Cub Scout Fall Campout (Pensacola, FL)

Our home away from home.  We were not the first in the field, but the 2nd to arrive in Pensacola on the Naval Air Station for a weekend scouting adventure.  Weather was great when we arrived in the 80s.  I was looking forward to a warmer camping trip.  Tent set up, so off me and the boys went exploring.  Our first adventure was the Pensacola lighthouse, where we climbed 177 steps to the top then walked around the outside of the lighthouse.  Needless to say, I was about to puke, and completely terrified as Sam and Davis were unaware of "unseen forces" and have yet been terrified by them.  Luckily we did have someone to take our picture, and someone that could take them without shaking.

That night we had to cook our own supper at the campsite, so Sam, Davis and I went to IHOP to enjoy some pancakes and omelettes...you know...we were roughing it.  The next morning was a fun time playing around the campsite.  We also woke up to 60 degree weather and 15 mph winds.  The start of a very chilly day.  Our campsite got pretty busy, I cooked the boys some pop tarts for breakfast.  Davis got a pirate eyepatch at the lighthouse, so that is what he is wearing for pretty much the remainder of this trip.     

Later the next morning we took at tour of Fort Barrancas...built by the Spanish in the 1700s, and fortified by us later in the 1800s, it was one of the main forts protecting the Pensacola bay area during the civil war.  It was really fun to tour.

After the fort, we went back to the campsite for lunch, where I cooked the boys some Wendy's and thoroughly enjoyed the Son of Baconator sandwich.  This close to civilization, I could not make myself eat a ham sandwich.  Next we went to the Naval Air Museum.

The scouts all had a scavenger hunt, which easily kept Sam 100% engaged.  Davis wanted to get into every plane he could find.  Lost Sam for awhile as he hunted for planes, and as I was looking for him ran into the Rawls from our church family.  They helped me find Sam.  Sam had found one of the museum experts that was helping him answer all of his scavenger hunt questions.  He was a big fan of the planes that were flown by the Americans against the Japanese prior to Pearl Harbor.  The americans were flying under Chinese banners with a large tiger on the tail of the plane.  

After the museum, we went back to a very cold and windy campsite.  The boys did well even though they were ready for bed at 7.  They both performed in our Wolf skit around the campfire, and Sam even volunteered to speak the punchline in our skit.  He did great!  He has really came out of his shell a lot over the last year, and I am enjoying watching him growing into a young man.  Back in the tent, we fell asleep pretty fast, but at one time the wind was so hard that the wall of the tent was basically on our head.

The next morning I was up at 6 silently packing up everything I could, then as soon as the boys were up, I packed the rest.  Tent packed and in car by 7.  Then we had a great sunrise service on the beach.  We read verses from the creation about land and seas, and pretty cool to be at a place right on the border.

After the sunrise service, we went to eat breakfast at the Navy Galley.  The boys had a great time eating with all of the "army guys".  We said goodbye to the Cudes that were able to join us from their new home in Dothan, then ran off to a worship service in Pensacola.

And for our final destination...the USS Alabama.  The boys were almost cheering as we watched the GPS go under 10 miles to the Battleship.  It was very exciting.  Sam had our trip planned out.  He said we would tour the submarine, then eat, then tour the battleship.  I must say this is the first time I have ever toured the park in this manner, but it was fun.  I found some pictures from the last time the boys were here in 2010.  

These old pictures are also on the 2010 May blog list if you want to see all of them, but I found a few of the boys in the exact same places.  Pretty funny.  Sam rode the simulator below all by himself, as Davis was a little scared.  I found an army lady named Betty that started flirting with me.  Sam captured the moment and we all laughed when we tricked Mom later that it wasn't a real person.  :)  Sam also asked me later if Auburn and Florida were for the "USS Alabama"...I thought that was funny. 

Man, I miss those little guys, but sure do like the big guys they are now.  :)

We decided to take some goofy pictures and these were my favorites...

And I was super excited to see that Colonel Frazier was here again signing this time a revised version of his book.  "Hell's Guest" can be purchased on Amazon.com, and is an amazing story of a 16 year old kid lying to the draft agent, getting shipped to the phillipenes, captured by the Japanese, marched to Bataan, then beaten as a POW for years.  He is an excellent story teller, and had me laughing and amazed at his tales that I got to listen to while Sam and Davis did their souvenir shopping.  Great to meet a hero of our country, and hope he is there for our next visit.

Back home we got to give the princess here new dolphin necklace and jewelry.  Davis got to build his airplane.  Sam was wearing his new Battleship shirt, and after seeing his toes with no bath over the weekend, Magan ran us stinky boys to the shower.

Trunk or Treat

John and Shaey were down visiting us this weekend of the Annual Trunk or Treat.  So she and Magan put together this super cool outfit the night before.  They had to leave before the Trunk or Treat, but it was great to have a weekend with them, worshiping together at church, and visiting at Sam's ball game.

Davis is very into the scuba diver right now, as he has been since he saw them in the tank at the space and rocket center a year ago.  Dad just becomes whatever super hero Mom finds on sale.  Sam was very excited for a scary costume this year, and magan was mad that she left Little Red Riding Hood's Hood at the house.

Back at the house, Magan had to have some picture with the Red Riding Hood.  And luckily Davis finally took the scuba suit off before going to school.

Bowling with the Scouts

This was the morning after the Vinsant Campout, but the boys and I are troopers.  Up in the tent at 6:30am, then breakfast at 8 (Denise made some biscuits with honey butter...sooo good), then home for a shower, and back out for bowling at 11.  John was able to make it and go with us, which was a big help, as I was trying to make sure all of the boys earned the achievements we were there for.  Davis was a little frustrated by the many gutter balls, Sam did fairly well, and I think almost beat John.  I had the curve going pretty well.  Sam will get his bowling belt loop for the activities done on this day.

Fall Baseball

Baseball...Fall Baseball.  A time for fundamentals.  A time for technique.  A time for laying in the grass pretending to be a scuba diver...Davis...What are you doing?  :)  This Fall has been a great season for both Sam and Davis.  Sam has improved a lot since he last played, and probably in the top half of the hitters on the team.  He swings that bat hard driving two into the outfield  this year.  Davis has enjoyed the season, but I think just enjoys playing.  Not as much the baseball part, but the playing part.  

Davis Plays Catcher?  Davis' Coach tells me that Davis cracks him up all of the time out in the field.  One day Davis was out in the field with a face that looked very serious.  The coach asked him "Davis, you ready".  "No" he replied..."I've got to go to the bathroom right now".  And off he went.

But the funnier story is the catcher story.  His coach said he about cracked up when Davis got ready to get in the field, putting all of this Catcher gear on, marched up to the coach with a little waddle in all that gear, looked up high at him through that big Catcher Mask, and said "Coach, Where do I play?"

Look at that swing.  Full extension all the way thru.  Just got to get him interested in the throwing and catching part.  He's still not too excited about that part, although his fielding is much improved.

I was so proud of Davis the other night at baseball practice.  I have been pitching a bucket of balls to him while we are at the ball field with Sam, and he is starting to hit a few more.  Most in the game he has to hit off of the tee.  He has some issues with focus.  Usually watching some kids playing near by even as the pitch flies by...then he swings.  Anyway, the coach divided them up into two teams of 4 for the practice, and they each got one hit per inning.  They got 5 strikes before the coach called them out, and Davis was the last batter for the team needing a hit to win the game.  He was of course at 4 strikes never really coming close to the ball, and the coach reminded him that it was all up to him.  The last pitch came in and boom, he hit it hard right up the middle past 2nd base and into the outfield.  Jumping up on first base as his team clapped that he had won the game for them.  

After practice, I gave him a big high five and told him he did a great job.  "Dave" I said, "That was an awesome hit, did you see how far it went".  "No" he said with excitement... "I had my eyes closed, did it go far?".  Dear me, I guess the blind squirrel did find a nut.