When it snows in Oregon. . . .

When it snows in Oregon, life shuts down for the day. Even for a 2" dusting. . . . School is cancelled, people don't go to work, and when you walk outside you are greeted with silence. Well, except for the gleeful sounds of children romping in the snow! Which, it seems, can be heard from miles away. There are the sounds of snowballs hitting their targets, squeals as the cold of the snowball is realized, and boots crunching through the snow in pursuit. Giggles and laughter, shouts and screams, and every now and then a mom saying "Don't throw snowballs at houses OR cars" . . .. SMACK. . . . Too late.

Ansel, discovering a snow filled trampoline. (which was actually 1/2 the amount of snow it had been 2 hours before)
Ansel and Calder deciding if it is still a good idea to jump on their tramp.
And we have lift off!!!

The three snow monsters, effectively defrosted, still displaying rosy cheeks. (I don't know what game they were playing here, but it was too cute to pass up)

The snow didn't last that long, maybe 4 or 5 hours, but the boys were out there as long as it was. They came in soaked, head to toe, as the snow they had been playing in turned to water. It was really interesting to watch the landscape change. So quickly. . . from a winter wonderland, to green grass, buds on the trees, and birds chirping.

Soon, after all of the snow had melted, birds descended on our backyard. There were probably over 30 birds in our yard, greedily snatching up worms from the lawn. I am sure they were all starving, just waiting for it to thaw enough to eat. There were robins, blue jays, little brown song birds, and little song birds with pitch black heads and yellow beaks. Our whole yard was alive with them pecking and singing, hopping and flitting from one place to the next. They were in our trees, on our rocks, in the grass, everywhere. I stood inside the warm house and snapped shots of them, going about their business, mostly unnoticed.

Sometimes they worked in pairs. They would hop along together, pulling worms up and then fly up to the safety of the trees, then back down again for more.

I think, more than anything, they stayed close to each other just in case the other got the good worm! I saw several squabbles over big long worms. See this opportunist in the tree above? He is just waiting for the "big one" to be pulled up by his buddies below.

These two guys were they only two that noticed me through the window. They will be the ones to live a long full life. Each would watch me for a few seconds, do their hopping and pecking, peek at me again, and so on. They were so fun. Aren't they all beautiful???

Tonight it is snowing again. We already have about 3/4 of an inch on the ground. They are forecasting that it will snow 2-4 inches tonight. Will tomorrow be a repeat of yesterday?

A comedy of Errors and empathy for a Mommy's Job

This week has been quite a crazy collection of stories. It took a turn for the worse right at the start, on Monday. We were all having such a fun MLK Day, no school and all, and were all going to Clubsport for FHE. Right before we got in the car, Calder started complaining about a stomach ache. Unfortunately for us, he will frequently use this as a ruse for getting out of things he doesn't really want to do. So I did the usual tests. . . "Does this hurt, . .how about this?" and taking temp, etc. He passed with flying colors and so I thought to myself, he probably just has tummy bubbles, if anything at all.

We all got in the car, and had the FHE lesson on the way. When we got there, and were about to check in, Calder turns to me and says "I can't do this, mom, I can't do this!!" And then turns and starts walking away from me. I am standing there thinking "Whaaat?. . . . . ." And then I hear the noise. He runs over to what he thought was a trash can (turned out to be the recycle bin) and starts puking!! AHHHHH! I have never seen people move so fast! Mom's pulling their kids to the walls and Calder retching away in the recycle bin. The check out lady says to me "That isn't a trash can!" And I say "I know, but it is too late!!" Yuck, those aren't going to be recycled anymore!!

Obviously, a big change of plans at the last minute. We make our apologies, clean up the mess, and hastily leave the building. Poor Calder, he looked dazed. When we got in the car, I asked him how he was feeling and he said much better and started acting himself again. So okay. We continue on with the rest of the plan, the part that doesn't include Clubsport, and hit Jamba Juice. Logic wasn't really with me at the moment. I was really feeling sorry for Calder, not believing him and all. The thought of all of his brothers getting a Jamba Juice except him, was too much. So I let him get one too. He LOVES chocolate, so of course he chooses "chocolate Moo'd".

Fast forward an hour and we are now at home. I need to go back to Clubsport, to exercise for my Healthy Living Challenge, so I leave Joe with the kids and head back towards the gym. Five minutes into my drive I get a call on the cell phone, it's Joe. He tells me that Calder just puked Chocolate Moo'd all over the carpet. Great. . . . . I proceed to tell him how to clean it up with the carpet cleaner and then go on to work out. Poor Joe, doing Chaos, solo, isn't his forte. I hope all is going to go well.

When I get home I walk into a drama unfolding. Kaelan is screaming, Calder is crumpled on the couch, Levi is trying to help with Kaelan, and Ansel (who is feeling left out and wants attention) is spitting milk on all the walls and doors! That little stink!! Joe is FRAZZLED and on his VERY last straw. He is so tired, and says that he is going to go straight to bed. But, he still puts all the kids in bed, while I clean up the rest of the puke that didn't want to come up (chocolate puke is apparently the worst kind) when Joe was cleaning. I get to bed around 11pm, and then up 5 more times between Kaelan and a puking Calder. What a day.

Calder continues to be sick though Wednesday, missing school, and living off of Diet Caffeine Free coke and Saltine crackers. The only two things that don't come right back up. Poor baby.

Thursday is finally a normal day (sort of ) Calder is back in school, and I am doing the regular drill (except for the fact that I am way behind). But the reprieve wasn't meant to be. That night was cub scouts (for Levi) and Achievement activities (which I am in charge of), so Joe is home with the 3 little ones again. Apparently, while I am away, things are once again erupting out of control.

I get home to find the house clean, yes my husband is one of those who cleans, and no one around. Levi and I go around to investigate. We find my laptop on the counter on it's side, with a paper towel underneath. Uh oh, that doesn't bode well. Eventually we find Joe and the boys, laying down, in the dark, in a spare bedroom. All seems well, until the events of the evening start coming out.

I ask why the laptop is on its side and Joe says "Ansel, why don't you tell mommy?" Here it comes. . . . First everything is going well. The boys help Joe do the dishes and he tells them that when all the work is done they can do something fun together. They work hard, because they love spending time with dad.

Later, Joe, trying to do laundry, leaves the boys in the kitchen to watch a movie on my laptop. Ansel, being the ever independent child, decides that he wants Superfood. But, not wanting to miss the movie he decides to pour it at the desk. Of course he spills it, and not just a little bit, all over the laptop. SUPERFOOD!! In the LAPTOP!!! Joe does his best to clean it out, meanwhile having Calder watch Kaelan.

Calder decides he wants to play with Kaelan in his bedroom, so he carries him to the room and trips on a shoe catapulting Kaelan's face into the train table. (I swear that baby must be made of rubber- the last scout/achievement night Kaelan fell down the stairs when Joe turned his back on him for a minute). Joe abandons the computer and attends to Kaelan (who is fine, thank heavens). By this time it is 8:30pm and time for bed. Joe says so and is met with sad little faces saying "We didn't get to do anything fun with you" They had tried hard inspite of all that went wrong. His resolve melts and he tells them that if they get ready for bed, he will tell them stories. And that is where I found them.


Joe, later that night, says to me "Cami, with everything that has been going on EVERY TIME you leave, I am starting to get nervous at the thought of it. I really think that I must need to learn empathy for a mommy's job!"

Some things I have been doing

So I have been having some time to doing a few drawings. Kaelan has been my subject matter (he is so cute, who can resist?). I have drawn a couple of him, and right now I am working on one of Levi, hopefully I will finish soon. In the queue I have another one waiting also. It is for an auction Joe had at work. He had my drawing be the service to be auctioned with all proceeds going to charity. The lady that won has two kids she wants me to draw for her. I am excited to draw them, they are really adorable. This one of Kaelan was scanned into my computer, so unfortunately it is a little grainy and missing some of the more subtle details, but I think you can still see it well enough. Hopefully, I can do a few more of these in the coming months. I want to have a wall of portraits of my kids. I think that would really be a fun focal point for our family room. Of course, I also have a million other projects I would like to do. So we will see if this one comes to fruition soon. PS. If you want to see a bigger version of this or any photos on this blog, just click on it.

Sprinklers, light sabers and a trampoline!

Ahhhh! Summer. These boys love playing outside. This was their own creation. They each got a light saber and their swimming suits on. I turned on the sprinklers for them and they went at it. There was jumping and running and much whacking of water. Amazing the kind of height these kids can get on the trampoline! What a bunch of little frogs!! Good thing it was a hot day, they were soaked, head to toe. Not to mention, COVERED in grass!!!! Most of these pictures were taken from inside, through the kitchen table windows. I had so much fun watching their game, and they had no idea I was there!!

The "Mc-Harr-Dorff" Reunion

This year the "Mc-Harr-Dorff" reunion was held here in Portland, OR. It was so much fun to have all of my family here in my house. I had a lot of fun planning out everyday, meals, activities, etc. There are so many great pictures that even though I cut out alot, there are still a ton on this blog!! Everyone got here on Saturday, Kaelan was blessed on Sunday, and the reunion started on Monday. The kickoff activity was golf. Levi got to go and use his new golf clubs that Grandpa Lindorff gave him. He had so much fun and was really excited to have his own clubs!! We also played sports, went kayaking, did some spelunking in Ape caves, saw Mt. St. Helens, Lani and Ryan ran in a Marathon on the 4th, we set off fireworks, went to the beach, went to the gorge/falls, and played a lot of games!! What a memorable week. The boys were so sad that everyone had to go. They went from having a house full, to have just us boring parents in one day. Good thing we had plenty of other things to fill their time up with or they would have really been moping around!

Kaelan's blessing

Kaelan was blessed today! It was the first day of the McGarry family reunion so all of my family was here. My mom bought this outfit for Kaelan. He looked adorable in it. The blanket was one a neighbor made for us, years ago, when Calder was born. It has served as the blessing blanket ever since.

It was a really special blessing and fun to have everyone here to see it. The only sad thing was that Kaelan cried the whole time. He doesn't like feeling too "free" and being suspended in mid-air, on a bunch of hands, was not okay with him. To make matters worse, as soon as he started crying, all the men in the circle started to bounce him, but this made him more FRANTIC! It was so hard not to just jump up and go rescue him! He sounded so terrified! Poor Joe, trying to concentrate with all that racket! But it turned out beautifully and Remi wrote the whole blessing down for us!



After the blessing we had a big family dinner with both my family and Joe's in attendance. We had a yummy marinaded chicken recipe that Cheryl got from Sarah. We were going to have ham, but safeway didn't have any!! Can you believe it? No ham!!! Afterwards we got to hang out, talk, and have fun. Uncle Ryan taught Levi some card tricks and he entertained us by showing us what he learned. Ansel really loved being the helper! He did a good job following Levi's directions.

Kaelan Patrick Severson

Well, it has been way too long since I have updated our blog! We now have a new bouncing baby boy! His name is Kaelan Patrick Severson. He was born May 1st 2007 at 3:14am. He weighed 8lbs 3oz and was 21 inches long!

Now he is six weeks old and full of personality. I just took pictures of him yesterday, trying for a smile. But once the camera was in front of him he was way to into the camera and ignored my coos. First he just stared, then he quirked his eyebrow when it made it's Clicking sound, and would follow the camera around wherever it went. After a while he started to hear me and got excited, moving his arms around. When he did that he caught sight of his fist and started watching it with such intensity that it made me laugh. Then he lost sight of it and was screaming mad!! But, fortunately, the other fist came into sight and was rewarded with a smile and excited cooing and fist shaking, which of course, made him lose sight of it again!!

Levi's last game in the small time league

Levi had a great time during his last game, just look at these pictures! Fun and smiles, everyone. Probably too much of that and not enough of playing the game!! But hey, it was pouring rain and the coach wanted to go extra innings! Crazy man! The kids didn't care, but us loser parents were pretty grumpy about it, and wet when we didn't want to be! Levi had a good season, when he was paying attention, that is. Being in the outfield is painfully boring for Levi and often times he will be found spinning around with his mitt on his face or trying to catch rain in his mouth. He did this in his last game, and mom, from the safety and warmth of the car saw this and tried desperately to get out of the car and to a place to photograph this, but alas, not in time. So. . . just use your imagination! Now on to the minor leagues with tryouts and real baseball team names. (We shall see how much we like that)

Burney Falls 2007

Well, after much deliberation, Kaelan and I joined the boys in their trip to Burney Falls this year. Kaelan was only 3 weeks old on his first trip to Burney. Maybe that will put the love for it deep in his heart. Everyone was so nice and took such good care of Kaeland and I. I really didn't do much, but I did get to talk to people and enjoy good company. We did make the tradition trek to the falls, but other than that the only other things I did was Church in the meadows and the Lava tubes. Kaelan was a perfect little camper, and it wasn't too cold at night in the tent for him, which I was glad for.






Ansel and Adele were fast friends. He loved to try to "take care of her". At one point they played a belly button game. They would take turns showing each other their belly buttons, while the other one poked at it. This photo is of Adele in the midst of a double poke!











Here a bunch of dirty faced campers, enjoying being with cousins and playing

in the dirt! They also love roasting marshmellows and eating them of course.