Tuesday, October 28, 2008

my [BOYS]

Have I told you lately how much I LOVE being a Den Leader? Well, I DO!
I have 8 boys in my den. They are all the cutest boys and we have SO much fun together! It has been so much fun watching them get motivated, set goals and accomplish them! I TOTALLY get why Scouting is such a good thing for these boys!
One of the boys favorite parts about coming to scouts is our DEN DOODLE. I used my photo shop to create the image, printed it on iron-on paper and transferred it to these bags.
Each time the boys come to scouts they find their spot at the table by finding their bag. The bag is filled with their crafts or whatever they will need for the day. The front helps them track their progress towards earning their Wolf. They get to color in a paw print every time they complete a goal. They are all so into it. They come each week with new things to pass off! It is great!
Another bonus is the beads. Each color of bead has a different value. The boys earn beads by passing off goals, coming to den meeting, passing uniform inspection, etc. They can also get them taken away if they have to be reminded to follow instructions a lot.
The boys save up their beads until the last day of the month when they get the chance to spend their beads like money at the DEN STORE. A BIG HIT! The boys LOVED having the opportunity to buy fun things or treats.

You can also see that tall red candle behind the candy bowl. That is our den candle. It is lit at the beginning of all of our den meetings. As long as the boys are good, it stays lit. If they get a bit wild or have to be reminded to listen I blow it out. It can only bit lit once each den meeting. When the candle burns all the way down we get to have a HUGE party!
The boys are SO good! They constantly remind each other to be good so I won't blow out the candle! They are funny!
This is the store AFTER the boys had their way with it. Needless to say, Mal THOUGHT she was in heaven. That was until mom boxed up every last bit of it and put it up in the closet. Poor girl!

Jake has been so motivated and working so hard to get his Wolf. The boys have 1 year to get it done. Jake started in September and will get his Wolf at the November Pack Meeting! GOOD JOB BUD!
I love that he plans things for the family to do to help him pass stuff off. Last Saturday he told us that we needed to go to a place in our community that is historical or important to our community. How could we refuse?!


Our first stop was the Zoo. However, we had to leave there because Jake kept feeding the animals!

But seriously, how could he NOT?! I mean look at that face!

OK, we dont really have a zoo. Dang it! Just Mal running all over town!

The day was SO beautiful! I think it may have been close to 60 degrees! That was big considering it has been hovering a lot closer to the lower 30's! We enjoyed a beautiful walk through Ketchum.

When we got to the Museum we were all disappointed to see that the museum was unexpectedly closed. BUMMER! Oh well, there was plenty of fun to be had! Jake loved playing with this water pump. It squeaked horribly and Dawson would shake with laughter! Then of course Mal had to join in. She just cracks up anytime D is laughing! SO cute!

Ok, is it just me or is he growing up at an ALARMING rate?!

We walked FOREVER until we got to Hemingway Elementary in Warm Springs (in Ketchum). It has the funnest park. When we got there the fire men were doing drills. They all dressed up in their garb and climbed all over the playground. PERFECT! Jake needed to talk to the firemen about fire safety. Another goal down! They talked to him and told him what to do to stay safe if our house ever caught on fire. They were SO nice!
Firemen, I just have to say, are a different breed. I don't know what it is but I LOVE the way that the kids get so excited when they see a firetruck driving down the road and the firefighters are ALWAYS so willing to amuse the kids by waving back or honking. They are the REAL super hero's! Jake is lucky to have a Grandpa (Salisbury) and Uncle Kyle, who are BOTH firefighters. One more retired than the other, but still...

Dawson LOVED playing in the park! Dad took him down the big twirly slide and swung, quite high actually, holding D on his lap.

He had a blast!

So did this little monkey!

After the park we made a quick stop at the chocolate factory and we were off. This kid was going to pass off his goal one way or another! We drove up the canyon a little bit. There is a little place called Triumph. It is an old mining town. It was here before anything else was. We were able to see some of the old buildings, some old mining carts and walls and then Ryan came home and showed Jake pictures of it back when it was working.
What a fun day!

7 comments:

Norris Fam said...

Sounds like a fun field trip!

Love the candle idea!

I read your comment on Jelina's blog that you were sick over the weekend...what's up? Are you ok?

Just Us said...

You are such a good Den Leader. I think the candle is such a great idea. Maybe I will try that when it's time for the girls to clean their rooms or something. You always go above and beyond in your callings and in life. I admire you for that. I love you!

Collin & Elizabeth said...

Wow-you should get Den Leader award of the year! What great ideas. Those boys will never forget this time of their lives. Talk about going 110% at your calling. IM impressed.
Your kids are getting way too big. Im thinking that a weekend trip to your house is NEVER going to happen. SO...I will have to pack the kids up and just come one of these afternoons. AND soon..before this baby decides to come into this world. Thanks for being such a loving and wonderful person Amy! Love you! and miss you!

~Tiffany~ said...

Wow, those are some awesome ideas! I bet those boys just love you! You sure are great at everything you do, I want to be just like you when I grow up!

Salisbury Family said...

Um...so could you call Clay's den leader....and talk...um for a very very very very long time...you know about...candles, and beads, and organization.....here's the number 555*5554

Thanks!!

Amy Lindstrom ~ YourLifeUncommon.com said...

OH MAN AB! I would love to have Clay! He would be so amazing and fun! It stinks when people don't get the value of the program. SAD!

I will TOTALLY make him a bag anyway! He can do it on his own. Let me know!

Tana said...

Seriously, you are killing me. You are the best den mother ever!

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