Fabulous Army Life

The Cook cousins spent the night together camping in Gram and Granddad's backyard.  They had a great time putting the tent together and spending the evening giggling and telling stories before falling to sleep late into the night.  Good memories for some super-sweet kids! How many cousins does it take to set up a tent?  The girls are getting it done! Joshua is experienced with putting this tent together.  Trey stands ready with the mallet.  The tent goes up!  Abby, Hannah, and Emma are ready for bed.  Joshua, Lizzie, and Carter Trey and Brody

We love camping ... we were initiated as Tiger Cubs in Cub Scouts and have enjoyed it ever since.  We tent-camp and cook our own food and understand all the rules of "Leave No Trace," but in the summer, there is a long list of reasons why camping is just not an option (at least for me!) ... scorching temperatures, hungry mosquitoes, and oppressive humidity top the list. So when my boys started begging to camp this summer, I got creative.  Like many moms before me, I suggested an indoor camping event.  After a little persuasion, they were on board.  They even talked me into a fire in the outdoor fire pit.  We roasted hot dogs and s'mores then created a wonderful indoor tent out of various blankets and random heavy objects in our dining room.  It was a fun night that satiated their need to camp ... and kept mama happy, too! Enjoying some s'mores! Roasting more marshmallows! The completed indoor tent Boys asleep in their tent ... with on...

Cub Scouts is full of fun traditions and events.  One of my son's favorites is the annual "Crossover" where you cross from one rank to the next ... provided you've accomplished all the tasks for the previous rank.  A big hit is climbing, then crossing over, a hand-made bridge built by our Boy Scout troop on site.  This weekend camp-out is a highlight of the year, with lots of activities and fun for the boys. Our oldest crossed over to Webelo II this year ... his last rank as a Cub Scout before he makes the decision whether or not to carry on in Boy Scouts.  Scouting is a good match for him as he loves the outdoors, nature, camping, working with his hands, building, creating, and learning new things. The kids are getting pretty good at setting up tents ... Although they still get plenty of help from dad! The boys made omelettes in a bag for breakfast! Ready for the day's events! Tug-of-War Siblings get into the fun, too! Practicing posting the colo...