To build a snow cave

There have been lots of snow cave designs over the last three or four years of klondike campouts.

This year was the best.

Troop 104 made two types.  First the traditional cave.

The scout leaders went up a week early and piled up a bunch of snow.  The digging was easier than ever and the cave was big enough for six toasty warm scouts.

Rustin and the boys used the trench method this year and it was awesome!

They just dug a huge trench--six feet wide and 12 feet long.  The digging was fast--they used shovels and pick axes where the snow was packed--and not nearly as wet as the burrowing method.  They lined the interior with a tarp then covered it up with wood, more tarp and snow.  All four slept in the trench together two by two with their heads together.  They slept through the raging wind and snow and didn't stir until after 8:30 in the morning.

Everyone made it home warm and happy. And smelly.  And tired. And covered with dirty laundry. Awesome.

Brrrr.

Today is the Klondike derby.  Rustin and the big boys are probably racing with one of these as I write.

And last night they slept in one of these.

I woke up to the sound of the wailing wind in the middle of the night and couldn't sleep. I hope no one is frozen.  They planned to dig a big trench for the whole troop and cover it with wood, a giant tarp and some snow.  Can't wait to hear how it went.

In the mean time, Jenna and Benson made their own plans.  We went swimming and then we each got one of these:

in honor of our freezing family members.

Have I mentioned that Benson has had a hard time learning to read?  This is something we have dealt with before so it makes us really nervous.  Rustin and Benson lay on the couch every morning after scriptures and practice reading.  Benson is a determined little guy and won't have any help sounding out words which is a great trait.  He has made a lot of progress and is getting better every day but I still worry.

So last night after swimming we pulled up to the drive-through menu to make our choices. Jenna of course wanted a cookie-dough blizzard and then Benson piped up, "I want a double fudge cookie dough blizzard!"

He read the sign! We get blizzards maybe once a year so I know he didn't know what the sign said.

Of course he got his blizzard and I smiled all the way home.

And they're off!

Scout Camp 2010

The Beverly Hillbillies got nothin' on a couple of Idaho scouts.

Dallin and Landon are off to Camp Bradley for a week of National Youth Leadership Training.  If I had my way they would have had coats (not just a couple of jackets) and a couple more blankets stuffed in there but they were determined to carry everything in one pack.  

Of course the weather forecast says it is going to be 25 degrees tonight with chances of rain and snow.  I'm trying not to worry...

We are definitely missing our 'big boys' around here---there's an entire bag of chips sitting in the cupboard (unopened!!!) and neither Jenna or Benson has been dangled over the window wells in the last three days. And Austin and I have to mow the lawn all by ourselves.

What will we do...

Time flies

Dallin and Landon turned 11 last month. They are growing like weeds. We have really seen a lot of growth (of all kinds) this last year. The boys are looking more and more long-limbed and big-footed (like my invention of descriptive terms?!). They are ready to start football camps this summer. whoa! They are really such great examples to the younger kids. We are extremely pleased.

I'm going to include some pictures of scouts. The boys earned their arrow of light awards and bridged over into boy scouts. (Again--time flies!) Their scout troop set up a time line that will have them earn their first class scout award by this fall. Pretty ambitious--we'll see! They have a great group of boys their age which we are so grateful for.