Havin' fun

We have had our first week of summer vacation and it has rained almost every day. Then on top of that, I went to cut Clark's hair and found out that he has the chicken pox. What a wonderful beginning to the summer. We are just waiting to see if Ryan and Emma get it. At least no one will have to miss any school. They were all vaccinated before they started kindergarten, so I guess if they do get it it's supposed to be mild, but oh well there is nothing that can be done now.

This last weekend I finally got my backyard fire pit put together, and we roasted hot dogs and smores. With it being a holiday (Memorial Day) and Dad having to work we didn't get to do much. We did take the kids to see "Night at the Museum, Battle of the Smithsonian" and they thought that it was great. I can't believe how much movie theatres charge, even for a matinee. That's why we don't go to the theatre that often. Now we have to save our pennies for the summer movies that you have to see on the big screen (Harry Potter, Transformers just to name a few).

The family making fun memories. The kids think that this is great, it is so fun to hear them talk about cooking their own hot dogs and marshmallows. Emma asking if her hot dog is done after just a few seconds over the heat, and sending her back to cook it some more and Ryan having to char his marshmallow saying that is how he likes it . I was also really surprised at how well the dog did while we were out there. I thought she would jump on the table and go for the hot dogs but she behaved herself. I hope that your holiday weekend was good and that you will have some great memories to share. Have a wonderful day!!

Awards, awards and more awards!!!

Another school year has come to an end. It feels weird to still be here instead of traveling back home to visit. We are planning on doing our traveling next month after Clark goes to Scout Camp, and yes I will be very pregnant then. But that's okay, we are looking forward to the visits and fun to be had.

School here got out last Friday, and the kids were so excited not to have to get up for the bus. I think I was more excited that they were, with the fact I have had the hardest time getting myself out of bed since Spring Break. Also with the ending of the school year it is also the close of another soccer season. I think the boys and Dad are glad to have a break till fall. They did a great job playing this season. Clark scored goals in four of their seven games (he says he had five goals, I never have the camera ready for that), and Ryan did a great job defending the ball as goalie and a defender. He played most of his time towards the end of the season as goalie (most of the team requested that he played goalie, because he did a great job defending the goal). Way to go boys!!

Here they are with their trophies. Boy are they excited!

With school ending for the year I am so proud of Clark, Ryan and Emma in their accomplishments that they achieved this past year.

Emma did a great job throughout the year, she made the all "A" honor Roll in first grade class. She decided that she loved to read and her goal for the year was to read the most books in her class. She read 228 books, she was in second place for most of the year and right there at the end her friend, who was in first place, was absent for a few days and Emma took over and never looked back. Some of her favorite books to read are anything to do with princesses, Junie B. Jones, Arthur books, and chapter books. I will find her in her room ar the frontroom reading throughout the day, as of right now I don't have to get on her to read, she loves doing it. I am so proud of her and I hope that she keeps on liking to read throughout her life. Way to go Girl!! Keep it up!!

Here she is with her trophy for reading the most books.

Ryan did a great job in fourth grade this past year. His goal this year was to have 100% attendance. Last year at the awards assembly when they announced the award he thought that was awesome and wanted to try for it. He did it, he had 100% attendance this last year. There were only about ten or so students out of about 200+ in the fourth grade that actually were able to be awarded it. Way to go buddy, that is such an awesome achievement. He also was on the "AB" Honor Roll at his school. In his class there were five students that were acknowledged and he was the only boy. I am so proud of him for trying so hard in his classes and getting those grades. keep up the good work, and you will do great things!!

Here is Ryan with his 100% attendance and "AB" Honor Roll Awards.

Clark was also on the "AB" Honor Roll this past year. He was also one of the top ten students that got the most "AR" points for the year. He had 535 points for the year, and wanted me to put in here that it was fourth place. I thought it was kind of funny that out of the students that go to our ward (it is the only ward in the area) that four out of five of the students ranked in the top ten in the sixth grade. If you don't know what "AR" is, it is for Accelerated Reader, after you have read a book you take a test on what you just read (basically it is a comprehension test, I wish they had that when I was in school because I have always had a hard time with comprehension). Clark also got the Principal's Award for being a "Positive Role Model" in his class. (He wanted me to say he got this award last year in fifth grade also.) I was able to substitute in his quad several time this past year and all I heard was how good of a student and how help full he was to the teachers and that he will be missed. Way to go Clark, keep it up!!

Here is Clark with all of his awards. Principal's Award, Top ten in "AR", Rocket into Reading (most books read in his reading class and his "AB" Honor Roll awards.

I am so proud of Clark, Ryan and Emma. They are such wonderful students and I hope that they stick with it. They will go far if they keep up the great work that they are doing. I am so happy and proud to be their mother.

Children pull on our apron strings for a while, but on our heart strings forever!

I had to add this little clip because it is so funny to watch. We were out back the other night and the kids were playing with Aggie and even though my camera takes a video but has no sound. It was so funny to watch Clark and Aggie play with her rope. She loves to play fetch with her rope, if you can get her to give it back to you. Mostly she tries to get you to play tug-of-war. Now she has decided, that because we use hands she has to use her paws to get it away from us.

Derbys, Storms, Fairs and Recitals!

Does it ever slow down????

I know this is dated Friday May 8, 2009 but I actually started putting it together then and didn't finish it till Monday May 11, 2009. But here it is I hope you enjoy reading the fun we are having here.

DERBY'S--Pack Meeting in April was a Space Derby. Ryan had a lot of fun building and painting his rocket. He wanted it to look like a bullet from "Super Mario Land" (game boy game). He did a great job, it looked just like one.

Me, being the Cub Master, I had a whole organized race with heats and everything. But as usual we ran into problems, the line wasn't tight enough, the rockets didn't want to work like they were supposed too and so on. Dad was helping me with a few of the other fathers trying to figure out what to do. Finally after a half an hour or so they got it working, but it was taking too long for each heat the "organized" way, so the den leaders and myself decided to just let them race whoever they wanted and so forth. Once we realized that, the boys were having a blast. Who cared who came in first or last, as long as they got an award they were happy. I had the 11 year old scouts judge the rockets and they came up with some good names.



STORMS--This is how our morning started Thursday May 7th. We woke up to thunder and lightening and not much rain. I kept checking the news to see what the weather was going to be like because Clark had an outside field trip to the Nature Center and I wanted him to be prepared. (The field trip was postponed to a later date thankfully, or those children would have been soaked.) But I didn't hear anything except we would have some thunderstorms in the morning. As I was taking Ryan and Emma to school the National Weather Service came on saying there was a sever thunderstorm just north of where we live. Buy the time I was on my way back home, visibility was horrible and I could hardly see in front of me in certain spots. By the time Clark left for work it was an outright downpour that lasted over an hour. This is what the side of our driveway looked like. I took the trash out and the water on the grass was up higher than my ankles. The road was a river. Luckily we have a slant from our home to the road so we were lucky and didn't have any flooding in our house. There was a lot of flooding around here. I tried to see if I could find pictures of the flooding around here, but it won't let me download them. So if you are interested go to wsfa.com and check them out.

This is the water coming out of the backyards in between our house and the neighbors. The nice thing is most of the houses are graded so that the water drains away from the house. I didn't venture over there, because I decided I better get out of the thundering and lightening so I didn't get zapped, so I don't know how deep it was. Thunder, lightening and an umbrella just the combination for disaster.
These are pictures of our backyard. We joke about it and call the swamp during rain storms. What a mess.

FAIRS--Ryan also had an ISP Fair Thursday night. He is in the ACE program at school, and this year they learned about Ancient Chinese Customs. He had a lot of fun in that class, too bad it was only an hour a week. For his project he had to do research and make a poster on something he chose. As you can tell he chose the Ancient Chinese Crossbow. He did a great job on his poster, he even free handed the picture of the crossbow on the poster. He is our artist. RECITALS--Emma had her dance recital on Saturday. YEA!! She was so excited to do it. I think she was more excited to take a break from dance for the summer. She was so cute in her cowgirl outfit. The theme this year was "Julia's Toy Store". So all of the groups were some type of doll. It was fun to watch Emma watch the other girls dance, especially the ballet girls that stay on there toes (hence toe shoes). She was amazed that if she sticks with it that could be her.

She took ballet and tap this last year, and it is so fun to see her progress from last year. She is a lot more graceful and she is excited that she can almost do the splits. For her recital in tap they danced to "Ragtime Cowgirls", and for ballet they danced to "You've Got a Friend in Me" from Toy Story. It was so much fun seeing her smile up there on the stage I get teary eyed and think she is growing up so fast. I know I'm a baby, I think it is the pregnancy I get teary eyed easily.

Part of her ballet routine.

Her and her flowers. She thinks that she has to get flowers after her performance. Isn't she just adorable?

Easter & Spring Break 2009

We had a very busy week with it being Easter and Spring Break. Clark's parents and sister were able to come out for a vacation. We had a wonderful time visiting and seeing the sights around here. Here are a few pictures from Easter.

Today was also a special day for Clark J. He received his Faith in God from the primary and was ordained a Deacon in Young Men's. I can't believe my oldest is 12 already. Like I said in an earlier blog they grow up so fast. This picture is three generations of Clark's. Clark R., Clark C. and Clark J.

Grandpa, Dad, Clark and Ryan.

Now for our Spring Break Fun!! We start at the

Wild Animal Safari

in White Pine, Georgia. The park is full of animals like elk, deer, a few giraffes, zebras, emus, wart hogs, mountain goats, llamas and other exotic animals that you can hand feed, with the exception of the zebras and emus because they bite. It was a lot of fun especially when dad got slobbered on by the animals.

Clark, Ryan and Emma
The van we rented to drive through the park. The kids are getting so excited to see and feed the animals.
This is what we saw in front of us as we drove through the park. The animals come up to you and stick their heads in the windows trying to get more food. The front windows are the only ones that open all the way the rest of the windows have the glass taken out and bars in there place. The animals were quite funny to watch as they walk along with the pace of the car trying to get as much food as they can.
Here is Dad getting slobbered on by an elk.
Another one trying to get Grandpa.
The Giraffe, trying to get in the car for a quick getaway, and yes this

one got Dad the worst, slobber everywhere
Isn't he just so cute!!

Our next stop for the day Stone Mountain.

Stone Mountain is a big hill in the middle of no where. It is on the northeast side of Atlanta, Ga, and it has carved into it Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. It is a monument to the Confederacy of the Civil War. Yes, we did visit this monument not to long ago but we were able to take a little more time this trip to see it and enjoy it a little bit more. It is quite breath taking, I could never have hung there and carved it into the mountain.
The clan that went. Elizabeth, Stephanie, Clark J., Clark C. Ryan, Emma, Grandma and Grandpa.
Clark, Emma, Elizabeth and Ryan
Dad and His boys!!

The next day we headed south towards Mobile, Al to tour the Battleship Alabama that is docked there. I can't believe it can float there is so much steel. It was quite awesome how many people it takes to run the ship. It was pretty amazing so if you're ever in Mobile I recommend you take the opportunity to tour the Battleship.

Dad and Clark on the main deck, and if you look at the top right (almost corner) Grandpa is also in the picture.

Now we are off to Gulf Shores, Al (aka the beach, at the Gulf of Mexico).

Clark, Ryan and Emma playing in the waves. The waves were pretty big so Clark and Ryan enjoyed trying to body surf them. Dad said that we need to come back another time and bring some knee boards so they can body surf better. Emma just loved trying to jump the waves. This was one of the things that she wanted to do for her birthday, so it was good that this was that day.

Dad even got in the water, he wouldn't go much further than his knees, he said it was too cold. I just got my feet wet and took pictures. Watching them they had blast. Grandma and Elizabeth walked up and down the beach looking for seashells, and Grandpa watched the kids play for a little bit. We didn't spend much time there, just enough to see the beautiful sands and to get wet.

We also went back to Atlanta to go to the Cyclorama, which is a Museum that shows and has a huge 360 degree mural and rotating seating area that teaches of the "Battle of Atlanta" (Civil War). I hope that you understood what I was trying to say. It was really interesting, being from the West I am learning so much about the Civil War history (yes most of it Confederacy) but it is quite interesting.

I hope that you have enjoyed our fun times we had over Spring Break. We really enjoyed having Grandpa, Grandma and Elizabeth here for the week, it was sad to see them go and we are looking forward to seeing them and everyone else soon. Have a wonderful Spring day!!