A Day In The Life - 11/12/2011: Kids, Lakes, And Other Tragedies

 It is Saturday. The stake is holding its Little Philmont Scout Leader Training at Roosevelt Lake.

 It is a beautiful day. Most of the leaders, some with their families, have been here since Friday afternoon.

 But we don't have to watch the little kids until Saturday after breakfast. Rather than sleep on the ground, I choose to get up a 3:45 and drive up on Saturday morning to help supervise the watching og the kidlets - our young adult ward assignment.

 I arrive in plenty of time of breakfast and opening ceremonies. It is chilly but they have a good fire going, thanks to a group of little kids who want to both play with matches and get warm.

 After the announcements it is time for those with kids to hand off to come sign them up.

 Some are still in their pajamas and blankets.

 We walk down to the play ground a couple of hundred yards down the road. The big boys really became little boys and had as much fun as the little kids, chasing them, climbing up and through the jungle gym with quite a bit more energy and speed than I would have thought possible.

 The girls were a little more sedate and several watched while the boys wore themselves out.

 The fun continued through much of the morning

 Jesse was lively as David but is doing his bouncer impression here. I guess that I am too big to play with this group.

 It was tough to keep some of the kids from climbing to heights that were less than safe. The Johnson's were much more concerned than I was, having been one of those kids who tend to break bones and get scuffed fairly often. But we most often survive and have a lot more fun in life than the others.

Finally we walk the kids down to the lake. They throw stones and sticks and collect shells and generally explore the beach for awhile. But it was quite a walk and down hill, so when it is time to return everyone wants to ride. And the Johnson's, rather than just getting them to buck up, make a few trips to haul everyone back (except me at my request - I need the exercise). By then it was about time to be done. They played some more on the jungle gym until the parents came to get their kids.