FINALLY! A second Renaud kid has learned to ride their back. Keep reading to hear the whole story and see a video.
Back to Beaumont
Joseph returned to the Beaumont Scout Reservation in August and September for the Cub Scouts’ Shoot-O-Ree and Cub Launch events. Joseph was at Cub Launch last year, but this was his first Shoot-O-Ree.
They had all sorts of things for the Cub Scouts to shoot: catapults, BB guns, slinghots, bows and arrows, Nerf guns and more. Joseph enjoyed trying it all.
Joseph prepared for BB gun action. 
Getting ready to try a compound bow. It was tough.
At Cub Launch, of course Joseph wanted to shoot the BB guns again. But he also spent a lot of time playing at Fort Hussman, and playing on the Pirate Ship. He’s really been into “Master and Commander”, the British Navy, and the American Revolution lately, so he was running around yelling nautical terms like “Make sail!”
He even found a few kids who were willing to be led. One of them said “I brought you a chair, mister.” Joseph responded: “Don’t call me mister. Call me ‘sir’!”
Joseph aboard a Coast Guard boat. 
Joseph aboard a Coast Guard boat.
Pinewood Derby 2018
This year marked Joseph’s second Pinewood Derby.
This year his den leader, Ms. Retha, arranged for all the kids to get their wood blocks sawn by a pro. So that left he and I to do the sanding, painting, weighting, etc.
The derby was held at the Gateway auto sales complex at I-270 and McDonnell Blvd. After last year, we made sure to bring some Tin Tin books to keep Joseph occupied during down times of waiting.
Joseph managed to win 3rd place among all the Wolves. That meant he got a trophy, and he was very happy about that!
Beginning baseball
Editor’s note: Joseph played on his first baseball team this summer, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, which is located at the end of our street. My dad went to school there long ago when it was called Sts. John and James. Anyway, Joseph shares his memories of his first baseball season:
It was my first time being on a baseball team. My coach’s name was coach Cliff.
When the team is in the field, there’s only one person who wears a helmet when you’re in the little league, and that’s the pitcher. There are two pitchers: the first one is the coach who throws a baseball. The other one is a kid player and he wears a helmet. I normally wasn’t pitcher, but a few times I did get to be pitcher. Once my dad thought that I was going to be batting when I was pitcher because I was wearing a helmet.
I did not have a favorite position. However, I did a least favorite position: shortstop. Because I’m not short and I don’t like stopping!
I wasn’t so good at batting [but he got better!].
I learned in baseball that when you’re throwing a ball, you throw it to first base and you always take a step with the opposite foot from your throwing hand. So, if you’re throwing with your right hand, you step with your left foot.
K’nex armada
Last year, I built Joseph a U.S.S. Enterprise from K’nex pieces. He played with it a lot, and oftentimes the ship would crash or be destroyed.
Star Wars on the brain
From the Joseph Files:
Writing capital letter H for homework is so much more fun when you realize you can turn them into drawings of TIE fighters.
The space explorers fight over an asteroid
Usually I tell Josie and Joseph bedtime stories which star two space explorers named Josie and Joseph.
Tonight I decided to change it up. They laughed so hard as I told this story that I figured I’d share it with you, too.
Continue reading “The space explorers fight over an asteroid”
The space explorers meet the Borg
On nights when I am home from work, I tell the kids stories before bed. Because they are divided among two rooms, I usually tell two stories.
The first story is for Josie and Joseph, and usually involves me making up something about the two of them as “space explorers,” visiting new planets or meeting aliens or trying to escape from black holes.
The second story is for Jadzia and Ludi, who prefer to have an improv-style story in which they each pick a character for the story (like “a good dragon” and “a bad lamp”) and I have to make up the rest.
Occasionally, though, the older girls will overhear the younger kids’ story and ask me to repeat it for them. Tonight was one such night.
The summer of 2013 in photos
Finally, some decent snow in 2013
Yesterday we had a decent snowfall of maybe 5-6 inches in North County. It was regular snow with some sleet and rain on top. Combine that with temperatures slightly above freezing and you have a recipe for sticky snow and slick hills. Perfect for sledding and snow forts.