Happy May Day

Spring has definetly sprung in our house.  The kids all head back to school tomorrow after a restful Spring Break.  We spent last weekend on the Florida Beaches, between a resort we love to stay at (that feeds kids for free) and sand that resembles sugar we are grateful to have such great beaches within driving distance.  Last summer in Hawaii, we were in awe of the beauty of the mountains so close to the beach and it's unique terrain ... but  disappointed with the beaches.  Gravelly sand, and huge unswimmable waves just aren't our thing.  Last weekend we rented a boat and headed out to a small island offshore, and the kids had a blast snorkeling near the shore, and swimming off of the boat as well.  We all came home refreshed, and a little crispy ... our only regret that we couldn't stay a few more days.

Aiden and Ethan both earned their Arrow of Light in Cub Scouts.  For Ethan this signifies his time to cross over from Cub Scouts into Boy Scouts.  We have been preparing for him to crossover for the last year or so.  Rhett and I were pretty thoughtful about the Boy Scout troop he would be joining.  Each troop has it's own personality, made up not only by who is leading it, and the boys involved with it... but also by the activities they do, and how often.  The variance is huge, and we had more than 5 choices.  Since the boys have both expressed the desire to continue with scouts all the way until they earn their Eagle Scout, Rhett and I wanted to try our best to put them in the troop that would be the best fit for their likes and personalities.  So we were thrilled to find a troop that Rhett really clicked with the male leaders (I m a firm believer this is BOY scouts, so I am supportive behind the scenes) , that is super active (this may come back to bite me :) ), that is large enough to have a stable group to be active, that routinely has boys make Eagle Scout .... and one thing not necessarily on my list but an added benefit is that they are starting a venturing group within the troop so as the boys are old enough they will have access to High Adventure activities.  Boy Scouts is a whole different world than Cub Scouts and really focuses on independence and self reliance.  So the leaders ask the parents to back off a bit, and allow the boys to learn to depend on themselves.  For us this means, Ethan will begin packing himself for trips, he will learn how to cook for himself when he is camping, he will learn to work with his peers to pitch his tent, he will work with his peers to plan the menus when he camps, he will learn first aid skills.  All of these things while a little scary for Mom are life necessities, and fit with our goal of wise freedom.  (Now do you see why we were so thoughtful about the leaders of the troop?)  So as a new Boy Scout Ethan will be attending summer camp in North Carolina with his troop this summer, and will get to do some fun things like white water rafting! Ethan is excited, and Aiden a little jealous that he is not yet old enough to crossover to Boy Scouts.  Aiden's turn will come in 6 months, but patience is a tough thing for a 9 year old!

Last month I started a new job. I left a part time position, and took a full time position.  After my 90 days of training I will be able to work from home quite a bit, and have flexibility that will allow me to still be involved with kids activities at school during the day!  It's the first time  since Ethan was born that I have worked a traditional full time job, so it's been a bit of an adjustment. We are all excited however, that after June I ll be able to have more flexibility.  I will also continue to work on my Masters degree, which I am enjoying.

We spend alot of time these days outdoors.  Enjoying the mild spring weather, before the heat and humidity will keep us inside.  The basketball goal, and our homemade kickball "field" are a few of our favorite things!