Daniel is a Bobcat!

Monday night, September 28 was a big night for Daniel and Benjamin! Both boys earned their Bobcat badges for Cub Scouts. Earning the Bobcat badge is no easy feat--the boys worked hard memorizing the Cub Scout sign, motto, promise, handshake, salute and the Law of the Pack. The night was made even more special because all of the boys in both Daniel and Benjamin's dens earned their Bobcat badges as well. What an amazing group of boys and parents. Way to go Den 11 and Den 13!! The Bobcat ceremony consisted of several parts. First, one parent painted three red stripes on the noses of their boy. Then the Bobcat badges were pinned on the uniforms, upside down. They are to be turned over and attached once the Scout has done a good deed. And, finally, each boy pinned a special Bobcat pin on their parent's lapel. In addition to earning their Bobcat badges, Daniel and Benjamin also earned belt loops for the following activities: Bowling, Swimming, Computers and Map and Compass. And, if that wasn't enough--they also received a special patch for attending Pack 524's Fall Campout! What a great night--Congratulations Bobcats!

Our First Cub Scout Camping Experience!

We went camping!!! That's right, all six of us (plus our friend Nathan) slept in sleeping bags, in a tent, together in the woods! September 18-19 was Cub Scout Pack 524's annual fall camp out. The Keller Family was in on the fun! The Pack reserved the entire Lewis Canyon Campground and it was packed with Cub Scout camping families. We were thrilled that Benjamin's best friend, Nathan was also able to join our family for two days of adventure. We arrived at the campsite in the late afternoon on Friday and selected the site for our tent and put it up. Then we helped other families set up as they arrived. Then it was time for dinner: hot dogs and chips. Soon afterwards, it got dark--really, really dark! I think we were all surprised at just how dark the woods are at night. We had plenty of lanterns and flashlights, so we were ready to grab our chairs to head over to the opening campfire and flag retirement ceremony, which started at 7:30pm. After the campfire, the Keller boys were ready for bed! So we returned to our tent to bed down for the night. Ethan and Noah went right to sleep, while the three bigger boys stayed up and giggled for an hour or so before falling asleep. Mom and Dad had a harder time sleeping, I don't think they were ever able to get comfortable enough to sleep. Especially since Benjamin and Noah ended up practically sleeping on top of them during the night. An elk herd had bedded down in the meadow behind our campground and they talked to each other all night long. At one time we could hear them walking through our campground. Of course, all of us boys were up at the crack of dawn (literally!). After having breakfast around the campfire, we got ready for the pack-wide hike. The hike was about 2 hours long, and just perfect for our family. When we returned, we were tired, but not completely exhausted. The weather for the hike was beautiful, sunny and warm! But, after lunch, we were in for a big surprise! At first, the thunder was off in the distance, but it kept creeping closer and closer. It was a huge storm, heading right towards us! The thunder rolled, the rain poured and we were even pelted with hail. Fortunately, we were safe and warm inside our tent. But, once the rain let up, the grounds were just a muddy mess and we decided to pull up camp a couple hours ahead of schedule and head home! Our ride home was fairly uneventful. It rained on us steadily until we were a half an hour south of Payson. Oh, and we were pulled over across from Bison Ranch for going 71 in a 55 zone, right after the speed limit changed! Fortunately, Dad was issued only a warning. Hooray for a wonderful adventure and many happy memories. We are looking forward to our next camping adventure together!

Daniel's Trail Mix

On September 17, Daniel made trail mix. He came up with the recipe all by himself! Here's it is: Half a box of Cheerios, half a bag of goldfish crackers, half a bag of pretzels, one large bag of M and M's, one box of animal crackers, 2 cups of banana chips and 2 cups of raisins. Mix together and divide evenly into seven quart size zip lock baggies. Yummy!! Making trail mix satisfies on of the requirements for Daniel's Bear Badge and will also provide us some energy when we are hiking this weekend at our first Cub Scout camping trip!

Keller Family Bowling Fun!

What's the perfect thing to do on a rainy Saturday morning? Head to the bowling alley!! We had a blast. The six of us bowled together for the first time on Saturday, September 5. Daniel and Benjamin worked on earning their Bowling Belt Loops for Cub Scouts, while Ethan and Noah had fun using the ball ramp. Mom and Dad competed until the very end, with Mom edging dad out for the victory in the 10th frame. It was a great morning of family fun!

Daniel Goes to the Ballpark!

Saturday, August 29 was Homeschool Night at Chase Field, and Daniel and his family were there to cheer the Diamondbacks on to a huge 9-0 victory! Our co-op went together and we all had a great time: watching the game, laughing, cheering and winning great prizes! It was a special night honoring Luis Gonzalez, who is returning to the Diamondbacks as the Special Assistant to the President. The kids especially enjoyed seeing Baxter, the Taco Bell characters and they loved the fountains in the pool that erupted when the Diamondbacks hit a home run! What a fun night!