Finally, a Scouting Activity I Can Get Behind

Like every other young man who grew up in the LDS Church, I was a Boy Scout. As an adult I've had several callings in Scouting, from Webelos leader (twice), to Deacon's Quorum advisor, to Scout Advancement Coordinator. All this despite the fact that I really, really, really dislike Scouting. I won't go as far as saying that I hate the program... let's just say that I'd rather be a Nursery Worker for the rest of my life than be a Scout leader again.

My opinion of the program might be about to change though. That is, if the newest Cub Scout belt loop is a harbinger of things to come. I didn't believe it when I first saw the news article on Yahoo, but Boy Scouts of America have added a Video Games award!

What leisure activity is next, I wonder? TV Viewing? Texting? Web Surfing? Social Networking? The possibilities are endless!

All joking aside, I think this new award is a great idea for two reasons. First, video games are cool, and Scouting isn't. This might just make Scouts less un-cool. Second, it gets Scouts with the times a little bit.

Scouting awards obviously include survivalist-minded activities like Camping, Orienteering, and Archery that might help you pass the entrance exam for your local militia. However, there are also awards, like Nutrition, Reading & Writing, and Disabilities Awareness, that seemed to be designed to teach the boys how to live in this world, as opposed to living after the world has ended. The Video Games award seems to fit right into this category. Boys need to learn moderation and self-control more than ever, and groups like BSA should recognize that fact and react to it. This award seems to be a step in that direction. But why stop here? Why now update Reading & Writing to include online publishing mediums like Facebook and blogging?

Now if only Boy Scouts would add a Martial Arts award. Then Scouts would finally be able to gain all the skills that would land them a girlfriend (according to Napoleon Dynamite). Yaknow, "nunchuku skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills".

Pictures of Breah

As promised, here are a few pics of the newest Lockard.

Before

After

Only a few minutes old

Sour face

Opening her eyes in the famous Johnson "ducky jammies"

At home with her sisters and grandma

Welcome Breah Spring

My fourth (and final?) child, Breah, was born today at 2:43pm. She weighed in at 7lbs 5oz and was only 19 inches long. I'll have pictures tomorrow. I remembered the camera but forgot the USB cord. Oops.

As I've done with the other three, I was right by Cara's side for this birth. I don't have anything terribly insightful or eloquent to say about the experience other than that it was truly a miracle, just as it was with Ainsley, and then Aftyn, and with baby boy Gavin. Oh, and I was once again reminded why I am so, so, so glad I'm a dude.

A few other observations and musings:

1. For the first time, I got woozy and nearly passed out. No, not during the delivery. That would be so cliche. Instead, I nearly lost consciousness while Cara got her IV right after being admitted. Go figure.

2. Cara is the type of woman that is universally hated by all other woman. Yaknow, the thin type. (again, glad to be a dude) Immediately after delivering the baby one of the nursery nurses about jumped out of her skin when she looked back at Cara. "Oh my word! You're skinny again!", she exclaimed. The other nurses grumbled in agreement.

3. The doctor and nurses take bets on how quickly things will happen after you tell the OB that the last two babies came out within 5 minutes of your water breaking. I overheard them in the hallway set the over/under at 10 minutes. Don't bet against Vegas...Cara delivered Breah at almost exactly 10 minutes.

4. April 6th is a cool day for a birthday! Not only was is the day that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized, but it's also the day the Salt Lake Temple was dedicated, it's Tartan Day (aka wear plaid day). Seriously, look it up.

April 6th is also the traditional date for Christ's birth according to LDS folks (see D&C 20:1) and it was the date that the American League began using the designated hitter. Sweet.

Finally, Breah will share her birthday with Rafael, the renouned Italian painter and architect, and Billy Dee "Lando Calrissian" Williams.
It's definitely better than my birth day. The only noteworthy event that ever happened on November 3rd was the introduction of the US income tax. *uggh* Oh, and I share my birthday with such luminaries as Michel Dukakis, Roseanne Barr, and Dennis Miller. *sigh*

Bold Birth Predictions

I'm an engineer, which means that I analyze things. Occassionally I tend to over-analyze and it's fair to say that this probably falls into that category. Still, thanks to some basic math, I have a few predictions about how and when our fourth child, Breah, will be born.

As you can see from the chart, the trends clearly show that the baby will be born at 39 weeks (to the day, mind you), and labor will last a brisk 45 minutes.

Numbers don't lie, right?

Happy Easter

It's been a long time since my last post. I'm worse at this than I thought I'd be! Oh well, you get what you pay for sometimes, right?

Happy Easter to you and yours! As you can see in the pictures we're celebrating the Resurrection of the Savior under a blanket of new-fallen snow.

I'm just glad I won't have to go out driving today. I'm not going anywhere tomorrow either. Cara's going to be induced on Tuesday so I'm taking the entire week off of work. With the other three kids I never took more than two days off so this week will be a different experience for me. Either I'll be in Cara's way all the time or else I'll be responsible for keeping the other kiddos out of her way. Should be fun!

I'll make a few more posts in the next couple of days. I've had a lot of things banging around in my head that I need to get out and down on paper, as it were.