Clark Chatter

Halloween Dance

2011-10-11T17:08:00.002-06:00

This is how David answered the girl that asked him to the Halloween dance.

Knock Knock

2011-08-09T20:29:00.002-06:00

Ella was getting frustrated with the never-ending banana knock knock joke. This is about ten minutes into the knock knock joke.

Christmas 2011

2011-08-09T20:13:00.004-06:00

Christmas List 2011
Michael & Heather have Jill
Spencer & Kim have Justin & Kimi & fam
Jay & Nicole have David
Amy has Michael & Heather & fam
Jill has Spencer & Kim & fam
Justin & Kimi have Jay & Nicole
David has Amy

Hope that sounds right...

Christmas List

2010-09-19T21:42:00.002-06:00

Here is the list of who has who for Christmas.
Michael & Heather have Petsey
Spencer & Kim have David
Jay & Nicole have Michael, Heather, & the boys
Amy has Spencer, Kim, & the girlies
Jill has Jay & Nicole
Justin & Kimi have Amy
Peter has Jill
David has Justin, Kimi, Travis,& new baby

Get Excited for Christmas time! Also, if Petsey leaves before Christmas that does not forfeit his obligation to get me a present...just sayin:)

Fun!

2010-08-17T20:32:00.002-06:00

Travis and Ella were best buddies while we visited...We miss him!
Can't wait to see you Amy...and Pete!

Freddy the Snowman

2010-01-31T00:32:00.000-07:00

Ella reminds me often that it only snows in Utah...Only Amy knows how to make real good snow people...Thanks for providing some fun for Ella while we were up for Christmas!

Puppy Love

2010-01-31T00:27:00.000-07:00

Ella loves Jake...that is what I call puppy love!

2010-01-26T19:57:00.002-07:00

On January 14th, David had surgery to reset his broken nose. He was confused and agitated when coming out of the anesthetic so the nurse brought me back to help calm him. He asked me many times where he was and I had to keep telling him. Then he started telling me how much he loved me and I heard that many times over. That was actually pretty fun, until the nurse said "don't worry, he won't remember anything he says." Well, I called Steven to let him know that we would be coming home soon and David said he wanted to talk to his Dad. I told him we'd be home soon and he could talk then. Then, I asked him what he wanted to say to his dad. He said "I just wanted to tell him that I love him". So sweet! I made the mistake of telling the other kids, so now David has to live with "David, I love you man!" every day several times a day. I keep telling him to look for the positive in this. We really do love you David!

Baby Davey is officially an Eagle Scout

2009-11-15T22:30:00.012-07:00

The last Eagle Scout of the Fam. Congrats David!
Dad giving David his Eagle pendant.

Scout Leader Leon Thurgood giving David a bunch of letters from various government leaders. (He received a letter of congrats from everyone but President Obama, which Leon was not very happy about).

What a handsome Eagle Scout!

David with the grandparents.

David with the parents.

Of course the boys wouldn't cooperate when I tried to get a picture. This is the best picture I could get of them.

Christmas!!!!

2009-10-04T18:00:00.002-06:00

Michael & Heather has David
Spencer & Kim has Michael & family
Jay has Spencer & family
Amy has Jay
Jill has Amy
Justin & Kimi has Jill
Peter has Justin & family
David has Peter

From now on I guess we are just going to go in order for Christmas since it is easier. Any objections?

Blackmail Pictures!!!

2009-06-22T23:37:00.005-06:00

If you promise teenage boys or Jay food they will do anything, even if they regret it later. I told them I needed to take some portraits for my photography class and although I didn't use these I think they are hilarious!

Horseys

2009-06-03T23:59:00.002-06:00

Ella Jane loves Uncle Jay's horses and had a fun time trying to ride them!

"Look-a-Like"

2009-05-30T08:02:00.001-06:00

While on our Cruise...we were walking the streets of Belize and stumbled upon this look-a-like. What do you think? Kimmi sure looks the part!

Clark Piano Concert #2

2009-02-08T14:08:00.005-07:00

Kissing cousins

2009-02-08T14:02:00.002-07:00

As soon as Travis walked through the door he was greeted with hugs and kisses from Ella Jane. I am pretty sure they kissed at least ten times in the first five minutes they were with each other. It was hilarious!

An Ode to Spencer

2009-01-27T09:05:00.002-07:00

A friend of mine at work forwarded me the following:

This is from newshound Dave Barry's colonoscopy journal:

I called my friend Andy Sable, a gastroenterologist, to make an appointment for a colonoscopy. A few days later, in his office, Andy showed me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place, at one point passing briefly through Minneapolis.

Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough, reassuring and patient manner.

I nodded thoughtfully, but I didn't really hear anything he said, because my brain was shrieking, quote, 'HE'S GOING TO STICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR BEHIND!'

I left Andy's office with some written instructions, and a prescription for a product called 'MoviPrep,' which comes in a box large enough to hold a microwave oven. I will discuss MoviPrep in detail later; for now suffice it to say that we must never allow it to fall into the hands of America 's enemies.

I spent the next several days productively sitting around being nervous. Then, on the day before my colonoscopy, I began my preparation.

In accordance with my instructions, I didn't eat any solid food that day; all I had was chicken broth, which is basically water, only with less flavor.

Then, in the evening, I took the MoviPrep. You mix two packets of powder together in a one-liter plastic jug, then you fill it with lukewarm water. (For those unfamiliar with the metric system, a liter is about 32 gallons.)

Then you have to drink the whole jug. This takes about an hour, because MoviPrep tastes - and here I am being kind - like a mixture of goat spit and urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon.

The instructions for MoviPrep, clearly written by somebody with a great sense of humor, state that after you drink it, 'a loose, watery bowel movement may result.' This is kind of like saying that after you jump off your roof, you may experience contact with the ground.

MoviPrep is a nuclear laxative. I don't want to be too graphic, here, but: Have you ever seen a space-shuttle launch? This is pretty much the MoviPrep experience, with you as the shuttle. There are times when you wish the commode had a seat belt. You spend several hours pretty much confined to the bathroom, spurting violently. You eliminate everything. And then, when you figure you must be totally empty, you have to drink another liter of MoviPrep, at which point, as far as I can tell, your bowels travel into the future and start eliminating food that you have not even eaten yet.

After an action-packed evening, I finally got to sleep. The next morning my wife drove me to the clinic. I was very nervous. Not only was I worried about the procedure, but I had been experiencing occasional return bouts of MoviPrep spurtage. I was thinking, 'What if I spurt on Andy?' How do you apologize to a friend for something like that? Flowers would not be enough.

At the clinic I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understood and totally agreed with whatever the heck the forms said. Then they led me to a room full of other colonoscopy people, where I went inside a little curtained space and took off my clothes and put on one of those hospital garments designed by sadist perverts, the kind that, when you put it on, makes you feel even more naked than when you are actually naked.

Then a nurse named Eddie put a little needle in a vein in my left hand. Ordinarily I would have fainted, but Eddie was very good, and I was already lying down. Eddie also told me that some people put vodka in their MoviPrep. At first I was ticked off that I hadn't thought of this, but then I pondered what would happen if you got yourself too tipsy to make it to the bathroom, so you were staggering around in full Fire Hose Mode. You would have no choice but to burn your house.

When everything was ready, Eddie wheeled me into the procedure room, where Andy was waiting with a nurse and an anesthesiologist. I did not see the 17,000-foot tube, but I knew Andy had it hidden around there somewhere. I was seriously nervous at this point. Andy had me roll over on my left side, and the anesthesiologist began hooking something up to the needle in my hand. There was music playing in the room, and I realized that the song was 'Dancing Queen' by ABBA. I remarked to Andy that, of all the songs that could be playing during this particular procedure, 'Dancing Queen' had to be the least appropriate.

'You want me to turn it up?' said Andy, from somewhere behind me. 'Ha ha,' I said. And then it was time, the moment I had been dreading for more than a decade. If you are squeamish, prepare yourself, because I am going to tell you, in explicit detail, exactly what it was like.

I have no idea. Really. I slept through it. One moment, ABBA was yelling 'Dancing Queen, feel the beat of the tambourine,' and the next moment, I was back in the other room, waking up in a very mellow mood. Andy was looking down at me and asking me how I felt. I felt excellent. I felt even more excellent when Andy told me that it was all over, and that my colon had passed with flying colors. I have never been prouder of an internal organ.

On the subject of Colonoscopies...
Colonoscopies are no joke, but these comments during the exam were quite humorous... A physician claimed that the following are actual comments made by his patients (predominately male) while he was performing their colonoscopies:

1. 'Take it easy, Doc. You're boldly going where no man has gone before!
2. 'Find Amelia Earhart yet?'
3. 'Can you hear me NOW?'
4. 'Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?'
5. 'You know, in Arkansas , we're now legally married.'
6. 'Any sign of the trapped miners, Chief?'
7. 'You put your left hand in, you take your left hand out...'
8. 'Hey! Now I know how a Muppet feels!'
9. 'If your hand doesn't fit, you must quit!
10. 'Hey Doc, let me know if you find my dignity.'
11. 'You used to be an executive at Enron, didn't you?'
12. 'Now I know why I am not gay.'
And the best one of all.
13. 'Could you write a note for my wife saying that my head was not there.

Trading Off Smiles

2008-12-16T15:09:00.004-07:00

ZOO FUN!!

Spanking

2008-12-08T19:29:00.002-07:00

I don't spank, but if I did I would have yesturday. The neighbor kids came over and Travis tends to be territorial when their here. I was chatting with my friend in the kitchen when I heard the scream. Turning a 180, I saw the little girl next door grabbing her face whilst screaming, "Travis eat me!! Travis eat me!!!" She pulled her hand away to reveal a rapidly forming purple circle covering bits of her cheek, eye, and forhead. Judging Travi's determined face, he was mad and definitely the predator in Jacie's victimhood. As the deepest teeth marks I'd ever seen (even including Thomas's through the shirt bite) began to form, Travis recieved a 2 minute time-out from a mother with a quivering lip. I was really upset, but not so much as Jacie who was still grabbing the left side of her face in agony.
I've tried everything to get him to stop bitting. I fear Travis was born with a bit a fire which, cultivated properly, could lead to his advantage in life I'm just not sure if I'm going about it the right way. Any pointers would be appreciated:)
P.S. Maia and I had to stop ourselves from cracking up while Jacie explained to Travis very calmly that she quote: "Did not want be his dinner."

Falling In Love

2008-11-25T15:47:00.002-07:00

Travis has found a soul mate...Ella Jane..he he!

We went to Great G. Clarks house for Steve's birthday dinner...Travis and Ella were so funny together. She loves her cousins!

Pictures

2008-11-15T21:19:00.003-07:00

Sorry it's taken me so long to get these up! If everybody will upload their pictures from our visit then we can all share! First click

here

Then click on the "Utah Halloween 2008" album.

To upload your pictures from your computer click on the button at the top that says "upload" and follow the directions.

If you have any questions call me! Can't wait to see all your cute pictures :)

Accident Waiting to Happen

2008-10-29T07:28:00.003-06:00

Baby holding kitty on table. A re-creation of what I found taking place this morning.

The truth

2008-10-24T14:08:00.004-06:00

in case you all didn't already know:

58% Geek

"Doggy Bite...This Finger"

2008-09-15T23:55:00.002-06:00

Ella Jane likes to tell short stories.

A few weeks ago, while Ella was feeding the dog treats @ Grammy's House, Jake nipped her finger by accident. She has told us this daily for two weeks now. I just thought it was so cute not to share. Uncle Jay is Ella's favorite right now....I think it is cute.

Smarty Pants

2008-09-10T19:54:00.001-06:00

We've been watching a lot of political news webcasts lately, can you tell?

Fang Update

2008-09-02T15:20:00.004-06:00

The two bottom teeth have come in but the top . . . "I vant to suck your blood!"

JUST BE

2008-08-31T16:03:00.001-06:00

I have a great friend who I attended school with whom I look up to as a wonderful inspiring woman and mother. She has made me do a little soul searching with some of my day to day activities and obligations. I have used a few words from her great post and hope she doesn’t mind. Thank you for the little reminder of living each day to JUST BE!

One of the things that I have always been sure of is that I don’t want an overscheduled family. In April’s General Conference, Elder Ballard gave a poignant talk that empathized with young mothers. In it, he quoted the author Anna Quindlen, who said, “The biggest mistake I made as a parent is the one that most of us make…I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of (my three children) sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.” (Loud and Clear [2004], 10-11) (M. Russell Ballard, The Ensign, 2008 General Conference address, 108 – 110)

This makes me cry. With a new one week old baby (Molly) and a 2 year old (Ella), I am aware that each day their babyhood, their childhood, is fleeting, I also know that life as a young mom will never be enough to chase away the yearning I will have when I am much older to see my babies as babies again. I have learned you will constantly be battling between maintaining and enjoying. I remember this as I am outside swinging at the park with Ella Jane and telling her it’s time to go home to take a nap or make dinner, or have a bath.

I need to SIMPLIFY! What does it mean to simplify my day-to-day life? I think it means, planning ahead household cleaning and other responsibilities, compounding all errands into one afternoon and forgiving and forgetting the things that don’t go as I had planned. I can’t change the fact that my husband, Spencer will spend a good portion of time at school or work; what I can affect is the carefree, childhood days my children have.

“I know that there can be joy in the doing and maintaining, but I want to create for my kids the opportunity to just be.” To take a walk to the park or blow bubbles in the backyard with no plans to go inside. To read stories and play pony’s and barbies without letting my mind wander to the heaping pile of dirty laundry that needs washed and folded or the bathroom that needs to be cleaned. To pull a stool up to the counter while making chocolate chip cookies (Ella’s favorite!) to teach them that responsibility is more fun when we do it together. To go to the park and wrestle and play when dad gets home, rather than run errands or participate in too many organized activities. This is what I want to do. I feel very satisfied with my life. I know it’s only going to get busier and more complicated so for today, I’ll make the decision to “JUST BE.”

Our Little Girls

2008-08-28T23:39:00.002-06:00

Baby Ella Jane November 16, 2006
Baby Molly Ruth August 23, 2008
Ella Jane was 7 lbs. 15 oz and 19 inches long
Molly Ruth was 7 lbs. 14 oz and 20 inches long

We think that Ella and Molly look pretty similar except that Ella was much more chubby and Molly is a little skinny girl. We love having two little girls.

Kary-Ing Kitty

2008-08-26T14:11:00.002-06:00

Angel's Snot continued...

2008-08-26T14:08:00.003-06:00

A few minutes after sharing his moment with Sally, Travis got bored and decided to chase the cat.

Is it Love?

2008-08-26T13:37:00.005-06:00

Travis has a lot of friends in our apartment building. In this pic, he is sharing the hose with a girl named Sally. They are covered in Angel's Snot (corn starch and water) and fighting over the hose. However, when viewed afterwards, the picture (look, they're staring deep into each other's eyes) may suggest a hint of Romance:)

Congratulations!!

2008-08-24T15:51:00.002-06:00

Thanks for sending the text message Spencer, she's so cute! Another grandkid with the Clark cheeks :)

Fat Cat's Bowling and Pizza!

2008-08-22T11:49:00.002-06:00

What a fun family outing. Julie and Clint were down from Idaho so my family went out to fat cats and did some fun bowling. Ella had a great time. She actually bowled well....with a little help from the kid ramp they have.
And yes....if any of you are wondering....I am still sporting a big belly with great bowling shoes in this photo...not my best modeling shot sorry! I was hoping bowling would help move things along...I am ready to pop any day now....hopefully sooner than later!

Great Movie Line...

2008-08-18T13:11:00.001-06:00

Who Are You?

2008-08-10T21:16:00.002-06:00

For all the Jane Austen fans out there, this is for you...

Take the Quiz here!

Vampire Baby

2008-08-08T15:03:00.001-06:00

Look close, can you see his fangs?

Dirt

2008-07-31T18:12:00.000-06:00

Today he found dirt.

Crying

2008-07-29T11:01:00.002-06:00

Yesterday Thomas had a meltdown and was screaming and crying. He soon calmed down and was happily helping me empty the dishwasher when he grabbed a towel and started wiping his eyes. Then he said, "I have crying in my eyes, Mom."

Emerson

2008-07-26T09:18:00.003-06:00

Emerson found a pen

Be careful what you wish for!

2008-07-20T22:51:00.002-06:00

Hi! As many of you know, being a Gospel Doctrine teacher has totally taken me out of my comfort zone. I start worrying about the next lesson (which may be 6 wks away) right after giving a lesson. We got a new Relief Society President last week, Stephanie Orison, and I get a call to see Brother Terry after church today. I'm thinking, they are going to add the calling of being choir president (Stephanie's previous calling, besides being in the Stake Young Womens presidency) to what I already do. I've been totally blown away with my last two callings as I had no idea that I would be chorister in Sacrament meeting or Gospel Doctrine teacher. So, I had kind of been praying that I would get a different calling and I would be happy with anything, but I didn't think I'd get out of my current calling for awhile. So, brother Terry asked if I would be a Laurel Advisor and all I could say, was, "Does this mean I get released from being a Gospel Doctrine teacher?" When he said Yes, I said "Yes!" and made the gesture with my fists. After awhile, it sunk in that I am going to be much busier than I was before, Sunday's and weekly meetings! And, I have always taught Beehives and they are usually so happy to be there. Laurels will be very challenging as I think there is a big group of girls and only a few active and most work. I guess I'm up to the challenge. Jenny Roberts is the Young Women president and I will enjoy working with her.

Random Stuff

2008-07-20T20:30:00.005-06:00

This morning we were running late for church so Mike and I got the boys dressed and then quickly got ourselves dressed. In the middle of our frantic scurrying I saw Thomas and Emerson waiting patiently for us, playing together on the floor. CUTE!

We had a fun weekend, Friday we went to a baseball game with a bunch of Mike's co-workers. Thomas likes baseball.
Both boys did awesome and we lasted almost the entire game. Emerson wowed everyone with his ability to fall asleep amidst all the cheering.

At one point Thomas got a hold of my camera.

On Saturday Mike and I were one of the millions who saw the new Batman movie. Long and lots of violence but we both loved it! Today, Sunday, we had the missionaries over for dinner and by the time they left we had both had it with Thomas, he was being a little terror and got sent to his room. Mike left for a meeting and I completely forgot about him up there until about a half hour later. I peeked in his room and this is what I found. Poor guy was exhausted.

"May the Sneaky Child Win"

2008-07-05T23:04:00.003-06:00

Travis has discovered he can keep his toys away from Ella. He is very sneaky and clever. Travis can hold his own and Ella is in for a new suprise. We got a snap shot over the 4th of July weekend of Travis Growling and Grunting while trying to take his toy back that Ella took from him in the little pool at G&G Clark's house. Ella is using her favorite word "NO...NO while pulling the toy away.

FiReWorKs!

2008-07-05T22:46:00.002-06:00

"Boom...Boom!" Ella Jane really likes fireworks. We went to Eaglewood Golf Course with Colby and Stephanie and other friends on the 3rd for a Spectacular Firework show! Ella Jane would say "Boom Boom...WOW"and then she would tell us a color like "purple or green." She enjoyed playing with the other kids and watching the fireworks. On the 4th we went to the Clark's for a BBQ and then we got some fireworks to do in the circle. Ella really likes SpArKlerS!

"SNAP!"

2008-07-05T22:30:00.002-06:00

Fireworks were great fun for Ella this year. She is enjoying some "snaps" with Spencer at G&G Clark's house on the 4th of July

Stitches

2008-06-30T11:03:00.006-06:00

Here's a little photo journal of Thomas's stitches adventure on Thursday. Most of the pictures were taken by Thomas.

This is the stool he fell onto and split his lip while he was supposed to be taking a nap

This is the sticky alligator the nurse gave him at urgent care to make him feel better when she told us we had to go to the ER because they have to put him out to give him stitches on his lip

This is Thomas REALLY bored and hyper (remember, no nap) waiting for the doctor to see him at the ER

This is one of the nurses that Thomas took pictures of after he got bored with coloring and ripping apart his sticky alligator.

This is the doctor that took forever on the phone while Thomas, the "child drugging staff" and I waited not so patiently

This is the nurse that taught Thomas how to turn the camera around and take pictures of himself

This is one of about 30 pictures that Thomas took of himself

This is the doctor who is finally ready and trying to distract Thomas while they give him the nasty shot in his leg to put him to sleep

This was the last picture he took before he went to sleep (well, sort of went to sleep, it was totally creepy because he never closed his eyes, eek)

This is Thomas when he woke up and demanded the camera back. He was rewarded with a popsicle instead

This is a close up on the nasty thing (his lip, not the popsicle)

And this is the children's Motrin that Thomas took a picture of when he stole the camera back after we got home ... 5 hours after we left for Urgent Care!

This is Jill the next morning when Thomas woke her up by taking pictures of her.

We thought after his long day he would sleep in but we were wrong

The End

Mispronunciation Fun

2008-06-15T22:45:00.003-06:00

From time to time, we have been in Sunday School classes where the teacher repeatedly pronounces a word either wrong or with a thick Utah accent. One of our favorites from Heather's parents old ward was learning about the "plegs" of Egypt. This one happened over 4 years ago, but still comes up every once and awhile and gives us a good laugh.

Today's lesson in Gospel Doctrine was on Alma chapter 5. The instructor, posed the question: "What does it mean to have Christ's image in your continence?" Yes, that's right your continence not your countenance. Even some of the others in the class tried to help the instructor out by emphasizing the correct pronunciation of the word, but to no avail. Wondering why this kept making us chuckle? Click here for the definition of continence.

Forget the spiritual aspects of going to church, it's times like these that keep me coming back week after week.

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T13:38:00.002-06:00

the weekend

2008-06-11T10:26:00.009-06:00

My sister Melanie posted a recipe for a

yummy lamb sandwich on her blog last week.

I was dying to try it but it looked like a lot of work.

So Michael and I doubled the recipe and invited some friends over for dinner on Sunday night to be our guinea pigs.

Mmm, doesn't it look soooo good!

At 5:30 everyone had arrived and we were just finishing last minute preparations, Mike was slicing the lamb and I was putting away a few clean dishes as we talked and joked with our guests.

I was especially witty, I was captivating my audience with a story while I pulled the blender out of the dishwasher and set it on the counter.

I had them laughing as I stacked a heavy ceramic bowl on the shelf and I turned around to look at them and enjoy their smiles. But they weren't smiling.

Apparently I was concentrating on my story more than on what I was doing and the ceramic bowl teetered and fell, smashing and shattering the blender on the counter. The blender, or what was left of it, then began to fall off the counter.

I looked back to see it falling and instinctively reached out to catch it.

I caught it.

I just had one real cut and it really wasn't as bad as it could have been,

but lots of glass and blood later we were all trying to decide whether or not I should get stitches.

Then one of our guests jokingly said she knew from parental experience that you can wait up to 12 hours to get stitches. That was enough for me!

We wrapped up my hand and ate our yummy sandwiches.

I did end up in the ER later that night and it's been gross and sore ever since. I'm so glad I enjoyed my food first. In case you were getting hungry here's my lovely hand today, 4 double stitches later. GROSS!

Lagoon

2008-06-10T13:21:00.003-06:00

One week before Justin and I came down to Emphraim for his job interview, we bought Lagoon season passes. So now every time we go up north we try to go even if it is just for an hour or two. Yesturday was the first time we took Travis with us. He loved it!

Car Conversation

2008-06-06T15:08:00.003-06:00

Thomas: Mom, I'm totally freakin' out!

Me: You're totally freakin' out?

Thomas: Yeah, my eyes are freakin' out

Me: Is it too bright?

Thomas: Yeah

Me: Need Sunglasses?

Thomas: Yeah. Thanks Mom.

Wedding Video Conversation

2008-06-05T21:18:00.002-06:00

Thomas (looking at the cover of our wedding video): Mom, it's your movie!

Me: yep

Thomas: It's so beau'ful. Mom, you're a princess, and Dad has a flower.

Me: yep, that's when we got married in the temple

Thomas: Oooo

Me: Are you going to get married in the temple?

Thomas: No, I'm going to get married at Costco

CuTs n' BrUiSeS

2008-06-02T16:49:00.004-06:00

This is the result of going down These stairs on my mountain bike:) Why do I have to be the responsible one who worries? Just kidding Justin, you're very responsible. And at least I'm not bored:)

"Mama...cheese"

2008-05-30T12:31:00.001-06:00

Ella Jane really likes to have her picture taken. She will come to me and say "mama- Cheese" and smile really big! I couldn't resist this darling little face!

BIG BOYS

2008-05-28T16:29:00.004-06:00

I took the boys to the doctor today and Thomas is in the 75% for height and weight. He's a little big but not freakish. Emerson, on the other hand, is OFF THE CHARTS for length. He's 27 3/4 inches long. He is also in the 99% for weight at 19 lbs 4 oz. and that is on an empty stomach. Poor little guy, he's not even 5 months old yet and he weighs more than some 1 year olds. He is the most gigantic, squishy and happy baby ever! I love my big boys!

Funny Conversation

2008-05-27T14:55:00.005-06:00

This morning Thomas did something that is SO characteristic of him that I had to share. While I was making breakfast he was being a little stinker and so I took a toy away and put it in the basement, our usual method of discipline (or retribution). He was pretty dramatic in displaying his displeasure but soon breakfast was ready and he had calmed down. I asked him to say the prayer and he immediately says,

"Dear Heavenly Father, please bless Mommy not to get angry and take my toys away... and bless the food." The best part came after the prayer.

He says, "Mom, what did I pray?" Oh the bitterness of having your own manipulation tactics used against you.

I said, "You asked that I won't get angry and take toys away."

"Yes," he said "I blessed that you won't get angry."

"Ooh." I had to bite my lip so I wouldn't start laughing.

"I told Heavenly Father that," he said emphatically.

What a character.

A lot like dating...

2008-05-22T14:19:00.002-06:00

I'm trying to force myself to be social. Justin can tell the days when I don't interact with anyone above the age of 10 months all day because I mal him when he gets home opposed to just being glad to see him. He hasn't said anything, I can just tell. So I got the number of our neighbors that have a 1 year old son and a 3 year old daughter. I obtained the number in a way that is quite similar to the dating scene. "Oh, cute blue sweater! How old is your baby?" She replies, "He's one. How old is yours? He has cute socks." I say, "These old things? Why thank you." It is worth the effort, though. Now Maya and I talk all the time and she's coming over and bringing her babies within the hour. Now I'll have a fun story for Justin when he gets home:)

Apartment living

2008-05-21T12:26:00.002-06:00

The first 2 weeks have gone really well here in Ephraim, Utah. This is a picture of me putting sugar in one of the container thingys. I would like to show you a before and after picture of our kitchen, but between the dishes not being done yet, me cooking dinner, and a jigsaw puzzle on the table, it doesn't look much different then this pic:) We really love our new apartment. We feel so blessed.

Making progress

2008-05-20T23:25:00.002-06:00

Well, I got the go ahead to start back to work full time, starting next week. I told the doctor I was getting used to just working 4 hours per day for the past 4 weeks and he said he'd be happy to let me continue working part time for awhile and was willing to keep me on disability. Was very tempting, but told him my co workers have picked up my slack long enough and I would feel very guilty not working full time. Six weeks ago, I couldn't even lift my arm but a few inches and the doctor told me I had to raise it above my head in order to go back to work full time. At that time I thought I was going to have to find a fake arm to bring to the doctor's office and hold up. But lo and behold the exercises have paid off and I am able to raise my arm up over my head (is painful, but I can do it). I start working on the shoulder muscles with 2 pound weights twice a week now. I see the doctor in 3 months and by then I should have full range of motion and be able to pick up my grandchildren. (and hook my bra up in the back) Just in time for Kim's new arrival! And I should be strong enough to pick Emerson up, too! 3 cheers for me! I also told the doctor that I would much rather have a Csection than shoulder surgery again!

"Duet by the Clark Grandchildren"

2008-05-16T23:29:00.002-06:00

STARRING: Ella Jane Clark and Travis Justin Clark....In Concert together Sunday afternoons after 5:00 PM / MST...tickets on sale at the box office!!

Ella loves music and enjoys playing the PIANO....what we discovered is that Travis does too! WE sure do have a musical family...it's in the genes you know!

Mama- Moo moov!

2008-05-16T23:16:00.002-06:00

St. George Here we come!! So Ella and I took a short trip down to St. George the last weekend of APRIL with my mom and sisters for a girls weekend. We rented a sweet new mini van and piled in. Off we went....Nana bought Ella some new glasses for the trip which she enjoyed! Ella's favorite thing about the trip was definately the TV/DVD player in the van. The minute we would get into the van she would point to the ceiling and say "mama- moo moov (movie)" She really liked that there was a place to watch her favorite movie "Baby Einsteins Colors" She watches this movie about 3 or more times a day.

Ella was a very good girl on the trip. She enjoyed the time with us girls and loved being able to play outside in the nice 70-80 degree weather!

When we got home to my parents house....I had to load our car with our bags and such to drive back to Bountiful. Well I bet you will never guess what the first thing Ella said to me was....??? "Mama- moo moov!" (we don't have a cool DVD/TV in our car but one day we might have to get one that does...it was awesome!)

Brotherly Love - What's Wrong?

2008-04-27T20:45:00.004-06:00

Any time Emerson is fussing, Thomas takes it upon himself to cheer him up. This video is entitled "What's Wrong?" (That's what Thomas keeps asking Emerson)

Bababa

2008-04-25T21:57:00.002-06:00

Travis is in love with the Thumper!!!

The Name Game

2008-04-15T15:27:00.003-06:00

HowManyOfMe.com

There are
9,269
people with my name
in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

A friend of mine had this on her website, that's how many people have Michael's name. There were almost 5 thousand people with Thomas' name and about 12 hundred with my name. Emerson? only 28 other people in the US with the name Emerson Clark. And you wondered why we named him Emerson :)

"You are my Sunshine!"

2008-04-11T11:37:00.003-06:00

Ella is a girly girl and loves to sing songs. She especially loves the song "you are my sunshine." She says more more about 8 times before she is satisfied with whatever song we are singing. She will dance and pose when we sing together....she is such a joy to have in our lives....I love being a mom!

The Blessing

2008-04-11T10:55:00.005-06:00

Sorry Jill, I meant to post these a long time ago but I've been having computer issues... I think Thomas deleted some files that make the internet run. fun.

Anyway, here are some of the pictures we took:
It was a fun weekend and a very nice blessing. Among other things he was blessed that his pleasant and happy personality would continue to bless his family. For a funny story about that last picture click here.

Duck and Cougar Mascot Beatdown

2008-03-24T15:46:00.001-06:00

I saw this awhile ago and it inspired me, once again, to make my picks based on which mascot would win in a fight.

Wedding Pictures, etc.

2008-03-21T18:37:00.007-06:00

Justin and Kimi gave me a copy of their wedding pictures because I thought I could "fix" some of them. Some of them turned out pretty good and some of them I couldn't help at all. Click HERE to see my favorites.

Here's a before and after picture to wet your appetite:

Oh yeah, and I still want everyone to post their pictures of our fun family weekend HERE so we can all share them. If you can't figure out how to get your pictures on there just call me.

Property Laws of a Toddler

2008-03-21T00:37:00.006-06:00

My MFHD professor shared a little poem with the class today that reminded me of my niece and nephews.

The Property Laws of a Toddler

If I like it, it's mine
If I want it, it's mine
If it's in my hand, it's mine
If I can take it away from you, it's mine
If I had it a little while ago, it's mine
If it's mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way
If I am doing or building something, all the pieces are mine
If it looks just like mine, it's mine
If I saw it first, it's mine
If you are playing with something and you put it down, it automatically becomes mine
If it's broken, it's yours.

The many grumpy faces of Ella Jane

2008-03-18T21:25:00.002-06:00

Let's Share

2008-03-18T10:43:00.002-06:00

It was such a fun weekend and now that we're home I realize how many pictures I didn't take! So let's share, here's a link to our Web Gallery. Look at the buttons at the top, you can download any of the pictures in the gallery and upload your own so we can see them too.

MY POD

2008-03-09T16:42:00.003-06:00

So I have another exam coming up in May. To help me study for this exam I bought a seminar on DVD that covers a lot of the material that they're testing on. Rather than pull out my computer every time I get on the train, I decided that an iPOD nano would be much more effective. I even got it engraved to read "Stolen From Michael Clark 303 945 0198" a la car lot air tank.

Imaginary Friend

2008-03-08T13:56:00.002-07:00

Thomas has an imaginary friend named Russ. I don't really know how to handle this, nobody in my family has ever had imaginary friends. Michael and I just kind of played along when he started doing this and thought it was funny but Thomas talks about Russ and to Russ more and more. Finally, the other day Thomas started talking about him again. I said, "Thomas, you know that Russ isn't real, right?" He said, "oh yes, yes, Russ isn't real Mom." Then he turns to the wall and says, "Russ, you not real, you not real Russ, ok?"

Terrible Twos

2008-03-06T16:03:00.012-07:00

Every once in awhile this whole sleep deprivation thing really catches up to me, like this morning. Breakfast was all cleaned up, everyone was dressed and we were ready to go hit Costco when all of a sudden I felt like I was going to pass out from fatigue (that's what consecutive interrupted sleep will do to me). I put Emerson down for a nap and told Thomas that I needed a nap too and to be good and play in his room. I swear I was only out for 30 minutes and this is what I woke up to. Thomas had moved the rugs in the kitchen, scooted a chair to the fridge and taken down my dinner calender dry-erase board... and dry-erase marker. By the way, yes, it is "dry-erase" but no, it doesn't come off as easily as you'd think.

So, this is what my fridge looked like

Here are some close-ups

Here is my table

Here is my wood floor

Here is the cloth on my kitchen chairs. Oh yes, try getting that out!

Here's Thomas' sock

Here's Thomas' foot

and more of the foot

So how was your day?

Hint Hint

2008-03-03T22:08:00.003-07:00

So Amy e-mailed me today. She said at the very end of the e-mail, "How is Ella? You should hint to Spencer and Kim and Justin and Kimi to send me pictures. I have lots of pictures of Thomas and Emerson and their family but none of anyone else." I wasn't sure exactly how to hint that to you guys so I decided to just tell you.

The Missionaries

2008-02-25T18:23:00.002-07:00

Last week the ward missionaries asked Kim and I if we would mind feeding the full time missionaries. We accepted and this past Thursday we had them over. We have never had this opportunity before so we were very excited. I picked up Elders' Aisen and Tuia at their apartment and brought them over to the house. Elder Aisen was from New York and didn't seem to care for Utah very much, he was critical of Utah and especially of Utah Mormons and how they go inactive. Elder Tuia is from Samoa and only had a couple months left before he goes home. Kim made chicken roll-ups for them, they had chicken and cream cheese in the middle, we found out that Elder Tuia is lactose intolerent but like a seasoned Elder he ate more than everybody else. Dinnner went well and it was very nice to have their spirit in our home. The highlight of the night was when we were all eating and Kim asked them where they were from. Elder Tuia replied that he is from Samoa. Kim proceded to say "your from Samoa, thats cool, so do you speak Tongan?"

We're Coming ...

2008-02-24T16:12:00.001-07:00

We're going to take a quick vacation in March. We'll be driving out on March 14th and leaving on the 17th. See you all soon.

Terrible TWO'S already???

2008-02-22T15:56:00.002-07:00

Ella has begun to vocalize her opinion by throwing temper-tantrums!! And I would just like to let you know she is very very good at it! She is so good that Spencer and I laugh sometimes because she will follow us around just to make sure that she has an audience! This is her beautiful face after her 15 minute tantrum over which book we were going to read! Isn't she cute!

Charlie bit my finger - again !

2008-02-21T15:26:00.001-07:00

My sister Melissa showed this to me, I didn't think it was that funny at first but the more that Thomas and I watch it the harder and harder we laugh. Maybe you'll think it's funny too

JK Clark Favorite Family Pic

2008-02-20T15:39:00.003-07:00

I love this picture (except the fact that I look slightly evil). All eyes are open, we're looking somewhat in the same direction, and we all have smiles on our faces. That's a lot to ask of 2 young parents and a 7 month old.

Caught in the Act

2008-02-20T08:43:00.002-07:00

Do you ever talk to yourself? I totally do, usually in the car when I'm listening to a radio DJ that I disagree with. Yesterday the boys and I were driving to the store and the radio show I was listening to was discussing stay-at-home moms and whether or not they should give up their careers to raise kids. There were some women who argued that moms should never give up their careers for kids because when they ended up divorced they'd have to start their careers over. I had some opinions on the subject and while I was giving the radio a piece of my mind I heard Thomas in the seat behind me ask, "Mom, who you talkin' to?" I guess now that he's old enough to know his Mom is crazy I'll have to stop talking to the radio.

Valentine's Day

2008-02-16T11:02:00.004-07:00

Most women got flowers, chocolates or

a pretty card for Valentine's day.

Not me, I got something WAY better!

A new operating system!

Not only does my husband love me,

he also knows me.

Hope you all had a good day!

Cookie Monster

2008-02-14T14:33:00.003-07:00

Ella has discovered Oreo cookies. She likes to lick the cream filling and then eat the cookie. She is quite the messy eater these days. Spencer and I like to call her cookie monster.

Grandbaby #5

2008-02-14T14:22:00.002-07:00

Coco's first baby photo shoot. We went to the doctor today for Kim's first check up and we got a few pictures of the new baby. Ella likes to call him/her Coco. That is what she also calls Colby and her new baby elephant from grandma and grandpa Clark (Coco). The due date is September 5 but we are hoping it comes before I have to start medical school.

Valentines

2008-02-10T22:12:00.000-07:00

So today in my ward I guess the elders quorum wrote valentine cards to people. My hometeachers decided to write Valentines to me and this other girl in my apartment that they home teach. The only catch is mine is written in Portuguese and my roommate's is written in Spanish. My hometeachers did this on purpose (apparently as a favor to us). So now I have to find a good-looking guy that speaks Portuguese to translate my Valentine. Oh man!

Thumbsucker

2008-02-10T21:09:00.000-07:00

I think Emerson is going to be a thumbsucker, he will sleep forever if he can find his thumb. Sometimes he gets a finger and that's ok with him too but he prefers the thumb. If it wasn't so cute it might bother me.

2008-02-06T22:28:00.000-07:00

So, I was all set to have my pre op appt on 02/15 and surgery on 02/26. We have a new nurse, whose husband is a scrub tech in the orthopedic dept. and she strongly encouraged me to get the opinion of the physician who her husband mostly works with. The physician she referred me to is Dr.Metcalf and the one I went to was Dr.West. Well, a few days ago, a couple of physical therapists from the facility that I would have surgery at came to our office and I told them I was planning to have surgery on my shoulder and the first thing they said was "Oh, you need to see Dr.Metcalf!" I told them I was seeing Dr.West and they were like "Oh, he's good, too" in a not so reassurring tone. Dr.Brown told me that when her husband needed surgery, she went on the recommendation of the scrub techs when finding someone to treat her husband as they work very closely with the doctors and know whose surgical skills are best. So, I cancelled my appointments and made another with Dr.Metcalf on 02/19. We'll see what he recommends. Hopefully will resch surgery with him on 02/29. Will keep you posted.

Caucusing in Colorado

2008-02-05T21:32:00.000-07:00

So Colorado is a caucus state. That means that instead of going to the polls and voting like you would in an election, you go to a neighborhood type meeting and vote within that meeting. Our precinct (fancy name for political neighborhood), took a straw poll and these were the results: 3 for Huckabee, 2 for McCain and 40 for Romney. Next step in a caucus is to elect delegates to the county Republican convention; the delegates go to the county convention and "should" vote along the lines of the precinct's majority; from there, delegates get elected to the state convention and so on and so on until the national convention.

Anyway, to make a long story short, I was elected a delegate from our precinct to go to the county convention on March 1st. Hmm, maybe there's more to life than being an actuary-Super Dad.

SuperBaby

2008-02-05T10:17:00.001-07:00

Thomas got the flu over the weekend and was pretty darn sick. On Sunday Michael was starting to feel pretty crummy too so he laid on the couch and flipped on the Superbowl to take it easy. I slept all day because I'd been up with Thomas all weekend (plus 2 o'clock feedings). Emerson was the only one not effected by it all (thank goodness), he was just happy to hang out and watch his first Superbowl.

Ella and Travis

2008-02-04T14:08:00.000-07:00

Ella Jane loves to teach her cousin Travis new things. In the first picture she is teaching him how to share (by politely taking his toy). In the one below that one she is teaching how to say goodbye. She says, "Bundle up, baby its cold outside!" :)

Comedian

2008-02-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

Too bad Amy already left, I think she would find this especially funny. For all the girls who've had their nails done (and the guys brave enough to admit it), this is for you...

Where do babies come from?

2008-01-31T22:33:00.000-07:00

Today in my Human Development class we went over the topics of Prenatal and Birth--my favorite! So halfway into the lecture my teacher claimed he knew what the #1 kind of birth control was and he was right. We had to watch a movie showing a natural birth, then a cesarean birth, and finally a birth where the mother had an epidural; after watching that I don't think I ever want kids. No offense to all of you mothers in the family, but it was probably one of the grossest things I have ever seen and I couldn't even watch it all.

Surgery and Pictures

2008-01-25T11:11:00.000-07:00

Well, it looks like things might start to calm down around our house now... we hope! I had my hernia surgery on Tuesday, my mom left us today and on Monday real life will begin when Michael goes back to work, yikes! My belly is still pretty sore so I still need help getting Emerson situated when I feed him but I'm feeling better every day so hopefully by Monday it'll be no problem. Other than that we are enjoying our sweet little boys! Here are some of my favorite pictures:

Something New??

2008-01-23T12:15:00.000-07:00

While driving in the car to various places, I talk to Ella Jane. She will say some wierd things back to me...which I don't understand most of the time. However, she does know just about every animal sound now and we review together. My ultimate favorite is the Elephant. She makes this high pitch squil....it is very cute!
Well, we have been saying names the last week and she has finally learned how to say Amy...also know as "mi mi"....Just as Amy leaves, Ella can finally say her name. This just means we will have to work on another name. Oh another funny thing....Whenever Spencer or I say Peter's name Ella starts to laugh....we get a good laugh as well. She thinks Peter is funny or something. When she sees his picture she points to him and puts her little hand over her mouth and giggles! Things children do.....she is just so much fun. She interacts and knows exactly what we say to her. When I tell her to go and get me something....she will do it. When we tell her it is time for bed, she will get her blanket and go to her room and want to get into her crib. What a smartie!

New couches!

2008-01-19T13:53:00.000-07:00

So when I first moved into the Elms apartments I thought it was so disgusting and run-down, but I have since changed my opinion. Last semester my apartment got new mattresses to replace the old, smelly, stained mattresses that we were sleeping on. We were very excited about not sleeping on nasty mattresses, but to top that off, last week we received six new kitchen chairs to replace the three chairs that were falling apart. Now for living in a cheap, old place the girls in my apartment were quite pleased to get these new items, but management decided to do one more thing. Today we got new black leather couches to replace the really old gross couches that probably date to the 70's or 80's. It is so nice to have clean, new furniture in my apartment!

Something Gross

2008-01-11T19:23:00.000-07:00

Heather's sister recently posted one of the most disgusting posts I've ever read in blog world. Click Here to see for yourself.

Apples!

2008-01-11T07:59:00.000-07:00

So let me explain our nightly ritual: Every night we make Thomas use the potty before going to bed, but we've also realized that if we take him to the bathroom one last time before we go to bed, we generally can count on him sleeping all through the night.

So last night was no different. Heather and I got into bed and we remembered that one of us needed to take him to the bathroom. The lot fell to me. So I went in Thomas' room and picked him up off his bed and started carrying him to the bathroom, when all of a sudden: "Apples!". Out of nowhere Thomas decided to shout in his sleep, which at first startled me and then made me laugh uncontrollably (I could hear Heather laughing from our bedroom - partially at Thomas, partially at me).

The rest of the conversation between me and Thomas (who was now half awake, half asleep due to my loud laughter) went something like this:

Thomas: "Dad, you're 27."
Dad: "That's right and you're 2."
Thomas: "OK"

And we all went back to bed (and Heather and I continued to laugh for a few more minutes).

Baby Faces:)

2008-01-03T12:31:00.000-07:00

When I was little I thought babies all looked alike. Ha Ha I was so wrong! This is Travis when he was 2 days old.

2008-01-03T10:36:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's taken so long to get more up here, we've been busy sleeping, eating, and watching Thomas interact with his new little brother.

This picture is a rare glimpse of Emerson's eyes, they are almost always shut tight. I think they look exactly like Michael's eyes in his baby pictures, little slits.
Here's a picture of Thomas at about the same age, just a couple of days old.

And this is a video of Thomas and Emerson, two cute little boys!

Ella's First Christmas

2007-12-30T21:12:00.000-07:00

Early Christmas Morning....We all got new PJ's from Santa Clause....Ella's Smile says it all!
Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa Clark's-Ella was helping Travis play with his new toys! She acts like a little Mother Hen with Travis....she makes sure he stays happy!
Merry Christmas! Ella got her picture taken in her Christmas Dress....and shinny black shoes....she is such a girl!

Olives Anyone?

2007-12-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

Ella Jane is definately a Clark! Between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day festivities Ella ate a WHOLE CAN of OLIVES by herself! She devoured them, after of course putting them on her little fingers!

Emerson Michael Clark

2007-12-30T10:49:00.001-07:00

Here's the recap:

Born: 12/30/07 at 7:00 am

Weight: 9 lbs 9 oz

Height: 21 inches

Heather and Emerson are both doing really well. I'll try to post some more pictures on our family site within the next day or two.