The Clark Family

Basketball Season

2012-01-25T16:41:00.005-07:00

The girls are playing basketball and they are both in heaven! They couldn't be more excited for practices and games. It's so fun!

They both work so hard and are great teammates. I'm proud of them for doing such a great job and look forward to more busy Saturdays.

Jenny's Braces

2012-01-25T16:09:00.006-07:00

The day finally came for Jenny to get her braces off . . . It took 2 years and 3 months but she's finally done. Here are some fun pictures to remember the before and after . . . a little crazy! Where did my little girl go?The day she went in to get her braces on.

October 22, 2009

BEFORE

AFTER
The day she got them taken off (standing in front of the same bush)
January 18, 2012
BEFORE

AFTER

They look awesome! You are beautiful Jen!

We're so happy for you . . . We love you!

Top off the Night with a Jazz Game

2012-01-14T22:32:00.003-07:00

After a basketball game, swim meet, sewing class, birthday party,

and last minute yard work before the snow . . .

. . . we left this little lady to make dinner

and we headed out with our tickets to the Jazz game

It feels good to be back in our seats . . .

one game down . . . 9 more to go!

Paintball Target Practice

2012-01-08T21:48:00.001-07:00

Santa brought a box of 2000 paintballs and each of the kids a wrist rocket

this year for Christmas. So the day before the kids went back to school

we went out back for a little target practice.

. . . aiming at Osama Bin Laden, Zombies, huge elk

and our own family picture.

Bret was a good sport and added his backside to the targets for each of us to take one shot. Tyler hit him in the back, and then took off running for the frontyard yelling, "Sorry, Dad. Sorry, Dad". It was funny.

Shawn needed a little help shooting but ended up having a pretty good aim.

Jenny thought standing on a chair would help her in some way.

And everyone shot a couple over the top of the shed to Brother Blake's house.

It was a beautiful day to be outside and really fun to all be together.

Just a regular January day in Utah?

2012-01-04T22:27:00.005-07:00

January 4th + 50 degrees + no snow = perfect day to take the dogs for a run

Family Pictures

2012-01-02T08:28:00.004-07:00

It's one of those things you dread . . .

and it's a fight getting it done . . .

but it's always worth it in the end . . .

I love them, Mom! I'm glad we took the time!

I love you all!

New Year's Eve

2011-12-31T20:18:00.008-07:00

The day started out with a movie. We've been watching the first 3 Mission Impossible shows with Jenny and Tyler the last 3 nights late . . . we couldn't help but see the new one on day 4 . . . and it was awesome! We all loved it!We left early so we could get good seats and it paid off. We were the only ones in the theater when we arrived. It gave us time to practice our "IMF" skills and crazy faces . . .

After the show we headed to Texas Roadhouse for dinner at 4pm. It was a little early but we were all starving. We thought we would walk in and eat but it was packed and absolutely crazy.

After waiting 40 minutes for our 15 minute wait Bret finally called it and we headed to Carrabba's. You can never go wrong with that choice . . . It was heavenly!

After a few bites of his spaghetti . . . Shawn had a taste of Bret's Sirloin Marsala and he was in heaven. He gave it a thumbs up . . .

But a thumbs down on the broccoli.

Jenny headed to a party later with some friends and we hung out and had Wii competitions. We're excited and ready for the new year to come.

Shawn and Soccer

2011-09-02T14:40:00.005-07:00

We finally got Shawn signed up for his first Soccer team. We didn't know if he would like it but he's in heaven! He asks everyday when his next game is. He runs fast and throws in a few hops/skips and gallops as he goes. He is loving it!

The first two games he w0re white and they lost both times. He couldn't wait to be blue because "the blue team is SO good." The next time he was blue and they lost again :( That night he wasn't sure what color he wanted to be . . . he was so confused.

Back to School 2011-12

2011-08-22T08:37:00.007-07:00

It came too quickly, but we're excited and ready. Jenny technically doesn't start until tomorrow but was asked to help with leadership for the new 7th graders today. So she was up and ready . . . excited to help. Tyler was up and ready with a smile on his face. He was excited to have me walk with him to school. He got to class about 10 seconds late and his teacher (which is the same teacher as last year) started teasing him about starting the year off being tardy. He just said it was his mom's fault . . . I was walking too slow. She laughed . . . Katy was up early enough to spend a few minutes with our new dog. She had to hold her for a minute and then she was ready to eat and jump in the shower. Her cute friend Julia stopped by to pick her up on her bike and Katy was off to get hers. I asked Katy if she wanted me to come with her since it was her first day, but she just said no. She was excited to go with Jules . . . they are cute friends. Tyler reassured me that he would go slow enough on his trike so he could stay with me as I walked . . . I love watching their different personalities on the first day of school.After I dropped Tyler off in his class I ran down to check on Katy. Probably just for a little reassurance for me . . . make sure she got there okay and to see if she was alright. She looked happy and confident . . no nerves on that girl this year. She's getting older and ready for a new year. She barely waved when she saw me peek through the door. I love her.

I've got a new excitement for this year at school. I think it's going to be a good one . . .

Jenny is going to be busy with Student Government, and her classes are going to be a little harder then they were last year. She's excited for basketball and can't wait to see all her friends everyday.

Tyler is the oldest in the school and he's going to be a leader. When I headed out the door from checking on Katy, Tyler was standing right there. Ms. Dennis had asked him to run the lunch money down to the office. It's good to know she trusts him and can count on him to get a job done.

Katy's moving up to be one of the "big ones" at school now. She's ready to get back into soccer and basketball this year . . . no more gymnastics. She loves her new dog and wants to help take care of it.

Shawn's going back to Miss Angie's for another year of reading and fun field trips. I don't know what I'm going to do next year when he takes off for the big school. I can't think about it . . . I'm loving the moments we're in now because we're healthy and happy and ready for the next phase of life.

We love you all!

Happy New School Year 2011-12!

Friday Highlight (Last Week of School)

2011-05-29T15:57:00.002-07:00

Shawn's preschool graduation

Watching his cute face up on the stage while he sang and did his part.

"We're ready to gwaduate. We've waited so Yong (long)."

I loved asking Shawn if he wanted a little bit of a granola bar before the program started. He lifted his fingers up slightly and whispered, "Save it for Yater(later)" and then just sat there like a statue waiting for the program to start.

Watching him walk with his cap and gown to get his diploma

Thinking about how much I love Miss Angie . . . She has been the best preschool teacher for our family

Watching Shawn's eyes light up when he saw each of his Grandma's come walking in. He sure loves each one of them.

It was kind of crazy watching Shawn graduate . . . thinking he is my last one. I'm just so glad I get one more year with him.

Thursday Highlights (Last Week of School)

2011-05-27T07:42:00.003-07:00

Field Day! Nothing beats the excitement of field day. I volunteered to help with some of the activities on the field which meant I got to watch Tyler, Katy and Shawn play and celebrate. It was a little chilly outside . . . wind blowing and clouds everywhere . . . 58 degrees? . . . but it didn't stop the excitement and fun . . . school's almost out and Summer is just around the corner.

The only thing that stunk was realizing that my babies are going to be 3rd and 6th graders next year. Where is the stop button . . . Time is passing by too fast . . .

Wednesday Highlights (Last Week of School)

2011-05-25T18:36:00.006-07:00

I really loved going to Jenny's end of year awards assembly. She and a bunch of her friends had been working on a dance to perform for it. She was 1 out of 4 in 7th grade who were invited to be in the 8th grade dance. She came home everyday so excited because she was working so hard to do her best. And it paid off because she was invited to be on the front row. She did awesome. I was proud of her. She's got the cutest body and she really knows how to shake it :)

I loved having the kids come running in from school with their yearbooks and plopping themselves down at the table to look at them. They studied every page and laughed and commented about everything to each other. . . sharing stories and "remember whens. . . "

It was our first year doing the Hershey track meet and Katy was old enough to participate. She ran her heart out and qualified for district. She may have found something new she loves. It was a beautiful day to spend 3 hours at a track meet . . . perfect weather!

It was so late when we got done at the track meet . . . Bret surprised us with a quick trip for a smothered burrito . . . it was heavenly.

Tuesday Highlight (Last Week of School)

2011-05-24T07:41:00.003-07:00

With no homework this week, we had a little extra time for other things. Katy decided to sell eggs. We had 6 dozen fresh eggs from the chickens and they needed to be sold. She packed them up in her wagon with a blanket underneath so they wouldn't break. She grabbed a water bottle in case they got thirsty. Shawn jumped on his wiggle racer and together they headed out to sell.

Katy was so brave and responsible. She wasn't sure if Shawn would make it very far but she said she would help him if he needed it.

I love how excited and confident she gets to sell the eggs. She is a hard worker and great big sister.

Monday Highlight (Last week of School)

2011-05-23T07:36:00.002-07:00

Tyler's class invited all the parents who helped in the classroom this year, to come for a "thank-you" party. We each got a loaf of Great Harvest bread and a thank you note signed by all the kids. It has been so much fun to be in both Katy and Tyler's classrooms this year. I love getting to know each of the kids in their classes and helping them with different things.

I love hearing them yell "Hi, Tyler's Mom" or "Hi, Katy's Mom" when they see me around town or outside the school. I feel blessed to have been able to help in the classes this year. I have a spot in my heart for each of those kids. They are all darling.

Easter 2011

2011-04-29T10:52:00.005-07:00

Happy Easter . . . a little late . . .

but at least you don't have to look at David G. anymore

or listen to the birthday song :)

We love you all!

Happy Day!

Hoof or Heel?

2011-02-17T08:34:00.004-07:00

We discovered some "Mr. Incredible" socks in Shawn's closet last night. With Shawn having a new craze for being like Dash, he was so excited to wear them. He put them on all by himself and climbed into bed.

The first thing he said to me this morning when he woke up was,

"Look Mom! Mr. Incredible's face is on my Hoof!"

I tried to convince him that it's called a Heel not a Hoof.

But he's determined that he's right so . . . Hoof it is.

First Swim Meet of the Year

2011-02-02T21:19:00.002-07:00

Tyler had his first meet of the year at the Provo Pool and he did awesome! It was so fun to see how much he's improved over the last several months.

While we were waiting for Tyler's turn, Ty asked Bret to write "Eat my Bubbles" on his back with a pen. Bret agreed . . . only he wrote his own little message. It took Tyler awhile to figure out what we were all laughing about.

Ty swam in two events this time . . . 50 Freestyle and 50 Breaststroke. He swam the 50 freestyle first and beat his time by 5 seconds. I wish I had a video of him when he climbed out of the pool. He was so excited! He was jumping up and down and yelling "YES". It was so fun to see his reaction. He beat his "50 Breaststroke" time by 3 seconds too.

I'm so proud of Tyler and the hard work he has put into his swimming. Beating your times at a meet makes all the hard work worth it. Way to go Bud!

Field Trip with a Buddy

2011-01-28T21:01:00.000-07:00

Shawn had a field trip coming up and Katy was dying . . . she wanted to go so bad!

So I checked her out of school a little early and she came with us to the Orem Library. These two are the cutest buddies. They held hands all the way in.

We couldn't pass up the spiral "Rapunzel" stairs out front. Katy was so excited to show them to Shawn and yelled "Rapunzel, Rapunzel! Let your hair down."

The story glass window is always so fun to look at. We found lots of fairy tale stories . . . lots of favorites.

Shawn followed the librarian on a little tour . . .

. . . and then listened quietly to the stories

We have so many memories of this field trip . . . each one of the kids got to go when they were in preschool. It was fun to have Katy come with us. She was so excited to be a part of it with Shawn.

Jenny's Next Phase of Braces

2011-01-25T20:59:00.001-07:00

Jenny has had her braces on for a little over a year, and her teeth are looking beautiful. They all look perfectly straight. But now it's time for the next phase of work on her mouth.

Jenny got this new appliance put on her teeth that is permanent and it looks so uncomfortable. It's call a Herbst. It's like a giant hinge that is built to pull her bottom jaw forward so it doesn't sit back so far.

She climbed in the car and took one look at her mouth and started to cry. I told her "Poop! You got this jaw problem from me." But she took a deep breath and was brave from there on out. 8 months with this thing seems long, but it will be over before we know it and then we will be homeward bound.

Bedtime Stories

2011-01-24T22:28:00.006-07:00

I tucked Shawn in bed and was ready to read the book he had chosen. He told me we were going to read 2 stories tonight . . . one book and one Book of Mormon story without a book. This was news to me so I went with the safest one I had from memory.

After telling Shawn a little bit about Lehi and his family. . . specifically Laman and Lemuel and how they were always complaining when their Dad asked them to do anything . . . Shawn had a really concerned look. He said that if he were in that family, he would punch Laman and Lemuel in the face

(and he demonstrated a punch in the air).

I told him we wouldn't want to do that because it wouldn't be very nice. We should just ask them to be nice and not complain so much.

He listened to what I said and then put his hand over his mouth and giggled saying,

"I like my way better."

Shots or no Shots?

2011-01-13T17:11:00.006-07:00

Well . . .

Bret said, "Yes" to flu shots this year

I said, "Hmm . . . Maybe not. . ."

and . . .

we didn't get them.

So, now we have the flu . . . Poop!

These little eyes tell me throughout the day how they are feeling at the moment. Every once in awhile I see a little sparkle, and then the fever hits again and they kind of glaze over. We've been through tons of medicine, and it looks like we are going to need some more for awhile.

But I count my lucky stars all day that these little bodies aren't so little anymore. I know that we are are big enough to fight hard, and soon it will all be over.

Miracle Fire

2010-11-29T21:02:00.008-07:00

We woke up yesterday morning to 6 inches of snow. Bret was out at 7am blowing snow for many of the senior members of our ward. We got home from church at noon and Bret and Tyler were out the door again . . . shoveling just a few more homes. Jenny and I decided to start a fire to warm us up. It was a perfect day for a fire.

Later in the day, Tyler noticed that our kitchen smelled like some sweet frosting. He kept asking me what kind of secret treat I was making, but unfortunately there wasn't anything up my sleeve. We didn't know where the sweet smell was coming from.

Bret and I ran up to Matt's house to help him with some things. We were gone for close to 45 minutes. When we got back the smell was even stronger but kind of different. We did a little family night and that's when the smell started bugging me. It was boarder line electrical fire smell but still sweet. We started smelling around the kitchen and thought maybe it was coming from one of the outlets in the wall. Bret pulled the plate off to check the plug but nothing looked suspicious. While we all stood around and watched, Shawn leaned up against the wall and then pulled away saying, "Ooh, That wall is hot!"

That's when we noticed that the wall on the back side of the fireplace was really warm. Bret put the fire out and sprayed cold water along the back of the fireplace wall. Once that was cooled, he grabbed a couple bags of frozen peas and pressed them against the wall in the kitchen. By this time the house smelled like smoke and the air was a little smokey too. Bret noticed that the paint on the wall was starting to bubble and was coming off the wall in pieces. He pulled about a 2 foot by 3 foot chunk of messed up paint off the wall. The paint had a sweet smell to it . . . the sheetrock underneath smelled like an ashtray. It was so bad!

After awhile of pressing the cool bags on the wall, it cooled down quite a bit, but the smoke smell still seemed to get worse throughout the evening. We went to bed with a really stinky house and a 2X3 foot space of paint pulled off the wall. We were frustrated . . . we weren't sure what to think.

I slept awful that night. The smell was so bad. The whole house smelled like a huge ashtray.

I woke up the next morning to a huge surprise . . . scary surprise. The smell was so bad. I decided to cover up the exposed sheetrock with a plastic bag or something. When I went in to work on it, I saw that we had a basketball sized burn hole in the wall. The sheetrock was black, the baseboard was completely gone and part of the floorboard was gone too. I went in to wake up Bret and told him the wall had burned and the baseboard was gone. He tells me now that he thought I was crazy. He thought I was still asleep and loosing my mind. Unfortunately this time, I wasn't.

Throughout the day we have thought about how blessed we are that our house didn't burn. . . When we went to help Matt and left the kids home with the fire, when we were all asleep in the night . . . We are so grateful to have our warm home standing in one piece today. It's an absolute miracle that a blazing fire didn't start in that wall. We are so grateful that our family was protected last night. It was a Miracle. . .

Katy's Baptism Day!

2010-09-04T16:42:00.012-07:00

Today was one of the best days! Katy got baptized and it was perfect. She is such beautiful little girl. I'm so proud to be her mom.

It was so much fun getting everything ready for the big day. Katy and I went on a little date together to pick out some new scriptures and shop for a white baptism dress. She talked so fast about so many fun things. She couldn't wait to tell me about it all. She has such a happy spirit about her. She's so excited about life and brings such a happy spirit to our home.

We realized that Katy would be getting baptized in the same church and font as Bret did when he turned 8. So we took a picture of the two of them out in front of the church house just like Bret did when he was little.There were so many people there helping us get ready. I told her that she would wear a little jumpsuit for the baptism so she wouldn't be surprised when we got there. I told her they were better then a dress because then when you stepped down into the water you wouldn't have to worry about your dress coming up. Well, surprise to us . . . they had a bunch of cute little dressed for her to pick from and no jumpsuits. So after a little back tracking on what I had told her before. . . she was so brave about it and trusted that everything would be okay. We found her a dress that would fit just right, and I helped her put it on. She was a little worried about needing a slip, but we discovered that the dress had some extra lining in it so she was safe. And it all worked out in the end. Phew!

Everyone in our family was so excited for Katy's big day. They all helped so much with getting ready, and Shawn couldn't wait for Katy to get "baa-batized".

Afterward, we had everyone come over for a yummy lunch. Bret smoked some ribs for the big day since it's one of Katy's favorites. We had watermelon, corn on the cob, salad, bread and some yummy cookies to top it off.

We decorated the tables outside with stars and lots of pictures of Katy.

We were lucky to have so many people come and support her.

Grandma and Grandpa Clark . . .

Grandma and Grandpa Z . . .

and both of her great-grandmas!

Great-Grandma Robinson

and Great-Grandma Bowden

We felt so much love that day when we saw how many friends, ward members and family came to support Katy. She is one loved girl. We are so proud of her choice to be baptized.

Back to School

2010-08-24T16:08:00.012-07:00

We woke up on Monday and dreaded that school was going to start the next day. We wanted to do something fun before it all started up again and we were back into homework, schedules, sports, and bedtimes. So we jumped in the car and headed to a movie.

We had heard so many good things about "Despicable Me", so we had to give it a shot. Everyone pretty much loved it except Dad. It wasn't his favorite.

As we walked out of the movie theater, we saw this Hurricane Simulator and the kids were dying to give it a try. You stand inside and it starts blowing wind on you. It starts out blowing slowly and then gradually increases to close to 76 mph. This pictures is when they were just getting started. You can see in the background the speedometer says 32 mph or so. I love that Tyler is covering his ears. That is so Classic Tyler!

This pictures was when it was close to the maximum speed. It was blowing about 76.7mph? Let's just say everyone had some pretty messy hair when they got out . . . except Tyler of course.

The next morning we were ready for school to start. Jenny was both nervous and excited to go to Dixon this year. We had gone down to the school two different times to walk around and pay fees. So she felt like she was ready and she knew where everything was. To add to the excitement and pressure of it all . . . They had school pictures on the first day. She woke up extra early to do her hair and be ready in time to catch the bus.

She came up for breakfast all ready and looked absolutely darling! (I especially love those beautiful teeth in braces.) I can't believe she's old enough to go to Junior High! Where does the time go?

The 7th graders were the only ones that had to go to school the first day (no 8th graders). So I walked over to the bus stop with her because there aren't any other 7th graders in our ward. We had talked to some kids about where the bus stop was and we were ready. We knew right where to go. One of Jenny's cute friends, Meg, came down to meet us. After waiting for a good 20 minutes, we saw the bus coming, and then it turn onto a different street and was gone. We were at the wrong stop. So we headed home, jumped in the car and I ran them down to the school before it started.

Tyler and Katy were up bright and early. The next wave of excitement was in the air. Since everything was so crazy with Jenny earlier, by the time I got back to help Katy with her hair it was a little late. Tyler was getting nervous that he was going to be late and wasn't too thrilled about stopping for pictures. But we managed to sneak in a couple really fast. Tyler was excited but a little nervous this year too. After meeting his teacher the night before, she seemed a little scary and he wasn't sure what to think. But after going a couple days, he's gotten to like her more and more, and we think he's going to live! Katy was so excited to get started this year. After meeting her teacher the night before, Katy knew that she was super nice and she couldn't wait. She didn't look like she had a nervous bone in her body. Which, for Katy, was a miracle.

Shawn wasn't too excited about all his buddies taking off early in the morning with out him. He tried all summer to talk Katy into going to his school with him this year. I kept hearing him say, "But it's going to be wheelwee, wheelwee fun!" They are the cutest friends.

But when I reminded him that it's just me and him now, he was all over that! Just a few more weeks and he'll be starting preschool at Miss Angie's. He can't wait! The only thing that would make it better would be if Katy could come with him.

Katy's Ears!

2010-08-21T17:30:00.002-07:00

Katy got her ears pierced! Her 8th birthday is coming up, and she couldn't wait another day! So Jenny and I took her to the mall to get them done. She took a look at the different options and before long she picked some cute square diamonds. They look so cute on her little face!

This is Katy waiting for the ladies to get everything ready.

These are a few pictures that were taken right in a row. It's funny to watch the expression on her face as they started to count down. Her smile starts to fade a little and her eyes start to show a little bit of fear . . .

But all and all she was mighty brave! There wasn't a single tear in her eyes. And she was all smiles when it was done. I can't believe she's got her ears pierced! She is one cute girl!

Bret's 37th Birthday!

2010-08-16T20:03:00.005-07:00

It was the big 37 for Bret this year! His celebrations started off with a yummy Sunday dinner. His famous smoked ribs and a little strawberry/raspberry shortcake for dessert! The raspberries were HUGE and super delicious!

The next day, we headed down to the Veteran's pool which was a treat for all of us. Everybody wanted to go down the slide with Dad because he doesn't get to come to the pool very often. The weather was perfect, each of the kids had a friend to play with and we just enjoyed a little time in the sun. Later that night we headed to Chili's for some yummy dinner. It was fun to have everyone together on Bret's big day!

Some things we love about our Dad:

He is a hard worker

He takes good care of our family

He honors the priesthood

He is a great example of service

He has an amazing sense of humor! He always keeps us laughing

He's a good problem solver

He is always honest

He takes good care of our yard

He makes some "mean" smoked ribs!

Happy Birthday Dad!

We are so lucky to have you!

Laguna Beach 2010

2010-08-12T15:38:00.013-07:00

This year our Laguna trip started out with a stop in Las Vegas. Bret found us a room at the Rio which was perfect because he really wanted to eat at their Seafood Buffet for dinner. This is the kids waiting for Bret to checked us in at the hotel. We couldn't wait to jump in the pool! The second we got to the room, the kids threw on their swimsuits, and we were off to the pool. Much to our dismay, the wind was blowing so hard that we were completely miserable the entire 30? minutes we were at the pool. Kind of a bummer . . . so we went back to change and then headed out to feed the kids before our hot date. The Millers got a room at the same hotel, so we met Kim and Jason (leaving all the kids in the rooms . . . Shh! Don't tell) at the buffet for a night full of all-you-can-eat crap legs and lots of other yummy stuff. It was heavenly!

After dinner we went back to get the kids and then headed out for a little fun in the big city. We piled all 13 of us, Millers and Clarks, into our van and headed to the Bellagio to see the fountains. It was fun to watch the looks we got from people when we all piled in and out of our car.

After a quick walk through the Bellagio gardens inside, we headed out to see the awesome fountains. It was fun to have the Millers with us. The fountains are always a magical thing to see!

The next morning we were up early and out for the rest of the drive. No troubles really. . . other than we ran out of gas right at the top of the Laguna Canyon. There was a ton of traffic headed the same direction we were, so we had to make a detour back up a little ways, on fumes, to get gas before we could head the rest of the way down the canyon. But the second we got there, the kids headed straight for the ocean. I think Jenny was the most excited because she hardly got out of the water the whole time we were there. She loved every second of it!

Tyler was really hesitant to jump waves at first. But after much "force" by Dad, he figured it out and ended up loving it. He ended up having tons of fun in the ocean all week once he realized how much fun it was and that he could do it all by himself.

The tide was really low this year. Lower then we've ever seen it, so there was quite a bit of seaweed in the water. Everyone found a little something to do with it.

Bret loved starting seaweed wars . . .

Bret showed Shawn how to pop the little poppers on the seaweed, which he loved, but he didn't like having it around his neck. That just made him mad!

Shawn played a little in the sand, but he mostly wanted to hang out with Mom and run up to the Hot Tub.

Tyler was one of the cutest cousins for the little boys this year. He dug lots of holes, found sand crabs, caught kids jumping in the pool and babysat. And he loved every second of it.

Katy was so excited about sand crabs this year. She couldn't stop talking about it before the trip even started. She spent lots of time finding them and putting them in the buckets. It was so fun to watch her and see how excited she got when her collection got bigger and bigger.

One little crab to show me. . .

Uncle Jason rigged up these two with their noodles for some fun swimming races. They thought it was pretty funny to have the noodle threaded through their suits.

We were extra lucky this year to have Grandma Clark give Shawn a few swimming lessons. It didn't take long before he was swimming across the pool. He is one funny kid!

Thank you Grandma! Shawn loved every second of swimming with you!

It was so fun to spend some time with our cousins. There is nothing like the love between cousins. But not a second went by without us thinking about the Thompsons. We missed them and wished so badly that they could have been there with us. It just wasn't the same.

By the end of the week, Shawn figured out how fun it was to play in the ocean water. He loved playing with his Dad the most!

Shawn is one lucky boy . . . he is loved!

Bret telling Shawn stories while we waited to get into B.J's for some pizza one night!

All the kids being good sports but one! (and one sexy leg in the corner!)

Inside . . . waiting for our pizza!

We were pretty lucky this year to have 2 nights where we had adult-only dinners. Dax, Jace and Grady came up to our room to play with the kids while we headed out. It was so fun to be with Bret and enjoy a yummy meal. I love being his sweetheart!

We can't let a trip to Laguna go by without a walk down to the bakery for an early morning doughnut. There was a lady spraying off "our" bench outside with a hose so we didn't get to feed the birds with our leftovers. But those doughnuts always taste SO GOOD! Especially with a cold glass of milk on ice!

After we finished our doughnuts, we decided to walk back up the beach to the hotel. We stopped at the playground to let Shawn go down the slides a few times.

He wanted to pose for all the pictures . . .

Tyler ran UP the slide and Jenny was close behind . . . BUT it was so steep and slippery, she couldn't quite get to the top. All we had to do was tease her a little bit, and she wouldn't stop until she did it. Jenny won't go down without a fight! It was funny!

I love each of these little faces! These days couldn't get any better. I would like to push pause and keep everyone exactly as they are today. If only . . .

These days are the best! Thank you Gwen and Jamie for taking these pictures for us. They are ones to treasure forever!

Grandma was so excited to help each of the kids find a treasure to take home this year. Jenny and Emilee found these earrings on the very last day. They came walking up the beach with them on right after they bought them . . . so proud and excited . . . and Bret's first comment to them was, "I see you stopped by the chandelier store on your way back." It was pretty funny. They were so proud and couldn't wait to model them with their sunglasses on for the rest of the day.

It was Shawn's first year to go with all the boys down to the candy store with Grandpa. He didn't really know what was going on, but I can imagine what his face looked like when he walked into that store. They said he spotted this giant lollipop the second he walked in and he wouldn't change his mind . . . no matter what. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for the giant sucker and the fun memory. He will remember that forever!

Jenny thought it was pretty awesome too! She couldn't resist taking a picture with it.

On the way home we met up with the Millers for one last shot on the famous giant rocking chair at Dairy Queen in Beaver. Thank you everyone for the fun trip. We love you all! Thank you for the fun memories. Thompsons, we missed you. Matt, we missed you! Heaps, we can't wait to see you again.

We love our family trips to Laguna. We dream each year for the time when we can go back. Thank you all for the memories and the fun times! 'Til next time!

Happy days!

Grandpa Z's 58th Birthday

2010-06-07T19:00:00.002-07:00

This year for Grandpa's Birthday, Grandma invited us up for root beer floats. We sat out on the back patio while we ate them and watched the hummingbirds and Blue Jays fly in for a little something to eat themselves. There's nothing better then watching the Blue Jays come in for a peanut and everyone holding really still so we can hear the hummingbird's wings. It reminds me of watching for the birds at my Grandma's (Laurine Zumbrennen) house when I was little. We would sit at the kitchen table and watch for the birds while we ate our breakfast after a little sleepover at Grandma's house.

Dad, you are one cute man! I'm so lucky I have you. I love your bright, happy eyes in this picture.

Thank you, Grandma, for the the yummy treat. It helped us to start the Summer off just right!

We love you Grandpa, Happy 58th!

Memorial Day 2010

2010-05-31T20:57:00.015-07:00

We had another fun Memorial Day this year. We road bikes with Grandma and Grandpa Z up to Bridal Veil Falls. Jenny and Tyler road further this year . . . going all the way to Vivian Park.

Tyler was a maniac! It was fun to see him ride with the bigger boys this year and race everyone to the top. He was the first one back home too and showed all the cousins, aunts and uncles which way to go through the neighborhoods.

I got to ride with Katy most of the time, and I loved every second of it. She pedaled those legs just as fast as she could. It wasn't until we were almost home that Grandpa asked, "Does Katy's bike only have one gear?" He couldn't believe how well she kept up with everyone with no gears.

The ride back home is always the funnest because it's mostly all downhill. Katy, Grandpa and I were riding together with Grandpa in the front and I in the back. Grandpa would do fancy tricks on his bike . . . kicking rocks off the path and riding with no hands around corners and everything. Katy was mimicking everything he did. By the time we got home, Katy had almost mastered Grandpa's tricks. No challenge goes unnoticed by Katy.

Shawn and Bret decided they would just drive the car up to the falls and meet us there. But we were surprised several times as we rode our bikes on the trail. We would ride our bikes around a corner and all of a sudden Shawn and Bret would be there on the trail, waving to us and telling us "Good Job!" Then they would jump in the car and drive to a new spot ahead of us and surprise us again. One time they were "incognito" . . . Bret was sitting on a rock, making animal sounds by blowing through two pieces of grass, and Shawn was holding a giant tree branch as if he was hidden behind it. It was hilarious! Once we got to the falls, Shawn couldn't wait to start throwing rocks, and he begged to put his feet in the water. Once we said okay it wasn't 5 seconds before he was running into the water to play with Katy. The only problem was . . . Katy was in water that was pretty deep, and Shawn got a little too deep, too fast. He was a little bummed about that, but it wasn't long before he was dry again. I love this picture because it shows all my kids with my Grandma Robinson. Jenny reminded me that last year on Memorial Day, Grandma Robinson was in the hospital getting ready for a major surgery. She has had a rough year. . . Three major surgeries. But she is doing well now, and we're so glad that she could spend the day with us. Usually we have a water fight with water balloons, buckets and squirt guns, but this year we got to sit in Grandpa's hot tub. Besides the awful smell that made us all cough (ha-ha Dad) it was great to get in the warm water. Once all our relatives left, we hung out for a while and Grandma got out the squirt bottles and guns. We told the kids they could squirt each other, but the grown-ups (especially Grandma Robinson) were off-limits. They did pretty good for awhile but then, as you can see by the picture, Jenny couldn't resist stretching the rules a little bit. But Grandma was a good sport and joined in on the fun. There's nothing funner than a water fight with Grandma!
Grandma Clark asked us for some fun pictures of everyone a few weeks ago, so I spent the day trying to get some good shots. I had so much fun taking the pictures, but even more fun going through them later that day. I love each one of these little faces. I can't believe how blessed I am to be their mom.

I love you guys! Happy Days!

15 Years!

2010-04-23T22:48:00.010-07:00

We had some family pictures done a couple months ago. We took 100 pictures in 100 different poses, and by the end we were all ready to be done. But as we were finishing up, I had one more idea of something I wanted to try. I looked at Bret to see if he might have one more pose in him and took my chances. It was my lucky day! He was a great sport.

We had this picture taken of us 15 years ago when we got engaged. I have always loved it, so I wanted to do one again that was similar.

And I'm so glad I did! I love this new picture even more! Bret is even more handsome today then he was back then. It's fun to see what time will do.

I love you sweetheart. I can't wait to see what the next 15 years will bring!

Super MOM turns 36!

2010-04-10T07:56:00.003-07:00

On Monday Nicole turned 36 years old. We love her SOOOOO much!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

6 Inches of Snow?

2010-03-05T19:47:00.008-07:00

Well these little guys started popping out of the ground about a week ago. We were so excited. We had a few days of upper 50's with sun, and we could almost smell Spring in the air. But then the kids came home from school yesterday, on their bikes, and by the time they got to the house they were soaked. It was snowing so hard, and it was wet snow! I told them it was crazy but it would never stick - It's March for heaven's sake! Well, little did we know - IT STUCK! 6 Inches Stuck! We went to bed with no snow and woke up to this!

Shawn was stoked! The first thing he said to me was, "Can we build a snowman?" He has been so excited about snowmen this winter, and I kept telling him we would build one. But we never did. So we pulled out the boxes and got out our winter clothes.
Shawn knew exactly what we needed for the snowman. I must have heard him say, "We need a carrot" about 100 times. As soon as I pulled one out of the fridge, he was showing me where we needed to put the carrot.
"It's a nose, Mom, it's a Snowman's nose."

The snow was really heavy and wet, but before long we had our little snowman made. I tried to just do the bare minimum with all the details, but Shawn wasn't about to have that.

"He needs a mouth, Mom"

"What about his hat?"

"Where's his arms?"

"He needs some buttons . . ."

He sure is one cute kid!

The best part was watching him stand back and look at the finished product. He was so proud to see what we had made. I would have to say we were pretty lucky to get this storm. And by the afternoon, the snowman had melted so much that he started tipping over and his head fell off. Thank heavens it's March!

Only So Many More . . .

2010-03-02T09:12:00.022-07:00

Last night Jenny was online checking her email and looking up new blog posts. Tyler eagerly watched over her shoulder and Katy glanced at the screen each time she "bounced" in and out of the room. Shawn pulled a chair right up next to Jen and began to insist, "It's my turn Nenny! I want to play Dragon Tales!" After telling Shawn that it wasn't time for Dragon Tales, Jenny continued looking and reading.

The scene continued on the same for awhile with Shawn demanding his turn every couple of minutes. When he realized he wasn't getting what he wanted and couldn't take it any longer, Shawn reached up and pinched Jenny's nose demanding that it was his turn. Jenny screamed out in pain and ran to the bathroom with a bloody nose.

Needless to say, Shawn was sent to time out.

As time continues to move our family forward, the dynamics of our home are changing a little more each day. My older kids each take turns checking their emails. They post big events on their own blogs. And my little 3-year-old needs his fair share of time on the computer.

Knowing that I'm only going to have a 3-year-old in my house for just a little bit longer . . . Knowing that there's not going to be another little one to take his place . . . I have really enjoyed all the little moments of having a 3-year-old at home. It's just me and my baby boy for only a short time longer.. . . no school or extra activities to interfere. I love experiencing all the funny faces, cute words, laugher, tight hugs, bursts of energy and even tears.

So when he was sent to the corner and told to fold his arms and not move, I couldn't help but smile when after 3 full minutes he was still facing the wall with his arms folded, eyes down, and lower lip sticking out just enough to show he was sad. Because I knew these moments are only going to last for so long and then they will be gone.

100th Day of School

2010-02-28T15:00:00.004-07:00

One thing I love about 1st grade is how they always celebrate the 100th day of School! I volunteered this year to help with Katy's 100th day party and boy was it fun!

When Shawn and I first got there, they were sitting at the carpet listening to Mrs. Spadafora give them instructions about the activities they were going to do.
This is Katy with one of her cute friends, Megan, playing a 100's game!

As soon as we got there, Shawn immediately ran to the book shelf and started pulling out all the books that he recognized. He sat himself down by us and started reading his favorites. This is him reading, "Snowmen at Christmas".

After awhile he got bored and was becoming impatient. Mrs. Spadafora grabbed a bucket of dinosaurs and put them in front of Shawn and another little brother.
Shawn was in HEAVEN!

But once Shawn saw that it was Katy's turn to make a Fruit Loop necklace, he was not going to miss out on that for a second. Katy was so cute with him. She pulled a chair right up next to her and started showing Shawn how to thread the fruit loops onto the string. She didn't complain once that it was her necklace and not his.

Of course, once the necklace was done Shawn wanted to put it on. Katy didn't hesitate and helped him slip it over his head. He was so proud to be wearing the necklace, and I was so proud of my Katy for being so selfless and caring for her brother.
I love you Kate! You are amazing!

More Cans for Mission Dollars

2010-02-09T12:00:00.002-07:00

Well, he did it again! He saved up and smashed enough cans to head down to the aluminum recyling shop. Grandma Z has a box at her office that friends will drop their cans into. Once we get the cans, Tyler has to smash them all down and then throw them into boxes until the boxes are full. Once he has enough cans, we load them up and take them down to the recyling shop.

It had been awhile since we last went, so Ty had quite a bit of cans this time.

The first time we went, Tyler brought a friend with him, and we figured out how everything worked. After hearing about the process and seeing how excited Tyler was about it all, Jen and Kate have been dying to come with us the next time. So when they heard we were going again, everyone piled in to the back of Dad's truck, and we all headed down to the metals shop. It was fun to see how excited the girls were for Ty and the support they were giving him.

First they pour all of the cans into the bottom of this conveyor belt. Tyler is looking at all of his cans before they sent them up the ramp.

Once the scale has been reset to ZERO, the cans are sent up and over the top where the weight of the cans is calculated. A receipt is printed out for Tyler to take to the office where he is given a card for their "ATM" machine outside.

Tyler takes the card outside to the machine, inserts the card and the money is withdrawn from the machine. Ty had a total of 33 pounds of aluminum this time! He made a little over $15.00! That's about double the amount he had last time.

As soon as we get back in the car, Tyler hands me the money and asks me to put it in his bank account. He's saving it for his mission. What a great kid. I'm so proud of Ty for working so hard and saving his money for serving a mission someday. He is going to be one awesome missionary!

The Down Side of Costa Rica this Year

2010-02-06T15:29:00.003-07:00

Sunburn? Yep . . . only Extremely Bad!

Last year Bret came home from Costa Rica with a pretty bad sunburn on the back of his neck. It dried out and flaked off, and he was really uncomfortable for a few days.

So this year we geared up for the sun a little better (or so we thought). I bought bottles of sunscreen with SPF 50 and we made sure that he put it on before he headed out on the boat each morning to fish. Bret came home the first day and said, "I feel like I got fried, and I put sunscreen on 3 more times while I was out there." Even though the burn didn't look like much, he said it was really uncomfortable. After two days of this, he wore a long-sleeved shirt for the rest of the trip and a t-shirt on the top of his hat so he kind of looked like a sheik while he fished (wish I had a picture of that!). He stayed out of the sun as much as he could for the rest of the trip.

On the way home his arms started to get a little redder and they were dry and itchy. But still nothing really strange.

After being home for 2 days they were nearly unbearable. They were extremely HOT and it seemed like the area that was burned was spreading. The skin started to peel, and the raw skin underneath was bright red. The next 4-5 days were the worst. The cycle of red itchy skin, to peeling happened several times. A friend in our ward, who is a nurse at the hospital, came up to Bret at church and told him that she could tell that both of his arms had 2nd-degree burns because of the amount of skin he was loosing!

This picture shows how swollen both of his arms were. He couldn't straighten his arms all the way because of the pain and the inflamation. You couldn't even see his elbows when he tried to straighten them. To say the least he was miserable. He walked around all day with his arms bent and we all tried our best not to get too close.

Well after several days of walking around with his arms bent, Shawn looked up at Bret one day and said,

"Daddy, are you a Tyrannasaurus Rex?"

Being the good sport that Bret is he said, "Yes! Rarr!"

We've been home for about a week and a half now, and Bret's arms are doing much better. They are super itchy, dry and a little sore, but considering what they were like, he's doing great! (Halleluyah!)

Katy and Her Teeth

2010-02-03T08:35:00.001-07:00

I'm slowly figuring out that my kids inherited some funky mouths. Putting Bret and I together resulted in little mouths with BIG teeth. When it happened to Jenny I just thought, "Man, she got screwed." But now that Tyler and Katy are experiencing the same problem, I realize that it's all coming our way.

When my kids have a permanent tooth that's ready to come in, they have to lose 2 baby ones in order to make room. And what usually happens is the permanent teeth start coming up behind the other ones because the second baby tooth doesn't know it needs to come out!

Well, Katy has probably had the problem worst of all. She has had 3 permanents come in without even starting to loosen the babies. And she is not the bravest about it. (Which surprises me, by the way.) I can't stand wiggly teeth so the kids are basically on their own(or we pay a special visit to Grandma Clark's -- she loves wiggling teeth). Bret on the other hand is determined to get them out of there and not pay $50 a tooth to have them pulled.

Well this last time, Katy was really sneaky about having another loose tooth because she didn't want Bret to wiggle it. She hadn't eaten very good for days because she couldn't and her smile was non-existent. She even hid the Orajel(numbing gel) from Bret because she didn't want him to use it while he did a little wiggle-wiggle. But it got to the point where the tooth was literally hanging out because it was so loose. Bret couldn't stand it, and he was bound and determined to get it out.

I headed downstairs one night to tuck everyone in bed, and I found Bret lying on Katy's bed with her all tucked in and telling stories.

After telling the story for a minute (and earning some trust) Bret got to wiggle the tooth a little bit. Sometimes she was brave and was a good sport . . .

. . . Other times she would scream and fight because she didn't want him to touch it. Then after a few minutes she would be calm again and listen to another part of the story. It was so cute to find Bret with her, all curled up in her bed, trying to help her get that tooth out! These two are quite a pair.

As you can see, Bret was successful. My Katy is back and she's eating again. There's nothing better then seeing Katy's smile back.

And the tooth fairy even came that night. (It's a miracle!)

Costa Rica 2010

2010-01-29T13:14:00.022-07:00

Bret and I were lucky to be invited again this year on a fun trip to Costa Rica with some friends. As I started to post about our trip, I realized that I've never posted anything about past trips. So this post is a little bit long and has pictures from a couple years ago too.

We fly in to San Jose, Costa Rica and then drive for about 2 hours to our friend's condo. On the way to the condo we stopped on a bridge and looked out over this river. This river is a great spot for tourists because there are live crocodiles living in the water.

It was a little freaky to see these monsters right below us. The only thing Bret wished we had with us was a big piece of chicken that we could dangle (spelling?) down from a string so we could see the crocs jump to get a bite. Eek! It was freaky to think that they were wild and so close to the road we were traveling on.
This is a picture that I took from the balcony of the condo we were staying in. It's not the greatest picture, but if you could see past the tree line at the top . . . you would see the ocean. We're not very far away from the beach.

The location of the condo is really neat because it's right in the middle of a little "village". These are some pictures of the homes that people live in all around us.

This home was vacant this year . . . I don't know what happened to this family.

This house is right on the road that we walk down everyday to go to the beach. This family's swimming pool is filled with water everyday for a little swimming by the family members. Then each night they drain it.

This home is right at the bottom of the hill from our condo. This is the front of the home . . .

. . . and this is the back.

I was standing just out the front door of the condo we stayed in when I took this picture. Each day we would walk down this road (you can see the home at the bottom of the road that was in the above pictures) and then walk down the road to the beach.

After walking down this road we just turn right and the beach is about 100 yards away.

These Macaw birds are wild and they fly all over the place by the condo and along the beach. Their colors are so vivid and bright that they almost seem like they could be painted. They squawk like crazy as they fly and chase each other.

Every once in awhile we will drive to the nearest town that is about 15 minutes away called Jaco . This is a picture taken of the main road in town.

This year we went to one of the biggest tourist spots in Costa Rica. It's called Manuel Antonio. You start by walking through the jungle/forest for about 20 minutes and watch for all the wildlife that lives there. Then all of a sudden it opens up to a big ocean bay/cove. This is a picture of Bret walking out of the jungle after we spent the afternoon at the beach. While walking we saw . . .

Monkeys . . .

sloths . . .

and big lizard/iguanas! It was pretty cool to see their wildlife.

This is Bret on the beach after the big walk.

Us on the beach in Manuel Antonio!

Some of the funnest times were just talking with all the couples, late at night, outside in the warm air. These are just some funny pictures Bret and I took of each other . . . You can tell it was late and we were tired :)

Oh . . . Baby!

The last afternoon we were there, we headed down to the beach to boogie board one last time. I volunteered to take pictures while Bret went for the waves.

Of course, he was in heaven!

Why is he always the one to loose his shorts?

As the sun was setting, all of a sudden 5 horses came running down the beach. I couldn't get my camera fast enough before they were pretty far away, but it was cool.

This is the night before we left as the sun began to set.

(This picture is for Jamie!)

Isn't that beautiful?!

The sun was huge that night and absolutely gorgeous.

Thank you to everyone who helped us with the kids while we snuck away for a few days. It's so good to have Bret all to myself. We always have so much fun together. We love you all.

XOXOXOXO

Morning Sounds

2010-01-20T14:00:00.000-07:00

There's nothing funner then finishing up the dishes in the morning, after the kids have left for school, and hearing giggles and screams coming from my room. Shawn climbs up in my bed to snuggle with Bret, and it always turns in to a mini war. I hear a little, "Thaaat's it, Thaaat's it" and then

off they go in a giggling / screaming match.

And I'll bet you can't guess who always "WINS"?!

Grandpa Clark's Birthday Celebration!

2010-01-15T19:45:00.005-07:00

Well, it's the year of the big 6 - 0 for Grandpa Clark. Bret and I got to go out to eat with Kim, Jason, Matt and Grandma and Grandpa for the big day. We hit Texas Roadhouse for some yummy food and fun. After having a little salad, rolls, and a big juicy steak, the girls came out to sing to the birthday boy.

You will notice the saddle he was supposed to sit on to the left of him, but to all of our surprise he refused. So instead they "spotlighted" him and got the entire restaurant to say happy birthday. He was thrilled. . .

Some things we love about Grandpa :

He takes me for rides on the 4-wheeler -- Katy

He always turns us on a good movie -- Jenny

He gives me awesome back scratches -- Katy & Tyler

He takes good care of his mom -- Bret

He cracks funny jokes -- Katy

He lets me drive the 4-wheeler -- Tyler

He has a big heart -- Nic

He makes the best mashed potatoes -- Jenny
We roast marshmallows together -- Tyler

"He can call me a Doof" -- Shawn

We love you Grandpa!

Happy 60th Birthday!

A Day of Cross Country Skiing!

2010-01-14T18:33:00.009-07:00

I had the funnest day of Cross Country Skiing with Jenny. Last year I didn't dare volunteer to help because I had never been cross country skiing before. But when she came home and told me about it I thought, "I could have done that." So this year when the parent sign ups came around, I was all over it.

This is Jenny with two of her cute friends, Chloe and Meg! I sure love these girls!
Here are the girls ready to go and Jenny's second time out. They split the kids into two groups and they took turns playing snow shoe games and then skiing. I was asked to ski the whole time and boy am i feeling it tonight! Jenny got to stay with me the whole time.
I even got the full experience by riding up on the bus and having a school sack lunch. There are some cute kids in her class. This is all of them right before we took off from the school. (Jenny's standing up on the right hand side with her tongue out!)

It was fun to get to know some of her friends that I've never met before. They have such fun personalities. They all looked out for one another and always waited for the one who was trailing behind. I was proud of Jenny for giving up her seat by me and sitting by a lonely friend on the bus.

By the end of the day we had taken off our gloves, hats and sweatshirts and arrived at the lodge with only our t-shirts and jeans. We really got a full workout out there.

Thank you Jen for the fun day! I had so much fun with you.

Thank you for waiting for me when I was helping the slow ones.

I love you!

Highlights:

Watching the bus driver rock out to the music

Falling down 3 times going down the first hill

Laughing so hard every time we went down

Mastering the last hill only to have Maddie SLAM into the back of me

Helping McKenzie?

Watching all your cute friends stick together

Being with Jenny!

Halloween 2009

2009-10-30T10:52:00.003-07:00

The kids were so excited to take off this morning. They were dressed in a flash and out the door before I knew it. They were all so excited about their costumes and couldn't wait for the Halloween parties at school. Here are few pictures of each of them with some friends!

Jenny and her friends decided they wanted to be Hippy Ballerinas this year. All of us moms weren't sure what that meant exactly, but we went with it and I think they all turned out darling! Jenny got to tie-dye her shirt all by herself (which was something we had never done before) and she made her own Tutu. She was excited!

Tyler took forever to decide what he wanted to be this year. About three days ago his eyes finally sparkled when we said, "How about a Grandma?!" He couldn't wait! When he got to school this morning, he found out one of his friends was a Grandpa and their clothes even matched! It turned out pretty awesome considering we didn't plan it.

Katy's costume was probably the funnest for me this year. We found a picture of Lego online and Katy was sold. She knew she wanted to be a RED one. I had so much fun in Katy's class this morning. As I helped with some fun games, it was so fun to talk to each of the kids about what they were dressed as. I really don't love Halloween . . . But there is something magical about it for kids. Nothing funner then dressing up!

And this is Mr. Halloween himself. We lucked out this year and actually got a costume on him. For weeks he's been talking about how he was going to be a pumpkin and couldn't wait. And no matter how bad he's sweating, he won't let me take his hood/stem off for anything. He has had a lot of fun so far and can't wait for "Trick or Treating"!

Sign of a True-Blue Cougar fan!

2009-10-22T11:27:00.004-07:00

Well, today was the big day!

Jenny got braces!

We took this picture before we went in for her appointment . . .
And we took this one an hour later when her braces were finally on! And if you look closely you will notice that she chose Blue and White bands. . . for BYU! (of course)
I love you, Jen!
You have a beautiful smile!

Close you's eyes, Opens you's hands

2009-09-23T14:13:00.011-07:00

As Bret has traveled around the United States for various reasons, whether it be for In the Attic, Real Estate seminars or vacation, he has always made it a priority to bring home a little surprise for each of the kids. It has become his own special tradition. Each time Bret travels, comments heard around our house are, "How much longer until Dad's going to be home? I wonder what he's going to get us!" Phone calls at night from Dad, never end without questions like, "Have you got anything for us yet? How big is it? He says it's bigger than a feather but smaller than an Elephant!"

The moment he gets home, the first thing he says when he walks in the door is, "Everybody on the couch! Close your eyes and open your hands! NO PEEKING!"

Once they are seated with hands out front and eyes sealed, he proceeds to place something in each of their hands. Once he announces that they may open their eyes, the room is filled with excitement.. . . giant Jawbreakers, cups of slime, bags of gummi bears, screaming monkeys. . .

A while back, Katy came in with a surprise for me. With excitement in her voice she proceeded to tell me, "Close your eyes and open your hands." Upon feeling something in my hands, I opened my eyes to see our morning newspaper. "Thank you, Katy." I said, and off she went, proud as can be for being a good helper. Did I notice Shawn in the background watching this exchange?

A few days ago, as I was standing at the kitchen sink, I felt Shawn tug on my pant leg and I heard him say, "MOM! Close you's eyes, opens you's hands". And I turned to see this . . .

After doing as I was commanded, he presented me with one fresh raspberry he had picked off the raspberry bushes in our backyard. So proud! After waiting for me to eat the raspberry, he was gone.
Only a few minutes had passed when all of sudden he was back . . . "Close you's eyes, opens you's hands!" And I was presented with another. One by one the berries were picked and presented with pride.

Each day now I'm presented with raspberries, fresh off the bushes, one at a time. The magic for Shawn is in the picking and presenting (since he doesn't like to eat them himself). But the magic for me is to see the tradition and excitement pass on from one generation to another. I can only imagine the fun surprises that are still to come!

Pack Meeting - Hike to Battlecreek Falls

2009-07-30T13:38:00.010-07:00

It was a special Pack Meeting in our ward a couple weeks ago. We got to hike to Battlecreek Falls which is somewhere Bret and I have never heard of

let alone been there.

Before we started the big hike, Shawn worked on his big muscles and we listened while awards were given out for this last month's accomplishments.
Bret has been serving as Den leader for the Webelos den for the last several months. Each month he gets to stand up and award each of the boys for what they have been working on. I have loved watching him take such good care of these boys. He always puts his arms around them to show how proud he is of what they've been doing. And he ends each time with giving them a little kick in the pants. . . . Only Bret! The boys have absolutely loved having him for their leader. (We missed Sam in this picture above.) But we've been counting down the days for this Webelos den to get their newest Webelos member.

And we knew this new little boy was counting down the days to be with his Dad. Since Tyler just turned 10, ( Did I really just say 10?!) it was time for him to move up into the Webelos group. Bret helped Tyler with his new neckerchief and slide and Tyler was given a new book with new challenges to work on.

Just about a week after Tyler moved up into the Webelos Den, Bret got called to serve in the Elder's Quorum, so Tyler will have some new fun leaders. Tyler loves going to scouts so we know he will have fun no matter what! But hopefully Bret will keep up on his Webelos skills so he can help Ty at home.

Then we were off on our hike. The hike wasn't very far but it was a little steep. Bret hoisted Shawn up onto his shoulders and carried him the whole way. Shawn was mighty proud to be on his Dad's shoulders looking all around.

One of our dear friends, Christine, is one of the den leaders and she came on the hike with us. Just like us, she was little surprised by how steep it was. Bret was so kind to stay back with her to make sure she made it all the way safely. How did I get so lucky to have someone with such a big, kind heart!?

It wasn't long before we finally made it to the falls. And boy were we surprised to see how big it was. And to think we never knew . . . !

Off came the shoes and the climbing began. The mighty challenge was to cross the river to the other side . . . and boy was that water cold!

Once Tyler got over his nerves, he made it to the other side! He was so excited!

And it didn't surprise us to see Katy climbing trees on her way over.

For Shawn, the water was just little bit too cold for his little toes. . .

Bret surprised us with a stop at the Purple Turtle on the way home.

And Boy!, did those Oreo, cookie dough, and raspberry shakes taste awesome after that big hike!

Happy Day!

What to do on a Saturday in July . . .

2009-07-26T21:32:00.010-07:00

We've been talking all summer about going up to play in the fountains at the Gateway, so Saturday we finally went for it. We ended up staying for hours because the weather was perfect, Bret found us a great table with an umbrella for shade and of course . . . FOUNTAINS!!!

Shawn didn't let his big brother out of his sight.

He made sure he was only two steps behind.

Katy was a little hesitant at first . . .
. . . but before we knew it she was soaked!

We couldn't keep her out!

Jenny was (as Bret would say)
"TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL" :)
She hung out with Mom and Dad for awhile in the shade.

But it wasn't long before she was pulling everybody
into the water and getting soaked herself!

I don't think it will surprise anyone when I say that Tyler had the most fun putting cups over the fountains and watching them fly when the water blew.

Notice Tyler's cup in the air and how excited he was!

Shawn waiting for his cup to fly . . .

just like Tyler's.

Pretty soon everyone started taking breaks more often

and exclaiming how hungry they were.

Bret suddenly disappeared and the next thing we knew he was back with a bag full of

tacos, burritos and 3 huge Cokes!

It definitely hit the spot!

This is Katy "doin' the gangsta'". What a meatball!

Shawn was so tired after a while.

But he was so brave to just entertain himself

while the others still played in the water.

It was a super fun day!

It was good to be outside in the sun,

fun to do something different,

and great to all be together!

Tyler's 10th Birthday!

2009-07-18T17:03:00.010-07:00

Tyler's turning 10 so we said, "Let the party begin!"
We started out with a full day at 7-Peaks . . . 5 hours. I think that was a record for us and boy was it fun. Everyone had a friend to play with and it was 100 degrees?

What could be funner?

Then that night Tyler couldn't wait for his cousin Max to come over for a fun sleepover. We hit Olive Garden and then home for endless Wii Games!

Tyler has been planning his 10th Birthday Party since last Fall when we heard that they were postponing the release of the 6th Harry Potter Movie until July 15th 2009. As soon as Tyler heard the date he turned to me and said,
"ON MY BIRTHDAY!"
So there was no question as to what we were going to do. Bret got us some tickets for an 8:15am show Saturday morning and we were there bright and early. I wanted to make sure we didn't get doggy seats with it being a birthday party and all, so we got there an hour before the movie started. Bleary eyed and all we were the only ones there, and the doors were locked. But Hey! - We got the best seats in the house.
And the movie was awesome!

Bret, Katy and Shawn stayed back to feed some ducks and prep our house for surprise gifts when we got back from the show. And I have to say they did a great job. The room was fully decorated, presents wrapped (in newspaper :)) and Tyler was very surprised to find a new bike!

The first gift he opened was a . . . . pack of Cheese!

The second gift he opened was another . . .
Pack of Cheese!
The third gift he opened was another . . .
Pack of Cheese!
and the fourth gift he opened was another . . .
Pack of Cheese!
Bret definitely knows what Ty loves . . . and what a great sense of humor!

To top off the celebration, we hit Los Hermanos

for the best Fajita's in the world!

What a fun Birthday Celebration!

We are so grateful to have Tyler in our family.

We love him so much!

Some things we love about Tyler are:

He has the BIGGEST heart!
He is a good friend to everyone - always so kind and nice
He is so smart that Grandma Clark calls him a "Walking Encyclopedia" :)
He is a hard worker
He is a lawn mowin' machine!
He is always willing to help
He ran his first 5K this year!
He loves science!
He loves to cook and wants to be a chef someday!
He is growing like a weed!
He loves to ride his ripstik and bike!

We love you Ty!
Hope you had a great B-day celebration!

Hope of America!

2009-05-21T12:56:00.000-07:00

Jenny participated in the Hope of America show again this year! It's one of my favorite things to go to. Since the beginning of the school year, Jenny has been going to show choir early in the morning before school starts, two days a week, to learn new songs and singing techniques. Then the morning of May 6, 2009, they joined up with over 35 schools across the county to perform songs for us in the Hope of America show. Every student knows the actions and words to every song and they dress in different t-shirt colors and sit in specific seats so that they display the American Flag. It is amazing!

The show is such an amazing production and I was proud of Jenny for choosing to be a part of it this year. Grandma Z came and sat by me and we soaked in as much as we could. With tears in our eyes, we heard songs about freedoms to V.O.T.E, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., the military, Declaration of Independence, and "This is America" which is always my favorite. On this song, the entire crowd is invited to participate in the actions and WOW. . . it's amazing.
Thank you Grandma for coming to see Jenny perform in the concert again this year. We can always count on Grandma to bring a little something to nibble on like, chocolate covered cinnamon bears (that melted last year because we were literally in the nose bleed section of the seats), M&Ms and licorice. YUM! We even got to go for an ice cream treat this year to "Spoon Me" after the show. As usual, Jenny savored every last bite!

Jenny has some of the cutest friends. We are so grateful for each one of them.

Here are a few of them . . . Meg, Bailey, Jessica . . . We love you!

Thank you for being so wonderful!

Shawn's 1st Summer Buzz!

2009-05-21T12:18:00.003-07:00

Well, it's that time of year again for the boys to get a buzz. Shawn's old enough to get one this year, but we were a little hesitant about the whole thing. His head has always been a little misshapen, and we were worried that having "no hair" would emphasize this fact. But after thinking it through, we decided that this year, when he's only two years old, would be the best time to give it a shot. We could then decide if we ever wanted to do it again. So off to the bar stools outside, in the sunshine and breeze where the hair would easily blow away, we started with a "before shot" for memory sake.

And away it went!

It didn't take long for the tears to flow. I've always had a knack for drawing tears when it comes to hair cuts. It's a good thing I don't cut hair professionally.

After many distractions like dancing from Katy, singing from Mom, and jokes from Dad, it was done and man is he handsome.
Katy couldn't wait to pose with her brother's new look.

It's so fun to bring the boys in right after a new hair cut and let them see the results. There's nothing like their first reaction in the mirror. Shawn was pretty excited about his new cut. And it looks so good, we're sure to do it again and again. Everyone we see asks if they can feel it. Shawn promptly tells them "yes" and then says, "a buzz".

Favorite Things . . .

2009-04-10T15:04:00.010-07:00

My favorite things about today:

1 - NO SCHOOL! Having my kids all to myself .

2 - Going for a 2 mile walk with all the kids . . . Jenny and Katy rollerblading, Tyler Rip-Sticking and Shawn riding in the stroller. No one complained, the weather was perfect, and I got my exercise in for the day. We all jumped in the car when we got back to "clock" how far we went. . . watching the numbers tick with each turn and guessing the final distance!

3 - Working out in the yard . . . Tyler helping me with an extra job while talking about Harry Potter, Katy jumping in the shower all by herself so she could make it to a birthday party on time.

4 - Listening to the kids laugh and play while they climb our apple tree, make a zip-line in our backyard, play tug-of-war with a rope and pull each other in the wagon around the block.

5 - Katy praying at lunch-time that everyone will be safe when she goes to her birthday party today! :)

6 - Shawn wanting to see his superman picture on the blog 50 million times and listen to "his song"on I-Tunes.

7 - Stitching on my quilt block for tomorrow and anticipating what the next block will be like.

8 - Thinking about the book I'm reading and wanting to curl up and read more.

9 - Hearing Bret's footsteps come in the door and knowing it's him before he comes around the corner.

10 - Feeling the excitement in the air for Easter weekend.

I couldn't have asked for a better day!

It's a bird, It's a Plane, no it's super Shhnnaw!!!

2009-04-09T21:35:00.007-07:00

Clark Kent showed up at our house today. (What a nerd!)

Or maybe he looks more like Toby the turtle from the Robin hood cartoon.

Posted by Bret "unbelievable" Clark

Dreamy

2009-04-08T19:43:00.005-07:00

Even though they won't admit it both Jenny and Nicole have a crush on Adam.

It's her Birthday!!!

2009-04-04T17:25:00.012-07:00

Happy Birthday Nicole

On April 5th Nicole turns 35!!!

New Charity Scam!!!

2009-03-30T19:09:00.007-07:00

Channel 5 news is reporting a scam that is sweeping the state of Utah. Apparently this woman hits the streets with her kids to swindle money from people who feel sorry for her. Authorities are asking the public to avoid her at all costs. Do not give her money (she will only spend it on Booze and moon boots).

The preceeding post was submitted by Bret and should not reflect on Nicole in anyway, shape, or form. ( I have to write this or Nicole will not let me post anymore.)

Clean Whitey Tighties

2009-03-23T20:17:00.004-07:00

The camera was not the only thing that flashed...

Eye am going to miss you.

2009-03-23T15:35:00.004-07:00

You may have heard that my sister Cheech is Moving. It is going to be very hard to SEE her go.

I can't take it anymore!!!

2009-03-22T09:00:00.006-07:00

Tired of Kade getting all the attention, Maddison finally hits her limit and acts out.

Ending things on a High Note!

2009-03-20T22:14:00.009-07:00

The Thompsons camping trip was a success ... sort of.

The family talent show ended abruptly when Kade performed the trumpet routine he learned from his uncle Matt (clark). Whoa!!!

The kid in the background was not impressed.

By Uncle Bret

2009-03-20T06:59:00.003-07:00

Kade Has a Bad Day. (by Uncle Bret)

Celine Dion Concert in November?

2009-02-24T14:58:00.009-07:00

Nope!

No Celine Dion Concert in November!

Celine got sick and it was post-poned until February!

After waiting for over a year, with tickets in hand, we ended up having to wait an extra 3 months for the big night. To top it off . . . Drumroll please . . . it was re-scheduled for a Sunday night! Double Bummer! But we didn't hesitate for a second about going. It was awesome!

Jenny and I were so lucky to have Grandma Z and my Aunt Leslie come with us. The second we walked in the door, I turned around and there was Sister Carolyn Chambers (a cute sister in our ward, and one of Jenny's primary leaders) with her daughter in line buying a Celine Dion shirt. We both laughed about it being Sunday and how funny it was to see each other there. We said good-bye and told them to enjoy their night.

We started our search for a fun place to take a picture but we didn't have much luck. We decided to take our chances with the Celine Dion Poster Man . We were nervous about taking a picture in front of this table full of Celine posters because we thought the man would be upset. But as you can see, he enjoyed jumping into the picture himself.

After grabbing some of Jenny favorite food in the world, MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM, we headed in to find our seats. Little did we know, we were in for another surprise. Sister Chambers and her daughter were sitting right behind us! What are the chances our seats would be right together?!? It was fun to sit by them!

It was so fun to watch Jenny's eyeballs about pop out of her head when she saw how close we were to the stage. This was Jenny's first concert and I think she loved every second of it!

The only thing that could have made it better would have been if Katy would have been with us. Hopefully next time she'll be able to join the big girls! :)

Thank you Mom and Leslie for making the night so fun. Les, I'm so glad you joined us at the last minute. You need to join us more often for our girls' nights out. Movie night . . .?

The concert was great, Celine was great, the company was great. . . I would definitely do it again. Even if it was on Sunday!

(Here is an awful video of one of my favorite songs)

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-14T10:09:00.005-07:00

Just a little Valentine Message

from our One-and-Only. . .

Shhnnaw :)

Lights at Temple Square!

2008-12-09T13:18:00.008-07:00

Last night Katy was in charge of our family night, and she surprised us with a trip to see the lights on Temple Square! She made a plan with Dad and off we went. It was really cold and snowing just a little bit. But we had so much fun walking around looking at all the lights, reflection pond, nativities and most of all the temple.

We couldn't keep Katy out of the snow and water. We warned her many times that she would be cold if she got wet. And before we knew it, she had her gloves off in her pockets and wet pants up to her calves. She got a little chilly!

We even got to peek inside both the old tabernacle and the new conference center. We were amazed at the difference in size! We had never been inside the Conference Center, so we were amazed with how big and beautiful it is. We asked our guide lots of questions like . . . How many people can be seated in here? How long did it take to build? Is the Tabernacle Choir preparing for a Christmas Concert soon? Tyler had lots of questions too. He stumped our guide with the question . . . "How many feet high and wide is this building?" LOL! We love our Tyler!

We topped off the night with some hot chocolate chips cookies and ice cream back at home. We are so happy that we were able to go to Salt Lake to see the lights this year. In years past, things have been a little crazy when we've attempted to see the lights. It was fun to be together with our family . . . to think about Christmas and spend a night together. I'm sure this will be something we will never forget!

Birthday Countdown!

2008-11-17T12:11:00.005-07:00

Today is one of my nephew's birthdays. And I've been thinking about him like crazy lately. Last week I realized that his birthday was coming and that's when the mental countdown began. This last weekend I spent a lot of time in bed with my leg up and every once in awhile I'd think, "Just a few more days until Kade's birthday!"

Now I know that a countdown is normal for me to do with my own kids' and their birthdays, but I don't usually consciously count down days for my nieces and nephews. But for some reason this cute Kade (as you can see from the great picture above)has been on my mind.

I've thought several times this morning about when we can call Kade to sing "Happy Birthday" so that our time zones would match up okay. But by the time we woke up this morning, Kade was already at school.

And then it hit me. While I was doing the dishes this morning I realized why Kade has been on my mind. He's turning eight! and that's not just like any other birthday. Eight is a big one for Kade because he's going to be baptized in a couple weeks.

I don't know why we have different thoughts about loved ones at different times like we do, but for some reason I could feel that this was an extra special one for Kade. I'm so happy for him.

Kade, we love you. We are so proud of you for choosing to be baptized. Grandma and Grandpa Clark told us that they get to come see you for your baptism, and we think that is great. You will have so much fun having them there with you. They love you so much.

We hope you have an extra fun birthday today in that yummy, Florida sun. We want you to know that we love you and we're thinking about you.

Happy Birthday Kade!

The Magic of Time

2008-10-15T16:42:00.008-07:00

This post is dedicated to my dear Jenny for encouraging me daily to keep blogging.

It's 8:30am. Tyler just took off on his bike for school, Katy is still curled up in bed and Shawn is in a continuous morning giggle with Bret in my bed. Jenny quietly, and very sneaky-like, closes the door to my room so I can sneek out the front door. We're headed to the Orthodontist for a new retainer that was lost in the waves at Laguna Beach.

As the front door closes behind us, Jenny says, "Mom, you forgot your shoes!" I'm holding them along with my sweatshirt because I had to get out quick before Shawn would see ( the unbelievable love of a 2-year-old for his mom. . . ).

We climb in the frost covered car. Jenny's sitting next to me and she grins as she comments that she's got seat warmers under her bum. She has recently come to think that she is old enough to sit in the front seat with me. I reluctantly don't refuse because I secretly love having her by my side. I start up the car and then finish getting ready with my shoes and sweatshirt.

That's when I turn to Jenny and plead, "Come on! Just stay home with me . . . let's do home school. Then we can play every day." She smiles like she always does when I say this and playing along says, "That would be fun, Mom".

At this moment, my heart swells with love for my Jenny. And I see how the magic of time has changed Jenny to not only being my little buddy but also my friend.

When I reflect on my life and how quickly time goes by, I see how important it is to "find joy in the journey—now" (President Monson). My kids are growing up so fast that it almost breaks my heart. Each moment counts for so much.

As we pulled into the school parking lot, I was sad as I watched Jenny gather her things and flip her backpack onto her back. I really could have gone for a sluff day. But it makes me smile to see that I found joy in something so simple. And I pray that these moments will come again and again.

I love you Jen! :)

Bridal Veil Falls

2008-07-23T18:26:00.007-07:00

We had one of the funnest days today! Bret called from Vegas and said that the inspector was coming to our house and it would take him about 2 hours to complete the entire inspection. It was time for Shawn's nap so I wasn't really sure what to do. I grabbed the kids and we headed for Taco Time for a little lunch. I had them throw their suits in the car just in case we found some water to play in. After we ate, I decided to take the kids up to Bridal Veil Falls to play in the water . . . I thought this would be fun and we could stay long enough to let the inspector get his job done. On our way up University Ave, I called my Dad to see if he wanted to come with us and he said, "YES!" So I stopped at his house and picked him up for our little adventure.

We parked down below, in the little parking lot at the bottom of the trail, and we walked up to the base of the Falls. It was so fun to have Grandpa come along. Shawn kept smiling at me because Grandpa was pushing the stroller.

The second we got there the kids took off through the water with their flip flops on ready to attack.
Shawn wasn't nervous at all. It was a little tricky keeping up with him. He knew exactly where he wanted to go next and there was nothing stopping him.

Jenny and Katy started climbing up the falls with Grandpa right behind them. I noticed Katy was in the lead the whole time. When they came back down Grandpa said Katy was like a little mountain goat . . . there was nothing stopping her. I think she would have kept climbing if we hadn't called her back.
Grandpa challenge Tyler to make a Dam and Tyler was all over that!

He started gathering rocks . . .
. . . and before long the girl chipped in a little help too.

Don't they have the cutest little bodies!?!
By this time Shawn was a little tired, so he and I just watched and wandered a little.

I thought it was so fun to have my Dad come along with us today. I'm so glad that you were home, Dad, and that you were willing to come with us at the last minute. Thank you for being such a cute Grandpa.
We will always remember this day. . .We love you!

Tyler's 9th Birthday!

2008-07-23T16:47:00.004-07:00

Tyler's 9 and we can't believe it!

Where does the time go?

We started celebrating the night before with a yummy Sweet and Sour Chicken dinner (Tyler's Favorite) and some Brownies and Ice Cream(since Tyler doesn't like cake) for Dessert . He picked himself out some TRICK candles at the store and had a blast trying to blow them out.

Then on the big day we had some school friends come over for a birthday party. We headed to Kangaroo Zoo and then hit the park for some pizza and cookies.
Tyler gave them each a bag of gadgets and goodies. These funny teeth and the slimy goop were the biggest hit.
Mark and Jaxon
Ty with Kade
Cameron and Spencer
The two cutest girls in the world!
. . . and one monkey!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TY!
WE LOVE YOU!

4th of July 2008

2008-07-08T15:34:00.007-07:00

The Fourth of July festivities started for us last week with the Children's Parade. We decorated our bikes/scooters/rollerblades the night before so we would be ready for the "big" 6 block walk. Katy was a little disappointed in how slow she had to go on her bike. I think she thought she would be able to dazzle people with her amazing bike riding skills. And Jenny and Tyler kept asking where all the people were. There's nothing like being in a parade when there aren't any people there to watch it. But it was fun!

Waiting for the parade to start!

Then we hit the hot air balloons the morning of the 3rd.
It's always to fun to meet Grandma and Grandpa Z and Kym there.

. . . nothing better then sitting on a Grandpa's lap!

. . . or riding on shoulders! After the balloons Bret treated us to a yummy breakfast (1200 calories yummy) at IHOP. You gotta love that spinach/mushroom omelet!
Last year we started something a little new on the 4th. We decided to start it off with an early morning run. This year my Mom and I ran the 5K and Kym, my Aunt Leslie, and Uncle Rory ran the 10K. My sister talked me into training for it a few months ago . . . and I'm so glad. I've never run that far in my life so . . . It was exciting for me to actually be able to finish the race.

. . . and there's nothing funner then doing it with people you love. Thanks for encouraging me Kym! Way to Go!
Then it was time to cruise home for a quick shower and then back for the parade. I can't get over how handsome these two are! OH! I love them!

We had Otter Pops . . .
and treats . . . and more Otter Pops!
And we can't imagine the parade without cousins! We had so much fun throwing poppers, fighting for our spot and sharing otter pops with our fellow parade neighbors. :) Anyone for some White Glasses?

After a little nap we headed over to a family BBQ for some yummy food and water balloon games. Thank you Cindy! It was delicious! We had to sneak out a little early so we wouldn't miss the STADIUM OF FIRE!
The weather was absolutely perfect that night. We thought we might be "sweatin' buckets" the whole time but the clouds came over and there was even a little breeze. It was perfect!
Shawn couldn't get enough of Grandma Z the whole night. She was the only one he wanted to sit by. And he definitely kept her going on the Licorice and Cinnamon Bears!
Bret even managed to get a few "back scratches" in.
Jenny had so much fun being with Kymmie all day. She just can't get enough of her. We are so glad she lives close enough to play with us. We love you Kym!

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for being such good sports with Buddy! He definitely knows who he loves and what he wants!

By the end of the night, when it was finally time for the fireworks, Shawn was read to crash. He made it through the first few minutes and then he zonked.
We had such a fun day! The 4th of July is probably one of our family's favorite holidays. It's so great to be reminded each year of how blessed we are. What a privilege it is to be an American. We are so grateful to live in America and have the freedoms that we do. We pray for the men who are fighting for our country today and their families for being so strong and loyal. May we all remember how blessed we are throughout the entire year!

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!

The Best Dad in the Whole Wide World

2008-06-15T07:03:00.004-07:00

We are so blessed to have such a wonderful Dad!

We can't imagine what our lives would be like without him. (Jenny's sitting by me while I write this and she says, "Yeah we do, Mom. It would be boring!") I love her.

We love our Dad for so many things:

His jokes - Jenny
He takes us bowling - Katy
He comes to my Coach Pitch Games and helps me - Tyler
He helps us with our art projects at school - Jenny
He gives the best back tickles - Katy
He takes us to Nickle-Cade - Jenny

He smokes the best ribs - Jenny
He takes us to Jazz games - Jenny, Tyler
He takes us out for Ice Cream - Katy
He likes to watch T.V. shows with us like American Gladiators - Jenny
He likes to play XBOX/Star Wars with me - Tyler
He takes good care of us - Katy
He likes to play football in our yard - Jenny

He plays fun road games with me when we're driving to dance - Jenny
He is an amazing cook
He plays games with us - Katy
He goes on lunch dates while the kids are at school and every Saturday Night
He takes good care of our yard and home
He takes us out on the boat - Jenny, Katy
He gives great foot rubs
He wrestles with us - Jenny
He takes us for Four-Wheeler rides in Wallsburg - Katy
He loves the Food Network Channel
He likes to play in the waves with us at Laguna Beach - Jenny

He's funny - Jenny, Tyler
He makes yummy Peanut Butter Cups - Katy
He wrestles with me - Shawn
He takes us on Sunday Drives
He makes the kids do back, arm, feet, and leg Tickle Contests
He tells us to "get a good education" when he takes us to school - Jenny, Tyler
He asks me if I "Shook my Booty" EVERYTIME he picks me up from dance - Jenny
He loves us - Katy
He lets me help him fix up our Rentals - Tyler
I love to give him hugs and kisses -Shawn

He is honest
He is a hard worker
He's an amazing swimmer
He has a great sense of humor
He always looks for the good in things
He loves to read
He is patient with me
He honors his priesthood responsibilities
He dreams big
He is smart - He knows about everything
He provides a wonderful home for our family
He sets good goals and reaches high
He encourages us to do what is right
He's a good decision maker
He loves his wife
He is so handsome!
He is very generous and is always willing to help others.

We love you, Dad!

You are the Best!

2008-05-20T06:47:00.001-07:00

Go David Archuleta!!!

We're Voting for You!!!

A Weekend to Remember!

2008-05-17T15:40:00.003-07:00

Jenny had one of the funnest weekends ever. I'm sure it will be one that she will always remember. First of all, Bret invited her to go to the Jazz game with him on Friday. She wanted to go to the Laker game during the regular season, but it ended up being on a school night, so she wasn't able to go. When we got our tickets for game 6 of the playoffs, Bret knew she would absolutely love it. She got all dressed up and did her hair, put on some cute earrings (Thanks Aunt Jamie!) and a little lip gloss later she was ready for her date with Dad!

Bret was so excited to take her. He knew she would love it, be interested in the game and actually know what was going on. They both had so much fun.

They were a perfect match for the game.

Then on Saturday, the Public Library had a huge Children's Book Festival. They had tons of activities and about 30-40 different authors and illustrators there for book signing. We got to meet the authors of the "Fablehaven" books (See picture of Jen above as Fablehaven), "Snowmen at Night" author and illustrator, Guy Francis (who we will always love), and the one and only . . .
SHANNON HALE!

This is Jenny with Shannon Hale who is the author of Princess Academy(Newberry Medal), The Goose Girl, A Book of a Thousand Days, Austenland, and more. She was really nice and signed Jen's copy of "Princess Academy" for her. It was so fun to meet all the fun authors and illustrators. Jen, Kate and Ty were walking around with their eyes popping out of their heads when they realized who all the people were. It was really fun and a neat experience for the kids. I hope they do it again next year!

After-School-Snack by Candlelight?

2008-05-07T16:42:00.002-07:00

Jenny and Tyler got home today right as a storm hit. (Tyler even asked the bus driver to pull right up to our house so he wouldn't get so wet. WHAT A NUT!) They ran in the house as fast as they could, and I decided today was probably a good day for hot, fresh chocolate chip cookies right out of the oven for an after-school-snack. We listened to the loud cracks of thunder and watched the rain pour down while the cookies baked. The power flashed off a few times during the storm and we wondered if we were going to loose our power. When they cookies were done, Tyler suggested that we light a candle and pretend that the power went out. Jenny pulled out some "campfire songs" and we sang a little "John Jacob Jinglehimer Schmit" while we ate our yummy snack. There's nothing like being a little crazy every once in a while!

There's something about a storm that just makes you want to snuggle up with those you love. It was fun!

Katy the Soccer Queen!

2008-05-05T19:57:00.002-07:00

Katy played soccer again this year

and she absolutely loved it!

She is one amazing player. She is so aggressive . . . she just gets in there and attacks. We've decided she must have gotten it from her Aunt Jamie!

After game Cheer with Coach Nick Rhineer!

Thanks Coach!
Shaking hands with the other team!
Five of the Eight kids on her team after the final game!
Sophie and Katy!

This is Katy's cute friend Sophie. They had so much fun playing together on the same team this year. We can't wait for next season!

Nothing Like Family Night!

2008-05-05T19:39:00.004-07:00

There's nothing like family night! Especially when . . .

. . . it starts off with Bret and I going for a walk around the block

. . . it's one of the first warm Spring/Summer nights of the year

. . . the kids did the dishes after dinner

. . . Bret starts the night off with a baseball game in the front yard

. . . then Bret starts singing our family night song

AND conducts the lesson on prayer with Ty

Spring is in the Air!

Big hit for Ty!
Bret going for the Ball to get Ty out!
Jenny's big Hit!
Kate's big Hit!
And Shawn hangin' by his favorite person in the world.

What would he do without his Mommy?

No one knows!

Ty's Basketball Season

2008-03-26T18:19:00.004-07:00

Tyler has been playing basketball for the last several weeks. He has become one awesome player!

He takes the ball down the court like a pro

and he makes a basket almost every game.

Only one game left!
Shawn can't wait to get on that court too!
I sure love you Ty! You are one amazing boy! You are a good sport, team player, and you have been practicing so hard. You are a basketball star!

I LOVE YOU!

Easter 2008

2008-03-25T16:13:00.003-07:00

We had a great Easter weekend again this year.

We put on our new Easter clothes and snapped a few pictures before heading out to church.
On Saturday we went to Grandma and Grandpa Z's to color easter eggs. We are so glad that they invite us each year to color the eggs. It's so much fun! But I have to say, the glitter was definitely the highlight!

Bret kept his designated spot warm as usual. . . Reading on the couch! :)
And Shawn was pretty brave to play with the toys and stay out of trouble most of the time.

Easter morning we discovered that the easter bunny had delivered again. Our baskets were loaded!
Shawn was in heaven. He's never had a yummier breakfast . . . 1 chocolate egg, 1 Reese's peanut butter cup, another chocolate egg, another chocolate egg. . .

Our family is truly Blessed!

Saint Patrick's Day

2008-03-18T11:13:00.005-07:00

Green Eggs and Ham Anyone?

I was so excited to play a little trick on the kids. I made a plate of Green scrambled eggs and some ham,

and I handed it to each one of them when they came down for breakfast.

They all had a nervous look on their face when they saw it.

I have to admit . . . It didn't look very appetizing.

They were all relieved when I pulled out toast and grapefruit from behind the toaster. We ended the day with "game night". . . A little Clue and Charades!

It was a fun "lucky" day!

Art Expo

2008-03-15T20:58:00.004-07:00

Westridge had its annual Art Expo last week. The theme was "My Favorite Things" and Jenny and Tyler both chose to do 'Sculptures'. So we took a night and made salt dough. Boy was it fun!

Tyler made this "thing" and told me it was a caterpillar but then the next thing I knew it was a fence so . . .

Jenny knew right away what her favorite thing was!

Can you tell what it is?
And Katy, my little artist, made this little snowman. . . She kind of got "pushed to the side" because Jenny and Tyler needed help completing their projects and then all of a sudden Katy had this adorable Snowman made. He was complete with a scarf (not pictured), earmuffs, gloves (not pictured), buttons and a carrot nose. Her creation was pretty incredible for being 5 years old. I know she got her artistic talent from Bret and Grandma Clark, because she sure as heck didn't get it from me!

Shawnee even got to play with us.

But he wasn't so sure about it . . .

Well, if you haven't guessed yet, Jenny loves football! That's all she and a few friends do at recess is play football with the boys. And of course, you should have guessed Tyler's favorite thing . . . CHEESE! So he gave up on the fence/caterpillar thing and made a "cheeseman"! Complete with cheese colored paint and holes! Way to go guys! That was a fun project to do together. I love you all!

Jenny's Dance Concert

2008-01-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

Jenny performed in a benefit concert for the Utah Food Bank this last week. She had so much fun. . . She was grinning from ear to ear the whole time!

She got to do two dances this year.

The names of the dances are

"Cooties" and "Miscommunication".

This is a picture of all the girls on her team.

Way to go Extreme!

You all did a great job!

Sledding at Rock Canyon Park

2008-01-04T11:43:00.000-07:00

We did a lot of fun things over the Christmas Break, but our favorite was probably going sledding at

Rock Canyon Park.

I don't think Katy remembers going sledding very much, so it was kind of like new thing for her. And of course she loved it! She was looking for every jump she could find, and she was fighting me to go higher and faster each time. Tyler, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. He was a little more cautious. :) And Jenny just can't stop laughing!
Bret was so brave to wait in the car with Shawn. They watched Baby Einstein about three times before we came back. Thank you Dad and Shawn for being so brave!
When we finally decided that our hands and feet were frozen, we headed back to the car for a little HOT CHOCOLATE! Katy said it was a "picnic in the snow". The whole day was so fun!

Festival of Trees

2007-12-03T16:53:00.001-07:00

We went to the Festival of Trees on Saturday. We were planning on Bret being with us, but he took off for the Cougar game in San Diego at the last minute,so it just ended up being me and the kids.

Grandma and Grandpa Z had never been

to the festival, so we talked them into tagging along.

We loved having them with us!

Shawn could tell something fun was going to happen.

What a smile!

We all did a bunch of stuff in the kids corner . . .

life-sized bubble, sand mix, reindeer spoons,

and Tyler even talked to one of Santa's elves.

Grandpa and Shawn were so brave to wait for the activities to end.

The gingerbread houses may have been

our favorite things at the Festival!

Jenny and I are ready to make a tree

for the festival next year. Is anyone else in?

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let is Snow!

2007-12-01T10:03:00.000-07:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

We woke up this morning to snow, snow, snow!

The kids couldn't get their snow clothes on fast enough.

So today, we are deep in Hot Chocolate,

Snowflake making,

and staying inside with lots of

Christmas music and decorating.

What a fun day!