Usually running errands is - and this is putting it mildly - hellish with little kids. They don't want to be there. You don't want them there. But the errands must be run. But every once in a while you hit the errand sweet spot, where everyone's happy, the kids keep themselves entertained, the fighting is minimal, and free treats pop up here and there.
Today was one of those sweet spots.
First stop: We started at Discount Tire Company, where I had to drop off the car to get a tire changed. They were pretty backed up, but I decided that instead of waiting around we would meander around all of the stores in the area.
Second stop: Hobby Lobby. I'm trying to find material that matches Tess's flower girl dress so I can add some sleeves. (No luck on finding any material that came close to matching. Dang.) Hobby Lobby is one of my kids' least favorite places in the world, so although I really wanted to wander around and look at stuff, we got in, did what we needed to do, and then got the heck out. But not before Cole accidentally knocked over a bunch of spools of tulle. No matter - we picked them all up, had a good laugh, and went on our merry way.
Third stop: Dollar Tree. The kids had a great time looking at all the weird and cheap toys. We actually didn't buy anything, but they sure had fun playing!
Fourth stop: lunch at McAllister's Deli. I was a little worried about this - my kids don't have the best track record for behavior here. But they did great!
First, everyone was just happy to be there because it was a pretty good walk to get there. Each child placed their own order, everyone got as many pickles spears as they wanted (Spencer - 1, Josh - 1, Cole - 0, Tess - 3), and there were no big spills and no big fights. Spencer took forever to eat and I had to hurry him up at the end, but other than that, no big deal. Success!
Fifth stop: Fresh Thyme. I needed some produce and since it's right next to the tire place it only made sense. I knew my kids would have a hard time here; it's like the store just isn't big enough to contain them! I had to deal with Cole running around like a drunk NASCAR driver with his kid-sized cart. And Josh got in trouble for hanging off of one of the scales. But some samples of freshly ground honey-roasted peanut butter got everyone back on track. (Delish. I want to buy a tub and eat it by the spoon full.) They even found the "hidden" toy tractor and got their free suckers, which they LOVED. True conversation that occurred:
Cole: We found the tractor!
Cashier: Where did you see it?
Cole (all sass and attitude): In the store!
The cashier laughed and was going to give him the sucker, but I made sure he told her where it really was. Who wants sass rewarded?!
Sixth stop: Back to Discount Tire Company. I was kind of surprised they weren't done yet - it had been 90 minutes! But we only had to wait 5 minutes and we were on our way. Awesome. (In the interest of full disclosure, I did make a stop at the bathroom when we got there and heard all of my kids yelling and screaming at each other for a good minute. But then they stopped and all had fake, angelic faces when I came out. Hmmm...)
Seventh stop: Aldi. We really needed to stock up on snacks and such, and Aldi is my go to place for stuff like that. I knew they wouldn't be angels, and they definitely weren't. But they also weren't that bad, so, win! We were in and out in less than 30 minutes. I even found a foldable utility table for a really good price. Score!
Eighth stop: Rural King. I decided to tempt fate and take them to one more store. There are these El Milagro tortilla chips that Josh LOVES, but you can only buy them in 3# boxes at Rural King. I had promised him a while ago that we would buy a box for our 4th of July party, and since I'm rarely in Rural King's neck of the woods I decided we might as well go get them now. Plus, Rural King has free popcorn. The kids were in heaven with the popcorn (just popped!) and we were in and out in less than 7 minutes. (Again, I love to meander around Rural King, but knew I'd really be pressing my luck.)
We finally made it home, and the boys didn't even fight too much when I had them help me bring in all the groceries and such. Even as I put everything away I couldn't help but be amazed about how well everything went! We actually had a fun time together during everything. The bickering was minimal, no one got injured or had a meltdown, and even Cole listened to me, for the most part. I had patience! And a sense of humor! Maybe I could start running more errands like this - get them all done in one day?
But then they all got into some sort of big rumble down in the basement and WWIII started, and I realized that this was just wishful thinking. You have to know sorrow and pain to know true joy, right? But no worries; I'm sure the sweet spot will be found again, and I'll appreciate it all the more.
Soooo... on Friday we embarked on our annual Madsen/Ream family campout. Raccoon Lake State Park was the site of choice again. Now before you start questioning my sanity or planning skillz (at least those of you who are in Indiana), just know that yes, I knew we were going to be getting remnants of Tropical Storm Bill. However, the weatherman and radar all claimed that it would be scattered showers, which is nothing we haven't camped in before. In fact, I have never been camping WITHOUT rain in Indiana. So we were prepared for some rain.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. But I also have a picture of the handy-dandy camping watch I bought at the WalMarts, and I don't know where else in the post to put it, so here you go. I only point this out because I haven't worn a watch in a couple of years - with a cell phone you just don't need to. Plus, I don't like wearing one while I'm on the computer, and I'm on the computer a lot. So I guess what I'm saying is, I bought a watch, which is a sign that I was all in for this campout!
Lance had to work, so it was just the kids and I who drove down. It was an auspicious beginning - we hit a MAJOR storm on the way. I almost pulled over, it was raining so hard. In fact, a branch hit the Ream's car during the storm. But it was over and done with in less than 10 minutes. No biggie, right?
We got to camp and set up. This year we both had canopies in addition to our tents, which was really nice - no more being stuck in the tents during the rain!
By the time we were done it wasn't time for dinner yet, but there wasn't enough time to go down to the lake either. (And I don't think any of the adults wanted to deal with all of the hullaballoo of that, either!) So I took the kids down to the playground. The "Slide of Death" (as it's known) attracted Cole like a moth to a flame. It's super high and super steep, but fortunately, due to the humidity it's not super fast!
I probably pushed Tess for a good 30 minutes.
These boys played some sort of pirate game. Logan and Spencer kept trying to speak with a British and/or Australian accent (it changed by the minute) and it was HIGH-LARIOUS. I love those boys so much!
Spencer sentencing Josh (Sir Johnathan Wiggins) to the jail. I have no idea what Spencer's pretend name was. I have no idea where josh got his name. And I have no idea why he was being sent to jail. Some questions just can't be answered, people.
Meanwhile, back on the death slide, Cole kept monkeying around on it and making me nervous. I had visions of broken arms and legs...
We eventually made our way back to camp and Craig got the fire going with a little help from the air mattress blower. (All the wood was a bit damp and needed some prodding.) Lance arrived and it was a happy day! We roasted hot dogs for dinner and of course - OF COURSE - had s'mores for dessert. My first s'mores of the season!
It was delish. There's something magical about s'mores cooked over a campfire that can't be duplicated.
It must be mentioned (because I just remembered) that right before Lance arrived, and just after I had told Spencer to slow down, Spencer biffed it big time on his scooter. He came back to the campsite wailing at the top of his lungs, without his scooter or his glasses. I was, of course, concerned for him, but seeing as how there were no obvious life-threatening wounds I sent Josh to go find Spencer's missing things. (Hey, glasses are expensive!)
He had a couple of pretty good gashes on his hand and some good road rash. He was also covered in mud. But he wasn't going to die. He wasn't even bleeding that badly. But boy, did he howl. Seriously, it was almost embarrassing the way he carried on. But we got him bandaged up and calmed down, and I fought the urge to directly tell him "I told you so."
Here we are, back at dinner. The cheese puffs were a big hit!
Josh "Marshmallow Mouth" Madsen. (a.k.a. Sir Jonathan Wiggins of Marshmallow Mouth estate)
Tess was particularly cute. She was SO EXCITED to be camping!
Bergen and Logan roasting marshmallows. Poor Bergen kept losing food in the fire.
After dinner Cole got really upset about something. I can't remember what. It could've been anything: that it was a Thursday, that he didn't get his way about something, that I wouldn't let him play with knives... who knows? That boy is always mad about something. So I distracted him by letting him read "Would you rather" questions to us. This was fun - it was fun to hear other people's answers. (For example: Would you rather live at the beach or on top of a mountain? Would you rather be in a pool of marshmallows or M&Ms?)
We had fun answering, but this made Cole mad. He did NOT want to listen to us talk - he just wanted to read all the questions at once. Oy.
It was getting late and Tess was getting slap-happy. She kept putting on a "light show" with her flashlights and humming songs - loudly.
It was pretty funny.
By bedtime it had started to rain. No biggie. We all brushed our teeth, put on our pajamas, and snuggled in for the night, figuring the rain would stop eventually.
How wrong we were.
It rained. And rained. AND RAINED. It rained NON-STOP the entire night. And not just drizzled, but steady, sometimes very heavy, rained. How do I know? I was up just about every hour and could use my handy-dandy camping watch to check the time. It was LOUD. And incessant. Lance described it best: it was like being in a popcorn popper all night long. At one point Lance jumped up and told me we had to move around because water was falling on him - in the tent.
We have been in pretty severe weather in this tent and have stayed nice and dry through it all. But our poor tent couldn't handle this. By the time we woke up in the morning Josh's pillow was soaked and a pool was forming in the corner where Lance's head had originally been.
Unfortunately, the Reams did not fare much better. Craig said you could actually see the water dripping down in their tent!
Fortunately, it wasn't cold. I was in shorts and a rain jacket and felt fine. But it was WET. Probably a good 1/2" of water/mud on the ground all over the campsite.
A pond was forming around the fire pit.
We had a solemn, rather soggy breakfast under the canopies. (We were soggy, not the breakfast.) It was still raining.
Cole liked playing in the rain with his new jacket. He was NOT pleased with the idea of leaving early.
Fortunately, Lance is as big a camper as I am (perhaps a bit less - I'm pretty sure he only goes because I force the issue ) and was willing to call it quits.
We like camping. It's fun! But not when it's miserable - and that's what it was. Wet and miserable. And it was bound to only get worse. Not only was it STILL raining, but our kids had gone to bed really late and had not slept well at all. They would have been MONSTERS that afternoon.
So, we waited for a break in the rain and broke camp. It was wet, mucky work. The Reams decided stay and tough it out. They're way more dedicated than we are. (Well, Craig is. Gigi wanted to go, but since it was Father's Day weekend and she's a very loving wife, she agreed to stay as well.)
I felt guilty about abandoning our friends. But I also felt relief at not having to deal with more rain and another awful, wet night in a tent.
As we got into the cars I shot this little video. There were these little holes all over the place, dug out by some squirrels or gofers or something. Anyway, there was water running through these holes, as if a little spring were under the ground! (Ignore my comments in the video... I don't know what I was talking about. I blame a long night in the popcorn popper.)
Here's a shot I took as we were getting ready to pull out. I felt like we were escaping! (Cole was happy again because he had a Hug drink. That boy LOVES sugared drinks.)
As we drove out of the campsite we decided we needed to go take a look at the lake. It was SO full! Look at those picnic tables in the water! The kids were very impressed. (The water had not been that high the afternoon before.)
That's only about half of the beach that is usually there.
As we were pulling out of the park a rather large branch fell right onto our car, hitting the passenger side windshield wiper and popping it right off! I had to get out, in the pouring rain, find the wiper, and then stick it back on. The kids were very impressed that they got to sit there with the hazard lights on. I got back into the car pretty wet (I had thrown my jacket in the back earlier) but happy that our windshield hadn't cracked.
It seemed to be fine, but a couple of miles later it blew off, this time gone for good. I pulled over and mulled the situation. I HAD to have the wipers on; it was raining way to hard to not have them on. But turning them on would probably scratch the windshield. Inspiration hit: I could cover the end of the wiper with a sock! Gigi had asked to borrow some socks the day before but ended up not needing them and had placed them on the console. Bless you, Gigi! I put the sock on and it was perfect! The kids got a kick out of it swishing back and forth all the way home.
The drive home was a pit perilous, with hydroplaning several times on US-231 and a very-much-emergency potty stop in Romney for Miss Tess. (We got into the gas station only to discover that there was an "Out of Order" sign on the restroom door. Tess cried and the employee took pity, told us they only put that sign up when it rains hard because the plumbing usually had problems, and told us we could use it. Phew.)
We finally made it home and started the drudgery that is unpacking and cleaning after a campout. Lance and I hung up the canopy and tent stuff in the garage to dry out. It took quite a while to dry.
Good thing we have a double garage with extra space in back!
I still feel kinda bad that we bailed. But also not sorry, because we woulda been miserable. To make it up to the kids we went to see "Inside Out" the next day. (It was good, but not Pixar's best.) On the way home I snapped this picture of the Wabash River. It's so full it's reaching the leaf branches of all those tall, old trees on its banks. Crazy.
So this campout was a washout. No matter - we'll try again next year! (Or maybe even this fall, if we're crazy enough.) ((Don't hold your breath. If there's anything I hate worse than being wet while camping, it's being cold while camping. Yuck.))
Four year olds are fun. Not a day goes by that Tess doesn't say something totally random and funny. Most days I laugh and then forget about it. Today's quote was pretty great, though.
"Oh! Mommy! There's something growing in my bottom... I better go poop."
Our kid bathroom is a nightmare, mainly because it's tiny and we have three slobby kids using it. The main thing that bugs me right now (and there are many... and they vary) is that there is always toothpaste EVERYWHERE.
I'm not kidding. Globbed in the sink, on the counter, on the door and mirror and floor and even the toilet.
No one will take the credit for this minty mess, but I'm pretty sure it's Cole. I've seen the child put toothpaste on his brush, and the boy is liberal with his amounts. *sigh*
So when I discovered toothpaste dispensers on Amazon I couldn't click "buy" fast enough. The one I bought is from Japan, which means the packaging is amusing and the translation are awesome.
But will it work? Will it solve my toothpaste problems? We'll find out tomorrow. We hung it tonight but can't use it for 24 hours.
(Lovely shot of Cole, right? That's pretty representative of his attitude today. GROUCHY for no good reason.)
I have high hopes. It got a 5 star rating on Amazon. But I have the sneaking suspicion that I'll just find more toothpaste on the wall and mirror. (Apparently Cole's mood is contagious...)
I don't know how or why, but Tess always starts Sunday in her best clothes and then ends the day looking like a homeless ragamuffin. It's really quite impressive.
Lance had a very adult birthday this year. Adult in that it was not much celebrated on his actual birthday. Poor Lance.
The day started well. Since it was Tuesday I figured it would be fun to have pancake tacos for breakfast. (Taco Tuesday...) The idea was great, the execution not so much. Pancakes full of scrambled eggs and bacon are hard to hold. But it all tasted fantastic, and that's what really matters. I made a pancake the size of a dinner plate, and that was pretty fantastic as well.
The kids gave Lance the cards they had made for him the day before. My favorite was Coles, because it was so very Coley. He made me write "Daddy, your birthday is Tuesday, June 9th." Cole wrote "And you are going to turn 37. Love Cole." You know, just in case Lance forgot that information.
And thus endeth the pictures I took on that day. I didn't even get one of the birthday boy. I barely even saw the birthday boy.
Lance was at work all day, as per usual. Around 2pm Spencer started to complain about ear pain, and I was 100% sure it was swimmer's ear. A quick emergency trip to the pediatrician confirmed this. By the time we were done with the doctor appointment it was almost time for the first of two parties we were going to that night. Plus, that party was in Battle Ground, and it didn't make sense to go all the way home when we were already in town and halfway there. So we drove separately and met up there.
The first (non-Lance-birthday) party was for our friends the Frys. The Frys moved to Indiana to go to school a year after we did. Which means they have been here for TEN YEARS. (Two years longer than they had planned.) If it had been anyone else we probably would've skipped the party and gone out to eat for Lance's birthday. But it was the Frys and their graduating and getting a job and moving was a pretty big deal. (We were sure it was really happening or just a rumor and had to see it for ourselves.) ((Just kidding, Heidi.))
The party was held at the Munguia's home, which is big and sprawling and had a huge lawn and game room, which the kids loved. It was nice to catch up with people from the first ward who we don't get to see much of. I sat at a table with the Grishoms, Dixons, and Provonshas and realized that when we first moved to Lafayette these were the "old" established families who had been around for a long time - but now THAT'S US. We are now one of the old established families who came for school and stayed. Mind blown.
We had to leave the Fry party early in order to make it to the Asay's ice cream party. But first we had to get through the hell that is West Lafayette construction traffic. Good heavens, it was the pits.
The ice cream party was really great and it was fun to chat with friends from our ward. The kids had a blast and ran around like wild lunatics and ate a ton of sugar. I had to leave for about 20 minutes to pick up Spencer's prescription before the pharmacy closed, so that was a bummer. But it was still a nice night.
By the time we made it home it was well past bed time, but we still had to open Lance's gifts. And by gifts I mean I put slips of paper in the punchboard (Remember? I made one for Cole's birthday, and it was awesome.) and Lance had to punch them to get them out. He was nice enough to let the kids punch some for him. He won things like a hug from Cole and playing computer with Spencer and a box of Fruity Pebbles all for himself. I gave him an overnight stay at the end of the month for us in Indy, as well as one for when we're out in Utah this summer. (I am awesome, right?)
When that was all done we thought it was time for bed, until we realized Cole was freaking out. "Daddy's NOT 37 yet! Not yet! He has to blow out the candles!" Apparently you do not age unless a candle is blown out. Where was this piece of information five years ago?! Ha. Well, we had no cake, so Lance got out a tea light, lit it, we sang Happy Birthday, and then he blew it out. And magically he turned 37 and Cole was satisfied.
Lest you think Lance really was picked on, he had a big LAN party here last night. (It should be called and LANce party...) I think a grand time was had by all. I made three trays of cheeseburger sliders and there was a TON of junk food the few times I ventured downstairs. I had intentions of taking a few pictures but completely forgot about it. I blame the wafts of testosterone that emanated from the basement all evening.
A happy, happy birthday to you, Lance! I hope you had a good birthday and week.
If I had Cole write a card for me for you, it would say something along the lines of "You are married to Maren. She loves you very, very much. I want to go to Minnesota. When are we going there? Love, Cole."
