Scouts Blue and Gold

A whirlwind half year of cub scouting which left some of us exhausted

 and produced at least one batch of edibles

and at least one fan club member

and encompassed week after week of other activities like sailing and pinewood derbies, camping, and a scad of weekly events, our boy won the honor of standing on stage to receive his Wolf badge among a troop of boys

and a proud papa who also stands among the leaders.

My snowy Valentine

Well if it wasn't exactly Valentine's Day it was pretty close.  The entire week's school schedule got messed up due to snow.

First there was supposed to be the Valentine's Day party, then the 100th day of school party, then the 101st which entailed watching 101 Dalmations by weak association while dressing up as said dog.  All wrecked by snow.

But, a rich and lovely snow it was...

obscuring hardscapes, landscapes and vinyl capes alike

 creating pastoral vistas all around

 and photographic temptations from warm locations

 and general temptation to remain in warm locations

 with some occasional boredom leading to fantasized aerial audio

and a perfect day for being cozy - Valentine's Day.

Little ballerina

It has long been a well-kept secret what goes on behind the ballet school doors. Finally we were let in for a peek, and what a treat it was!

The black shoes mark our troop member and she showed lovely ballerina form. I was also impressed by the backwards clock on the wall which looks normal when seen in a mirror!  Another clever dancer trick...

Super sledding

We didn't have all that much time after church and visiting Nana and before a birthday party BUT....the boy and I snuck out for a little bit of sledding at our local college which hosts a mighty fine HILL. Even papa was grinning all the way down.

Weeeeee-heeeeee!!!!

:D

Snowy week

We've been enjoying the polar vortex just because it's the closest we'll get to the actual pole - and the powdery snow it left in its wake.  Here we're enjoying being outside because we get to wear our coats.  It's just as cold inside but we don't wear our coats because it would be weird.

 We built a little ski ramp

 and enjoyed the powder for as long as we could bear it!

The kids had a couple days off from school. Good times!

Pinewood Derby

Wow! This was our first Pinewood Derby and how cool it was!  The boy went pretty low tech with his orange special - we needed to add weight so we went with batteries for effect.  Many of the other entries were seriously customized, but we were glad just to get it in on time - minutes before registration ended we were still drilling cutouts for the batteries!

See if you can find the orange one and the porcupine which won an award.




Even setting up the track the night before was a ton of fun. The boy was the only cub there and he got to test the track over and over with 4 old cars. He even used the remote-control starter which opened the gates. We were out until 10:30 that night. This was the outcome.

A USB camera broadcast each race and software automatically tracks the outcomes. Although it's disappointing not to win, with pizza and pizazz it's a total blast.

Bonus: some more cars; check out the roller coaster.

Visit with cuz

The cousins are in town - always a good time!

Piano lessons

It's not always the most popular day, but sometimes the kids really enjoy the piano lessons. I guess it feels different to be the one in the spotlight inside the closed room, but it's a pretty neat setup with all the practice spaces and teachers.

 

And outside, there's not much else to do but enjoy the sounds, and maybe a quick wink.

Winter break

Just hanging around the house in bath robes...winter stuff!  It might seem boring...

..but it can be exciting!!

What about getting stuck in old IKEA chairs?

Imagine...IKEA in the 60's...

Don't bother me! I'm dreaming of meatballs and jam!

Christmas

Christmas finally came and brought with it happy children

 and a few anticipated surprises from Santa.

Within minutes he will be ready for more

 and we will be blessed by loved ones visiting and sharing in our holiday spirit.

Christmas Eve

Traditionally we only hunt down a fir tree on Christmas eve.  Last time we were in town we had great success at a flea market lot in Glen Burnie, so off we went with only a couple hours to spare before evening. We met with a barren lot and a lot of holiday agitation!

With perseverance and some gnashing of teeth we finally found a lot still trying to unload their Carolina firs.  We found a seven foot beauty which soon became our shiny pagan tribute

and stuffing children into church clothes gave us even more joy

Waiting for us at home was a lovely dish which magically appeared, if I recall correctly

and we enjoyed our Christmas meal with only approved levels of shenanigans.

The Dudes

 and a lucky Pop thankful for his blessings.

Merry Christmas everyone and peace to you all.

Cub Scout Campout

Our first cub scout campout

on the lovely shores of the upper Chesapeake Bay

After some volunteer beach cleaning there was enough down time for goofing off with fishing rods and helicopters

 

and of course bonding with fellows on a hike.

House pics

Prepping the house for rental

 and several months later, it was ready!

Farewell Party #1

On the girl's last day of school her class threw her a going-away party after lunch. The anticipation of this day had been building for weeks. She made sure to put in her best hair flowers.

It started with her seated in the center of the room with her classmates surrounding her, singing songs to her and the teacher selected students to recite their favorite poetry.  This is her best friend taking her turn.

She was thrilled to be the center of attention.

The teacher helped her distribute first one kind, then another kind of cake baked by Grandma and her best friend.

 One table containing some of her class friends. Cute kids!

A goodbye hug and kiss for the teacher, who is accustomed to balancing acts. She was fond of her teacher.

 At her usual lunch table.  Sometime early in the spring she started saying she was going to marry the boy with the glasses. She said they talked about it, and he agreed he loved her.

 
Back at home, she spent a long, quiet time looking through the pile of pictures that her classmates drew for her. She could identify each student by their symbol - an avatar chosen for them by the teacher at the start of the year.

Our girl, the butterfly of the preschool Butterfly Group.  Another school year passes - and a wonderful one it was.