Hayden's Arrow of Light

Last month was Hayden's last Pack Meeting and it was a very exciting night for Hayden. He received his Arrow of Light and officially moved up to Boy Scouts. Hayden is an avid scouter and he enjoys every minute of Scouts. He is THRILLED to finally be in 11 year old Scouts because he will FINALLY be able to go on overnight camp outings. As a Mom I worry about hiking trips and him getting lost in the woods. I think I read too many stories about Scouts being lost. ;o)


In our Ward it is a tradition that Hayden gets his face painted. Here is what the colors represent:
Yellow from the rising sun reminds us of the goals that we set before ourselves and all that we should strive for each day.
Blue from the sky to remind us to look up and focus on the positive that life has to give us.
Purple from the lilac flower reminds us to be gentle with all of God’s creations.
Green from the tall pine trees reminds us to be steadfast, true, and strong in keeping the Cub Scout Promise and living the Outdoor Code.
White from the pure snow reminds us to be clean and faithful, keeping our lives in harmony with God’s plan.
Orange from the setting sun reminds us to look back on each day with integrity and accountability for our actions.
Red from the petals of the rose reminds us that love of and for our parents and leaders helps to lift all of us throughout our lives.



Our Ward also has each Scout paint an arrow and it is painted to represent every award Hayden earned while in Cub Scouts. Hayden worked incredibly hard and earned all 20 of the Webelo activity badges.



Hayden also made a "crossing over" from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts and he was welcomed by Brother Black and Brother Nielsen, his new Scout leaders.


Hayden, it is AMAZING to me that you are 11 and now a BOY SCOUT. It seems as though I was just finding out I was pregnant and worrying about you sleeping too much as a baby. I wonder where the time has gone and yet I am enjoying all the blessings that you brings to my life now. I am truly proud to be your Mom. I hope that you will continue to love Scouting and set your sights on becoming an Eagle. Continue to stay close to the Lord and to always make right choices. Dad and I love you more than words can describe. Congratulations on your Arrow of Light.

A quick Rocky Point Vacation.....

For about 6 months we have had a trip to Rocky Point, Mexico planned. I have looked forward to it for months.... just to escape reality for 4 whole days and to spend time on the beach reading a book and relaxing with the kids. Well it didn't quite happen that way.

On Friday I got a call from the school and the nurse said Hayden was sick.... he was running a fever and had a headache. With all the H1N1 flu stuff going around, the school has been very cautious about sick kids. I can totally understand, but in my humble opinion this whole "swine flu" is a joke and not something I even worry about. ANYWAY, I got Hayden home and he rested all afternoon and went to bed early. On Saturday he was feeling much better. No fever so I let him go flying with his Scout patrol for his aviation merit badge. When he got home, still no fever and he said he felt great, so we decided to go to Mexico.

Saturday we let the kids play at the beach and they swam until dark. The kids were exhausted and of course they crashed. Sunday the kids were up at the crack of dawn ready to play. Cole said his stomach hurt and he didn't want to eat. I figured he just wanted more time at the beach so we walked out of our room and right onto the beach. Everyone played and swam and body boarded until they were too exhausted to move. Sal had to leave to come back to work and my parents and I stayed with the kids.

Sunday night no one wanted to eat dinner. They just wanted to go to bed. In fact, Cole was asleep by 6 and Hayden was in bed soon after. When I went to check on Hayden later he was burning up. I didn't have a thermometer, but he was incredibly hot. I had given him Tylenol a couple of hours before, but it hadn't even touched his fever. I gave him some Motrin and hoped it would break his fever. It didn't. I started to get scared, not knowing what I could do to help him. My mom helped me get ice packs for his forehead and neck. Even that didn't seem to help. Finally I asked Hayden if he wanted Papa to give him a blessing and he said yes. My Dad came right down and gave Hayden a blessing. I was thankful for the priesthood and the blessing that he gave. Within a half and hour, Hayden's fever broke and he was able to sleep through the night.

The next morning Hayden still wasn't feeling great so we decided to come home. Cole said he felt better and ate 2 bowls of cereal. About 2 minutes after he finished eating, the cereal came right back up. We quickly packed the car and drove home.

It wasn't quite the vacation I had in mind, but I was thankful to be home. Today the kids are all on the mend. We have quarantined ourselves in the house today and hope by tomorrow all the germs will be gone.

Thanks Mom and Dad for the condo at the Mayan Palace. Sorry we had to come home early, but thanks for all your help with the sick kids. We love you!