Benjamin 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 my 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. I was thrilled that my 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 Noah and I ended up practically sleeping on top of us 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!

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!

Benjamin Goes to the Ballpark!

Saturday, August 29 was Homeschool Night at Chase Field, and Benjamin 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!

Benjamin is a Cub Scout!

Daniel and Benjamin Keller are officially Cub Scouts! And, Dad is officially a Cub Scout Den Leader! Monday, August 24 was their first pack meeting, where all of the dens of Pack 524 gather together for awards, fellowship and instruction. The boys were super excited to put on their uniforms for the first time, and even more excited to see that all of their friends looked just like them! Benjamin is a Tiger Scout and a part of Den 13. Daniel is a Bear Scout and is a member of Den 11. Dad is a leader for Daniel's Den, along with Mr. Stork. Benjamin's Den is led by Mr. Glazier and Mr. Kempiak. It's going to be a great year of adventure, learning, fellowship and fun!!

Sunshine Acres Field Trip, August 19, 2009

On Wednesday, August 19, the Tapestry of the Desert co-op went on their first field trip of the school year, to Sunshine Acres Children's Home in Mesa.  We were expecting to simply take a tour of the facility.  But, instead we witnessed first hand the body of Christ working to give homes to the homeless, families to those without stable family lives, and hope to children who otherwise may never hear of God's love for them.  I think we were all in awe of the generosity and sacrifice of so many people who help make Sunshine Acres the safe haven that it has been for the past 55 years. We were able to see the barn and stables, skate park, a boys' house and a girls' house and the dining hall.  Our tour guide, Marsha, was wonderful.  She gave very honest descriptions of the facility, it's residents and workers.  And was happy to answer all of our questions--all while giving the kids from the co-op just the right amount of information.  Our studies in history touched on a very sad topic this week--the orphan trains.  Around the turn of the century, there were many abandoned children living on the streets of New York City.  The Orphan Train Movement was created to provide homes for these orphans and for others, by taking them on a train ride throughout the country to meet potential new adoptive families. Our goal in taking the kids to tour Sunshine Acres was to give them a modern day context regarding orphans and disadvantaged children.  But, most of all, our hope is that their hearts would be opened to others in need and that they will learn to look outside of themselves to see a hurting world--yet know that there are many ways that they can help.

Benjamin Looses A Tooth!

On Tuesday, August 18, Benjamin lost his third tooth.  It was just hanging by a thread and Grandma Bettie had the honor of pulling it out.  Benjamin was so brave and so happy to have lost another tooth!