Pumpkins - that's what Halloween is all about

This year marked a first in our household, nobody went trick or treating. The boys assembled a basket of candies, carved their pumpkins, lit the candles and settled in for a night of costume and 'manner critiquing." I think they are more strict that Bob and I .... maybe we need to tighten up?

Pomegranate

Noah thoroughly enjoys the red, sweet, delicious seeds of a pomegranate. He has mastered the 'harvesting' of these little nuggets and is quite swift. The rest of the family enjoys his labor on our salad or as a quick snack.

Boy Scout Court of Honor

Noah and Lukas are both growing in their Boy Scout responsibilities and are now patrol leaders. They have quickly realized it is not that easy to get everyone to follow suit. Maybe this will give them more compassion for Mama and her struggles?

Lukas and Noah were both recognized for their advancement to Star  Scout at the Boys Scout Court of Honor Monday evening. In addition, the boys were given the merit badges that they have earned since the last Court of Honor. It was a nice of celebration and joy!

Full moon early in the am

Views on an early morning run, it think it is time togo back to standard time.

Archery Tag

One Friday afternoon, we headed out for a Challenge A/B field trip playing archery tag. The boys had a fun time shooting off foam arrows while the Mamas had a chance to chat. Lukas had the distinct advantage of being taller than the barriers, which made the game even more fun.  What an enjoyable way to spend a gorgeous fall day in Michigan.

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.