Cub Scout Award Night

We are very proud of Hayden. Last night he was awarded his bear badge at the Scout ceremony. He also received 1 gold and 3 silver arrow points for completing additional electives. We joined the pack at our church and they are a wonderful group of people. Something new to us, though, is the scout face-painting that each scout gets when they complete a level. As you can see, Hayden was not overly thrilled with the paint on his face!

He now moves up to Webelos I for next year!

Easter photos...

We were able to spend Easter with Nana and GrandBob in NC this year. Bob and Todd golfed every day (that would be 4 days!) and Hayden and I hung out with Nana. On the Saturday before Easter, Nana took us to the Easter Egg Hunt at their country club. Attached are a few photos of the day.

Scout trip...

Hayden's cub scout pack had their overnight trip a few weeks ago in March. They took 2 school busses from Mechanicsburg, PA to Camden, NJ to visit the USS Battleship New Jersey. They left Friday afternoon. When they arrived, they rode the flight simulator. Then had dinner in the mess hall which consisted of meatballs, mashed potatoes and mixed veggies (including lima beans)! Needless to say, Hayden had no part of that. Thank goodness for the snack shop and soft pretzels! They spent the rest of the evening getting a guided tour of the ship. They slept in the actual bunks that the men used to sleep in. Lights out at 11pm, up at 7 for breakfast! They were able to ride another flight simulator and then more tour time. Sorry for the limited details, but I was able to stay home and enjoy book club with the ladies while the boys were away. But it was too quiet without them! Hope you enjoy some of the photos. Todd took over 100 so I figured I had to cut it back a little!!

Pinewood Derby Days...

Last night was the Pinewood Derby for Hayden's Cub Scout Pack at our church. It was even more fun as Nana & Grandpa Bob were able to join us. They were in town as Nana had stayed with us the past few weeks while I was recovering from my surgery.

Hayden wanted a batmobile car this year. If anyone has ever done a pinewood derby car, you know that they are not the easiest to make. Hayden and Todd spent about 2 weeks working on this car and it turned out great.

The evening was long (3+ hours), but lots of fun. As you can see, Hayden's car did very well. He took 2nd place in his Bear Den. Not too bad for the 2nd year building a car.

Our 2008

Our 2008 in review..

I was looking back at the past year and figured I would put together a slideshow of our 2008 before I started the blog. In February, Todd and I had the opportunity to attend the Daytona 500. We drove to NC so that Hayden could stay with Nana and Grandpa Bob. We then flew down to Orlando for a long weekend. It was the first time I had spent the night away from Hayden and it was not easy. But Todd and I enjoyed our time together. And who wouldn't in Orlando in February. The weather was amazing. We even rented a convertible that we drove to Daytona. Good thing because what is usually a 45 minute drive took over 2 hours with all the race traffic. Once we were there, it was lots of fun. We were able to walk and write on the track. There was a pre-race concert and the race was awesome. You have no idea how fast they really go until you are there.

In March, we took Hayden down to Philly to the Franklin Institute for a Star Wars exhibit. We of course started our day with cheesesteaks and then headed to the museum. Even though I am not a huge Star Wars fan like Todd & Hayden, it was loads of fun. As you can see, Hayden enjoyed all the characters!

In May, after Hayden had fought 6 strep infections within 5 months, we made the decision to have his tonsils and adenoids removed. It was a slow and painful healing, but he was a trooper. And he has been very healthy since then and we are so thankful. A week after his surgery, I went in for mine. What were we thinking?! But with lots of help from my mom and Bob, we all made it through. (Even though mine was not 100% successful and I am now recovering from the 2nd round with a much better doctor and so far it seems to be a success!)

In late June, early July, we headed out to Northern California to visit our dear friends and their family. We spent the week with them and had an amazing time. We drove to Santa Cruz, spent the night in Monterey, and then spent the day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We also took a day trip to San Francisco, which is absolutely beautiful. Of course Todd and Tim played many rounds of golf (big surprise)! Next trip, Mexico!!

Everything else you have seen on our blog, so I won't ramble on anymore!

We hope everyone is having a wonderful start to their 2009!

God Bless you all.