Life Lately

I went to Connecticut and this is the only picture I took. It's a view of the house we put at the top of our list and the road/neighborhood. The trees are bare but hopeful signs of Spring were everywhere--bright yellow forsythia and crocuses greeted us on our house-hunting tour.

Andy came to California. He spent the weekend helping Sam with his 

Eagle project:

Fuel Stop

"Before"

"During"

Shane lying down on the job

Almost "After"--just the concrete pad left to pour.

The garden grew some more...

And our Shayla grew up and got ready to leave home.

We are in the waning stages of child-rearing. We will soon be down to the last two. Shayla got her driver's license and Sam got his permit so I have spent a lot of time in the car lately pressing down on that imaginary brake in the passenger seat

 (I'm too old for this!) 

They are both good drivers, it just takes practice to get there.

Andy also ordained Sam a priest while he was here. He blessed the Sacrament for the first time on Easter Sunday. It was a sweet mama moment to hear my boy (in the deep, bass Gale man-voice) say the solemn, sacred words of our weekly renewal ordinance.

I find myself saying a little wistfully:

"One more to go"

One more Priest.

One more Eagle Scout.

One more driver's license.

One more...

Wow. Where did the time go?

Another Eagle in the Nest

We have another Eagle Scout in the family.

Yesterday was Seth's Eagle Project. He showed great Scout Leadership in re-roofing two dugouts at the local little league field.

He did a great job of getting the word out and encouraging people to come and help, so

he got a really good turnout. He also has a very involved Venture Crew and leaders so that

was a big help.

Little Brother, Big Brother

Sam: Future Eagle

Shayla and Taylor were the paint crew.

Dad manned the paint sprayer

Seth with a nail gun. No one was harmed in the making of this pictorial.

Some of the hard-working volunteers.

The Eagle Has Landed

Our Newest Eagle ScoutSpencer flew home this weekend for his Eagle Board of Review (Even though he's an Eagle, he didn't literally FLY home--he took Southwest airlines). He passed the board so now he just awaits the official word from National Eagle Headquarters ...or whatever they call it.

These pictures are from his Eagle Project

Here you see Sam awaiting instruction from his big brother.

The Volunteers-- minus all the Cub Scouts we took home early because they were hammering everything in sight.

Thanks for helping, Dad!

(If he looks a little haggard it's from working so hard on the cabin!)

Even Shanna was there!

"HI HO, HI HO, It's off to work Shane goes!"

The final result gets the THUMBS UP from Seth

(He keeps trying to delete this pic but I think it's a keeper!)