Scouts Away!!!

Hello, friends! 

One of the greatest accomplishments of my life was earning the rank of Eagle Scout when I was in high school. My parents will tell you that it was a long and arduous road, and that I almost didn't make it, but I got in by the skin of my teeth and am proud to call myself an Eagle Scout. 

With 3 kids, there's always a question of extracurricular activities. You want to make sure that your kids are doing stuff but not too much. There are sports to play, instruments to learn, and other things to do. Megan and I have had conversations about what things we did growing up and what things we'd like the kids to try once they're old enough. Knowing that time is limited, I'd prepared myself to ask Ezra if he wanted to try the scouts but not force him to do it if the answer was "no." 

You wouldn't believe my joy when he saw a table for the Cub Scouts at his Back to School night before the school year started. I think it may have been the photos of kids holding frogs that got him hooked but before I could even approach the table, he ran up to me and asked if he could join. Of course, I said yes. =0). 

A few weeks back, he went on his first Cub Scout hike. It was a short one but he had a lot of fun. It helps that a few of his classmates from school (including one of his best friends from kindergarten) is also in scouts. I connected with a few of the parents, and it looks like we're good to go, at least for this year. 

Last Tuesday, we went over the Scout Law and Scout Oath as part of him earning his "Bobcat Badge." It was funny how quickly both of those came back to me. I guess if you say the same thing every week for 12 years of your life, it kind of gets stored in long term memory...

So, a new scouting adventure begins. I told the scoutmaster that I'm committed to getting Ezra into scouting so long as he wants to do it. I'm looking forward to our camping trips, merit badge sessions, and everything beyond. He's much more of an outdoor kid than I am, so I wouldn't be surprised if he likes it even more than I do. And, regardless of whether or not he reaches Eagle, I'll be happy to watch him "Do His Best." 

Have an excellent day!

~Adam