Camping practice and costume shopping

I do not know who is more excited about Cub Scouts. (I know I am the least excited.) Corey went to the Scout Store on Friday and spent more than $200 but less than $300 on ONE Scout uniform for each boy. One. Despite the blow to his banking abilities, Corey talked about the Scouts all night on Friday night. 

Next weekend is their first camp out at the Boy Scout camp about an hour from here. Corey cannot go because he has drill next weekend, and I am not going because I am not an Outdoor Girl. This is a rite of passage I feel no need to participate in. I took Jake to a Scout meeting last month that was held outside, and I sat in my air-conditioned car for the duration of it. Their pawpaw is taking them on the camp out next weekend. People are excited. 

Because he was not going to be available to take them on their first Scout camp out, Corey decided that he would camp in the backyard this weekend. Then they had a vote and decided it was way too warm for the three of them to be rolling around a tent together, so he decided to fire up the fire pit we got last Christmas and roast hot dogs for supper Saturday night. 

Jake is clearly not a fan of fire. I am not sure how he is going to fair at a camp site. He ended up putting something over his face that would not burn his eyes. His hot dog was barely warm. He is like Murphy. He circles the fire, but would prefer not to go near it. Too smoky. Hopefully he does not outgrow this and thus will not spend much time in bars in college.

Landen is a little pink from the noon sun we all endured at the flag football game yesterday. Our team is the best team in our age group in YMCA flag football, by the way. They do not keep score, but we do, and you do not want to play against the purple team. We are in the end zone at least five times per game. We have two kids on our team who zip around the field like The Flash. And every one of our kids can zero in on the guy with the ball and pull his flag. If we cannot get your flag, one of our teammates will throw himself down on the ground in your bath and you will fall over him.

Landen is a little more fearless than Jake.

After hot dogs, there was marshmallow roasting. Landen is terrible at this because he is afraid of turning his marshmallow black. He's had this issue in the past, apparently. The best way to eat a roasted marshmallow is with half of a Hershey bar, between two graham cracker halves, like this:

And people, this was my FIRST S'more in life. In 31 years of life, I have never eaten this. I wish the graham crackers would get soft, but me loves a warm marshmallow and a warm chocolate bar. Ooshy, gooshy loveliness. 

Pay attention to Murphy in the background scrounging for food. This was after he ate his dinner of a hot dog mixed with some dog food. The Allbritton boys ended up dropping a marshmallow on purpose onto the mesh cover of the fire pit to let it melt all down into the fire. Then they dumped a bunch of water on it and peed in the grass. I long for a baby girl.

Last weekend I made a deal with the boys that if I got no notes from any teachers this week (for missing homework or forgetting a book) I would take them to the Halloween store so they could have first pick of costumes. It proved to be quite the incentive, and this morning I got everyone out of the house at noon to go costume shopping. 

When they're teenagers, they will be horrified that they have been on the internet in pictures like this, forced to wear goofy glasses in the costume store. 

Jake really did like this hat. Last year I bought him an aviator cap that he wears around the house. I guess Landen thinks pharoahs are supposed to look mean.

Have you ever noticed that once you get your children started with playful behavior, they cannot figure out how to turn it off? This is a dangerous phenomenon when the Disciplinarian begins sword combat with them in the middle of the Halloween store.

We have had a home improvement project going on here this weekend, but we also have two Den meetings this evening. Corey got the uniforms squared away and the boys have been hanging out in them for the last hour. They will both get their Bobcat badge this afternoon. The pants are those kind that zip off into shorts. We heard one of the boys saying "I don't usually like to wear shorts but I do now because I look good in this." 

See for yourself.  

When I saw them, I cried. They're growing so much and they are such happy kids, which is just a miracle considering what they went through last year to get to this smiling, achieving place. I told them that their mom would be so proud to see them in the Scout uniforms, and Jake said "she sees," and hugged and kissed me.