Kennedy Meadows

This is my first blog so go easy on me. The boys and I had the opportunity to go to Kennedy Meadows for some serious motorcycle riding and eating. So dad and I drove up together and I have to admit he is pretty good at finding places. He had been deer hunting 20 years ago with some of his friends at Kennedy Meadows and, to my amazement, he drove right to it. Boy I sure wish I could do that. So we finally got there about 10:30 at night, then proceeded to drive around until 1:30 in the morning then finally gave up trying to find the rest of the group and went to sleep in the truck. I forgot how bad sleeping in the front seat of a truck is. Next day we went to breakfast at some little hole in the wall and almost got bit by two dogs on the way. The trip was a lot of fun we got to do some riding and ate a lot. The Jackson's let us stay in their new trailer it was awesome! Had a great time. Wish Mikey could have made it, looking forward to next year.

How did I become a thirty-something??

I had a great 32nd birthday! We had a fun girls lunch @ corner bakery. We were quite a spectacle, 5 babies, strollers, and a huge mess (courtesy of Jack and Zoe)! The kiddies were surprisingly good, allowing us girls to get caught up on the latest and for Nora, Lynnley, and I to compare bald spots! Thats right, not only do you give birth to your little darling, but you continue to sacrifice your body months later. This might be a little surprise to those of you who haven't had babies yet. Don't worry, it comes back (& you have to come up w/ a creative hairstyle to incorporate the regrowth). Whoa--didn't mean to get off on a tangent--Back to the Bday--Brian and I dropped the kids off at his bro's house and we got to enjoy a night out @ p.f. changs and actually have a conversation and we both sat down and ate dinner at the same time!! Brian gave me a Disneyland pass, so excited!

Jack's metro?

So Brian is going to be really mad but i think it's super funny. Jack absolutely loves putting on lipgloss? Who am I to deny him full,shiny, kissable lips? Plus it keeps him from freaking out during diaper changes!!

Conference

Our buddies ,the Jensen's, came over for a tasty breakfast of German pancakes (or puff puff pancakes, as steph calls them). They are so good, but of course they have to be--have you seen how much butter is in that recipe--umm delish! I was shocked, but Jack actually allowed us to watch both sessions! (of course he was napping during the 2nd :) I managed to stay awake through 89% of conference and I was very glad. I was really impressed by all the talks. My fav had to be claudio with the "kiss kiss & hug, hug" in a spanish accent. We were dying! Can you believe how much they emphasized the family and the roles we play as parents? It really made me look at my own family and made me want to be a better mother and teacher to my children. We are so blessed to have direct revelation from prophets to help us get through the trials of life and the specific things we need to be happy!
Afterwards, Jeff and Brian graciously volunteered to watch the kids (& play XBOX) so Steph and I could go visit Amber Simm & her new baby in the hospital. It was a win-win because we didn't want to sit & watch them play. BTW amber's baby is adorable! Congrats!

Our Camping Experiment

We'd been wanting to go camping but we weren't sure if it was possible with 2 kiddies under 2. So, Friday night Michael & Rachel, Steph & Jeff and us went for a quick camping trip locally. We thought it wise to go close in case we needed to bail out of our experiment. It was a lot of fun but chilly! We bundled up the kiddies w/ 3 layers of clothes! Jack had a blast exploring nature and making "soup" in the dutch oven. The main ingredients consisted of leaves & rocks with a touch of dirt for seasoning. We had a great night making catalina chicken and peach cobbler in the dutch ovens and you can't forget my favorite--smores! Jeff & Brian were inspired by "survior man" and spent hours trying to light a fire with their stick, wood plank and bow. Got close a few times, but not sure they should camp w/out matches any time soon! It got pretty cold, so we had to rotisserie our selves to keep warm evenly. That's the worst part of a campfire--burning on one side, freezing on the other. We just hung out and talked by the fire but NO SCARY STORIES for steph! So much fun, that it until we went to bed...jack is not ready to sleep in a tent. He woke up about 10 times screaming and he slept everywhere except his "spot" I swear I got about 1-2 hrs of sleep. He was lieing on me and forcing me to stay in the most uncomfortable positions for fear of waking him up. My favorite was when Jack pee'd through all his clothes and even his sweatshirt so we had to make a run to the car in the middle of the night to change him because he was freezing. It was probably because we kept giving him bottles each time he woke up! Ruby was a champ, although feeding her in the middle of the night in a sleeping bag & 3 layers was quite a feat! Each time we'd wake up we thought "it has to be morning now!" I was a seamingly endless night. I just felt so bad for the Jensens in the tent next to us. They must really love us to be put through that torture! But sure enough daylight came and we had a tasty breakfast dutch oven casserole and some DELICIOUS hot choc (thanks mikey)! We came home and all 4 of us took a serious nap to recoupe!

Pumpkin Gingerbread Streusel Cake

He's a recipe I got from my sister and I made it at Jody Moore's baby shower tonight. It was very tasty and a lot of people said they wanted the recipe, so here it is:

Pumpkin Gingerbread Streusel Cake

Streusel
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
2 tablespoons cold butter

Cake
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup dark molasses
2 eggs
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice **see note below
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Topping
1 cup caramel ice cream topping, heated

1. Heat oven to 350°F Combine all streusel ingredients except butter in small bowl; cut in 2 tablespoons butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
2. Combine sugar and 1/2 cup butter in large bowl. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Reduce speed to low; add all remaining cake ingredients. Beat until well mixed.
3. Pour cake batter into greased 13x9-inch baking pan.
Sprinkle evenly with streusel. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
4. Serve cake warm or cool with caramel topping.