Our First Cub Scout Camping Experience!

We went camping!!! That's right, all six of us (plus our friend Nathan) slept in sleeping bags, in a tent, together in the woods! September 18-19 was Cub Scout Pack 524's annual fall camp out. The Keller Family was in on the fun! The Pack reserved the entire Lewis Canyon Campground and it was packed with Cub Scout camping families. We were thrilled that Benjamin's best friend, Nathan was also able to join our family for two days of adventure. We arrived at the campsite in the late afternoon on Friday and selected the site for our tent and put it up. Then we helped other families set up as they arrived. Then it was time for dinner: hot dogs and chips. Soon afterwards, it got dark--really, really dark! I think we were all surprised at just how dark the woods are at night. We had plenty of lanterns and flashlights, so we were ready to grab our chairs to head over to the opening campfire and flag retirement ceremony, which started at 7:30pm. After the campfire, the Keller boys were ready for bed! So we returned to our tent to bed down for the night. Noah and I went right to sleep, while the three bigger boys stayed up and giggled for an hour or so before falling asleep. Mom and Dad had a harder time sleeping, I don't think they were ever able to get comfortable enough to sleep. Especially since Benjamin and Noah ended up practically sleeping on top of them during the night. An elk herd had bedded down in the meadow behind our campground and they talked to each other all night long. At one time we could hear them walking through our campground. Of course, all of us boys were up at the crack of dawn (literally!). After having breakfast around the campfire, we got ready for the pack-wide hike. The hike was about 2 hours long, and just perfect for our family. When we returned, we were tired, but not completely exhausted. The weather for the hike was beautiful, sunny and warm! But, after lunch, we were in for a big surprise! At first, the thunder was off in the distance, but it kept creeping closer and closer. It was a huge storm, heading right towards us! The thunder rolled, the rain poured and we were even pelted with hail. Fortunately, we were safe and warm inside our tent. But, once the rain let up, the grounds were just a muddy mess and we decided to pull up camp a couple hours ahead of schedule and head home! Our ride home was fairly uneventful. It rained on us steadily until we were a half an hour south of Payson. Oh, and we were pulled over across from Bison Ranch for going 71 in a 55 zone, right after the speed limit changed! Fortunately, Dad was issued only a warning. Hooray for a wonderful adventure and many happy memories. We are looking forward to our next camping adventure together!

Keller Family Bowling Fun!

What's the perfect thing to do on a rainy Saturday morning? Head to the bowling alley!! We had a blast. The six of us bowled together for the first time on Saturday, September 5. Daniel and Benjamin worked on earning their Bowling Belt Loops for Cub Scouts, while Ethan and Noah had fun using the ball ramp. Mom and Dad competed until the very end, with Mom edging dad out for the victory in the 10th frame. It was a great morning of family fun!

Ethan Goes to the Ballpark!

Saturday, August 29 was Homeschool Night at Chase Field, and Ethan and his family were there to cheer the Diamondbacks on to a huge 9-0 victory! Our co-op went together and we all had a great time: watching the game, laughing, cheering and winning great prizes! It was a special night honoring Luis Gonzalez, who is returning to the Diamondbacks as the Special Assistant to the President. The kids especially enjoyed seeing Baxter, the Taco Bell characters and they loved the fountains in the pool that erupted when the Diamondbacks hit a home run! What a fun night!

Sunshine Acres Field Trip, August 19, 2009

On Wednesday, August 19, the Tapestry of the Desert co-op went on their first field trip of the school year, to Sunshine Acres Children's Home in Mesa.  We were expecting to simply take a tour of the facility.  But, instead we witnessed first hand the body of Christ working to give homes to the homeless, families to those without stable family lives, and hope to children who otherwise may never hear of God's love for them.  I think we were all in awe of the generosity and sacrifice of so many people who help make Sunshine Acres the safe haven that it has been for the past 55 years. We were able to see the barn and stables, skate park, a boys' house and a girls' house and the dining hall.  Our tour guide, Marsha, was wonderful.  She gave very honest descriptions of the facility, it's residents and workers.  And was happy to answer all of our questions--all while giving the kids from the co-op just the right amount of information.  Our studies in history touched on a very sad topic this week--the orphan trains.  Around the turn of the century, there were many abandoned children living on the streets of New York City.  The Orphan Train Movement was created to provide homes for these orphans and for others, by taking them on a train ride throughout the country to meet potential new adoptive families. Our goal in taking the kids to tour Sunshine Acres was to give them a modern day context regarding orphans and disadvantaged children.  But, most of all, our hope is that their hearts would be opened to others in need and that they will learn to look outside of themselves to see a hurting world--yet know that there are many ways that they can help.

Rock Climbing!

On Saturday, August 15, we went rock climbing at Phoenix Rock Gym with Cub Scout Pack 524.  It was a blast, especially since Aunt Kim and Uncle Vince were able to join us!  First, we were issued our climbing shoes and asked to watch a safety video.  After that, the staffers gave us harnesses, told us how to tie them properly and then we were ready to climb up the walls! Even Noah got a harness, even though he wasn't so sure about climbing.  All of the bigger boys tried it and loved it. Dad and Uncle Vince really wore themselves out, tackling some of the most challenging walls. Mom and Aunt Kim also gave it a try, Aunt Kim liked it, while Mom was happier watching from the ground.  It was such a fun morning and we were so excited to try something new together!

Tapestry of the Desert 1st Annual Art Show Benefit

On Sunday, August 9, Tapestry of the Desert had its first annual Art Show and Benefit.  Every child in the co-op created beautiful works of art, all to be sold and the profits going to benefit the Woodford family.  Mitchell Woodford is a dear friend and has a rare cancer-like disease in his bones. He will be having weekly chemotherapy treatments for many months.  The co-op raised almost $1000 to help this precious family!  It was an amazing evening.  The Fender family hosted the benefit and did a beautiful job showcasing the kids art.  The kids loved creating art, especially knowing that it was going to help a special friend.  They all looked forward to this evening and it exceeded all expectations!  Way to go kids!!

Tapestry of the Desert!

This week, our co-op began!  We were so excited to be back together again for our second year. This year we meet at church, which is pretty cool!  And, we have three new families joining us. First, we have lunch together in the Commons, then we play in the field next to the Commons. We have lots of outdoor toys-baseball, hula hoops, balls, frisbees.  Too bad it isn't cool enough to enjoy being out there!  After playing, we all head into a classroom for our time together as a large group.  All of the kids and moms gather together for prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance and an artist study.  Then we break down into separate classrooms for the last hour. 

My class is called Five in a Row.  That's because we use a literature based curriculum called "Five in a Row" for our weekly lessons.  We read a great book every week and then we do activities related to the book.  This week we read "The Bee Tree" and made cute bees out of construction paper.  There are two other boys in my class:  Evan and Jadon.  We're the smallest class, but we might just have the most fun!