Fun in the Snow

The Zoo in Winter.

The snow is so FLUFFY!

  We just had the most beautiful snow fall here this weekend.  The Zoo looks magical when this happens.  It is one of those times where I know we made the right choice in relocating the Zoo here about 18 months ago.

It was also a perfect weekend for snow tubing!  The church youth group headed to Seven Springs for a few hours of time on the tubing hill.  The Heathens had a fabulous time.  This is definitely one of their favorite snow-activities!

 

 

Heathen #2 Bridges Over

Another milestone reached for Heathen #2!  He has officially bridged into Boy Scouts, joining the Asst. Zookeeper and Heathen #1 in BSA Troop 217.  Older Scouts from the Troop joined the Pack for the evening to welcome the new members and congratulate them once they crossed the bridge.


Heathen #1 and the Asst. Zookeeper

Heathen #2's den first built the bridge. 
 

The Scouts took turns adding parts to the bridge.

The completed top of the bridge.

 Then it was time to cross to Boy Scouts!

Just before Heathen #2 started over the bridge, we removed his
Webelos neckerchief and slide.

Over the bridge he goes!  The Troop was waiting to welcome him on
the other side - including Heathen #1.

Heathen #2 was a bit nervous waiting for his name
to be called.

Last few minutes as a Cub Scout!

Proudly standing on the bridge, the Zoo's newest Boy Scout!

 The Zoo is now the proud home of a Scoutmaster and TWO Boy Scouts - not to mention the Wolf Cub Scout that is still working his way through the younger ranks!  Well done, Heathen!

Head-Eating Monsters

For Christmas, Heathen #3 received a shirt from his grandparents that was too small.  We headed back to the store to try to exchange it for the correct size - but we struck out.  They didn't have the same shirt in the correct size.  The grandparents instructed us to return the shirt and let Heathen #3 pick something that he liked.

He opted for a hooded sweatshirt.  But not just any hooded sweatshirt.  On the hood of this one are teeth and eye balls.

I told him I wanted to take a picture of him to send to his grandparents to show them what he picked.  He happily pulled up the hood and promptly made this face:



When I asked him why he was making this face, he looked at me like I was stupid.

"Mom.  The monster is eating my head."

Of course.  I should have known that. 

Heathen #2 - Arrow of Light

The January Pack Meeting was an ENORMOUS deal for Heathen #2.  After many months of hard work, he was awarded his Arrow of Light during a ceremony.  For those who are not familiar with the Boy Scouts of America, the Arrow of Light is the ONLY award a scout can earn as a Cub Scout and continue to wear on their uniform both as a Boy Scout and as an adult leader.  HUGE DEAL! The Asst. Zookeeper wears the adult patch on his uniform, and Heathen #1 wears the youth patch on his.  Tonight, Heathen #2 was handed his patch!

Patch worn by Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts



Patch worn by Adult Leaders

 The Asst. Zookeeper wears the adult patch on his uniform, and Heathen #1 wears the youth patch on his.  Tonight, Heathen #2 was handed his award!

 

Somehow, I managed to be unaware of the ceremony and the parts the scouts were taking until the ceremony began.  Heathen #2 - probably because he loves an audience - was the main narrator while the other den members took care of lighting the candles.

 

MUST have everyone's attention before
we begin.  The Scouts took the ceremony
quite seriously.

 

Reading the seven great virtues of life.

"Webelos Scouts, the emblem you see before you represents the Arrow of Light Award. There are seven rays in the Arrow of Light. As we light the candles representing the rays, you will hear how they stand for the seven great virtues of life.

1. WISDOM - Wisdom does not necessarily mean superior knowledge. It means putting to the right use, the knowledge that one possesses.

2. COURAGE - Courage is not the quality that enables men to meet danger without fear. It is being able to meet danger in spite of one's fear.

3. SELF-CONTROL - Self-control isn't limited to the control of one's temper but control of one's self in all things.

4. JUSTICE - Justice is the practice of dealing fairly with others without prejudice or regard to race, color or creed.

5. FAITH - Faith is the conviction that something unproven by physical evidence is true.

6. HOPE - Hope means to expect with confidence. Always hope for better things to come.

7. LOVE - There are many kinds of love; Love of family, Love of home, Love of

fellowman, Love of god, and Love of country. All these Loves are necessary for a full life.

 

The Scouts lit one candle for each virtue.

 Then was the part of the ceremony that I always worry about - shooting the arrows.  Now, I would like to point out that I don't worry about it BECAUSE the scouts are shooting arrows in a school cafeteria with approximately 80-plus people in the same room.  I don't worry about an arrow finding its way and hitting a person.  I don't worry about damage to school property. 

These are the things that the other mothers worry about - but not me.

I get nauseous and keep my fingers crossed that the boys, who are standing on a stage in front of 80-plus people that include their family and friends, all manage to hit the target.  I've seen the crushed look on other scouts' faces when they miss and I always want to "fix" it somehow.  And the Scouts shooting this evening are all boys that I have known for several years as they are all part of the same den.  Fingers crossed on both hands!

Heathen #1 took this photo for me from the floor as
Heathen #2 was preparing to shoot.

The Asst. Zookeeper and I were on stage
with Heathen #2 - where I managed to
snap this quick photo before he let the arrow fly.

 Here's where I admit that I am a terrible person:  I know that Heathen #2 hit the target with his arrow.  Neither Heathen #1 nor I managed to get a photo of that - too many people moving around.  I was so proud that I quite paying attention to the other Scouts still shooting!  I have no idea if everyone else hit their targets or not.  But Heathen #2 did!

Waiting for his name to be called!

The Cubmaster (Heathen #2's uncle!) handed the award to the
Asst. Zookeeper, who then presented it to his son. 

Not proud of our Heathen AT ALL!

It seems strange to look back through the photos now that the ceremony was over.  When Heathen #1 went through his ceremony, Heathen #2 was just a Tiger Cub and I remember he looked so little sitting on the floor watching the older boys.  And Heathen #3 was still in preschool.  This time, Heathen #1 was a Boy Scout and the "responsible" person that I handed my camera to during the ceremony.  Heathen #3 was a Wolf Cub and watched the ceremony with big eyes. 

Heathen #2 had a triumphant evening and the Asst. Zookeeper and I were very proud of him.  Well done, Heathen.

"Toe Bite" Turns TWO!

For the past two years, one of my FAVORITE parts of Christmas is celebrating my youngest nephew's birthday.  Heathen #3 says that he is very lucky because he shares a birthday with Jesus.  And I'm very lucky in that my brother and his wife are tolerant of me and my love of children's birthdays - they let me get the cake and decorations and everything!

Currently, my Ozark's favorite book is a Dr. Seuss - and he even has a favorite page.  When I visited last month, Ozark kept wanting a "toe bite" and would then laugh hysterically if you pinched his toes and yelled "toe bite!"  What could possibly be a better idea for a cake?



I'm lucky in that I have a friend that makes cakes!  Not only are the cakes YUMMY, but she is also fantastic at decorating them!  I emailed my brother and asked for a scan of the page.  I sent her the email with the picture scan - and she created this!

Ozark didn't really understand the singing.

 

And he didn't understand blowing out the candles either!

 

He stared at the candles for several minutes until
Michelle helped him blow them out.

 

Ozark definitely understood EATING the cake!

 

Happy 2nd Birthday, Ozark!

 

Christmas Eve & Morning 2013

 Christmas Eve was just as wonderful as every other year.  The Heathens put on their Christmas outfits and we spent the evening sitting as a family at church.  Christmas Eve, along with Easter morning, are one of my favorite times to attend church as a family.  While some families only surface at church on the holidays, these are the days that help us remind the Heathens that God is part of those important holidays.

This year, the Heathens decided they were all wearing suits to Christmas Eve service.  This is the first photo EVER taken where all of my Heathens were wearing suits.

A photographic FIRST!

After church, we headed home and put the Heathens to bed.  After several hours, and waiting for everyone to fall asleep, we sent out the signal to Santa that all was safe at our Zoo for his arrival!

Christmas morning dawned early, however the Heathens followed the Zoo rule that they are NOT to wake us up until at least 7:00 am and NO ONE is permitted in the living room until the entire Zoo is present.

Merry Christmas to Everyone!

Christmas of the Cows, Shepherds, and Bells

The Heathens had a BIG weekend at church!  It was the weekend of the Christmas pageant - and all three Heathens were involved.  And the younger two Heathens were thrilled with their costumes!

Heathen #3 was a COW!
And he had a speaking part!

Heathen #2 was a shepherd.

Right before the pageant began.

Heathen #1 played the part of a narrator.

And Heathen #2 made his debut with the bell choir!

He was right on beat!

All three Heathens did a FABULOUS job.  Well done, Heathens!