Billy's Speech at Cub Scouts

Billy had to give a speech last night at Cub Scouts on something he really likes. No surprise he chose fire fighters....since that is his current passion. He took in Mickey's REAL fire helmet and 'turnout gear'. Here is a copy of what he wrote:

Firefighters

I did my report on firefighters in Harrisonburg. There are a couple of fire stations in Harrisonburg, and they include #1, #2, #3, #4 and #41. Some of these are shared as county stations. Station #1 is the main fire station, but station #4 has the most calls and runs.

My dad and my grandpa were both firefighters at station #4. My dad at one point was an assistant Chief and my Grandpa was a chief for Hose Company #4.

Gear:
Firefighters wear a special jacket that keeps them from overheating and getting burned. There are pants that do the same thing. Firefighters wear air masks to give them air in all the smoke. They also have a special helmet. It is shaped specially to shield your neck from ash and stuff like that. All the equipment is called turnout gear. There is another set of gear that is totally fireproof that firefighters would wear at an airport fire or a gas leak.

Trucks:
There are many kinds of fire trucks. These are some of them:

NOTE to ME: Talk about each!
Pumper
Snorkel
Rescue
Pick-up
Ladder truck
Squad
Foam Trucks
Ambulance
Brush Truck

Positions:
These are the ranks of fireman from the smallest rank to the biggest rank:
Firefighter
Lieutenants,
Captain
Assistant Chief
Chief

Crazy Hair Day

JJ has been waiting and plotting for this day for weeks....and it is finally here...crazy hair day! You should have seen his chest puff out with pride when walking down the hall this morning, and two girls 'Wow! That is some crazy hair!"

Billy was not going to participate, until the very last moment. Look closely, Hokie fans....the top is a VT!!! I think he was glad he got in the spirit as people at school kept saying, "Yay! Hokies!"

A Very Handsome Cub Scout

In his brand new uniform.....

Aunt Rosie!

Nana and Pop got a new puppy from the SPCA last week, so that means Billy and JJ have a new Aunt.....Rosie!


From Billy: Roise is awesome, I am so glad Nana and Pop got her. It is so fun to play with Rosie. She is really cute and active and is a very good dog. I love her very much.

From JJ: Rosie is nice because she is a dog. I like to play with her. Rosie is Nana and Pop's puppy. I love her.

Reflections

Billy and JJ readers know their beloved heroes both won the Reflections Art contest at their school. While we were there tonight for the music concert, I snapped these pictures in front of their creations.

A jam packed day....

JJ had a fun field trip to the Frontier Culture Museum today. We had a great time, despite blowing snow and cold weather. It is fun to see JJ in his world with his friends and teachers. It is a very different JJ than the one who is constantly climbing the walls naked at the house! I am proud of how good he is and how well-liked he is by his peers!

Then Billy had his 3rd grade choir concert tonight, complete with dancing and synchronized moves. They all did a great job! I am really proud of Billy too and how involved he is at school and all that he accomplishes.

Billy and JJ ....Overheard!

So, the backstory..... I was milling around the house picking up and gathering trash while the boys rambunctiously played in the family room. Billy, being the big brother usually controls what games are being played...and oftentimes they include bodily harm to JJ, the little brother.

As I walk into the kitchen, I hear Billy suggest another game to play because the one they had been playing had caused JJ to break out into a whining fit and/or tears at least 3 times that I know of just this afternoon. And, here is JJ's reply..."I want to play the YOU get out of this room right this instant and leave JJ alone game"

2 neat things to share.....

#1) Billy made the honor roll for the 1st 9 weeks of the first year he received letter grades...woo hoo!

#2)We have been attending a new church this fall that has been great for the kids. After the service yesterday, JJ asked for his own Bible...so I stopped on the way home and got one for him. The cynical Billy says that kids who bring their Bibles to the kids church get candy and that is why JJ so desperately wanted one. But, I chose to believe otherwise!!! And, last night, he was looking all through the new Bible, all on his own....without any candy incentive!

Yay for Billy and JJ!

Hilltop Mountain Hike

We did what was probably our last hike of the season today....and it was a bit harder than we thought it would be. After Mickey and Minnie had run 13.4 miles yesterday....and Billy and JJ stayed up too late last night, none of us were at the top of his game (well, maybe Mickey was...but when is he not?) However, everyone soldiered on to the top of the mountain because #1) we had skittles in our trail mix and #2) that is just how we roll!

Despite JJ saying, "I am so tired, I keep imagining things" (Like rocks on the side of the hike being his bed) and Billy drinking all of our water in the first 10 minutes of the hike, it ended up being pretty enjoyable after all.

The reasons why....
#1) A random lady at the top of the mountain who recognized JJ's Kenyon sweatpants and declared out of the blue that..."Kenyon swimmers are the studs of the world" #2) Mickey made our trail mix for the first time ever and in his ever thoughtful way, included something for everyone....skittles for JJ, sunflower seeds for Billy, dried pineapple for Minnie, and a bunch of healthy stuff for himself #3) for our entertainment.....The Peeing Choir!!!! They are shown above as a trio....but we were also treated to a few solo performances as well all throughout the trip!

Billy's Life Motto

Billy informed me yesterday that he know has a life motto. (Apparently the book he is reading about Boy Scouts mentions the importance of a life cause.) From another book, he found and adapted this phrase as his life motto:

"I will offend no one without cause"

JJ is currently working on his life motto.....we will keep you posted:)

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner.....

Billy and JJ are having a great week....great report cards and teacher conferences, followed by 2 winning tickets at the All Pro Dads raffle this morning. And then we heard some even better news.....

Both boys are winners in the Reflections Art Contest at school.

They both won the dance competition, and man can those boys cut a rug!

JJ was a double winner....Dance and Literature. He wrote a book about his menagerie (inspired by Pie). He drew a picture of about 10 of his stuffed animals and then wrote a page on each of them. JJ worked so hard on this project and we were so proud of his efforts...but then to hear that he also won shows that hard work does pay off!

This is what his artist statement said about his book:

This is a book about my menagerie. That is what Pie calls my stuffed animals that I take with me everywhere. Pie is my aunt. I did not know what that word was, so me and mom googled it! It is a group of animals. I do know what diversity is….it means different, and that is what my menagerie is….lots of different animals. My stuffed animals look different and I love them all for different reasons. But, I love them all the same. I am going to write a book about my menagerie, and call it My Menagerie, by JJ Harrison

Billy placed second for his picture. His was entitled 'Flags of SSES'. He thought of all of his friends and schoolmates that have origins from different countries. We researched the flags and he made his own version of them. It was a fun project and very informative. While working on it, we both agreed it would be a unique ability to be able to identify the flags of the world. Perhaps this will be a summer project of ours.....

A Valuable Lesson

So, Billy and JJ readers know that their EXPENSIVE costumes did not arrive in time for Halloween. So, Billy and JJ had to use their IMAGINATIONS to create a costume from what we already had in the house. We think they did a great job...we saved money and they looked better than they would have in a store-bought costume. But, then again, we are biased. And, oh...by the way..JJ is a Daredevil-Cowboy-Climber! I am sure you already knew taht!