WOLF!

Ben earned his Wolf badge at our January pack meeting.  However, since I am both mom and cubmaster, I have no pictures of the actual event.  I DO have pictures of him chowing down on the gorgeous treats we had afterwards.  Belated congrats, Ben!

Chess

Three months ago, Michael participated in his first ever chess tournament.  It was, shall we say, a learning experience.  And those are usually good if not always successful in the traditional sense of the word.  Proud of him for trying and he was happy to eat the treats!

Mental Health Day

We just needed a mental health day.  I will at some point blog about the drama that buying a house has been, but needless to say, we needed a mental health day.  It was sunny and it was Sunday so we played hooky from church (the boys were variously in a state of shock or relief) and went to Tumwater Falls.  It turns out, Jason had never been there.  

There are some serious gaps in his hiking experiences in Washington.  

I think that job thing of his probably gets in the way.  

So here are some pictures of the glorious sunshine and some good-lookin' minions.

Human Boy Dog Pile

Any guesses on how much weight is on top of Josh?? 

Ben's Birthday (a while back)

Ben, who was our youngest for quite a while, is creeping up on double digits.  He's not there quite yet, but I still think of him as my little buddy.  Hopefully, he'll still be my buddy, but I guess the word "little" may not always apply.

He did branch out this year and asked for strawberry frosting and chocolate cake instead of going all chocolate.  But I think he will always remain a little chocoholic at heart (in the grand tradition of his mother, aunt, and grandmother).

We love our Ben-Ben!

Go SONIC GOBBLERS!

(Full disclosure: these pictures were taken by my friend who chooses NOT to have an online presence, so will not be named here.)

I may be a little ::ahem:: behind on my blogging, but here are some pictures from Michael's winter season of basketball.  Michael played his first season of basketball on a YMCA team with his friend's dad as the coach.  It was his first time playing a team sport since he usually does Tae Kwon Do, so it was definitely a learning experience.  He made a lot of progress and I am, as always, so impressed with my kids when they try something new and give it their all.  Sadly, there is only one season of basketball in our area, but Michael is already looking forward to next year.

Go WILDCATS!

(Full disclosure: these pictures were taken by a man known as "Hunter's Dad".  A fabulous photographer who is willing to share with the team.)

And another season of soccer is up and running.  This season the Wildcats are playing up an age and are finally getting the challenge they need.  Having said that, they've still won two of the three games they've played so far so they are definitely holding their own.  Ben is growing into being a great defender with excellent timing and some stunning passes.

Also, sometimes soccer games in Washington state closely resemble a swim meet.  The last picture is from the game last week and it was pouring.  The field was covered in ponds and you could see water splashing as the kids ran.  The parents shivered on the sidelines under their umbrellas.  But the kids were champs and did a great job.  

We're again lucky to have Ben on such an awesome team with an amazing coach.  GO WILDCATS!