Clark's first fish!!

I know, I know I should be cleaning my house but instead I thought I would updatemy blog with what Clark has been doing this past week.

As some of you know he is at his FIRST ever all week Scout Camp. On Wednesday his dad went up to have dinner with him and yes I made him take the camera. One of the Merit Badges that Clark picked to work on was fishing. While dad was up there Clark took him over to the lake with him and he tried to fish. I guess that he has to catch so many fish to get the merit badge. So they waited

and waited

and waited

and finally as they were getting ready to leave the lake, just as Clark was pulling the fishing pole out of the water there was a tug and wha hoo a fish. So now all he has to do is clean it an cook it (I won't show you the pictures but I have them to prove that he did it). That is so awesome way to go Clark!!

Summer's Here

Summer is in full swing, and the heat and the humidity is killing me. This is the first June since we moved here that I have actually been here and they say it is abnormally hot and humid. On top of that being pregnant, we either go to the pool at the YMCA or stay in the airconditioned house to stay cool.

So far Clark is the only one that has gotten the chicken pox, we are hoping that nobody else gets them. I think if they were to get them they would have already. We just keep our fingers crossed.


If you recall from an earlier post that Emma had gotten her ears pierced for her birthday, and she has been bugging me to take them out and put new ones in. Well I finally gave in after they had been done for about six weeks. So we took a picture of her with her new earings.
I also took a picture of the boys, since it seems that I am always taking Emma's picture (but them she likes the camera, and the boys fight me to get their picture taken) so here are Clark and Ryan.





Also for the past two weeks Ryan and Emma had been taking swim lessons. They did really well, and now I have a fearless daughter that thinks that she can just jump in take off. She even jumped off the diving board, but she did have her teacher there to catch her. She was so proud of herself. Ryan is just getting his confidence and is doing a great job practicing his swimming. He did pass the test to be in the big pool without his mom right there and loves the freedom it gives him. Now I just check on him and make sure he stays where he is supposed too. Clark's swimming has improved so much from last fall when we were getting him ready for the BSA swimtest for his first class rank. He went from not being able to swim very well to now he is jumping off the diving board and loving it.

Emma jumping of the diving board.

Ryan getting to the stairs to get out.

Some of my friends in the ward (Tara M. and Monica) threw me a baby shower last week. They thought I need some new stuff since my youngest son is almost ten. I finally gave in and had a diaper/gift card shower. Thank you so much for everything that I recieved and thank you for the shower. I am set for a while on the diapers, which is one thing that I hadn't started to buy yet. Also the gift cards have come in handy for things I had forgotten I had gotten rid of when we moved. Thank you again!!!

Well I better get going, I have a million things to do before we leave on Saturday. Have a wonderful day!!

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.