pajamas and the flower

 Andrew got pj's from my mom for Christmas. He needs the long pajamas because he gets so cold. And the fact that they are Transformers is an added bonus.

This toy was tucked away in a bin of stuff I had packed at the old house. I had honestly forgotten about it. I think I put it away because I didn't think it was "age appropriate". After all, Andrew is now 9 years old, surely he shouldn't be playing with a toy designed for an 18 month old

He loves this toy. There are three different settings all of which cause different sounds or music. Each "flower" does something different and all Andrew has to do is hit the flower and it plays. So I put some velcro on the bottom and stuck it to his tray. Ok, I am serious when I say this: the kid played with it non-stop for an hour. I finally had to shut it off to save my sanity. But I guess that anything Andrew can do for independent play is worth it.

Arkansas

We were finally able to take a trip to Arkansas over the New Year. I know that's been several weeks ago, but I figure a late post is better than no post. So, after 7 years we finally loaded up the boys and headed off. Andrew did exceptionally well. What would have been a 9 hour trip was actually 11 hours, oh well. But here are some pics and some info about our trip.

Mom and Chuck's house are full of antiques. It actually brought back that yearning for old times. Loren and I used to frequent auctions and like that "old stuff" and then we had Andrew, and well, he doesn't do to well outside at auctions. But I think we'll hit up few over the next year and see what we can come up with. My personal taste runs towards old brass. Loren likes old farm toys and guns.

So here Aaron and mom are measuring up because Aaron is growing so fast. But you can see some of the stuff in the background. Also, note the old organ Aaron is trying out below.

We were able to get out and about and actually see some things. Again, Andrew did very well, even at the Old War Eagle Mill. I thought he'd be very bothered by the sound of the mill but he did great.

We were also able to vist the Daisy BB Airgun Museum in Rogers. Loren and Aaron enjoyed this one. Aaron loves the movie "A Christmas Story" so it seemed to fit with the air rifle he got for Christmas.

We also got the oportunity to visit Pea Ridge National Military Park. It would be a great place to explore if it weren't so cold. Hopefully we can get back sometime when it is warmer.

Finally, we visited Turpentine Creek which is refuge for big "cats" that owners have not been able to handle. They are after all, not pets. I've got many pictures here but thought I would show my favorite.

He pulled all his feathers out because of stress.

Arrow of Light

It finally came. After 4 1/2 years of fun in Cub Scouts, Aaron got his Arrow of Light and has moved up to Boy Scouts. I've got to say that putting him in Scouts is one of the best things we have done. It is something that our entire family is involved with and Aaron has learned so much. He finished out his Webelos rank by earning his Super Achiever award which means he earned all 20 activity pins.

This is the vest that I spent all afternoon sewing patches onto. Mind you, I am not very good at sewing anyway, but to sew circles and odd shapes onto a felt vest and try to manuver it in the sewing machine is a challenge. So my lines aren't straight, but I got it done. Nevermind that he didn't wear it tonight. He can put it in his treasure box. 

Not sure why we have Aaron posing with the tuba. It was his grandpa Chuck's idea. He's grown an inch or two since the beginning of the year when he first started playing.

My mom and Chuck just happend to be up for the weekend for my aunt Barb's birthday. They didn't make it to the AOL but we were able to spend some time together and get a picture or two.

The AOL Ceremony is where the Webelos Scouts go and identify which Boy Scout Troop they want to move up to. So there were plenty of friends to hang out with.

The ceremony itself was really nice and entertaining. They have a program with a Native American theme, music and dancing.

The Webelos II that are moving up.

The arrow behind the boys is the symbol for the Arrow of Light. It is the sun on an arrow with each ray having a meaning: wisdom, courage, temperance, justice, faith, hope and love.

The final count of the Webelos moving up is four. The den had varied between 6 and 8 for four years. These guys have been together since the first grade.