Eagle Scout Court of Honor

Jared had his Eagle Court of Honor last week. We are all relieved....he did make it before his 18th birthday. He had spent a year as Senior Patrol Leader of about 40 boys so it didn't leave much time for his Eagle Project. It was a wonderful Court of Honor. We had over 50 people at the Mendon Station to witness this award from both Troop 1 and Star Academy, our homeschool co-op.

AND of course my wonderful family. Aunt Carol, Kathy and Troy, and Rich! oh and me too.

Kaleb arranged for the Colorguard to present the colors and the Honor guard. Jared's friend Cameron from both the troop and homeschooling was the MC for the COH. Our friend Gillian gave a wonderful speech about Jared's character. She was the first person that we came into contact when we moved to Cache Valley. They had moved up from Phoenix years before and homeschool as well. We were instant friends. She also taught everything that Jared knows about public speaking in a Toastmasters class for 5 semesters now. I am so thankful for her to really give both my boys valuable skills, which was completely obvious, because at the end Jared summed up the evening with an awesome speech on Leadership. I am so proud of Jared and all that he is becoming. Who would have ever known that the little curly haired little boy would grow up to be the man that is towering over me.  Becoming an Eagle Scout has been a long earned road and he deserved to stand before his peers and adults and parents too. I am really proud to be his mom.

Oh, I even got a Mom pin!

 Do not look too closely at these cupcakes. I have no idea how people get them the same size. Only a mother would worry about what the cupcakes look like.

The boys reminded me...."Mom, boys don't care what they look like, they just eat them".

They were right.

 At all the COH that we have been at, the boy would have all his memoralbilia on a table of cub scouts and boy scouts. Jared didn't really have that stuff and didn't want it. He doesn't like a lot of hoo-haa, as my dad would call it. I got thinking about what Jared really likes in Scouting. He likes the hiking and camping part. So we collected things that represented that. We included his daypack because a while back he  started writing on the back of it all the places that he has taken his daypack. I thought it was a great idea.

 We included the rope that he made himself in the Pioneering merit badge. The hiking stick that the girls and I bought from an old guy who made them at the Farmer's Market. Long ago I told the boys if they log 50 miles then I will get them a hiking stick. Well, they have logged almost 100 miles of hiking distance. It took a while to find the perfect stick, many years later, but I held my promise.

Victoria and I came up with this idea on our own. I was in the cabinet just minutes before leaving to set up for the COH and I came across our Scrabble Tiles. So Victoria spelled out parts of the Scout Law. Our guests were impressed with our creativity. We wanted everything to be special, just for Jared and it was.

We are proud of our Eagle Scout.