Jacob's Birthday Campout

It's hard for me to believe, but our baby is 11 years old! 

This year we hosted a "Survivor" style backyard campout for Jacob and seven of his friends.  First, we had the boys pull colored bandanas from a bag to choose the two teams of four.  They named their teams the Green Mambas and the Orange Survivors.  Then we got down to the "survivor" games which each team could earn points (5 pts. for winning, 3 pts. for second) towards a final prize (no elimination challenges or voting guests out of the party.)  

Our first game was Water Relay.  The object, carry a soaked sponge while walking over wobbly 2x4s and fill your team cup with water until the ping pong ball comes out.  Team members had to stay on the course or start over.  Well, it was fun, but they never could get the darn ball to float over the edge of the cups.  Tie score 4 to4.

The next challenge was Walk the Plank.  With ropes looped under two 2x4s, the teams had to walk up the driveway to victory.  It wasn't easy keeping in step, but the Green Mambas worked it out and blew past their opponents!  Score 5 to 3...Green took the overall lead.

Next up was Catch It...a water balloon that is.  Teams had to catch flying water balloons with bath towels.  I'm not sure who had more fun, the kids or Jim with his new toy!  Once again the Green Mamabas prevailed and caught two balloons.  Running score...Green 14 - Orange 10.

After a few games it was time to send the survivors back to camp for some grub.  The BBQ sloppy joes were a hit and everyone enjoyed some rest time.

After eating, it was time to see if the boys could work a sling shot (every boys' dream) in the Pop 'Em challenge.  This time the boys had to shoot down the opposing teams water balloons.  The team with the most left at the end of the game won.  Once again things didn't go quite as planned.  While the boys had fun trying, not a single water balloon was popped and only minor injuries to thumbs were reported.  It was funny to watch, but we don't have pictures.  At this point the Green Mamabas remain in the lead.

Next up was the dreaded ultimate survivor challenge...eating unknown foods!!   This challenge was fun to create.  This games was a head to head as well as a team challenge.  The boys lined up and the food they ate was chosen at random by pulling the food names from a bag.  Based on the name of the food,  the boys could decide to eat it or not.  They had a mere 20 seconds to chew and get everything down.  Under each bowl was the number of points that would be awarded if the food was completely consumed in the alloted time.  Some of the tasty treats included:  Eye of Newt (jarred mushrooms w/chocolate syrup),  Snake Eyes (sliced green olives), Congealed Bat's Blood (spoonful of jellied cranberry sauce), Slice Pig's Snout (anchovies), Ground Rat Brains (potted meat...looked like wet cat food, but wasn't), Spicey Bird Eggs (peeled grapes with green Tabasco sauce)...the list goes on and on...

Poor Austin (on left), someone yelled it's bacon when the anchovy bowl was opened and well...it wasn't!

After the feast, the teams were tied!  One last bonus item was offered...tempura sushi roll.  Jacob loves it and it was his turn to eat.  Jacob and Ryan went head to head and in the end, the judge (Jim), gave the win to Ryan and the Orange Survivors.  However, Ryan was washing his rice down with water and sticky rice was all that was left on Jacob's tongue (you make the call!)  Jacob was so mad!!

After the winning team picked it's tent (the bigger one of course!), the boys heading out on their final challenge...Treasure Hunt!  With compasses and flashlights in hand, the boys searched the vacant lots for clues to their final reward.  Once all the clues were found, they had to come back to the starting point, unwrap the packages they found along the way (which contained puzzle pieces) and put together a puzzle which gave them the final clue to the hidden treasure and a set of three numbers to unlock the loot.  While the Orange Survivors made it back to the house first, the Green Mamabas solved the puzzle and figured out the combination to unlock the goodies that awaited...the fixin's for S'mores!!!

Garrett kept working on his lock, determined to have S'mores!

Once the birthday gifts were open and the fire was just right.  The boys settled in for some campfire fun and more eating!

By the end of the day, the boys were exhausted and so were we!  It turned out to be a great day and a beautiful night for the boys to campout.  Jacob was so happy with everything and his buddies loved the party, too!

50 Miles

Since school started, the scouts have been working on their Cycling Merit Badge.  Each Tuesday night a group of scouts, along with their scout master and Jim, would leave the scout hut at 6:45 and take to the streets of New Braunfels.  Each week the rides would get a little longer and the number of boys a little fewer.  Last Saturday (9/26), all the hard work culminated in the final ride of 50 miles!  The group rode from the scout hut in downtown New Braunfels to San Marcos and back. 

All the boys did a great job!  Here is Jacob crossing the pedestrian bridge on the way back and then (on the left) he's the first scout to arrive back at the scout hut!

After a long, hot ride...what could be better than taking a dip in the cool waters of the Comal River?!!

Tenderfoot No More

We missed the family reunion this year to allow Jacob the opportunity to attend his first Boy Scout summer camp at Bear Creek. Tuesday night, Jacob was awarded his Second Class rank in scouting. This is the second step on the path to becoming an Eagle Scout, which right now is his goal. He worked hard in the 100 plus degree Texas heat and he made good use of his time by also earning his first three Boy Scout merit badges...Swimming, Fishing and Leatherworks. From what we understand, camp also gave him a jump start on his next rank, First Class. We are so proud of him! He came back from camp this year exhausted and dirty, but also with his head held a little higher and a clear difference in maturity. Oh yes, and he had campfire stories to tell!

Rock Hound

Jacob, like most boys, has taken an interest in rocks. Over the years, he has come home from walks with a few in his pocket. Usually I only know about this because I find them in the washer or dryer. Since moving here, he loves bringing larger samples home and we have a few piles outside of various "crystals". Recently on our trip to Fredericksburg, there was a rock and gem shop close to our hotel. Jacob had $8.00 of his own money burning a hole in his pocket and he really wanted to go shopping. He could have spent hours in that little shop asking questions about his interesting finds, but we had a museum to get to. After about 30 min., he chose a few "cool" rocks and minerals that he liked and could afford. He also found a bag of unopened geodes, that he couldn't afford and asked us if we would purchase them. We agreed and even got him a rock and minerals book to go with it.

Today, we "opened" the geodes. It took a little patience and some work, but he loved the treasures he found inside.

He finally had to place this one on the patio to get it to crack.

So as not to waste this educational experience, I had him do some research and he is writing me a report about geodes. I'm not a mean Mom, he actually had fun reading about them and is excited to finish his paper and share his new found knowledge! Gotta keep those synapses firing!

Finally, it's over!

Jacob is finally done with fifth grade...YES! Here are some pictures from his awards day. Once again, he made A Honor Roll for the whole year. Next up...Oak Run Middle School...yikes!

Jacob, with friends, CJ and Mason

With his "#3" girl, Julie

Thomas and Jacob...goofballs

Homeroom class with Olympic Gold medalist, Josh Davis (far right)

Lawn Boy

It wasn't so very long ago that all he pushed was a bubble mower...

He loved to help Daddy...

Now, at age ten, Jacob is on his own and he has the real thing! He is doing a great job and is able to pull start it on his own. Since he doesn't get an allowance for everyday chores (well, we feed and clothe him), he gets paid for mowing.

Tenderfoot

On March 17, Jacob was awarded his Tenderfoot badge in scouting. This is the first badge a new Boy Scout can earn. The Court of Honor ceremony was held in the sponsoring church and it was a quiet affair. First the boys all lined up and took part in a candle lighting ceremony and recited the Boy Scout Oath. At this time for all we knew they could have been joining a cult, because from the pews we couldn't hear a thing that was being said. Mr. Hoffmann, the Scout Master, talked to each boy individually. We laughed when he got to Jacob and we saw Jacob shrug his shoulders and then Mr. Hoffmann got a big grin. We later found out that he was asking each boy about the different parts of the Oath and what they meant. Jacob was asked for the definition of obedience. After telling Mr. Hoffmann what it meant, then he was asked if he was obedient and Jacob shrugged and said most of the time. Ah yes, honesty is a Boy Scout trait.