Sunday, June 21, 2009

Cub Scout Day Camp

This year's theme:


This was our 3rd year at Cub Scout Camp. Ethan was able to go as Wolf/Bear and then as a Webelo, while Matthew & Rachel went as siblings because I was volunteering. And they all seemed to have enjoyed it.

Well, this year Ethan felt a little too old and thought Cub Scout Day Camp was boring. So, I was able to take Lauren this year. I think she enjoyed it the most out of everyone. She couldn't wait to be able to go each day. And it was nice for Steve and Ethan to be able to spend some quality time together while the rest of us were enjoying the 100 degree weather out at the Houston Farm & Ranch Club.

It has always been pretty tolerable and I have always had such a great group of boys in my den and this year was no exception. It also helped that this year I only had 5 boys to watch over. We had lots of fun together in the Orange 50 den.

The cheer they finally came up with was; I yell "Orange" then they yell "5-O-are the PROS!" It is hard to find something that rhymes with orange, the chose to go with rhyming with "O" instead of "zero".
A typical day at camp this year consisted of Weather, Geology, Art, Dinner, Special Events, Volleyball, Den Time and Archery.

Weather
Matthew making his own weather vein.
The boys are looking for a rainbow in the spray of water....never saw one.
Weather cheer: Weather is Hot and we're Cool!


Geology
Matthew checking out some really cool rocks.
Geology cheer: Geology ROCKS!
We grated some different colored crayons and then melted them into metamorphic rocks.
They hoping for some crystals in their plastic containers with a piece of black paper, water, mound of salt and food coloring. They left them over night to make their transformation. There was a little success.
Art
Matthew making his collage.

Paper Mache in the making.
Art cheer: Do Art, Don't Fart!
Okay, that didn't last too long before they were told not to do it anymore.
Self Portrait!
Dinner Time
Orange 50 - Matthew, Tanner, Grant, Jacob & Joseph
Of course we all loved this time...

...especially when it came time for Bag Pop!


Special Events
This day Orange 50 got front row seats to Free Spare because we collected the most money for the Cub Scout Fundraiser. Woo Hoo!

Volleyball

My camera doesn't take good action photos inside the barn. But here is Matthew in action.

Den Time

Every day there was a different activity. Here we are doing our favorite activity. We made snakes and lizards out of beads and lanyards. I was too busy making my own to help the boys. But they seemed to manage just fine without my help and make more every time we had some extra time.
Archery
Matthew using all his strength to restring his bow.

Wearing all the proper safety gear; goggles, arm guard and finger guard.

Nice!
Boys had permission to retrieve their arrows.
Some how Matthew managed to be the only one soaking wet. I guess you do want to be all wet when you are so hot.

Mom & Mr.Bulls EyeMatthew Orange 50 - Good Sport, Most Spirited, Robin Hood Award & Extra Service Ribbon for helping clean up the station.

I didn't get to see Rachel that much, but here are a few cute pictures I was able to get .
Her den leaders gave her these awards - Rachel Purple 62 - Volleyball Star & Born Leader!




You can't tell by these pictures, but Lauren did have the time of her life. She loved the fact that she got to hang out in the only air conditioned room around AND she got to go swimming and all the other fun activities they had just for the little ones.
There were about 5 ladies in charge of the Hummingbirds and every time Lauren would see one she would give them a great big hug, of course they loved her.
I had to really go out of my way to get some pictures of her and she was never quite in her cute little posing mood. But here you go.
This little boy apparently had a big crush on Lauren and would follow her everywhere she went.



Me and my GIRLS at CUB SCOUT CAMP?!
The is a picture of all the Melissa's.

The END! Yeah!

A Day in the MTC-Youth Conference 2009

Being involved with the youth at a Stake level has been extremely rewarding. Not only have I been able to associate with some amazing leaders but the youth in the Katy Stake are incredible. This year for youth conference we had A Day at the MTC, A Day of Service and Day 3 we had an impressive open house put on by the youth for their nonmember friends.
Besides helping with all the different projects involved in putting on a youth conference, my big role was taking care of feeding approximately 150 youth and their leaders and making the invitations for the open house.

{Colleen Anderson, Alyson Felt (amazing women) & Me}

Here are a few of my favorite highlights of youth conference.

As the youth arrived they each received a missionary name tag and their mission call. After a brief orientation and message from the Stake President they went to their missions and were taught.













Some of my FaVoRiTe YoUnG WoMeN!





























Some behind the scenes major kitchen help and little bit of our evenings around the world entertainment.






















Here is the menu I came up with to represent as many countries around the world as possible and to stay within budget. We had some priesthood holders in aprons serve this 4 course meal. It was kind of fun!


Go Ye Unto All The World
Youth Conference 2009
International Dinner Menu


Drinking
European Black Current Soda
American Water

Appetizers
German Quiche
Japanese Gyoza
Mediterranean Flat Bread & Hummus
Mexican Taco
Korean Edamame

Salad & Bread
Greek Salad
Brazilian Pao de Queijo

Entre
Italian Lasagna

Dessert
French Crepes
Venezuelan Tres Leche Cake
Chinese Fortune Cookies




















The service project consisted of 3 homes in downtown Houston that needed painting, plus each home also had it's own individual projects that needed to be attended to and the youth worked extra long hours to finish. There was also a group of youth that went to the nursing home, cleaned a park AND passed out flyers for their open house.


As each group finished their project and headed back to the church, a fire truck was there waiting to cool them all off before they went home to eat and get ready for the dance.





Sunday's open house had a program of some fabulous speakers and then lots of informative booths and refreshments. Each of the booths: What do we Believe? Why are we here & Where are we going? How was Christ's Church Restored? What is the Book of Mormon? Why are we called "Mormons?" What think we of Christ? How do our Standards make us different? How do we help the world? How do we prepare for the future? and Geneology! Do you know your past?







It was a great weekend. It felt like 3 different youth conferences. I just hope and pray that each of the youth in attendance were able to feel the spirit and their Heavenly Father's love for them sometime during this youth conference. There truly are some stalwart youth in these latter days. And how grateful I am to have been able to work with some of them and to learn from their example.