National Boyscout Jamboree!

Brandon received a letter last month inviting him to participate in the National Boyscout Jamboree in Fort AP Hill, Virginia for 2 weeks in the summer of 2010! 2010 will also be the 100th anniversary for Boy Scouts and promises to be an even better jamboree. This jamboree is only held once every 4 years, and is a once in a lifetime opportunity for him. He can participate in rapelling, sailing, and scuba diving; in addition, he will be able to tour the National Mall, the Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero, and other national historical sites. He also has the chance to tour some of the Latter-day Saint (Mormon) historical sites: The Sacred Grove, Fayette Farm, and Kirtland, Ohio instead of touring Boston. They will all end the 2 weeks with a day at an amusement park. There will only be 5 troops formed from our Grand Teton Council. As you can imagine, the cost for such experiences is astronomical ($3000). We have received the blessing of being given a $1000 scholarship from a close family member and will be working to save the rest. Dad and his friend will be hosting a Dutch Oven/Cowboy Music benefit dinner this summer in his behalf; with all profits going toward Brandon's fees. If you would like to view information about the National Jamboree go to www.bsajamboree.org for more information.

Play Time!

First Measureable Snow

We had our first sizeable snowfall last week and Matthew couldn't wait to get out in it.

HS Christmas Dance

Kayla attended the High School Christmas Dance this weekend. Here are a few pics of her in her formal - made by her Mom!

Holiday Cookie Bake-Off

Sarah is conducting the BEST HOLIDAY COOKIE BAKE-OFF! All you need to do is submit your favorite Christmas cookie recipe, she will bake up the cookies, taste-test them, and post the winner(s) on our blog. Reply to this post with your favorite cookie or email it to us at mniteline@hotmail.com . The prize - making a young girl happy knowing someone participated in her grand idea! So...send us your favorite Christmas or holiday cookie recipe, we can't wait to try it!!! We'll post the winner's name on our blog and hopefully some pics of the winning cookie.

Army's Secret Weapon DISCOVERED...

Today I've discovered what could be the Army's next secret weapon...Matthew! As we went to the dentist office for a third visit to try and fix a cavity he was given the drug, versed, to calm him and make him sleepy. Well, Matthew is one of a handful of people who do not respond well and actually became combative, agitated, and very angry! He accused the dentist of "being a BAD guy", commanded him to "Put your hands up", and then proceeded to shoot him, "Pheeew". He ripped off his earphones, bib, and "nose" (gas mask) and was grabbing at the dentist's glasses. He was totally NOT himself...hitting cars with his fist as we walked by them, stomping his feet, yelling at me and anyone else (shut up, I hate this, I hate that, I'm hungry, etc.), trying to escape his booster seat in the car, crumbling his lunch in his fists, pouring out his drink, and staggering along as he walked, and forgetting things (like where I put his toy...in his pocket). It was quite the surprise and experience today to see my three-year old boy behave as a mean drunk. He just couldn't be reasoned with. I hope he will never get drunk in the future and I will pray for the safety of the community if he ever does! Needless to say after 3 tries we will be waiting until he is a little older to fix that tooth.

Our Thoughts and Prayers

Our thoughts and prayers go out to our neices and nephew - Richard, Kendra, Charlotte, and Winona at the loss of their mother and our former sister-in-law, Carla Gallegos Campbell. She died unexpectedly of a brain aneurism last week. She wasn't even 50 years old yet. Her funeral will be tomorrow, Tuesday, November 18th.

Preschool

Well...Matthew started preschool this week for the Child Development class at the High School. It will only be 4 days a week for 3 weeks, but at least he is getting exposure to other kids outside of church. He was a little clingy the first day, but now by the end of the week he is in the swing of things! One great thing is that there are 4 student teachers from our neighborhood. According to Chelsea Tuesday night, Matthew has been somebody different each day...Spiderman and then Batman. Who knows who he'll be for them next week! As long as he is good, I'm okay with it. She also informed us he has a hard time "sitting still", but we already knew that!!! Good Luck High School Students! Your definetely getting your education now!

Brielle is One-Year Old!

Brielle turned 1-year old on Monday, September 22! We had a party for her on Sunday night...It took her a while to get into the cake, and once she did; she didn't want to stop. Her favorite birthday gift was a new baby doll! She is now 30 1/2 inches tall (still off the chart) and weighs 24 pounds (75 percentile). She still doesn't have much hair to do anything with yet, and is starting to be busier than ever. She is starting to walk and will initiate walking on her own. About the most steps she's ever taken at once is about 10 little baby steps!! She is the master of climbing though...she can climb up on my 5-gallon buckets (used for food storage)in the kitchen and stand up next to the kitchen counter. As well, she can climb upon the couches...we'll need to move the large couch away from the stairwell soon!

Eagle Project Open House/Dedication

We attended the Open House and Dedication of the Drak home on Saturday, September 6th. There was local media there from channels 3 and 6. It was cool to be a part of something so wonderful!