crafty kids, airsoft style

Jesse loves the Airsoft club he's in, strategizing and running hard in the woods for hours with his buddies, cooling down afterwards as they catch their breath and make plans for the next gathering. As Jesse was digging around in my fabric stash recently, I was informed that a holster is needed for the pistol sidearm he carries during the games. It had been a busy workday for me and I really needed a breather, so I told him I'd get him started on the project and then he was on his own. Scott came to the rescue and said he could help. They were brave together, but I left the room and could hear them fumbling around, not even sure how to thread the sewing machine, so I gave them a quick overview of its operation and asked (begged!) to be excused to work on my own projects. A bit more fumbling and brainstorming, then the purr of the machine. A little while later, it was clear that they were on the right track, so I popped in to snap this picture.

Oh, the pride when he put the finishing touches on it the next morning and modeled for me before leaving for a game! Oh, the joy I felt to know that all members of my family would go away for Airsoft and leave me to work in glorious solitude for a few hours! ;-)

One nice fringe benefit of this Airsoft club is that Scott also loves to play and is welcomed by the young men in the club. However, Scott's ankles and thighs are not quite as enthusiastic about his efforts when the next day rolls around and he is painfully reminded that he is no longer an adolescent boy who can run in the woods for hours without repercussions.

Another winning aspect of this club is that the host family has been fantastic. They even have a daughter who meshes beautifully with Leah. The last time they got together, the friend's goal was to learn to knit. Leah helped her get started and a week later, she had a good-sized swatch underway!

The boys are planning an Airsoft group campout for this spring and the host mom wants to learn to make soap, so I'll probably teach her how during that weekend. Who would've thought that gatherings of a group of warrior boys would spur on sewing, knitting, and soapmaking?!