Den Momma?

Tonight will go down in history for Joey and I. Not only did Joey become an official cub scout, but somehow I became some sort of Den Mother. We arrive on the coldest fall evening I've ever had the displeasure of experiencing and got right down to bug catching and freeze tag and saluting the flag. (Note: growing up in a chick house, scouts to me means girl scout cookies and picking flowers. At this point, there aren't ANY cookies..) Let me tell you, Joey came home from school about a month ago and wild horses couldn't have slowed this excitement train. He was beaming from ear to ear saying that he wanted to sign up to be a cub scout and get ALL of the badges in the entire book. Cool? Cool. So, off we went tonight to our first Den meeting, outside, in the rain! After making "spy scopes" out of toilet paper holders and stickers we went for a rainy, muddy hike in the woods. If you aren't laughing already at the thought of me walking in the woods in my designer jeans and Uggs freezing my you know what off...imagine Joey and I hunched over in the woods while we do "leaf rubbing" with soggy paper and crayons using each others backs as tables. Got a clear picture of that in your head? Okay, now.. ready, 1,2,3...Momma looses her balance and falls getting wet and muddy. Joey follows. I can't tell you how hard we laughed. I laughed at the pure insanity of the situation that if you would have told me ten years ago that I would be caught doing that tonight, I would have fallen over laughing in disbelief. I never really understood the whole "scouts" thing. Joey was laughing because his Momma was muddy, wet and freezing and trying to look like a tough cookie out there, not that I was fooling ANYONE. However, Joey is SO proud of being a cub scout. He was beaming from ear to ear after tonight's meeting just as he was when he brought home the information a month ago. And, I get it now. I understand the whole scout thing. I believe in what they stand for and I am so happy that there is an organization out there dedicated to teaching little boys about nature, adventures, volunteering, leadership, community, faith, citizenship, fitness...I don't even think that that list skims the surface of the amazing things Joey will work on in cub scouts. I even recited the Pledge of Allegiance for the first time since probably middle school, too cute watching my little man recite it too. He fell asleep tonight with the tiger scout motto stuck in his head and that ear to ear smile beaming across his face. That is my Bliss.
Check out the snack stash and smile he had after tonight's meeting, not to mention, the MUD!