This past weekend it was time to put our imaginations and glue skills to work for Cubadega.

We colored:

Decorated:

And then we were ready to race:

They boys had a blast! It was a great evening of fun, fellowship, and friends!

This past weekend we gave the boys’ old boats a fresh coat of paint:

And headed out to the raingutter regatta:

Where J raced as an outlaw:

A raced in his bear den:

And A placed first in his den:

Which he was just slightly excited about, ha! B and I are both stepping up our volunteering in Cub Scouts this year, so J and I will be going to more of the camp-outs. I’m already starting to plan for what we will need extra for us going (probably a lot more allergy medicine, ha!).

This past Saturday we headed out for our first Cub Scout event of the summer, model rocket launches. It was scorching hot, even though it was early, a sure sign that summer is definitely here. Despite a last minute rocket issue (bend in the rocket) that we quickly fixed with duct tape, A’s rocket flew like a charm, and even J joined in on the fun with the help of his cousin.

Smooth landing!

And my nephew, J’s rocket also had a great launch:

And then J loved watching his brother and cousins and asked to have a turn, so they obliged and quickly got to work setting up M’s rocket for another launch:

It was a fun event! By the end we were definitely ready to head in to the air conditioning!

A’s den for Cub Scouts has been working on learning the flag ceremony, and he got the opportunity to lead the Pledge of Allegiance at a very special ceremony for Cub Scouts who earned their Arrow of Light. The Arrow of Light is the highest achievement of a Cub Scout and it takes a lot of effort, time, and hard work. My nephew received his Arrow of Light at the ceremony and we were so proud to be a part of the event! My nephew’s den was led by my brother in law and he and the other volunteers did an amazing job helping the scouts achieve their Arrow of Light.

Here’s A prepping for the pledge:

And here he is saying the Pledge and narrating the rest of the flag ceremony:

We are so proud of A!

A had his cub scout banquet this past week! He and his den are busily working through the rest of their qualifications to achieve wolf status by the end of the semester. He did a great job cheering on the other dens that have completed their qualifications!

They also participated in other fun activities, like making a little cub scout key chain:

And hanging out with his best bud and cousin:

And eating cake! 

This past weekend A and B headed for a cub scout camp-out, except instead of camping out they (and A’s pack…and apparently several other packs in our area) had a sleep over at the McWane Science Center in Birmingham. They had a great time and A couldn’t wait to share all of the pictures when he got home! Here are some of A’s favorite moments:

Reading about fossilized creatures of Alabama:

Working through a lighted maze with his cousin Building a house and car with huge building blocks:Sitting in the car he built:  Creating enormous bubbles: Sitting in a model airplane: Dancing on an interactive lighted floor (with music): Playing a string-less harp: Making creations with a giant push peg board:  Walking “Big” style on a lighted keyboard:Making pictures with a enormous light-bright:  And finally keeping a ball afloat with air tubes: 

A and B had a great time!

A had his first Pinewood derby this past weekend! He had a great time, and he won first place in his den! He’s already working on his design for next year. His car had to make it through four heats, but before they got started we took some pre-race pictures:

And he led the Pledge of Allegiance (I’m going to say this was my proudest moment of the day. It was packed and he did so well!):

And then the race began!

After fifty heats they announced the winners:

Both A and his cousin J earned first place for speed in their dens! They were pumped!

And finally a picture with B and A together! B put a lot of time into helping A get his car race ready. He’s the best!

A had his first polar bear camp-out this weekend! We originally didn’t think it was going to get cold enough, but the temperatures got just low enough for him to earn his badge!

A said his favorite parts were helping B build the tent:

Going on a hike:

And playing Pokemon cards with B in the tent:

They had pizza-dillas for dinner, and tried out the new tent light B purchased:

And they were the first ones asleep (and apparently the first ones up since A woke up at 1 a.m.).

They had a great time!

After the holiday break , A and B are back to scouting. This outing they did some hiking, an obstacle course race, and worked on a skit for their upcoming camp out. Here are some more pictures from their adventure!

They also did some rock skipping: And checked out the functioning of a radio: 

And….we’re back! Phew! I can’t believe it took a week and a half to get my blog straightened out. Now I’m playing catch-up! As promised before (in a post that was deleted by a mishap from the old server), here is a re-cap of A and B’s first camping adventure.