emerge as a different animal (i.e. Bobcat to Wolf, Wolf to Bear). I am so glad that someone invented cub scouts. What a great program for these boys. He also got to participate in the flag ceremony, which thrilled him. He had quite a grip on that flag and took his responsibilities very seriously!

When he became a Bobcat they gave me a Bobcat pin (in this case they probably should have given it to his Dad…but I am not complaining). Joshua had to pin it on me. We took one step away from the podium and he wanted it back. “That is mine! Give it Back!” I told him that it was for the Mom. He was not amused. After the pack meeting convened he kept working on me to give it back to him. He really couldn’t understand why I would get something when he was advanced to Bobcat! He is so cute.

Also, on another funny note, they had uniform inspection. He passed with flying colors, except for one thing: his neckerchief slide was on upside down. As they were pointing this out to him at inspection he piped right up and explained that his Dad put it on him. Everyone chuckled. He was given the BIG candy bar for being in code 100 percent!

This video is of Joshua participating in the flag ceremony.

Summer Rest and Relaxation

Rocky Point

Right after … and I do mean right after…as in 48 hours…we got home from Luke’s wedding we went to Mexico for a little rest and relaxation and I am so glad we did! It was perfect timing as we went two days AFTER Memorial Day so the crowds were thin and the weather was PERFECT. Little did I know that this would be the most restful part of my summer. I did savor it. “Relax” is not a word in my vocabulary. The only place I truly relax is in Mexico. There is something very wonderful about no cell phone reception. I think my ease of relaxation also relates to the laid-back pace and Mexican way-of-life! And possibly the great food!

This visit we actually rode horses on the beach. Becca has been begging us to ride since we started going to Mexico, but we just couldn’t get it coordinated for some reason. This trip she finally got to ride a horse on the beach. Now, she wants to take Jasmine next time. Too bad we don’t have a horse trailer! Not!

Happy Summer!

"Eight is GREAT": Joshua's Baptism and the Best Mother's Day Gift EVER!

Joshua’s baptism was a wonderful experience and one that I will never forget and I hope he will never forget it either.

We were lucky enough to have some family members attend. Grandma Walker was in town, Grandma and Grandpa Williams came for the weekend and Uncle Jeremy and Aunt AJ and their family, including Mason (and really he is the only one that matters to Josh) were all here to share in this great day with Josh! Also in attendance were some extended family members including my cousin Tonya and her family and some wonderful friends that seem as much like family as anyone could! We also were greatly supported by our ward.

Joshua, Hal and Grandma Walker!

As a surprise to me, and the best Mother’s Day present I have ever received, Hal asked my Dad to confirm Joshua a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was one of the most touching a spiritual moments of my life. I know that this was a wonderful gift from Hal to me and my Dad. It can’t have been easy to let your father-in-law confirm your only son. But, I am extremely grateful that he did. This was the last priesthood ordinance that my Dad performed before he passed away on July 3, 2009. It has an honor to be present during that confirmation and it was an honor that my father was able to travel the distance and have the energy and ability to perform this ordinance. I hope Joshua will cherish that moment forever.

Cub Scouts

Forgive me as a journey back into spring of this year. I never got a chance to post information about Joshua’s Baptism or his first day at Cub Scouts. I will post the Baptism information in my next post.

This is a picture of Joshua on his first day of Cub Scouts.

Of course when your kids turn eight suddenly other people don’t mind being with your kids quite so much and so they begin having activities in their lives that take them away from you for short periods of time. For young boys that are members of the church this begins with Cub Scouts. He was very fortunate to enter Cubs about ten days before the much-anticipated Cub Scout Day Camp. Joshua thought that every weekend was going to be AWESOME after spending Thursday, Friday and Saturday hiking, riding bikes, shooting paint ball guns and swimming…a lot. Also, he managed pass off a bunch of Cub Scout requirements. It was such a let down to him when we told him that Cub Scout Day Camp is only once a year! He had a great time.

Another funny story that has happened since then is that his Cub Scout Troop was invited a few weeks ago to help pack boxes of food for a local food bank very early on a Saturday morning. He had a great time. The next Sunday the Bishop announced over the pulpit that the Cub’s had done such a great job at this activity that St. Anne’s Food Bank wanted to invite them back every Saturday. Early the next Saturday morning in came Joshua, ready for another day at the food bank. It was tough to convince him that the Bishop was just making a point about how good the boys had been and that the Cubs weren’t going to literally going to spend every Saturday morning at 6 a.m. at St. Anne’s. He was really disappointed.