Big Week. . .
First of all,
McCade's Team
Won!
He could have had wings that night, he was so darn happy.
(Mom with an attitude here for a moment)
I was getting a tad bit jumpy. The enitre first half went by and Mac didn't play except for kick off and kick off return.
I did learn something I didn't know though.
1) He is a better team player than I thought. He didn't say a word about not playing the first half.
2) He can CATCH! He was helping the QB warm up the first half. Had no clue he can catch. Must work on that. . .
3) HE CAN THROW! He threw every pass back with a perfect spiral.
Gotta find him a football position that requires less thinking.
He does amazing athletic things when he isn't thinking too hard.
Seems to be a family problem. . .
Oh buddy, please stay home!
That ball is so enticing. . .
Love the stripey socks!
If you count the spring season (that was hard and long), they broke an 11 game losing streak that night.
Hoo and Ray!
The other earned wings this week come from Dallin.
It was the EAGLE PROJECT!
On my birthday we drove up and got the 'before' pictures.
This is Kenny who runs the camp. He is a very nice man.
They had cut temporary stairs, but they needed something more permanent and durable.
In the end there were 4 sets of stairs that needed to be installed, as well as 25-28 stairs.
He sat down with his Eagle Project Coach, his Dad, and drew a map and planned it out.
He got volunteers. He talked to them and planned what needed to be done.
We didn't help except when given a specific assignment by Dallin.
You see, an Eagle Project isn't about work, it is about leadership and planning.
We couldn't help him unless asked.
It was hard to watch him struggle, especially when he talked in front of groups and the inevitable brain freeze happened.
We didn't step in. We let him struggle.
Sometimes he pulled through, sometimes he failed.
But the struggle was his as we wanted the award to be.
That day an army went to work.
He made sure they knew where to work and what to do.
He had them split into crews.
One adult was in charge of each crew.
See that crew? The one working hard?
The one not sitting around and complaining?
Should I tell you there are two 12-year olds, one 13-year old and a 14-year old on that crew?
Not a video game, not an iPod, not one of them resting or complaining.
You know what I like best about this picture?
No adults.
Kids working.
Honestly working HARD!
Here he is, leading.
And when the work was done, we had lunch.
The boyscouts built the fire. I don't think any adults were actually paying attention to that. They heard the words 'hot dog roast', wandered off and found willows, whittled them down, started the fire and waited for me to produce the hot dogs and fixings.
The End Result:
This is the closest I come to a group picture.
We anticipated it would take up 5 hours to do the work. It took about 2 hours. Once it was done, the volunteers disappeared as quickly as they had appeared.
I ended up with TONS of leftover food.
Scouts are told to 'leave no trace'.
We left a BIG trace.
But we also left the campground a much safer place.
Things I have learned:
1) The Eagle is the ONLY award given by the Boy Scouts of America that can be taken away - at ANY time. If you don't continue to live to the standards you promise to live, they can and will take it away. I have seen it.
2) People want strong leadership. Strong leadership promotes hard work. Hard work promotes amazing results very quickly.
3) Dallin will be an amazing Eagle Scout!
Now we must finish the paperwork, and he must stand in front of the Board of Review and answer their questions and talk about his project. He will be asked about the scout law and the scout oath. He will be grilled.
Thinking on his feet isn't easy for him.
It will be hard for him.
I will worry and be stressed out.
He will do it, and he will be better for it because life is hard.
We do hard things.
-danielle
