Go-Go

These are Mommers tortoises. I think it was as hard for her to leave these little guys behind as it was her family and friends to go on their mission. Jay, Ashley, and kids are taking good care of them while Mommer is gone. Before leaving Mommer and Papa wondered if Minnie Mae Lemonada had laid eggs somewhere in the yard. While in Arizona for the weekend they stopped at their home and searched the backyard. Sure enough they found little baby turtles wandering around the yard.
We got to bring one home to live with us for awhile. He (that's the gender we are going with) really is cute! Our kids are absolutely in LOVE!! Kimball and I worried that naming the turtle might turn into a big argument between the kids. We were pleasantly surprised when the name was decided quickly and EVERYONE agreed! His name is.......Go-Go. The kids thought it would be fun to put Go-Go in a race so that they could chant, "Go Go-Go, Go Go-Go". Silly kids!

When the kids woke up to find the baby turtle at our house Gage excitedly exclaimed, "this is better than CHRISTMAS!"

Emmalin has a new favorite pastime-- laying on the floor and watching and talking to Go-Go.

One last goodbye to Mommer and Papa

The weather is starting to cool down a little so we spent the day in the park with the Clarks. Papa and Mommer were home for the weekend. They mad a little pit stop in Arizona on their way from the Missionary Training Center to Monterrey, Mexico. It was our last chance to be with them for a while. We always have so much fun together. On this day we played an exciting game of kickball. I think the adults had as much fun, if not more, than the kids. We played boys against girls, which led to a little smack talk. Ha ha! Everyone played hard and had a good time.

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Fall Crafting!

I enjoy crafting. I've mentioned before that it is what keeps me sane. With the kids home during the summer months not much in the crafting department gets done. But, school is back in session and my glue gun and I have reunited! Here are some of my projects. Be forewarned that I am a copycat. There are so many fun ideas out in blogland, so some of these might be familiar.

A few new hair accessories for my girls...

Fabric pumpkins...
Fall leaf garland...

A close up of the leaves...

Fall wreath. This baby used a TON of glue!

2x6 pumpkins...

Gage even made a set of pumpkins for our front porch...

A little sign for my broom...

a 2x6 mummy...

I think I may be winding down with the Fall crafts. But Christmas is DEFINITELY on my mind!

Our Camera Disappeared...

A few days ago our camera disappeared. I asked the kids if they had seen it anywhere. Of course, they all claimed that they hadn't. Later in the day it magically appeared. Well, today I was downloading pictures onto the computer and found these. Hmmmm...
Yep, that's her throat!

She's a sneaky little thing ;)

Elder and Sister Clark

Kimball's parents have been called to serve in the Monterry, Mexico Temple Mission. They report to the MTC tomorrow! We are beyond excited for them and so very, very proud of them. They have been shining examples for us and continue to be as they embark on this new adventure. This is something they have dreamed of! We will miss them more than we can say. They are a huge presence in our lives. We take comfort in knowing that they are doing the Lord's work and blessings will come from their sacrifice and service.

The Monterrey, Mexico Temple

They are wonderful grandparents who are setting quite an example and showing their grandchildren how much they love their Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the gospel.
We look forward to hearing about their adventures over the next 18 months! Our thoughts and prayers are with them. We love you Mommer and Papa!

First Day of School 2010

Summer is over. Another school year has arrived. Here we go again with the early morning rush, the always daunting lunch packing, and tighter schedules. This year we have a 3rd grader, a 2nd grader, and a kindergartner. It's a new adventure for all, including Mom who only has one little one left at home. Emmalin wandered around the house looking for the kids all day. They were definitely missed!

Here they are taking the obligatory "first day of school picture".

Carrigan excitedly waiting for kindergarten to start. She says school is awesome but won't eat her lunch or snacks because Mom isn't with her. She scarfed down her lunch in the car after school.

"How was your first day?"...

They were so worn out after a terrific first day of school. Here they are having a little snack and enjoying a few minutes of TV while Mom cooked dinner.

Gage's 9th Birthday

Gage turned 9! That is crazy to me. He is growing up right before my eyes, and way tooooo fast. He is a wonderful part of our family. Always helpful and aware of the needs of his sisters. He can be ALL boy, but he can also be calm and sweet. At present time his favorite color is red (which changed this year. It has always been green), his favorite dinner is french dip sandwiches, he loves anything shark related, and he's about to start 3rd grade!

The bulk of his gifts were lego related, which he couldn't be more thrilled about.
He also got a pogo-stick. He seems to be a natural at it. He wants to keep getting better and better until he can manuever around the house and eventually go up and down the stairs. Nothing wrong with goal-setting!

Don't you love spontaneous fun!?! We were blowing up balloons and one shot off the end of the air pump, sending it sailing all around the downstairs. The kids hooted, hollered, and chased down the balloon. This fun game lasted for quite some time and completely wore them out!

Next up-- the birthday cake! ALWAYS a Texas Sheet Cake for this boy! It is his absolute favorite! Silly me thought we had plenty of birthday candles. When I went to get them out of the cupboard I realized I only had 7! So we lit the 7 candles, had him blow them out, and then lit 2 more! He thought he was the coolest! Love when something that could has been a catastrophe turns into something okay! PHEW!!

Happy Birthday little man!!!

Feeling Old

I celebrated my 37th birthday this past week. We have a tradition in our family that the kids make my cake. I found a recipe a few months back for a yummy looking cake and so I steered the kids in that direction. I measured out all of the ingredients and they went to town. I did the parts that involved the oven or stove but they did the rest. They did a wonderful job making this delicious Caramel Cake!! Mmmmm! Thanks kids! Phew-- that's ALOT of candles...

Kimball

Kimball was recently called to be the Young Men's President in our ward. He had been serving in the Stake Young Men's Presidency and really grew to love the young men. He is excited for this new challenge and a chance to get to know the boys in our ward better.

These are a few pictures from a recent stake YM/YW activity. I love this action shot (thanks Kary) of Kimball being taken down by our Bishop in a game of mud football.Those who know Kimball know what fun he can be. He loves to laugh and to make people laugh. He loves to play and have fun like in these pictures. I love that about him. But I also love that he can be incredibly spiritual and lead our family in choosing the right. He has a way of explaining the gospel that just makes it so clear and simple. I know he will be a wonderful leader for the Young Men he is serving just as he is a wonderful leader for our own little family.

Camping

Last weekend we went camping with the Clark Family. We thought it would be fun to spend time together before Papa and Mommer leave for their mission in September. It was also a great way to escape the heat of the valley!! I am already missing the weather which was absolutely gorgeous. Oh, what fun we had!!! Kevin found a beautiful and super fun place for us to call home for a few days. One of the highlights of our trip was Jay and Ashley's Ranger. The kids (and adults) couldn't get enough of the wild, whiplashing, hold onto your panties, rides! The kids would chant and beg for more!!!

Sorry for this next picture, but I have to include it. Kevin was my hero for building this little toilet for us. It sure made "going" out in the woods easier for the girls!

Emmalin LOVED riding in the Ranger. After returning back to camp each trip she would do a little fake cry letting us know she wasn't ready to be done. When set down on the ground, she would crawl back inside...

She seriously LOVED it and would giggle and laugh and say "WEEEE" the whole time.

The rock wall was a HUGE hit with the grandkids. They climbed all over chasing lizards and other creepy crawlys. Can you see Mommer on the wall? We were all a little nervous about that. But she was awesome!

Amberly having fun with glow-sticks

The men and children went off for some target practice...

...while the women went and did more of this...

Lots of great places to hike and do what Clark's do best...chase down lizards, and snakes, and frogs, and anything else they see!

Here is a sampling of some of the wildlife that we found. We even brought home a few little treasures. We now have another skink, a frog, and a few more lizards. The snakes had to stay in the forest. Mommy isn't too fond of them (shiver).

We can't wait to do it again!!!!