November 18th, 2012

November 18, 2012

Dear Family and Friends,

I took advantage of warmer weather on Monday and M and I painted the trim around the exterior of our door.  We had some paint left in the tray and so we ended up painting a bunch of trim around the garage doors in the home too.  It was very much a "if you give a mouse a cookie" type of day. J was happy to "help" us and play outside, and RM was sleeping.  As soon as we were done M took a nap to prepare for working all night.  I cleaned up the mess and once B-man got home we did our normal routine of homework, play, etc.  That night for FHE we talked about the miracle of the seagulls that occurred soon after the pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley.

J before the haircut.

Tuesday was a quiet day.  B-man went to piano and was thrilled to start learning his favorite Christmas song "Said Samuel."  The teacher isn't LDS, but was willing to give it a shot.  I printed out a copy for her in a much easier key, and then we are simplifying it a little more.  It was rough at first (he hasn't even learned what an eighth note is) but today (Sunday) he has got the right hand down for the first section. 

M finally finishes this sourdough loaf.  Impressive isn't it?

Wednesday was another quiet day.  We went to the church and played in the afternoon while M met with a person in the ward. That night M had a stake meeting.  Once he got home we watched "Casino Royale" in preparation for watching the new Bond movie next week.

RM before the haircut.

Thursday was another busy day.  We did some work around the house in the morning; I gave all the boys much needed haircuts.  I also had a dental check-up before lunch.  I was so happy to have no cavities.  That afternoon M went with the young men's president to pick up turkeys for an activity that night and I worked with B-man on homework and piano.  We had food from the freezer because we were both so involved in things.  That night M went to mutual, when he got home we watched "Quantum of Solace" and I must admit that I understand the plots much better now. 

RM did not like getting his neck hairs trimmed.

Friday we tried to get some things done too.  We hung a picture in the library, and then when RM was sleeping we put the second coat on the exterior trim.  It looks really good, and it feels good to know that the worst is at least protected from the elements.  There were a few spot the paint was peeling so badly that we could see the bare wood.  Then M came in and went to sleep. When B-man got home I took him over to a friend's house nearby so he could play.  The little boys and I had a fun time together at home. When I went to pick up B-man for dinner, he had conspired a way to stay longer.  So RM and J and I had a quiet dinner together at home.  Then the sister missionaries knocked on the door and I made the executive decision to wake up M so they could talk "business."  B-man came home and all the boys went to bed.  Then M was off to work.

J after the haircut.

Without all the hair he looks totally different.

RM enjoying a snack.

Saturday morning was busy.  We ate breakfast and then got ready to take some friends to the airport.  The car was totally full with both families, but it was a fun little adventure.  We then drove straight to B-man's swimming lesson.  J and RM played with their cars on the pool deck for the thirty minute lesson and then we headed home.  Sadly M was already sleeping by the time we got home.  The rest of the day we worked/played around the house, and then once the jobs were done we went outside and played a lot outside.  At one point we went to a park close to our house and there was a big group of boys from the neighborhood playing "guns."  They were so cute and when picking teams they included RM and J and even let them carry around little toy guns.  They thought they were so big.  J and B-man also rode their bikes or scooters down a big hill in a line with the boys.  They had a great time.  When RM's hands started to get frozen I called it a day so we could go home and eat dinner.  We had a cozy dinner and then I ran to a birthday party for a friend.  Then I ran home so M could get to work.  I have to admit I was happy to miss the bedtime routine!

Today has been a good day. M couldn't leave work early, so he missed church.  J was a little crazy during Sacrament meeting but we made it through.  Primary was a blast.  I'm so glad it went well after last week's craziness.  Now we are home and the boys are reading or sleeping or otherwise quiet.  It's so nice.  M is sleeping and once he wakes up we will have dinner and have a quiet night.

We love you all!

The Clark Crew

November 11, 2012

November 11, 2012

Dear Family and Friends,

Monday M was off work, and B-man was home from school.  It was so nice to have such a relaxing day together.  We did some work around the house, and just had a quiet day.  In the afternoon we delivered some coats and blankets to a drop off spot.  Our stake was helping in a multi stake effort to send items needed to victims of Sandy.  It was encouraging to see how much can be gathered in a very short amount of time.  We also went to the library.  The boys were all excited to go pick out their own books.  J declared that he wanted a "airplane book and a shark book."  He was thrilled that we found both.  We then headed home for dinner and FHE. 

Tuesday was election day.  We were all excited about it.  B-man was off of school again and we decided to go do something fun.  I ran to the grocery store, then we went to vote.  No long lines for us.  Then we drove to a little museum not very far away that we had never been to.  It is a farm museum, and has lots of information on Loudoun county and its farming roots.  M knows someone that works at the museum and she gave us free passes to get in.  All the boys loved some horses that you can climb onto and pretend to be riding.  After the museum we treated the kids to lunch at Costco before heading home for naps.  B-man had piano lessons that day, and is doing great.   M had interviews at the church and while B-man was at piano, and then after we ran around in the gym while he got his meetings in.  I need to do that more often when it is too cold outside.  That evening M went to a friend's house to watch and celebrate as Virginia voted for Romney.  Except it didn't really work out that way.  He came home before the media could call it either way, and we were disappointed (a huge understatement) when we woke up  in the morning.

Wednesday B-man was back at school and we were back to the usual routine.  That morning I had a friend over with her kids so we could catch up and the kids could play.  J and RM were both very territorial, so apparently we need to have more people over. 

Thursday I took the same friend to the airport.  Of course J was super excited for an excuse to go to the airport, and I was grateful that RM stayed awake until we got home so he could nap.  The rest of the day was really quiet.

Friday M was home.  Everyone is excited when M doesn't have to work.  B-man was very excited for his Veteran's day assembly at school and wore his Cub Scout uniform.  It was very cute how excited he was.  He loves military anything right now.  We had a busy morning.  I ran to the grocery store and then we went to take the little boys to a bounce house.  They had earned free passes from a clean check-up at the dentist.  We had to make them promise not to tell B-man...  So far so good.  RM is fearless and will climb up any slide to go down.  They both also loved a little train that you sit in and get pushed in a circle.  After they expended a bunch of energy the "free play" time was up and we stopped at a nursery on the way home.  We have some big plans for our yard, we are getting very close to being able to install some new trees at our house.  Small trees that will hopefully grow quickly...  We also stopped at Costco so M could get almonds for a coworker.  He is his office's almond supplier.  We then went home and had a relaxing afternoon, enjoying the slightly warmer temperatures.  That night we had pizza for our family party and then watched "Rango" as a family.  All the boys loved it, and no one was crying because they were scared, so it was a success.

Saturday I forced to be a productive day.  We had temperatures in the sixties and work that had to be done on the house and the yard.  I started off going to garage sales.  I hit one garage sale with a ridiculous amount of stuff and super cheap prices.  I got 25 articles of clothing (including a Timex watch for B-man), brand new Heely shoes, a Wii fit, and a brand new skateboard for $11.  It was awesome!  Seriously such a blessing.  Then I ran home to meet M at B-man's swimming lesson so he could have his goggles.  I took the little boys home with me, but J was NOT happy about that.  He wanted to be with his dad.  While J decided to be happy I started cutting the holly in our front yard.  It is big and beautiful but needed to be shortened a little to be more in scale.  I think M was shocked when he drove up and saw me with the big hedger electric tool working.  B-man actually helped quite a bit too.  I think he likes using power tools.  I gave M the job to prepare our front door trim to be painted, so he was sanding and caulking so we can paint on Monday.  I also spray painted our house numbers and door bell so they will hopefully look fresh and updated.  I love spray paint.  I also trimmed the roses and finished the weeding in the garden beds.  I was so grateful to have some warmer weather to get the jobs done!  That night we had pancakes and bacon for dinner, and then we enjoyed a calm evening.  I think the boys were tired from all their playing outside all day.  That night M and I watched a few "X-Files" before going to bed.

Today has been a good day so far.  Sacrament meeting went really well.  Primary was okay.  The kids were squirrely!  I hope they still like me...  Hopefully M will be home earlier today, and we will have a fun dinner on the grill to enjoy this nice weather!

We love you all!

The C Crew

B-man's Baptism

A few weeks ago B-man got baptized.  It was a simple low key service, and a low key day.  We were so happy that we had some family that were able to come out for the occasion. It really helped it seem like a party.  B-man was so excited about the day, but he was trying to keep his cool about it.  During the service he sat with his dad on the front row.  We were in the chapel and there was one other little girl getting baptized.  B-man was answering all the questions and was really paying attention.  After the ordinance, he gave his dad the sweetest hug in the water before leaving.

Here we are with our entire group.  It's not nearly as big as it could have been, but we feel so grateful to have had as many people there as we did.

Grandma and Grandpa, E, R, RM, M, B-man, Q, J, and T

We caught this cute little moment with Grandpa leaving the building.

November 4th, 2012

November 4, 2012

Dear Family and Friends,

It's NOVEMBER! How is that even possible.  I can't imagine it.  Monday school was cancelled because of hurricane Sandy.  M was one of the few unlucky government employees that had to still go into work.  The weather was rainy, but not too windy in the morning so I took the kids and ran to the grocery store one last time before the storm.  The rest of the day was pretty relaxed.  B-man's good friend in our neighborhood came and spent most of the day with us.  Once the wind really started picking up his mom wanted him home.  The kids were pretty oblivious to the storm, but as the day went on the storm got much more intense.  That night for FHE we talked about the story of Jesus calming the seas with his disciples.  The wind and rain were very intense, so the kids really got the lesson.  That night I put the kids to bed.  I ran fans/humidifiers for the boys to try and break up the sound of the wind on the house.  B-man took slightly longer to fall asleep, but he once he was asleep he really slept fine.  M drove home during the worst of the storm.  I was so grateful that he had been transferred to a different office in case the power went out in the afternoon when things were quieter.  His second spot was much closer to use, and on big clear roads.  He made it home early because of that.  We then checked on the boys and went to bed.  I was in bed for about five minutes with earplugs when I realized I would never fall asleep.  So I hopped out of bed and slept in the guest room.  It is on the opposite side of the house and much quieter.  I fell asleep fast and went right to bed.  M had no trouble sleeping in our very loud bedroom.

Tuesday morning things were much calmer.  Once the boys woke up I immediately went and checked a few problem areas to see if we had lost any siding.  Everything had held together and we never lost power!   I was so grateful.  We did lose a few shingles and will need a little work on the roof, but we feel grateful that it wasn't worse.  Once again B-man was out of school, and M had to go to work.  The day was much calmer, although cold and wet.  B-man played with his friend again for most of the day.  I took the little boys outside for a few minutes to burn off some energy, but it was too cold to stay out for long.  I was a little grateful when J tripped in a puddle and got wet so I could take him in for a hot shower.  That afternoon I took B-man to piano. 

Wednesday the sun was shining.  B-man had an hour delay to school.  M didn't have to work, and it was nice to have him home for the day.  We ran a few errands, and mostly just enjoyed a relaxing afternoon.  Because of the storm and M' work schedule we never carved our pumpkins, so as soon as B-man got home from school we had a little carving party on our kitchen floor.  The boys did so great this year, they all helped clean out their pumpkins, and B-man designed and almost cut out all of his.  That's a lot of progress for him.  Everyone had a great time.  We then ate an early dinner and changed into our costumes.  While we were waiting to trick-or-treat we video chatted with some family.  The boys especially liked seeing Uncle Scott in the operating room with all his gear on.  We had originally intended to all stay together for the trick-or-treating.  But since B-man (and his friend) are so much faster, it didn't last that long.  I passed out candy at home, and M walked with the little boys and a friend, while B-man walked with his friend and his, mother.  The boys came home excited about their "haul."  We video chatted some more, they each indulged in a few candies, and then it was bed time.  RM loved trick-or-treating and really would not let go of the candy that people were giving him.  That can cause problems fast since their hands are so little... but he made it work.  That night M and I watched old episodes of "X-Files" to keep our Halloween mood.

Thursday was a normal day.  B-man had a full day of school, we ran some errands.  One of which was to pick up a large world map that we had framed with some metal behind it so that the map is magnetized and we can mark where we (or M) have been.  It was such a long story finding a shop that would finally do it for us, but when we finally found the right one they did a great job and were very professional.  We had a little lunch date at home and then that night M went to mutual.

Friday M was back at work.  I had lost my voice.  I hate losing my voice but I am grateful that I don't feel more sick.  That night for our family party we used some free things and went to McDonald's.  Then we came home and watched "Tangled."   I had never seen it before, and thought it was very fun.

Saturday was a busy day.  M had to work again.  He dropped off B-man at the church to help in the Scouting For Food activity.  I met him at the church and brought him home.  We had just enough time for him to clean his bathroom and practice his piano before we left for swimming lessons.  It was his first one in a long time, and he surprised me with how well he listened and how hard he was trying.  Not that he doesn't normally listen, just sometimes he is very much a boy and is in his own world.  After the lesson we ran to the grocery store and then home.  I had totally forgotten about a person coming to look at an item on Craigslist.  Thankfully she was patient and came back when I wasn't home!  The rest of the day I tried to work a little in the yard.  I have a lot of flower bushes that need to be trimmed for winter, but I hate to do it while they are still producing flowers.  Any day now they will be dead, because although we haven't had a hard freeze yet, the weather is super cold.  That afternoon we went to the surprise party of a family across the street.  It was the husband's birthday.  The kids all had a great time, and after almost two hours the little boys decided they had had enough and wanted to go home.  B-man stayed a little longer while I helped the boys warm up and then get ready for bed.  I worked on my lesson for Primary.

Today has been a good day so far.  M has to work all day, the first time in six months with his job that he hasn't been able to find someone to cover his shift.  We were grateful it was on a fast Sunday, so he at least wasn't missing a bunch of meetings.  Primary was an adventure with no voice, but I made it through.  We are home now and planning on a very simple dinner.  (I'm thinking scrambled eggs...)

We love you all!

The C Crew