You Can't Hide... Or Can You?

We just got back from being out of town for almost a month, going on three different "trips." Obviously, I have a lot to write about, but I just wanted to write about two things before I forgot.

It's always funny to me how small children try to hide things (usually unsuccessfully) from their parents. (Kind of like when I ask Jackson if he is wet and he insists he'd not but there is a huge wet spot at the front of his pants.) This morning Jackson was throwing a tantrum and got up from where I put him on time out, so I took him up to his bed. He didn't WANT to stay on his bed and was very upset at me. I went out of his room to look for something and when I came back, Jackson was "gone." He had hidden by sitting next to the armchair in his room and putting a blanket over his head. He held very still, certain that if I didn't move, I wouldn't notice the huge Jackson-sized bulge under the blanket next to his chair.

The other funny example of this was when we went camping with my parents. We were setting up the camp kitchen (my mom is a SERIOUS camp cook-- don't mess with her pop-up tables, camp cookers and multiple organized holders of cooking gadgets). We had just set up a pop-up table with a rack for hanging stuff on top and gotten everything on it organized when Addy pushed on it a little bit too hard and the whole thing fell over. After one huge-eyed look of panic, Addy immediately lay on the ground and pretended to be asleep. I guess maybe she would thought she was just taking a nap in the middle of the dirt and some nearby squirrel had pushed the table over. :)

Poetry for Mother's Day

Jared's Mother's Day poem: (I think he has me pegged...)

Karen
Fun, Loving, Inspiring
Mother of Jared, Camryn, Jackson, Addy
Lover of relaxation and choral music
Who feels proud every time I make a new recipe
Who needs everything to be clean and organized
Who gives love and activity
Who fears a screaming Jackson
Who would like to see her children playing nicely once together
Mom

Sweetest Thing Cupcakes

We had spring break the last week of March. Which means that the best time to write about it would be... the second week of May! We stayed home and tried to do some short day trips or outings. One of our outings was to Sweetest Thing Cupcakes in Newberg.

"Sweetest Thing" is located in a beautiful restored Craftsman house in Oregon Wine Country (which locale would be much more exciting if I drank wine, but I don't). Luckily, however, I do eat cupcakes, of which they have many great varieties. There are several flavors of cupcakes that are available daily, but my favorites are the daily specials. They have fun flavors such as Fluffernutter (Peanut butter cake filled with peanut butter cream topped with toasted marshmallow frosting) or The Cowboy (chocolate cake filled with peanut butter topped with chocolate ganache). They also have really great scones or muffins and raspberry thumbprint cookies (a personal weakness). They even have a gluten-free menu for those with dietary restrictions.

On this trip, for the first time they had "Cake Pops," so we had to try those. They are balls made of cake crumbs and frosting that are dipped in chocolate-- and put on a stick for ease of eating. The kids really liked these and while they were really cute and yummy, for my money, I'd rather just get a cupcake or cookie.

If you have a cupcake craving but don't want to go all the way to Newberg, they have a stand in Bridgeport Village across from the movie theaters. The cupcakes taste just as good, even without the cute Tiffany-colored area to eat in. 

The dining area at the Newberg location.

I am really picky about cake or cupcakes. Cake is one of those things that is just not worth the calories for me unless it is REALLY good. But Sweetest Thing is one of those places that's worth it.

Belated Blogging: North Clackamas Aquatic Park

Back in March we took the kids on a Saturday trip to the North Clackamas Aquatic Park. Nothing like indoor heated pools, waterslides and a wave pool to break up the Oregon winter blues.

Jared in the wave pool

We had an altogether fabulous time-- except that we had to keep a really close eye on Jackson to make sure that he didn't go up the steps to the big water slides. Poor Jack-Jack couldn't figure out why he couldn't go on the big water slides and had to content himself with the little kiddie seal slide.

On the way there, the Jared and Camryn saw a carnival in a parking lot, so they wheedled their dad into braving the rain and taking them on "The Zipper."

We finished the evening with a dinner at that fabled dining destination (at least for kids)... Sweet Tomatoes. Nothing like a buffet with a soft-serve ice cream dispenser to make a kid's day.

Conference Weekend

Last weekend was General Conference. While it is always nice to have a break from teaching Sunbeams, getting the kids ready for church, getting Jackson and Addy to stay quiet during Sacrament Meeting and just generally being gone for 3 hours at church on Sunday, the weekend was a mix for us. I used to look forward to Conference weekend. What's not to like? Watch church in your PJ's on the couch while eating treats. When we lived in Utah sometimes we got to attend in person-- which was awesome. And then we had kids. I guess kids actually weren't responsible for the demise of my enjoyment of conference. I think it actually happened somewhere when I thought my kids were starting to get older and I started having expectations that they would act differently than wild goats.

Wouldn't this be enough to bribe you to be quiet?

 We started out well-- complete with real homemade Cinnamon Rolls during the Saturday Morning. My slacker conference tradition is to make Cinnamon Sugar Bread with canned biscuits so this was a big step up for me-- thanks to my attempt at no-knead refrigerator Challah dough (which was super-easy by the way... next Brioche!). But despite my sugaring up of the kids and printing out cute Conference Packets for them, it took us almost four hours to watch that first two-hour session of conference. Even though we started watching it live, between pushing pause to break up wrestling matches, rewinding to hear what that word was that was drowned out by screaming and pausing to roll out the rolls and put them in the oven, it turned into quite a marathon.

Wild goats in action.

We took a short break to eat lunch and then began the second session. Addy was down for her nap and Jackson was happily playing so I started to again entertain the unreasonable expectation that at least two of my children were capable of being in the same room as the broadcast without turning into raving hyenas. I made a valiant effort, but between Jared and Camryn teasing each other and wrestling, Jackson screeching at the top of his lungs and me feeling a sudden uncontrollable desire to bean someone, break something or scream, I thought it would be best for everyone if we adjourned conference and mom locked herself in her room to cry for a while. After a requisite period of solitude (I told the kids not to bug me unless there was blood or fire) I started getting notes under the door asking me when I was going to come out, so I piled the kids into the car to go to the park.

A really cute wild goat.

As soon as we got out of the car at the park it started to rain, so we piled everyone back into the car. Instead we drove to Michael's, where I stocked up on crafts for the kids to do during conference on Sunday. Who knew that $30 could buy me one session of relative peace and quiet?

Fun at Michael's

After a semi-harrowing stop at Baja Fresh for dinner to use a Groupon I had bought-- did I ever mention how much it bugs me when I spend $4 for a kids meal and a certain child (cough, cough, ahem, Jackson, cough, cough) drinks the juice and doesn't eat a single bite of anything else?-- we headed home. We survived Sunday conference quite well, completing our typical session-and-a-quarter before giving up again. We then turned to Animated Heroes from the Bible's "Joseph in Egypt" for our the religious educational value of the day and peace was restored.

Jared took this photo as a surprise for me.

How to Catch a Salamander

(Note to toot my own horn: These pictures are all from TODAY. How ambitious is THAT!)

Last Friday the kids and I had a near-perfect afternoon. We were lucky enough to enjoy a couple-hour spurt of nice weather. In Oregon, when the sun comes out-- even for just a few hours-- everyone else comes out with it. People walk their dogs, kids go out and play, neighbors go for a jog. Jared and Camryn rode bikes while Jackson putted around on his scooter. When Addy woke up, I loaded her and Jackson into the double stroller and went for a walk around our neighborhood. We ran into a neighbor who was out planting flowers and got into a conversation. Eventually Jackson got tired of sitting in the stroller so got out and played with her kids. Pretty soon Addy followed suit. Before too long, Jared and Camryn came riding by on their bikes asking what was taking me so long. All of the kids ended up roaming the neighborhood, catching salamanders and playing in an open field, having the time of their lives while I had a relaxed afternoon chatting.

Ever since that afternoon when our neighbor Noah taught Jared and Camryn how to catch a salamander (You open up a control valve box in the grass and stick your fingers down by the control valve-- sounds great, huh?), these crawly amphibians have been the new stars of our household. We have a small box on our back deck to keep the catch of the day (until it escapes). Everyone loves "sah-manders" (as Jackson calls them) and every single day after school the kids hunt for them, go digging for worms to feed them, invite the neighbors over to see them and catch some of their own, etc., etc.

Meet "Sally"

 

The kids' outdoor play was interrupted by a hail storm, but this is Oregon. If you don't like the weather, just wait 15 minutes.

Camryn having fun in the hail storm.

"This is awesome!"

Jared explaining some important fact about hail.

"Dat's not rain! It's snowing!"

Eventually the hail storm passed and the sun came out again. Regardless or either, the kids are just having a great time hunting worms and salamanders. I think salamanders are my new best friends. They may even oust Curious George.

 "A salamander is just like a hamster, only more wet." -Jared

A Day at the Park

A couple of Saturdays ago Dave was doing some work from home. Addy was down for her nap and we had a few hours respite from rain, so the older kids talked me into taking them to the school playground.

We even saw a scrap or two of blue sky for a minute....