"And that is the purpose of scouting to build men"

"Scouting is a noble program, it is a builder of character."

"We have a legacy based on the solid truth that character is the one thing we develop in this world that we take with us into the next."

Scouts entered our lives with me being called first as a councilor in the primary that was over scouts and then I was called as a webloes leader about three years ago. Regardless of what I will do (probably be in scouts for ever) our family will now be pretty heavily involved for the next 16 years straight. So this is one of many more pictures of advancements. It is a great program, and we all like it. Addler is chomping at the bit to start this fall and then Ruxton will not be far behind! So without further ado...

Maestin receiving his beads.

Maestin also received his Bear badge, he is pinning me! Maestin comes into Webloes in May and I am excited to have him in my group. He is growing up way too fast! I have to brag for just a minute, Maestin likes scouts and is really good to work on all his stuff and always wants to pass stuff off. One of his scouts leaders just loves Maestin. Her mother stopped me one time and told me how much her daughter loves and enjoys Maestin, under her breath she said and "she couldn't just say that about any of them". The scout leader herself has come up and told me how much she enjoys and just loves him. It is so good to hear things like that as a mother, because you just hope that they only show their bad colors while at home, and when they are around other people they actually think about and follow the teaching that we are trying to instill in them at home. Although Maestin doesn't show bad colors very often, I am pretty partial to him myself.

This is one of my scouts Parker Gunnel, he was receiving his Arrow of light award this night on his way to Boy scouts. I require them to recite either the Scout Oath or scout Promise from memory at pack meeting. He was very nervous and I knew he had it memorized, but the cub master for the other ward kept messing him up, so, I just gave her a dirty look and put my arm around him and did it with him. The Webloes are the ten year olds, and they are fun, I really enjoy them. Each boy has touched me in different ways, and I will never forget any of them. It has been a calling full of blessing and challenges, and I look forward to my many years doing it. "Once a den leader always and forever a den leader."

"I have often said that scouting is a essentially a spiritual program, a builder of men. It is established upon a deeply spiritual foundation. " ~ President Ezra Taft Benson

Bodies Exhibition

April 12th and 13th we went to Pocatello for the night. Austin had FB Board meeting so the boys and I went with him. The first day there we planed a trip up to Idaho Falls to their museum with Ginger and her kiddoes. They have the Bodies Exhibit there right now. We both thought it would be a neat thing to take our children to. We were not disappointed. We had a few reservations, but it turned to be a good idea. The kids were all so well behaved and willing to look and learn. I think that they all liked some part of it. Most of them liked the veins exhibit, it was so cool, or the room with the development of babies. The experience was very reverent for me, and I think the kids also. You couldn't help but know that there was a higher being at work in creating such master pieces. It was incredible to see all that there is to one human-being, and how intricate everything is. How can you not know there is a God after seeing something like that? Thus the reason why I have no pictures of the exhibit, I just didn't feel comfortable taking them. I would love to go back and take more time to see it all, with out some really little guys ready to move to the next exhibit.

Addler and Holdan

That being said the favorite place in the entire museum was the kids room. They had Early Idaho theme, with costumes, tee-pees log cabin, caves, all sorts of fun. The kids played so well together they had a blast. Ginger has three girls and one boy. However, you would not have guessed, they all just had a ton of fun.

Maestin and Ruxton

Maestin was Chief Tubbs, he got a little carried away with it though. Gingers' oldest is just a year older than Maestin and she was dressed, to look like a early women would at that time. He called her his squaw. She got a little fed up with it at the end. Later I talked to him about how he should treat women, that we really don't treat them like that. He said I tried to bring them animal skins for their food, but they didn't want it! The girls were good sports and they were having fun, but it gave me a great opportunity to talk to him about it. So, let her know that it will be better if the opportunity arises again to role play chief and squaw!

Holdan and Gingers' baby are the same age, they had a ton of fun!-well when they were happy with what they had and didn't want what the other did. :)

Holdan inside of a cave, my night setting on my camera took a great picture.

The gang-they are actually all cousins. Ginger is Austin's first cousin and my dear friend for years, so it is so fun to have relationships with them all. They came the next day to our hotel and swam for a couple of hours, they all had a blast. Those girls held their own with the boys! And I was pleased with how the boys treated them. I was really happy with how much they have in common. Great kids Josh and Ginger!

Holdan on the horse, with Ruxton checking it all out, he has to know how it all works.

Holdan and JJ talking to each other. They are actually for listening to a recording about the display, but they loved talking to each other on it.

Thanks Gugleman's for sharing a couple of days with us. It was time well spent. Lets do it again.

Addler Wrestleing and other family happening

Throughout the month of March Addler wrestled. Yes, just Addler. He did a good job, and it helped expend some much needed winter energy. We went to the Malad tournament and didn't get any pictures. He wrestled Twice and won both matches. Then we went to West Side, he won both of his matches there as well. Addler has an uncanny ability to flip and shake and wrestle and always end up on top. He had one match that was very tuff and close and we credit his win to Ruxton and Maestin. The kid was strong and real tuff, Addler wrestled harder than he has ever had to wrestle, his level of endurance was pushed further than it ever has before and you could see it in his face. He did not give up, and just kept wrestling. Thanks to two brothers that don't let him win easily at home he was able to keep going.

This is at the awards ceremony, they have a little tournament and then ice cream and trophies. Addler didn't have many kids that would wrestle him there towards the end, because he took every moment serious, and had to always win! I told him one time to let the other kids have a chance so that they would want to wrestle him.

I surprised the boys on March 5th with a puppy. I had to go to Pocatello for Maestin's final basketball game, I didn't tell them I was going to pick up a puppy. They were pretty excited. Holdan would not let anyone hold it. He is a Mini Australian Shepard, Border Collie cross. His name is Tuff, and the boys all love him. He is still little and lots of fun, he loves them as much as they love him. It is cute to see this little dog running along behind the boys.

I now have to take a picture of him and his work every time he makes one, these are too cute not to include.

This is a picture of my boys playing baseball in the HOUSE, on February 27th. Warm is still not coming fast enough. The worst part about this is, that I saw them, smiled, took a picture, and left!

Holdan chilling in front of the fire, we all love the fire!

Happy Family in March

Here are some random pictures of our family happenings in March!

Maestin is an avid Friend reader, he is always checking out the recipes. This was one for conference weekend. They were bunny orange roll things. He made them and we took them over to eat at Grandma and Grandpa Tubbs' with Shane and Wendy there to watch Tangled. They turned out really good, and he made them by himself, (with a little help).

We have been reading the Little House series for a bit now, we are in the third book. They talk about eating corn meal, especially in one part int he second book, the Indians in the area keep coming over and helping themselves to it. So one day Ruxton says, "Mom whats corn meal!" I want some corn meal!" So I made some corn bread that night and he loved it! He was informed however what corn meal looks like, and what it was and what it is used for, and then he helped to make the bread! Yummy! I am glad he was curious.

Maestin was reading a biography of Houdnie, he loved it so much he couldn't put it down to eat, I thought it was funny!

Here are three of the amigos! I love that they love to hang out with each other.

My boys love Birthdays it doesn't matter whose it is. This one was grandpas, and Gavin and Braylee joined us. It was a super fun night. My boys love to play with their cousins.

This was one of the first warmer days we had, Holdan came in for lunch went out side and played forever then came in and climbed up to finish lunch and feel asleep. He played himself right to sleep.

Addler did pull his other tooth out when it was so loose it was falling out, he is cute with two front teeth missing.

Our family has had babies this year, and the boys and I love it. This one is Hal, Aunt Shancy and Uncle Kade's little boy! Look how little he is there.

All Ready to Work

 I found this cute picture of Holdan, all dressed up with work gloves ready to go get some work done with his boys and dad.

Family Education Update

You can no more give what you haven't learned than you can come back from a place you've never been.

~Author Unknown

Family Education has been a life changing experience for our family. We have all worked into the natural flow of our day. Our days do just that, they flow, no hurrying or rushing out the door, and hurrying later in the afternoon to get everything done before bed. We have been busy and it has been amazing to see the results of work and following through with something you know is right. The rewards of having a child come up to me and ask me for the next step in an process of arithmetic because they were ready, or a little guy that wants to learn his letter sounds because the big boys are, or to see them reading and feeling a sense of achievement, and to have a child work out numbers throughout the day with every day things and see the lights come on, or having a child feel inspired to write about something, and amaze me with their ability to write are all rewards that I would not trade for all the free time in the world. The Lord has been with us every step of the way I could not have done this without His guiding and supporting hand. It has not all been easy or wonderful there are good days and bad days, and sometimes the thought comes into mine or Austins' mind it would be so quite and so much easier to send them to school. And then we have a moment of conviction that this is where our family needs to be!

I love when they are all working so good in our school room, they have come so far.

The spirit is so strong on days like this, they are happy and content and learning.

Holdan is so good he always finds something to do while he waits for mom to do his letters with him or play a game. He loves games and will sit through a game of candy land right through to the end, and loves it! Seeing him fall into a learning environment is amazing, it feels so natural to him to read, learn, and do. Because it is what the rest of us are doing.

As part of what Maestin does it has worked great for him to have stewardship over a pen of roping calves we decided to keep over the winter, he goes out everyday and feeds and grains them. It has made a hug difference in how he comes in ready to learn. Often he comes in wanting to talk or write about whatever he was thinking about outside, usually it is pretty enlightening. This day it was really cold outside and I thought it was funny that his cheeks were bright red.

Holdan got these magnetic shapes out and wanted to do them, I got out the pattern for him to follow and he did it all by himself, he had to have a picture of every one that he did. This is a man.

Addler's Bones

Maestin's Bones

At our Bridge Builder's Academy they did a six week course in biology and one of their labs was to dissect an owl pellet. They had to identify the bones they found. This a pictue of bones that they found in the owl pellet. Maestin thought it was cool until we opened up Addlers at home and Addler had a lot bigger bones.

Addler working on his owl pellet

In January they also had the opportunity to dissect worms, they loved this and learned a lot.

Maestin pointing out what little organs a worm does have.

Addler and Maestin dissecting their worms, I actually got to do a lot of dissecting as well it was fun.

I have loved the environment of learning, as I study and learn it gives me strength and fortitude to keep moving forward with courage. I love really knowing my children, I did not know what that really meant until I was spending quality time with my children in varying circumstances. I really know my children and therefore I can better help them through challenges that they are facing. Having this knowledge has been very empowering. Family education is a challenge that has many rewards and we are doing it!

Some people study all their life, and at death they have learned everything except how to think.

~Author Unknown