Star Scout

The boys have now advanced to the rank of Star in Scouts. This means taking off and sewing on new patches. It is a pleasure to do so for these two young men.

Birthday party part 3

Lukas wanted to host an overnight programming, robotics sleep over to celebrate his birthday, so Sunday afternoon, we 'gained' two young men and the four of them headed downstairs,  There was pizza baking in the oven, chips and snacks on the counter and ice cream in the freezer.
Bob spent several hours with the four boys as they work on the robotics challenge. When Bob was not downstairs helping them, he was in the garage building yet another structure for the playing field.
When the two boys left on Monday afternoon, there was no more soda, a cold dry piece of pizza, empty ice cream containers and a trashcan full of candy wrappers. Most of them were proud to declare they did not sleep a wink. A fun way to cap off the 14th birthday celebration.

Breakfast for the birthday boy

Noah treated his brother to a special breakfast on his birthday. He made pancakes from scratch and carefully placed blueberries in a pleasing design on each pancake. Lukas enjoyed the special attention, but I wonder if he noticed the pretty pattern?

The Artist

Although we do not have official breaks, we do have slower weeks in school. Noah took advantage of our slightly slower schedule last week and spent some time painting. He experimented with melting crayons and sketched out something that he will now translate to a larger canvas. Our walls are getting to be well decorated.

Lukas is fourteen!

Lukas celebrated his birthday fighting off a cold. He spent most of the day on the couch, reading, When it came time for birthday dinner, he was still in his pjs. Since he was not feeling too great, he was offered chicken noddle soup or sushi, and he did not even pause before answering: sushi. Bob brought home a platter full of delicacies and we had a quiet family party enjoying delicious sushi. Lukas opened his gifts while we let the sushi settle in our stomachs and ended the evening with Noah's home made cake.

Celebration - take 1

Lukas celebrated his birthday by hosting his weekly robotics team. After our joint dinner, Noah brought out the ooey gooey apple pie he baked the day before. There was not much left after the four boys and three adults had indulged. The boys then headed downstairs for some programming and robot building under the careful tutelage of Bob.

Chief Baker

Noah took upon himself the role of chief baker for the cakes needed to celebrate his brother's birthday. He prepared the award winning apple pie for the first celebration. Mama assisted in some of the recipe adjustments to make the pie suitable to all guests and Noah had a few minor reservations. Fortunately, it tasted fantastic so his fears were unfounded.

Since we celebrated Lukas' birthday a day early with friends, we needed a second cake for the actual birthday. Once again, Noah took charge and whipped up a tasty Daim cake for the family celebration.

Noah took great care ensuring the crust reached all the way up the side of the form. 

School chairs???

The boys are watching an interesting PBS series about scientist and enjoying a little snack at the same time - who said school chairs must be hard and uncomfortable?

Already?

It seems the boys just got home from a camp out and here we are preparing for another one. This time, Lukas was responsible for planning, supplying and cooking all the meals for 25+ attendees. He spent an hour at the grocery store, comparing prices, per ounce costs and weighing his alternatives. Back home, he spent the better part of the afternoon organizing the food, chopping and cooking what could be done in advance, and writing out detailed instructions for his helpers and most importantly creating a duty rooster for kitchen duty.

More robot work

One day this week, the boys had a chance to spend an extended period doing robotics.  There was fun, goofing around and some progress towards the goal.

Lunar Eclipse

We enjoyed a beautiful evening outside watching the moon rise, and the 'disappear' behind a shadow. Lukas and Bob set up the telescope and we marveled at how fast the change was happening. Noah stayed up for some of it and then asked us to show him the pictures. Sleep is important :-)

How do I love thee??

A picture is worth a thousand words. Noah really enjoys his hallon kram.

Target

When the boys are not doing school, practicing music, building and programming robotics, they practice target shooting with Nerf guns. This is the most recent target for their Nerf bullets. He looks pretty well dressed....

Robotics

Lukas and Noah along with two other boys formed a advanced robotics team this year. In their spare time, Lukas and Noah have been building the robot, while Bob has spent all of his spare time constructing the playing field. The four boys now have to figure out how to get the robot to do what is required....

And off they go

The boys are getting really good at packing and preparing for their Boy Scout Camps. The take out the checklist, check things off, and packing is done. Bob and I will enjoy a quiet weekend, while they are having fun scouting.