Ch-ch-ch-ch-CHANGES!

Every fall brings new and exciting times, and lots of changes. Maybe because I have an infant, or maybe just because, the changes seem to be coming fast and thick this fall. So, in no particular order...

Wesley is loving his johnny jump up. He's a good little bouncer.Both boys are playing soccer. Gabe is on Team Tsunami.

Wesley is a big fan of soccer. Except when he isn't. Here he is, wearing a hat I made for him.

Timothy got glasses for reading. He jumped about a grade level when he got them. This means that he's reading on about a third grade level. Smarty pants. Over-achiever.

Cute baby is cute. I mean, he's always been cute, but I think he's getting cuter.

Our annual picture outside the Grissom playground. This year I have three boys and two of them are Grissom students.

Wesley is growing and changing faster than you can even imagine. He doesn't quite have sitting up down yet, but he's getting there.

A week ago, Gabe graduated from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts. Where does the time go?

Here he is with the ceremony team and his Arrow of Light.

Yes, he's almost as tall as me. Don't remind me!

Also new and different, Gabe got contacts.

Yes, he still looks a lot like his Popple.

More soccer. Timothy is on the Comets.

As you can see, he's making new friends!

Here's another cute one of Wesley. Just because.

POPCORN TIME!!

It's upon us again! Gabe and Chris are very involved in Cub Scouts through our church, and our annual fund raiser started on Monday. So, I feel a little bad about the plug, but not that bad because it is, after all, MY blog! So, if you're interested in popcorn...here's what we have!

5-way Chocolate Lover's Tin $50
Chocolate, Caramel and Cheese Tin $40
3-way Cheese Tin $30
Trail Mix Tin $20
Microwave Kettle Corn (15-pack) $20
Gourmet Caramel Corn Tin with Almonds, Pecans and Cashews $17
Chocolatey Caramel Crunch Tin $17
Caramel Corn Light Tin $17
Unbelievable Butter Microwave Popcorn (15-pack) $15
Butter Light Microwave Popcorn (15-pack) $15
Caramel Corn Tin with Peanuts $10

We are aiming to sell $2,000 this year, so that we can get Gabe a scholarship fund set up. Once the fund is set, a percentage of each year's sales will go in the fund, and it will accrue interest. Families in our pack have told us their older sons have ended up with a few thousand dollars for college. Gabe mainly wants to make his goal so he can win a Nintendo DS. So, if you're interested, you can leave a comment or e-mail me. Shipping can be arranged if you're out of town, and payment is due when the popcorn arrive, which I think is some time in late October or early November. Thanks for putting up with my shameless plug!

Lots of pictures of Scout Camp

Scout camp began on a wet, unseasonably cool morning. It was the morning of my birthday, in fact. The opening ceremonies were a little damp. Chris had taken Monday and Tuesday off work to be with Gabe, and my scheduled unexpectedly cleared for Monday, so I went along.

Forgive me for posting this terrible picture of myself. It was cold. Gabe wasn't using his poncho, and since I don't own one, I thought I might as well put his to good use. I now know that a grown woman in a Spiderman poncho draws a lot of strange looks.

Here is our pack's flag, as drawn by the boys.

Despite the wet weather, activities continued as normal. Here are Gabe and Chris at the bb gun range. Have I mentioned that my son is quite the sharp shooter? So if you ever get pinged in the bum with a bb and he tries to convince you that it was an accident, do NOT believe him. He has a marksmanship patch that states otherwise.

Toward afternoon on the first day, the sun came out. Here are the boys, practicing for the flag ceremony. Our pack was in charge of closing ceremonies on Thursday, and the boys worked hard to get it just right.

Here's Gabe, receiving a bullseye bead at the bb range.

Here, he's learning to make ice cream!

On Thursday, I went with Gabe while Timothy was at preschool. This is the woodworking station, where Gabe built a bug catcher.

I love the look of intense concentration: "Do NOT hit thumb with hammer. Do NOT hit thumb with hammer. Do NOT..."

Here are Logan and Gabe, carrying the pack flag.

Closing ceremony on Thursday. Gabe is toward the back of the line.

Tying off the flag lowering ropes.

Gabe's job in the ceremony was to lower the Oklahoma flag. He did a fantastic job. These pictures are all out of order, but I can't be bothered to fix it. You'll just have to scroll through backward or something.

Archery, another type of marksmanship at which Gabe excels. We think it's interesting that he is left handed, but can shoot equally well with both hands.

A game of human checkers.

Everyone had a lovely time, and two days of rain did very little to dampen the boys' spirits. It did create an astounding amount of filthy laundry. But that's to be expected, I suppose!