Rhees & Cub Scouts : The Final Chapter

Rhees & his Arrow of Light Plaque!

Rhees & Mom with his Arrow of Light badge & Webelos "20" pins!!

Rhees & Kambren, the future Cub Scout!

Well after 4 years of lots of fun, lots of hard work, & a whole bunch of belt loops & pins, & some Pinewood Derby trophies, Rhees has finally achieved the highest award in Cub Scouting! He started as a Bobcat, then moved up to Wolf, made his way to Bear, & then worked his way through 2 years of Webelos until he completed all 20 Webelos Badges & earned the Arrow of Light award. We are so proud of him for his hard work & effort over the past 4 years! He has absolutely loved Cub Scouting!! There were only 2 other boys besides Rhees in his den of 13 boys, who finished all 20 Webelos Badges. That took extra effort at home, but Rhees was determined to complete all 20.

Back in February, our family went with a group of Cub Scouts to the Family Campout held at Khlong Sai Resort ( http://www.khlongsai.com/eng.index.html ) in Khao Yai National Forest ( http://www.khaoyai.com ). We had a great time seeing the kids enjoy the cooler temperatures of being in a higher elevation & playing around in nature. From tire swings to rope slides & bridges, to sleeping in tents & making S'mores around a campfire, they were in the height of their glory! None of them wanted to come home. The crowning event of the campout though, was when Rhees got to shoot a flaming arrow, which was really just an arrow with a sparkler attached to it - but very cool nonetheless - as part of the pomp & circumstance for the completion of the Arrow of Light award. He thought that was the funnest thing ever. We all would have too, if it weren't for the fact that it was completely dark by the time they finally got to that part of the program & so we couldn't see where we were standing & ended up right in the middle of red ant beds. Uuugh! I'm sure that you can picture Ambrian, Aybrielle, & Kambren jumping around screaming, while Devin & I were trying to take videos/pictures & make sure that no ants were climbing on or biting Kalen. Not to mention that since it was dark, which did make for a greater sparkler effect, the camera's wouldn't take very good pictures. So, I guess it was one of those times when you just had to be there to really see how cool it was. No, all joking aside, it really was a special night. One that I have waited for for 4 years as I have watched other boys shoot their arrows. It was finally my little (well, not so little anymore) boy's turn & it was so awesome!

This past Wednesday night was the Blue & Gold Banquet which was the culminating event for the Webelos IIs of 4 years of Cub Scouting, the award ceremony, & now crossing over into Boy Scouts. Each boy was presented with an Arrow of Light plaque & his pins/badges, & then crossed the "bridge" into Boy Scouts. As I watched Rhees' den leader take off his Webelos neckerchief & blue shoulder loops before he crossed the bridge, I felt a lump in my throat as I saw the close of a chapter of my 1st little boy. And then as I watched him walk across the "bridge" & saw the Boy Scouts tie his new red neckerchief on him & place his red shoulder loops, I felt excitement for him as a new chapter begins. One of maturity, new challenges, & discovery. It was a really great night!

And just as a little bonus for me, as much as I have enjoyed volunteering in Cub Scouts for the time Rhees has been involved, I am excited for a little break before Kambren will start!! Unlike back in the States where we would belong to the Troop in the church, & Den leader is a calling in the ward to be issued or released at any time whether you have a son in scouts or not; here they rely on volunteers & those are few & far between. So you can just count on being either Den leader or assistant for the entire time you have a son in Scouts. Which is actually really wonderful!!! It is just a lot of work, but nice to be able to take a break for a few years. : )

Look forward to my next post for a look back at 4 fun years of Cub Scouts with Rhees!

Finally!!!

So, I have been trying [somewhat] since before Christmas to create a blog as a way to document many of the fun things that go on in our lives over here. But between my lack of technical skill, time spent doing things for my family, & busy life in general, it has taken me a long time. But the more I look at & read all of your darling blogs out there, the more it has motivated me to hurry & try to get ours up. If for nothing else, at least it might be a decent attempt at a family journal, since I have been less than consistent at keeping one. My biggest challenge has been learning how to post pictures, since I haven't been able to figure out how to get pictures from our camera to the computer. I guess that I will just keep experimenting & hopefully soon I'll figure it out. Wish me luck, & enjoy!!