Jonathan, my 12yo going on 20.

Where do I even start with this one?! Jonathan has done so much in the last couple of years and is really growing and maturing. I can't believe he is almost a teenager, but sometimes I think he already is one! He is definitely in that ornery teen stage, where everything has to be a joke....but in a good way. He's a good kid, he just sometimes has to be reminded that he is the kid and not the parent!

Jonathan just got elected by his fellow Boy Scouts to be the troop's Quartermaster, which is the person who takes care of the equipment, making sure it is all there and the condition it is in, etc. like whenever they go camping or someplace else. He was actually going to run for Patrol Leader but learned he wasn't ranked high enough to qualify. He was an Assistant Patrol Leader last year and really enjoyed it. I'm excited to see all that he is learing in Boy Scouts! Of course, he had to give a speech for the election, so he practiced with me and did great. It only had to be 2 minutes, so nothing major. What he WANTED to say was, "I'm Jonathan, and you should elect me because I'm awesome." Um, I didn't let him get away with that!

The troop already has several camping trips lined up and are already starting to save up and plan fund raisers for summer camp next year. I can't believe how expensive it can be, but they end up raising most of it so we don't have to pay much out of pocket. Jonathan always has a blast at all of the camps, but especially summer camp. This year they went to Tennessee, and aside from camp activities, they stayed in a hotel with a pool on the way and on the way back, stopped at a couple of different civil war reenactment places and stopped at the aquarium, which I was told was really incredible! I'm so glad he is learning so much and gaining all this experience, but I'm a little jealous that I don't get to go too! I am thankful that his daddy gets to go with him. He works so hard and deserves a break. The leaders in the Boy Scouts really don't have to do that much once all the planning and paying is done, so it was just as relaxing and fun for them as it was for the boys!

Jonathan is actually going to dance with the children at Sukkot this year! They do a big production every year, and the children (about 6-12 years old) always do a dance. I was shocked that he agreed! I was really pushing him, but ultimately I wouldn't have made him do it if he really didn't want to. He likes a girl who is also in it though, so I think that's why he agreed. LOL! He was acting embarrassed about dancing, but he is doing a great job so far!

Boy Scouts take up most of Jonathan's "spare" time, but if we could afford it and had the time, he would LOVE to be in soccer and/or basketball. He also still loves anything to do with animals and has been on a bird kick lately, reading everything he can about birds, but especially hawks. His favorite animals though are ferrets and cats. He wants to get some ferrets, cats and budgies (birds) when he builds his own "tiny house". That is another thing he is getting more serious about. He wants to earn his own money so he can buy a trailer and other supplies to build his own tiny house. He is getting more serious about it lately but hasn't really done much yet to follow through. He will soon though, as he has wanted his own room for so long. This will give him his own house that we will build (and park there for a while) right behind our house. We're looking into getting as many supplies for free as possible and already have a good start, but he wants to build it on a trailer, so we have to get that first!

And he is also saving for an iPod. I wonder which one will come first?!