RA Campout 2012

Wade & Clayton participated in the RA camp out at Mineral Wells State Park last weekend. They had loads of fun!

I must start this post by saying that I have never, ever in my life been tent camping. My parents liked to RV camp, so we did A LOT of that as children. That was fun. There was a shower, a potty, air conditioning, fridge, stove, etc. However, I have never slept a night in my life in a tent. Nor do I really have the desire to do so...

For this camping experience, the entire family was invited to participate. I politely declined on account of having an 11 month old. ;) Wade and Clayton represented the Carpenters and they did a fine job!

Wade isn't a big camper either. Thankfully, the Brew Crew loaned us their gear and gave us a few pointers. The tent, sleeping bags, tarp, and Christmas lights tip were all courtesy of Abbey & Brent. Thanks, Brewers!

The boys both had a good time. Since returning home, there are lots of comments about the "next time we go camping," and talk of buying a kayak. Oh my... I am afraid that my boys are hooked. I have a feeling that I am destined to sleep under the stars at some point. I figure that I can play the baby card for a couple more years, right? ;)

Clayton with some of his fellow campers.

The Carpenter Campsite - Not too shabby!
(If only there was air conditioning and indoor plumbing...)

Sweet little s'mores face :)

They spent some time kayaking and hiked quite a bit, as well. This was right up my little explorer's alley. He may end up being an outdoorsy guy despite his Mama. Ha!






I was glad that my guys got to be one with nature for 24 hours. I hope that they got it out of their system for awhile... ;)

RA Mother/Son Banquet

Last Friday was the RA Mother/Son Banquet at our church. It was the first mother/son type of event that I have ever been, too. The first of many, I'm sure! ;) It was so much fun! The RA leaders (including my sweet Hubs) did such a good job planning, decorating, and making everything so nice. I didn't really know what to expect, so I was very impressed.

There was a baseball theme throughout the evening. We all wore jerseys and Mike Brumley was our guest speaker. Mr. Brumley is a retired professional baseball player, who now goes on mission trips around the world ministering to children through his love of baseball. We all brought baseball gloves as our price of admission for him to distribute on his trips.

The boys all went through the dinner line to make their mother's plates and then served us our dinner. It was so sweet to see how excited that they all got to serve their Mamas. Sweet kiddos...

After dinner, we went to the gym to hit baseballs and play some wheelchair basketball. I have never been athletically inclined, so I am definitely behind the 8 ball when it comes to being a boy mom. Ha! But, I am learning to just have fun and try my hardest. I actually made contact with all of the baseballs that Mr. Brumley pitched to me! Clayton was pretty proud. ;) I didn't do as well at the wheelchair basketball, but I gave it the ole college try.

It was a fun night to spend with my Clay-boy in his element. I'm so thankful that God gave me boys. They have changed me so much - I just enjoy my life more with them in it. :)

RA Racers

Our church has a missions organization for boys that meets on Wednesday nights. It is called RAs (Royal Ambassadors). They work on scripture memory and learning about missions. They work on various mission projects and have guest speakers that come to speak to them. In addition to their heavy focus on missions, they throw in some fun activities. They have an annual camp out in the spring and a pinewood derby in the fall.

Wade was actually in RAs as a kid, and has many fond memories from that part of his childhood. His mom saved his vest and his old pinewood derby cars. I love that he has such a soft spot in his heart for this organization. When he was asked to teach the 1st grade RAs, he was happy to accept. :)

RA Racers was on October 21st this year. Clayton & Wade worked hard for weeks on Clayton's car. Hobby Lobby has a whole section dedicated to RA Racers, so we made many trips to the good ole Hob Lob. ;) There was lots of talk of color schemes, aerodynamics, weight positions, preparing the axel, etc. It was pretty cute to watch Wade & Clayton bond over this project.

There were 9 cars from the 1st graders, and there was some fierce competition. Ha!

Clayton with 2 of his buddies.

When all was said and done, Clayton won 2nd place. He was sooo proud!




I realized after the race that, between our 3 boys, there will be a grand total of 18 RA race cars made by our family. I'd say that we are off to a good start. ;)