Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Tiger Cub

Last night we signed Miles up to be a Tiger Cub in the Boy Scouts!  Chip was a Cub Scout when he was a kid, and I was a Girl Scout briefly, and I've always wanted my kids to be in scouting too.  I'm hoping Miles will stay in it much longer than Chip or I did, though, all the way to Eagle Scout. 

Miles is super-excited!  He's ready to start going on hikes and camping trips and to learn how to use a compass.  And he's eagerly awaiting his first issue of Boys' Life Magazine.  I'm just so proud of him already.  He looked so cute last night in his Tiger Cub hat his grandaddy gave him!

Next year when Hannah is 5 we'll sign her up for American Heritage Girls.  It's a new organization similar to Girl Scouts, but it's Christian-based, and unlike Girl Scouts, is supported by the Boy Scouts.  I can't wait to have two scouts in the family!

I am just so excited about scouting!  I wish that I had been in scouting for longer as a child.  I love that it's all about being a good citizen and having good values, and so much more.  I think the biggest draw for me is the emphasis on spending time outdoors in nature.  I so want my children to love nature and to be knowledgable about things in nature.  I hope to learn a lot along with them too.  In fact, I've heard of some homeschoolers who use scouting as their "curriculum," which I think is a wonderful idea, so I plan to use it as a big part of ours, since they will learn so much earning their badges and participating in activities, etc.  The ideas of "hands-on" and "real-world" learning in scouting fits well with my ideas for homeschooling our children in a natural way.

Our troop's first family campout is October 1st.  I'm hoping we can make it, but we probably won't be able to.  We've got a lot going on in October, including a trip to North Alabama!  The trip will be part vacation and part checking out the area to see if we want to move there.  I lived in the area for 5 1/2 years as a child, and have wanted to move back ever since we moved back to Texas.  Even though I was born in Texas, and have lived here most of my life, North Alabama is my home.  It's a wonderful place to live and to raise a family.  My most precious memories are of living there.  So, depending on how we feel about it when we're out there this fall, and trusting in God's guidance, we hope to move there within the next year!

I'll end this post with a shot of my adorable Tiger Cub:


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