Blogging about Brooklyn (and Jude ;)

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-13T08:04:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to All!

We love this season! It is so full of Joy and Celebration and it is a time to say thank you to everyone that has made your life better. So first of all, Thank You!

Here is a quick summary of 2011 in the life of the Clarks. You can look at older posts to see pictures of most of the things mentioned here.

January: Jude turned one and Paige got to go skiing on the best snow on earth while we still lived in Utah!

February: We loved having Paige's sisters Vic and Bree around a lot, as well as so many good friends that would frequent the Clark home.

March: Trey and Paige went on a cruise - the best vacation of their lives (:

April: Hiking and enjoying Utah and visiting DDaddy and Nana in Georgia were the highlights of April.

May: Paige's Sister Brianna got married (To the most wonderful guy, Christopher Rowland) See thier blog HERE. Paige and the kids stayed up in Canada while Trey had "Bronanza" and moved all our stuff out to Chicago.

June: Suprise! We found out we were going to have Baby #3 and Trey re-started School in the University of Chicago's MBA program.

July: Paige and the kids spent the Summer in Osoyoos with the kids and then drove down the entire west coast with preggo sister Dana to get certified as a Hypnobabies instructor.

August: Trey got a job with Morningstar

September: Brooklyn turned 4 and Trey organized a suprise 30th Birthday extravaganza for Paige, where 7 of her closest friends flew in to have a girl's weekend in Chicago! It was amazing.

October: We went out to visit DDaddy and Nana in Georgia and spent Halloween with Rochelle, my dear childhood friend.

November: We took a trip to see our friends the Gooches in Detroit and Paige got the family calender and Christmas cards made!

December: Fred and Logan will be joining us for Christmas in Chicago.

There are a few huge changes happening in our lives in the next few months, so please stay posted!

All our Love during this holiday season!

Love the Clarks

Maternity Shots

2011-12-11T19:00:00.000-08:00

Since we are so far from home, my family often forgets I'm totally pregnant when talking with me. Here you can see just how preggo I am (:

My good friend, Jenna (Jennacole.com) offered to take some maternity pictures! I've never done them for my other pregnancies, and it was really fun.

She's an amazing photographer and they all turned out great... here are a few.

Halloween 2001!

2011-11-02T10:33:00.000-07:00

Having kids gives you unique opportunities to relive your childhood! Halloween is definitely one of those times! Especially this year with Brooklyn in Trey's childhood costume and going trick or treating with my friend who I trick or treated with when I was a kid! What a trip/ck it was to watch as our kids did the exact thing we did together when we were that age!

Brooklyn and Trey in Matching Cotumes - same age! 28 years later!

Rochelle's kids are absolutely adorable! Brooklyn and Jude were on cloud nine running from house to house with the whole troop of characters! Rochelle also has a newborn - Liam who was born at 27 weeks but is now 4 months old and a whopping 8 pounds! (Wish I had taken a picture!)

Brooklyn and Jude were Bats. Jude thought saying 'Trick or Treat' meant "open this for me please!" so he would go and get the candy and the door and then give it to me and say "Tick o teat!" and refuse to go any further till I gave him some candy! He has a runny nose today...

Watching all 6 kids run up to each door and say "Trick or Treat" in Unison was hilarious!

How cute are they!

Halloween day we had preschool at my place so the kids dressed up and we decorated cookies and went to the downstairs bouncy gym they have in our apartment 3 mornings per week.

Fall Adventures in the Windy City

2011-11-02T10:31:00.000-07:00

October has been a busy month of weekly trips to local attractions, a trip to Detroit and Valparaiso and preschool at our house!

The Brookfield Zoo is really impressive, especially the Dolphin show - where we got splashed (:

Jude figured out fast what he liked best about his first football game (:

We went back to Valpo for one of their football games. It's the last season Trey will know some of the guys from the team.

Our trip to Detroit was part of the 28th Birthday Celebrations for Trey.

Jude has started saying sentances like "I LOVE YOU" and repeating back what we say which is really fun! He's got a huge knock on his head and a runny nose, makes a mess all day, wakes up at 5:30 every morning and likes to be Naked all the time but he is just SOOO CUTE it's almost unbearable!

Trey and I went on a date on a sailing ship before it started to get too cold. It was neat seeing the city from the water! It is such an incredible place to live!

The Lincoln Park Zoo is free every day...we went with our preschool group and the kids had fun.

And of course Fall adventures wouldn't be complete without Halloween! Brooklyn's costume is from when Trey was a little boy!

Detroit with the Gooches!

2011-11-02T10:16:00.000-07:00

We went out to see our wonderful friends from BYU, the Gooches.

I can't believe it has been 4 years since we saw them last, but it was such a dream come true to get our adorable kids together and hang out with them!

Trey and Dave went to a Football game together, we explored a bit, but most of all, just enjoyed hanging out like the "old days" and let the kids love and enjoy the the space and outdoor trampoline and playground!

The Gooch and Clark Family back in 2005 and..... Us Now!

Heather and I are both expecting our Third babies 6 weeks apart - Our other two are less than 3 months apart.

The kids were instant friends...I knew they would be!

Tennessee and Georgia

2011-10-18T18:46:00.000-07:00

Leaving home at 5am, flying to Nashville, waiting at the airport for 2 hours, then taking a 2 hour shuttle to Chattanooga, spending a night and taking a 2 hour shuttle to Atlanta, having dinner with Phil, Jen and Hayden and driving 1 more hour to finally get to our destination was all worth it!

We had a great day and a half with Papa and Didi, and of course a Heavenly time with DDaddy, Nana and family!

Butterbean Harvest was in full force again! DDaddy sat and shelled and Trey, Nanna, Jeff and I were the Harvesters!

Brooklyn learned to Drive this trip - both the Wagon while Jude sat in it and her own size car - though she wasn't so good at lookin' where she was going and ran into something! Scared us enough to resolve not to ever get her one of those! (:

There's always plenty to play with at DDaddy and Nanna's. The pink doll was the favorite this time though - for both Brooklyn and Jude!

Brooklyn's Fourth Birthday!

2011-09-21T05:51:00.001-07:00

Color Explosion was the Theme for Brooklyn's Birthday this year and we went all out again (:

Did you know there’s a treasure at the end of each rainbow?

Today you can find it if you search high and low!

Follow the clues to the pot of Gold, But don’t listen to that Leprechaun or You’ll be fooled!

To find a rainbow, we must know our colors

What comes first in the rainbow? Must you ask your Mothers?

RED Red’s our first color, it’s so much funWhat’s red and yummy over there? WATERMELON! That’s right, you had better go run!Now your tummies full and you can run!

But first fix this puzzle, it’s all undone!

ON THE BACK: Run to the Orange Balloon!Sticky hand on the bench

This sticky hand is really tricky, see what color you get but get there quickly!

The leprechaun is faster than two, don’t let him get you or he’ll tickle you!

Brooklyn loves the game of tennis,with these balls, we could be a menace! The Leprechaun is right around here, Pick up some balls, and lets hit his rear!!!

If these balls are yellow and we’re following our rainbow theme, What’s our next color? It must be ….... GREEN!Who sees the green balloon I think I do Run and see what’s there, but only take a few! GRAPES

What letter does Bubble start with? That’s the clue Now what COLOR starts with B? That’s right BLUE! FOLLOW THE BUBBLES! Who likes bubbles? What color are they? They’ve got all the colors! The whole arrayof colors and fun, so dance around, cause soon we’ll turn off the soundWhen the music stops, everyone freeze, the winners all will get a prize! NECKLACES

Why did we run around so long? Finding clues to lead us to the end of a song? No! A rainbow, you’re right! A treasure fairIf we find the last color, it will lead us there! What is the last color of the rainbow? A Purple caped Leprechaun is running alone -Chase him now and you’ll find his home!!

RAINBOW STREAMERS COMING OUT OF A TREE LEADING INTO A POT OF GOODIES...

My friends took more photos, but I haven't gotten them yet.

Good times... wish everyone could have been there!

Binghams, thanks for coming all the way out from Valparaiso!

I am now the Chicago Hypnobabies Instructor!

2011-09-17T08:08:00.000-07:00

I am so excited! I am starting my first Hypnobabies in Chicago on October 1st! There are only 5 spots available, so if you know anyone here that would be interested, please let them know!

I have a website hypnobabieswithpaige.com

I am also on Facebook and Twitter and would really appreciate if you "Liked it!"

Hypnobabies is the leading Childbirth Methodology for Natural Childbirth.

It has worked amazingly for both my births and I can't wait to share it with more couples!

Please check out my website (I'm still working on it looking a little better, but it's functional for now!)

It's Over!

2011-09-16T07:01:00.000-07:00

I made three meals today, went swimming with the kids, got Brooklyn to her first ballet lesson and even had energy clean a bit! We went apple picking and I got $100 worth of fruits and veggies (Counting $25 worth of raw honey and maple syrup (: ) Paige is eating again!

Brooklyn was SO excited for her first ballet lesson!

Apple Picking in Indiana!

The nausea ended over a week ago and I am SO grateful!!! Thank you everyone for the suport, advice and words of encouragement as I went through one of the longest 4 months of my life!

My girls for Sista-Nanza 2011

So much has happened since I fell off the blogging band wagon, but most recently, Trey threw a surprise 30th party where 5 of my closest friends flew in to spend an entire weekend in Chicago with me! It was amazing to say the least. The day after they all left, we went down to Tennessee and Georgia to see Trey's family, then the day after we got home, Trey started a new Job! He is enjoying it. Will start a new semester next week and I am just grateful that I will be functional for this next leg of single parenthood. (with 40 hours of work and 30 hours of studies, we won't be seeing him much!

DDaddy and Nana's is Heaven on Earth for the kids!

PS is anyone else hating this new blogger template? I can't figure out how to use it and organize everything in my post!

Am I “serving time” instead of serving my family?

2011-08-25T19:35:00.000-07:00

I just read a great article, among the many on powerofmoms.com about Priorities (Power of the Month Moms!) and I loved the line: 'Am I “serving time” instead of serving my family?' because that is the question in my head - I just didn't put it so well! I feel like I'm serving time some days! Watching the clock desperately for the 6:30 mark where I can start getting the kids to bed, (yet somehow not getting them to bed till 8:30 - and i'm not even preparing anything more than cheese and meat or bread and peanut butter for dinner!

I am honestly praying that the day nausea ends will come very very soon because I am ready to quit. This is the one job on the planet that you CAN'T quit though, so I just have to hope and pray and know I can't quit but ward God that I will really try if something isn't done about this!

It has been the longest 3 months of my life and every day seems like an eternity and every task is just that much harder, takes longer and - wait, even if I wasn't totally nauseated that would be the case! I have a 1.5 year old! (terror by the way!)

Wish I had the energy to list all of his Terrible ways - throwing everything in the toilet - well tonight was the brand new roll of TP into the bath, but usually it's the toilet. He always walks the exact opposite direction that we are going and refuses to hold my hand - another real pet peeve. He is SOOOO cute though - his one redeeming quality

Anyway, a late night rant by Paige.

Here is a GREAT article my friend Janelle put on her blog wherearemymaryjanes an awesome resource for activities to do with your kids!:

Sorry if you can't read it - just go HERE

Awesome Resource and Deal!

2011-08-22T12:24:00.000-07:00

I love the website:

http://www.valuesparenting.com/

It is run by Richard and Linda Eyres. They are the founders of Joy School if you are familiar with that.

I met them while I lived in Utah and they absolutely amazing people.

In any case, they have recently written a book called:

The Entitlement Trap: How to Rescue Your Child with a New Family System of Choosing, Earning, and Ownership

It is an amazing parenting resource - as all their books and blogs are

They are doing a special promotion today:

By pre-ordering the book (following the links at the end of this page), you will:
Pay about $12 rather than the $18 the book retails for after its official release
Be one of the first to receive the book

(you’ll get it September 6th, the very day booksellers get it)
If you email your pre-order receipt to honesty@theeyres.com, you'll also receive:
A link to a free animated musical audio book for children on Honesty (the first in the applauded children’s CD series, Alexander’s Amazing Adventures (based on the Eyres' NYTimes Bestseller, Teaching Your Children Values). This download is a $10 value.

Plus they have extra prizes you can win.

Check THIS out for more info

My Super Hero

2011-08-09T16:06:00.000-07:00

If you have met or know my Dad, you probably know why I think he is the most amazing man alive. But this summer, while I was away from my wonderful husband, my Dad pulled through as my real live superman. I was truly a maiden in distress and came to the rescue.

He held my hair back and brought me water as I puked, he bought me ice cream when I couldn't eat anything else and didn't even flinch when I ordered a tripple (:

and he took care of my two wild kids while I lay around incapacitated, he even taught Brooklyn how to hit her first tennis ball over the net while I slept at home.

Where he really went above and beyond is when he took it upon himself to help me ween the most addicted nursing toddler in the history of the world. Jude, at 17 months was still nursing between 6 and 9 times a day! - well I should say night. Since we had been sleeping in the same room since early May, and always where he would wake up several people when he started screaming, he learned quickly that I would just nurse him to shut him up.
Not only did my Dad start putting Jude down for all his naps, but he took him through the night and taught him that he wasn't going to get Mom when he woke up to nurse. In fact, 2 nights with Grandpa Greg and he was sleeping through the night! Well. that is until 6:30am when Dad would take Jude out on the Canoe to keep him from waking everyone up!

Two full nights of sleep changed my life and I actually didn't throw up for 3 full days! I have a thousand times better since I stopped nursing Jude and SOOO grateful for Grandpa Greg!
The amazing thing is my Dad made me feel like I was doing him a favor by letting him put Jude to sleep. He was thrilled that he was able to bond with Jude and found great satisfaction in sleep training him for me.

Of course the rest of the family - My Mom, Dana, Brig, Brooke and Vic were incredible supports during that difficult time as well and I could write a blog entry about each one of them and everything they did - honestly, I have to do my final for Hypnobabies though!
More blogs to come now that we have internet in our apartment finally though!
Honestly Thank you sooo much Dad and Family for being such incredible supports to me this summer! I needed you more than ever and you pulled through for me! I promise to cook again next summer (:

An Explanation and Announcement!

2011-07-03T17:29:00.000-07:00

If you are reading this, you are a true friend, as most people I'm sure have given up on this blog! I have a few excuses, but this explains it best...
We are on a cross-continental tour, on my way to a new home in Chicago, currently in week 8 of it. In May, I left our home in Utah for good with our two kids to go up to Calgary, Canada for my sister's wedding. My husband came with us, but went back and packed up the house while I stayed with the kids and visited Calgary and all my loved ones there for a while. (While we were there my Dad got a blood clott and all my family was sick ):
Trey joined up with us for a bit in Idaho at my sister Brooke's a few weeks later and now I am back up in Canada, in Osoyoos B.C. for a few weeks until I come down to a training course for Hypnobabies on July 15th (My 30th Birthday!) and finally fly "home" to Chicago. All together I think the trip is 2875 miles of driving and a total of 4900 miles travel in 2.5 months with a 1.5 year old and 3.5 year old. My dear pregnant sister and her 1.5 year old is with us throughout this whole journey!
I was actually looking forward to this little gallivant around the continent, but about 3 weeks into the trip I realized I was pregnant - a complete shock! (in fact, I had come to terms with the idea of stopping, and accepting our balanced family of four as perfect!)
I had about 3 weeks to wrap my head around it and then the nausea set in so bad I don't know what hit me! It is worse than any of my other pregnancies and I'm beside myself!
I have tried hypnosis, vitamins, eating regularly, sleeping more and have found little relief! I just can't seem to find energy or health that I need to function properly! I have never felt weaker in my life! Well, other than when I had typhoid in Indonesia!
Honestly eating and drinking is so nauseating, I feel like I would prefer to just be connected to an IV! Now, I hate needles and hospitals more than anyone I know, but that is how sick I am! Any suggestions?
In any case, thanks for reading and following and sorry I didn't' get to tell you in person.
Love to all,
Paige

Brianna and Christopher's Wedding!

Trey with us in Moscow, ID

Us here in Osoyoos
View Larger Map

Power of Moms Retreat!

2011-04-17T21:03:00.000-07:00

Every industry seems to have retreats and/or training sessions where people learn how to do their jobs better. Motherhood is one of the most important professions in the world, raising the next generation, yet training and retreats are not a part of the experience for the most part. Of course we can read books, but nothing compares to getting together with 1o0 other people in the same profession as you, learning together and from each other about how to improve. Well, Power of Moms provides this kind of training and I just went this weekend. It was at the Eyres home and it was Amazing!
The Eyres started Joy School, are authors of dozens of books, travel the globe doing conferences about parenting, and just wrote another amazing book 5 Spiritual Solutions to Everyday Parenting Challenges. Since meeting Saren, who started Power of Moms and who is the eldest daughter of the Eyres, I have become hooked on learning all about this family. They are incredible and inspiring.
Anyway, please go look at the website and all the links and listen to the podcasts and read the articles and sign up for the programs! It's all amazing and life changing. In fact, when I went down to Claifornia last, I helped my sister set up the Mind Organization for Moms Filing system and she told me last night it has "Changed [her] Life"! I feel the same way and I've only just begun!
I wanted to write down some of the main things I took away from the conference, and thought I may as well make it public so perhaps it can help some other Moms who weren't able to go!

First of all favorite stories and quotes:
Linda Eyre shared:

A boy came to his Mom one day and said "Mom, how hard is it to be a Mom?" His Mom's head started to spin with all the different responses she could give, how could she possibly describe how hard it really is? Before she could respond though, he said "It is so hard, don' t you sometimes wish you could be Dad?"
"Act Your Wage"
My sleep is an investment in my Family
Ability -Load = Margin Leave Margin in your Life in order to be able serve and have Serendipity in your life
Through grief, each deep feeling can be a friend to walk you to a better place
Serendipity: A state of mind whereby a person through awareness and sensitivity frequently finds something better than he was seeking

One of the things I loved most about the conference was it was not a "What you should do" session, but rather, "Here are true principles, now you have unique family dynamics and children, you decide what is important to you and design your family culture, economy and Legal System."
I decided I want to raise children who I love to be around when they grow up and who are contributors to the world around them.
So how can I do that? First and foremost, we learned about taking care of the person inside the Mom. In fact I loved the story of April teaching her children that "Mommy is a Person" so she got to sit at the table and eat and not jump up and down all through supper. People get to eat, sleep, read, exercise, have goals - and Mommy is a Person!

Also, I was reminded to cherish the moments. Because in between all the mundane and downright frustrations, there are those moments that fill our hearts with joy and remind us why we do it all. I was reminded how when things would all go terribly wrong in Costa Rica when my friend Natalie and I were traveling together, we would just laugh and say "Oh well, it's a story to tell!"
As a Mother, there are so many times when things don't go as planned - hourly in my case, but by thinking of it as a 'story to tell' I think it may make it easier and even magical.

As our family is still so young, we still don't have very many traditions, but as the Eyres say, they are the glue that keeps the family together, and I got so many awesome ideas about traditions!

Each member of the family gets to choose a special thing they always do on their birthdays
on Thanksgiving, getting a cash registry roll and while the turkey cooks, list everything we are thankful for, then stringing it around the table as decoration
For us, obviously travel is going to be a huge part of our family culture. Making that a part of our traditions. For instance going to the Lake every summer and saving up as a family to travel somewhere new every year, and maybe doing a service travel project every year when the kids get older were some ideas I had.
Doing a service project every year to raise money and donate to a charity like Kiva.org or Rising star were
Sundays having people over for dinner
Valentines pillows where they get a little love note or treat if they make their bed
Dying a red egg first when decorating easter eggs, to represent His Sacrifce and new life
Daddy-Daughter and Mommy Son dates
So many more... We'll see which ones stick

Repentance Bench
Working along side kids rather than delegating right away
Oh there were so many great ideas for getting kids to work, take initiative, do chores, payment ideas etc!

Finally...Our Mexican Honeymoon!

2011-04-17T20:12:00.000-07:00

What a magical thing it is to not have children for a week! Trey and I walked around holding hands, eating wonderful food and doing things we couldn't do with two kids on our

We went to the Mexican Riviera!

Cabos San Lucas

a
We took surf lessons from the former Mexican Champion!

Trey is a Master Body Surfer!

My saint of a sister spent a week like this! I wish someone could have been there to document the craziness (Well, to help actually, but taking pictures along the way (: )

Travels This Year

2011-04-15T19:44:00.000-07:00

I saw this today and had to do this post

... The Clark Travels since leaving Valparaiso, Indiana a year and a month ago...

View Larger Map

Yes, that is over 23,000 miles - with a new baby and 2/3 year old! Not to mention the travels Trey has done without us, including New Mexico, Washington DC, The Congo and now TAIWAN!

Yes, we moved to Utah, but did we really live here? Well, we won't be as of next month!

We are moving back to Chicago so Trey can finish his MBA at the University of Chicago!

No, it gets better though (: Over the next 3 months we will be going to Tennessee, Georgia, back to Utah, up to Calgary, over to Osoyoos, down to southern California, and then we will go to Chicago where Trey will have been for a month and a half without us.

View Larger Map
That my friends is over 8800 miles between now and July 20th!
Dang, I've been reading all these other blogs that have such great grammar structure - I'm realizing mine isn't very good :(
It's been a long day - off to collect stuff to put in a garage sale tomorrow!
Oh yeah, and did I mention I have over 50 hours of training and 1500 pages to read by July 1 for my Hypnobabies course?

Kevin Xu

2011-04-15T12:19:00.000-07:00

Our dear friend Kevin Xu passed away this week from Cancer. Trey was en rout to Taiwan, hoping to make it in time to say goodbye when he passed. He is there right now with the family and visiting with all his other wonderful friends there.
Candy and the 3 kids are in our thoughts and prayers right now. I can't imagine how difficult this is for them! She is strong and has and incredible amount of faith and support, so I am grateful for that.
I am so glad I was able to get to know him when they came to stay with us in November. He was one of the most gentle and good men I have ever known.
Having lost Judy, all I know is death of a close loved one, taken too early in life is devastating in every way. I still don't know what helps. All I can do from here is pray.

How Far Does This Have to Go?

2011-04-15T11:25:00.000-07:00

Is it bad that I am SO frustrated that my poor little girl is sick? I feel selfish in my frustration - but how far does this sacrifice and love of a Mother have to go sometimes?
I have been stuck in this house for 3 days, canceling one big event after another while I clean up throw up, do laundry, and basically run around in circles trying to keep Jude entertained and away from a moody Brooklyn all day and try to prepare for events that I keep having to cancel in the end!
So far I missed the mission call opening of my Mission President's daughter and good friend - She got called to MY mission and it would have been SO awesome to be there! Then yesterday I had to cancel the CTR7 Easter Party I had planned and had 5 dozen eggs in my fridge and tons of candy and balloons for and now today I couldn't go to my POWER OF MOMS retreat! I had been looking forward to it for literally 3 months and then last minute couldn't go! On top of it all, I haven't been able to work out or sleep well so the mix just doesn't add up to a very happy Paige.
Things could be so much worse and the person we should really feeling sorry for - and I do - is Brooklyn. The poor thing has a bad case of the flu, with the throw up, fever, chills and all. She is feeling a little better today though, just obviously not well enough to drop off at a babysitters!
I promise a more positive post to follow!

An Amazing Trip

2011-03-26T21:24:00.000-07:00

We got back from one of the better weeks of my life a few weeks ago and I am just getting around to blogging about it - but sent the camera with all the photos of it with Trey to TAIWAN- a whole nother story...
Trey and I left the kids with my sister for a week and went on a cruise to MEXICO! It was the most freeing, relaxing, fun week I have. It was the first holiday we have had where I was not pregnant, recovering and without kids since before we had kids and it is one of those situations where you don't know how good you've got it till it's gone.
Don't get me wrong, I love my children - hopefully that is obvious from my blog, but as my sister who just had a baby just pointed out, having children is like learning how to be handicapped. learning how to do everything with just one hand, not being able to just jump out of the car and go into the store without a whole ordeal, basically being hindered in 90% of your activities in some way. It is also completely consuming - which takes away from some of the romance in marriage if you know what I mean! At the same time, after being away from it, and experiencing the joy of being around the most wonderful and adorable.
Unfortunately, for now the only photos I have are the ones of the day we got HOME and raced to my dear friend and MTC roommate's wedding in SanDiego. (Got there with 7 minutes to spare might I add!)

My Mission Sistas!

Proof that our photographer (and MY MAN!) was there with us - in fact he was the hit of the reception on that dance floor!

Here is a photo with the beautiful bride!
Adrienne looked amazing. So glad we could all be there! I love weddings
MORE TO COME ABOUT THE CRUISE -when Trey gets home

Blog-worthy Photos

2011-03-25T13:22:00.000-07:00

she is so cute!

My BFF from since I was a baby Kel came to Utah! I love being around her!

I helped our babysitter with her biology project - Cake Marshmallow Fondant is useful in so many ways!

Our New Game

2011-03-25T13:08:00.000-07:00

Trey and our soon-to-be brother in law, Christopher came up with this hilarious flying game.
I guess pictures say a thousand words...

I even tried it (:

Now, whenever friends come over, we set up the couches and start flying (:

This is My Sister!

2011-03-03T14:17:00.001-08:00

USU's Brianna Harris Honored As WAC Women's Tennis Player Of The Week

March 2, 2011

LOGAN, Utah - Utah State junior Brianna Harris was honored by the Western Athletic Conference for her perfect, 5-0, week and was named the Verizon Women's Tennis Player of the Week award. The conference office selected the award and announced it on Tuesday.

Harris, a junior from Calgary, Canada (Bishop Carroll HS), went 5-0 in singles play during the week, helping Utah State to a 4-1 record in the process. Harris was able to start the week well as she defeated Eastern Washington's Rocio Norena, 6-0, 6-2. In the lone Utah State loss, at North Texas, 6-1, Harris managed the lone point for USU, as she defeated Carolina Barboza, 6-3, 0-6, 6-2. Harris wouldn't drop a set in her next three matches to close out the week by defeating Temple College's Valentina Kecman (6-0, 6-0), Seminole College's Ashley Coleman (6-0, 6-0), and Collin County Community College's Regan Perma (6-0, 6-0).

Harris is the second women's player from USU to capture the WAC honor, as senior Hailey Swenson was honored on Feb. 8 for her early season performance.

Harris and the Utah State women's tennis will not see the court again for over three weeks when the team travels to the West Coast for a two-match road trip. The Aggies will take on San Francisco on Thursday, March 24, followed with a bout against conference foe San Jose State on Friday, March 25.

Fans can follow Utah State athletics, including women's tennis, at http://twitter.com/USUAthletics.comr

...She just got back from her mission in the spring, so it is so awesome she has been able to do so well so soon!

I'm so proud of her!

Huge Developments in the Clark Family!

2011-02-19T21:29:00.000-08:00

One of the greatest parenting experiences thus far as a Mother has been teaching Brooklyn to Ski! She was amazing! I didn't even think she would keep the boots on, but by the third run, she said she wanted to go down on her own! (I used one of my baby wraps as a kind of leash at first - wrapping it around her belly and easing her down the mountain). After three times down the slope, she was on her own, getting on and off the conveyor belt and going down on her own by the end! It was amazing - a complete thrill! Can't wait to get her back on the slopes (:

The other huge development is Jude is walking! He walked (more than 2 or 3 steps) on Valentines - 10 steps! He then took a couple more days to get the hang of it, but he's walkin' all over now and it is SOOO cute!

I took this a few days ago, now he's really getting around.

Fun with DiDi

2011-02-19T21:17:00.000-08:00

Uncle Logan/Did came to visit us (Trey's little brother) and it was so fun!

I got to go to Powder Mountain with Logan for a whole day of skiing! It was so fun - he's an awesome skiier (: He skiied on his own on Wolf Mtn for the first two days - and he helped teach Brooklyn to Ski!

He was a great helper with Valentines Preschool, and even wearing my friend's newborn that I got to babysit one evening!

We miss you Didi!

News

2011-02-16T21:38:00.000-08:00

We have tons of news to share
the first of which is I'm going to become a Hypnobabies Instructer!
I go to training in July in Cyprus California and am SO excited!
See HERE to read about what Hypnobabies is(:

Power of Moms and The Round Table

2011-02-16T21:28:00.000-08:00

A really neat lady just moved into my ward who founded
The Power of Moms - an INCREDIBLE TOOL for Moms - please check it out!
But on through her blog, I found another things she is involved in - a podcast - another thing I LOVE as a Mom as I can listen and learn and do my mundane tasks(:
The Round Table.
One lady talked about her difficulty adjusting to Motherhood - and I just thought I'd copy and paste a comment I made - would love any comments or thoughts you have!

I totally relate to the comment about not loving Motherhood at first! And the message we get as women in the church. Yes, I felt amazed at how much I loved my child, but going from being a full time student, athlete, job, social life and always being told I could do and become anything, then having a baby and feeling like I should be happy and content changing diapers and nursing all day just didn't seem right. I think this is a different time in history where we as women are told we can become anything and to strive through education and training to do that, yet as soon as we get married and have kids, are told that we should "stay home" and devote the rest of our lives to our kids and husbands. I have since learned that my way of being a "Stay-at-home Mom" is not staying home at all, but going out at every chance I can and holding on to who I was and what I liked before I become "Mom" as hard as I possibly can so that I can be someone that I like at the end of all this, and can serve my children and husband better.

Another thing I was thinking about lately as I am on my rampage - is how my ideal Mothering situation would be to get up, go over to my friends house - or ideally sisters (: - or she comes over to mine) and we spend the day together - learning from each other, letting our kids play together, cooking and cleaning together, watching each other's kids while we run a few errands, then going home when our husbands come home - or 1/2 hour earlier to make dinner and spend the evening as a family unit
Anyone want to join me?

Jude Turns 1!

2011-02-01T18:29:00.000-08:00

Jude had his 1st Birthday Yesterday! We went all out with a big party and Football Theme (:

Jude and Brooklyn's favorite babysitter (Who moved here from Valparaiso soon after us!) and her parents who we LOVE, as well as my Mission companion who was in town from Taiwan and some students and our new friends (The woman who baptized my companion 16 years ago!) came to celebrate with us. 4 other of our friends came - but weren't in the photo.

I asked Trey what kind of cake I should make and he said "Definitely a football!" So I went with it (: Jude's favorite toys are balls - footballs, tennis balls, racquetballs, oranges.... He was just born with this fascination with them. So this was a good summery of his first year I guess.
I made oreo balls, then coated them with brown and white chocolate to make mini footballs to go along with the cake.

Trey got him his first football for his birthday (:

Here's a bit of a summary of our Jude-bug so far:

A little mischief Maker

A very cool dude - who loves to be carried by Mommy

Funny face Maker (:

Tongue artist

Happy

An outdoors man - he is always happiest outside and makes a fuss if I ever bring him inside. When inside, his favorite past time is standing out the window, watching the world go by.

Loves his Grandpas

Little Daredevil

Loves his Daddy and Sister

Is the Big Man! Still 90th percentile in everything (But weight - we have some issues with him wanting anything other than Mommy's Milk!)

We have come so far...

Christmas with the Harris Clan

2011-01-25T11:31:00.000-08:00

I am having a hard time catching up on my blogging, so this will be another quick one:

We spent Christmas in Southern California this year. My entire family - my parents, all 6 siblings, husbands and cousins were there for the big Harris harrah. Luckily my sister has a 7 bedroom house and large kitchen (:
We had a blast playing tennis, picking pomegranits, oranges and other citrus, olives and avocados and even made it over the the LA temple for a few days!

I depended on my sisters to take photos and then didnt' get all the photos - so till then, here are the only photos I have.

We got our yearly 30 pound package of penuts as well as a half dozen other generous packages from DDaddy this Christmas (: Ddaddy even sent 2 packages to California for my family - a major highlight of the season - especially the fresh pecans!

On the home front, they had a Christmas village and free tours with Mrs Claus that we cashed in on. Brooklyn sat on 3 different Santa's knees, met Santa's Raindeer and Mrs Claus this Christmas.

We loved having Vic, Bree and Christopher to keep us company and help us make our cookie plates to give our friends.

Craft time with the Phipps was another holiday memory

Our Taiwanese Family!

2011-01-08T21:03:00.000-08:00

Finally - for our adventures with the Xu Family!
(There is SO much to tell about - but I am just so behind in my blogging, again I will use short hand and hopefully the pictures will speak for themselves!)

Carved Pumpkins, though a couple weeks later than most people

We went hiking up the canyon near our house. They had never seen snow before coming here!

They loved the fall leaves! -and raking my backyard (:

Trey got tickets for everyone to watch the Jazz! They loved chanting "DE-FENSE!"

We went to a local craft fair and car show

We went to the Children's Museum

Made Sugar Cookies and decorated them (they don't use ovens or bake in Taiwan)

Candy, Kevin, Trey and another missionary that taught them went to the SLC Temple for a session. I watched the 5 kids. Thank goodness for the Sister missionaries that helped me for about 1/2 hour of the 3 hours! They gave us a little tour. Not an experience I'd want to repeat, but worth it.

They Loved DI! Candy got a ton of church paraphernalia to take home to her primary and for her home (:

We went up to Snow Basin Ski Resort. It wasn't open yet, but they just started hiking up the mountain when we got there. Got to the top of the first lift and played in the snow for a couple hours! They loved it. They were such great sports about everything!

One of the highlights was the last night we had in Utah, Candy cooked an amazing Taiwanese feast for Victoria's Birthday. It included all the Taiwanese traditions like Long Noodles for long life, cracking red eggs on the birthday person's forehead and best of all - Chicken feet!
I made the cake.

The True Grand Finale was of course Disneyland!

Needless to say it was amazing and SO fun. They are an incredible family who we love and miss so much already! We are so glad they got to come and that we could share a part of our world as they and the Taiwanese did so generously when we were there.

2010-12-15T21:59:00.000-08:00

Every Night I decide I am going to go to bed at 8, after I get the kids to bed - EVERY NIGHT I cannot seem to get to bed before 11pm! Tonight I was researching becoming a Hypnobabies Instructer, Sinus Infections, Downloading Santa Pictures, returning emails etc!!!
It is now 11pm but I really want to blog...
Going to bed though because at 5:30 am I always hate myself for this!
Goodnight...
oh quck, the santa photos (: Jude wasn't too sure about the big bearded man- Brooklyn was though (: she ran right up to his knee as soon as it was her turn.

DDaddy And Nana's

2010-12-11T22:38:00.001-08:00

It was another amazing trip to DDaddy and Nana's in Georgia!
The weather was great, food plentiful and delicious and of course company unbeatable!
Brooklyn and Jude always love it there. DDaddy makes sure there are always new toys to play with and Nana gets right down on the ground and entertains them both all the time!
Jude started to crawl and eat food there!

Papa and Didi (Fred and Logan) drove down from Chattanooga to visit(: It was so good to see them. The kids adore their uncle Didi (:

Brooklyn got to trick or treat at 3 houses with the neighbor boy. (They were making their scary faces there)

Aren't they cute!?!

Washington D.C.

2010-10-25T07:50:00.000-07:00

So I am finally getting around to catching up on the blog!
My excuse for not blogging for months is that life has been insane - don't we all have that excuse though? Here is a brief description of mine though. Blogs to come.
October 10th, Trey left for DC and I had a few days to get everything together for 3 weeks away. I decided to bottle a dozen or so bottles of Grapejuice, throw a dinner party etc. But soon we were off.
We spent 11 amazing days in DC with our INCREDIBLE friends the Boeys. They were so hospitable and fun! (Adding to the fun and craziness of it all, My Sister Brooke and her family just happened to be there at the same time, and my BYU roommate Sariah and BFF from Childhood Kelly both live there) (SEE BLOG)

Straight from D.C., we went to Georgia for 5 days to visit Trey's Grandparents. It was amazing and I will blog soon about that! Spent Halloween there
As soon as I got home, my dear companion from Taiwan was in town, so I met up with her and 2 of my other companions, then my friend Michelle came in from Texas and stayed for a few days. Unfortunately her son was sick with a stomach bug while they were here, but it was so good to reconnect with her and she helped me pull my life/house together for a family of 5 from Taiwan to come and stay for 2 weeks! I dropped her off and went straight to pick our Xu family up!
We took them all over Utah (and had some help from 2 other RM elders they knew) and then as a grand finale, we took them to Vegas for a day, then down to S Cali to Disneyland!
I dropped them off, stayed a day with my sister and drove home to make in for Thanksgiving (Barely- getting in at 6am that day!) (Trey had driven home two days before)
Since then, we have been getting ready for Christmas - and in fact having Christmas (Santa came early this year) because Trey is gone for 6 weeks.
Unfortunately, through the entire time (till we got back from California), Jude was getting up between 3 and 10 times each night to nurse! (as we were all sleeping in the same room). Napping was off as well and so I was the most sleep deprived I have ever been in my life.
It is all really a blur really!
Wish I could have blogged all along the way, but I will try to catch up best I can.
Here is a bit better description of our time in DC.

Our first day, we headed right downtown to meet up with Brookie, Hannah and her amazing friends! I Love D.C.! It is such an amazing city! Almost all the museums are free and really kid friendly!

Trip to the Building Museum Downtown was so fun, but I thought I was well prepared with 2 outfits for Jude, but by the third blowout, we had to resort to the Halloween costume I had brought to give Brooke for Hannah (:

We met up with Brooke, Sariah and Rebecca and their families and took a trip to Mt. Vernon.

The day at Mt. Vernon was cold and crazy with 7 kids under 4(: Unfortunately the next day, 9 out of 16 got a really bad stomach flu!

Brooke's friend Rebecca is amazing! She was so much fun to get to know - we went to the city a couple times after Brooke left - and met up with Sariah to nurse her back to health
Made some rice Krispy ghosts)
We also got to see Kel - A friend I have had since I was 6months old! She is an amazing Social worker out in DC right now and it was so good to see her!

Butterfly Gardens, Dinosaurs, Lifesized whales... The Natural History museum is amazing!

We went to a really neat Belgian dance performance for kids with Rebecca! It was awesome.

NOW for the great photos that Cristina took while we were there!
She has a great camera and an incredible eye for photography. It's like we had a professional photographer documenting our trip for us! So fun.

We went to a Pumpkin patch with the Boeys - and had some intense races(:

Brooklyn was hilarious in the corn maze - dancing and leading the way around each corner. She is at such an adorable age!

He is so cute!

She is too(:

She is really into stuffed animals and dolls and carts and her own little world right now.

Wish I could post every photo in this series! They are all sooooo cute! Shows Brooklyn's hilarious personality.

She got really comfy with the camera being on her all the time(: You should see the series of 20 shots we took of her on that step - each click of the camera she was in another position!

Brooklyn is definitely dramatic! She can pull out those tears for just about anything she wants/or doesn't get(: Most of the time she's happy and wonderful though!

Like a grand finale, we all dressed up as (Hopefully you've guessed by now) Oz characters and went to the ward Trunk or Treat (:

BaoBei Boutique

2010-09-25T20:30:00.000-07:00

I just came back from the farmer's market where I sold my baby wraps!

I still have some wraps left from the Market!
They are listed on my new website: baobeiboutique.blogspot.com
So let me know here or on my site if you would like to buy one.
I am officially launching my site next week - so if you have any suggestions, I would really appreciate them! Just leave them in the comment section here or on the site!
Thanks so much !
The Web Address is:
baobeiboutique.blogspot.com

Brooklyn Turns 3!

2010-09-17T21:51:00.001-07:00

My Baby is 3! She is bright, funny, running, jumping, swimming, running, potty trained, drawing, painting, learning, singing, telling stories, making us all laugh and smile every day and just truly wonderful!
We celebrated in style this year - leaving Mommy completely exhausted! Haha. Wish you could all have been here with us!

We started her birthday with Puff Pancakes, Blueberries and Strawberries and Whip Cream, and Brooklyn got to open 3 presents (2 from DDaddy and Nana!)

Then I pulled her and her friend Hazel in the Bike Carrier to the park where they played,

hen we met Daddy to go Fishing at the local fish hatchery and went for Pizza after!

Today we had her party though. 12 of her closest friends here came and it was an all out DORA the EXPLORER Theme party! Here is how it went: (if you don't know Dora and her characters, you may not understand half the things I say here!)
We started with Tico's Taco Bar (served Tacos for dinner)
Then we started the Treasure Hunt and here is how it went! (Clues are in RED)
I had all the kids bring their own backpacks (Of course I forgot Brooklyn's but she preferred a bucket anyway(;
"Grab your backpacks! Let's go! But Look out for swiper - don't say hello! Say" Swiper No Swiping" or he'll swipe your candy! Now let's go and find the treasures!"

There were 12 kids, so we split them into 3 groups. I also got Trey to be swiper the fox and had him wear gloves and a eye mask like swiper. He follwed the kids and pretended to try to 'swipe their prizes" (More on that later (: ) We sent the first group off first, then gave the older group this:
"Do this puzzle to find the clue, so you can start the treasure Hunt too!"

Clue #1: Up Green Mountain you must Climb, then slide down fast on the windy Vine!

This is the Green Mountain and the windy vine is the windy slide
At the bottom of the slide, the Berry's gave them Red Vines and said:
Eat a Red Vine and Pack the other, you've got to run to get another Through Echo Bush you must go, Listen Close for the Clue and tiptoe!

Eva stood in the bush and echoed everything the kids said, then at the end of the bush, she said
Did you hear me echoing you? Keep listening closely for the clue. The next place that you must go, is where the water rushes and flows!

At the river (AKA Rippling River) , Mark had water guns full of water! You found me, Yippee, Hip Hip Horay! I'm Rippling River, Now let's play! Here's some water for you to squirt, Let's find Swiper! Where does he Lirk!
The kids chased Trey/swiper around and squirted him. After he told them to Find Play Park.

This was a big one - Our friends Chad and Shelly were the grumpy old trolls and sang the grumpy old troll song from Dora:
I'm the Grumpy Old Troll, who lives under the Bridge (X2) If you want to come over, all you have do do is this: Solve my Riddle! No one goes over my bridge, no one, no one, no one! Unless you can solve my riddle I have a riddle and you can't be wrong, But first you must sing the Birthday Song! finally How many Monkey Bars are there? Can you swing across?
There was a clue about swinging across the monkey bars, but the card was lost and I can't remember it! They wall crossed the bridge and went across the monkey bars to get a prize (bubbles and Dora Treasure hunt books)
After which they said
Now it's time to grab a ball! Listen to hear the goalie call!
You must throw the balls hard past that man,
With a big yellow racket in his hand!

you can't see it, but there is a little soccer goal to the left and I brought Brooklyn's tennis racket and a bag of tennis balls. All the kids grabbed the balls and tried to throw them past our friend Demarian who was the goalie!
After that, he said "Bubbles are flying way up high! Follow them to find a prize..

I blew bubbles to lead them up the hill so they could see the huge balloon flower in the sky.
Again the clue is lost, but it went something like this:
I hope you're aren't tired and have the power to look up high and run to the flower, The dancing flowers are waiting for you Now run to them so they can have fun too!
Again I lost the hint for this, and I'm sad we didnt' get photos of this, but I covered dozens of Tutsie roll suckers with tissue paper to make them into flowers and Vic and Eva put them in the grass. The huge balloon flower let them to the "Dancing Flowers" where there was (supposed to be) music playing and the kids could dance and pick the 'flowers' It was really cute!

Trey/Swiper the fox was basically the hit of the treasure hunt - though some kids really thought he was going to swipe them/their treasures! Haha
After the kids picked the flowers and danced, swiper chased them all around and the final clue was:
We're almost done our treasure hunt! Now go find a pinata that we can punt!

We then did a Pinata, had cake and opened presents!

All in all it was a big hit!

San Francisco

2010-09-08T12:59:00.000-07:00

So I'm still in recovery mode I think. Just now getting to recording August's wonderful travels!

Our trip home from Osoyoos took another two days, but Dee and I made the most of it

and even took a couple detours to see the amazing sights along the way!

Dana stayed one night with us, then Trey and I took off to San Francisco to visit our dear friends the Barnards!

We took 2 days to get there - stopped one night in Reno, and even spent some time at Lake Tahoe!

Crab Lunch at Pier 39!

View Larger Map

It was so fun seeing Kara and Aaron and finally meeting their adorable Grace!

Jude and Grace are about 6 months apart - guess who is older (:
We walked around China town for a long time trying to find Dumplings like in Taiwan...

When we got home, Dee came back up to stay with us again - which was so fun - she helped me organize my life again and even cut Brooklyn's hair!

Just a couple days later our other great frineds, the Boey's came into town and stayed a night!

Mark, Brooklyn's favorite also came along. Trey got to see 3 of 4 of his best friends in a week period! (and have his wife and kids back with him!) One happy man!

question

2010-08-20T23:07:00.001-07:00

do you see a Photobucket image on my blog? I don't have any idea how it got there and don't even use photobucket! Any suggestions? thx

Osoyoos 2010!

2010-08-16T17:44:00.000-07:00

Another wonderful, magical year in Osoyoos, British Columbia! My 27th year, Trey's 3rd, Brooklyn's 3rd and Jude's First!
I wish I could make this entry put together and organized, but it's already midnight and It is totally unorganized but if I don't post it now, I'm afraid it will be too late and the excitement will pass and I may not get around to it!

There are hundreds of stories that go along with all these, but Pictures tell a thousand words I guess, so here they are!

It took two girls, 3 kids under 3, and a Lab 4 crazy days of driving to get there and back!
Though it doesn't look like it here, Brooklyn and the babies were amazing.

It was the first time we've all been together since Bree left on her mission!
Also the first time Grandpa and Grandma saw all the grandkids together!

Brooklyn was a good little helper (and dang cute!)

Jude was such a good swimmer! He loves to just float on his back.

I love my family!

Evenings at the Campfire with Brig, John and Dana serenading us was awesome!

Daily Swimming lessons made Brooklyn into quite the swimmer!

I probably had more fun than the kids with these bubble wands! They are soo cool and remind me of my childhood.

Cousin Time!

Being covered in fruit is always a highlight in Osoyoos

And of course, time with Grandma and Grandpa is the biggest reason for it all!

Thank you Grandma Sevy, for making yet another wonderful year in Osoyoos Possible. You are an inspiration and loving force in all of our lives!

Photo Shoot!

2010-08-13T14:31:00.000-07:00

Our Friend Melanie took some Family Photos for us while she was in town!
Click on the Photo to see more.

Back to Georgia!

2010-08-12T20:36:00.000-07:00

So, a week after we got back from California, we headed out to Georgia to see our beloved Grandparents, DDaddy and Nana.
Just a precursor though, a week after we got home from there, we headed up to Canada where we spent almost three weeks - a post soon to come on that, then we came home for a day and we all went out to SanFrancisco area to see our friends the Barnards. When we came home, my sister/road-trip-partner-in-crime, came and helped me get my life together before our friends from D.C. the Boey's arrived!
So. I am just now getting back to blogging - there will be a few entries in the next week but here is the first!

Thankfully both kids are amazing travelers and are love it at each place we go!

We were there for "The Harvest" for the first time and DDaddy put Trey to work! Considering Trey has consumed about 200 times the amount we harvested this time, so it's the least we could do! (It was actually quite fun!)

Time with Family was priceless.

We were there for the fourth of July and Trey's Uncle was in the Parade - he's the County Commissioner - and DDaddy was a guest of honor as one the few surviving Veterans of WWII!

We Joined the Dove's for the Parade and walked alongside them. Brooklyn got to sit in the back of the truck and wave (:

There was a little petting Zoo that was definitely a highlight for Brooklyn (and us )

If anyone has been to the University of Georgia, there is this place called the Varsity. DDaddy sends me the hats by the dozen on a regular basis, so he got a real kick out of this photo.
We also got out Butts Kicked by our Grandparents in Quiddler this time!

Fred and Logan stopped by and saw us there on their way down to Florida! It was so fun to see Uncle Didi and Papa!

It has been so fun to see Brooklyn's cousin Braden and her play each time we come.

Thanks DDaddy and Nana for another wonderful time in the country with our favorite people!

Best Cookbook I've ever found!

2010-06-24T15:52:00.001-07:00

My dear Friend Rochelle sent me this cookbook, Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless
The first week I had it, I cooked every day out of it - and a couple times a week at least since.
It is full of healthy - whole food - delicious recipes! I still have not found one that I don't absolutely LOVE!

I just had to pass on a good thing when I found it!

Sisters/Cousin Reunion in Cali!

2010-06-13T20:59:00.000-07:00

Trey had to go to DC for training for 2 weeks so I took the two kids down to meet their cousin Emmy! Dana, Glen and Ashawn hadn't met Jude either.

We were having so much fun, that Brooke just Had to join us - so she spent the last 3 days with us! She made the trip PERFECT!

We have decided we are the perfect team. Dana would prefer to take care of the kids while I cook and Brooke is super organizer/motivator woman, so between the three of us, the kids were well taken care of, we ate well and we got some major projects done!

The very first time Jude and Emmy were put together, they reached out and held each other's hands! it was so cute seeing them together! They are going to be best friends!

We tried for about 10 minutes to get the perfect shot of Jude's Drool (: Gotta love having baby slobber all over you all day!

Dana took some photos of Brooklyn and I while we were there.

Thanks Dana and Glen for having us - and thanks AShawn for being such a good friend to Brooklyn! We love you all!

Jude's 4 Month Stats

2010-06-12T13:13:00.000-07:00

Wight: 17.10 Lb. 87th Percentile
Height: 27 Inches 94th Percentile
Head Circumference: 44cm 93rd Percentile
Fat Roll Count: 17 (Still way less than his sister at this age!)
Drool Level: Constant

Amazed at the World: Always

Smile Frequency: On Demand

Laugh Frequency: If worked for
Sleep Frequency: A lot but not enough for Mommy (;

Babble Frequency: Often
Cuddle Frequency: Preciously with anyone
Adorableness Level: The highest

Trey Ran a Marathon Today!

2010-05-15T21:03:00.000-07:00

Trey had never run more than 3 miles consecutively in his life, but when his co-worker couldn't run the Marathon this weekend, he agreed to take his ticket and run it! Not only did he agree to - he actually did it!
Yes, he is thinking of renting crutches for the next week or so, but he finished!

This is what Trey looked like at the end:

Pretty good until you see him walk!

Ha!
I don't know if I will ever run a marathon after 2 knee reconstructions, but I needed almost as much physical and emotional endurance...
Brooklyn was so excited to go "Catch Daddy" and this morning when we were saying prayer over breakfast, she asked to bless Daddy to 'keep running'. So cute!

It was a beautiful day, so I just walked down to the end of the race with the kids in the stroller. When we got there, I tied Jude Bug on me and Brooklyn excitedly watched the runners come in. After about an hour Brooklyn started to get bored said "I need to go potty". I didn't take her seriously the first time, but after putting her off for 20 minutes or so I caved - navigating the crowd and finding the toilets took just the right amount of time to MISS TREY Coming in! I was so sad as I was so excited to see his face as he crossed the finish line! When I saw I missed his call, I just stood and cried as I scanned the crowd again and again for him! The worst was when we got the to the bathroom, Brooklyn said she didn't have to go!!! I made her.
Then, Jude exploded in his pants and i ended up just stripping him down to nothing and strapping him on me to walk home with him, just praying he wouldn't pee all over me.
Oh the motherhood moments that someday we will look back on and laugh at.

It was a long day for everyone!

Visit from the Family!

2010-05-15T20:31:00.000-07:00

My Dad and 2 sister came to visit us last week!
It was SOOOO fun - unfortunately I didn't document the trip very well, but here are the few pictures that I did get:

I tried my best to give my Dad a good Utah experience -so we went hiking, went Rock Climbing, Drove over to the lake and ski resort, played Tennis Several times, and ate great food!

The First night they were all here, we had a Cinco de Mayo Party with some friends. Brooklyn and I had made a Pinata - it was my first time in about 20 years, so I put a few too many layers on. It took all of us hitting it with the racquetball racket - and actually breaking the racket before the guys started pitching it like a baseball for it to break! Good times ):

The Phipps went ALL OUT dressing up and everything!
Next month - June 16 - Dragon Boat Festival! We are going to make Chinese dumplings and make boats out of watermelon and race them down the river!

It is just so nice to have family around! They all raced off to go to Vancouver for my Dad Dad's Funeral - he passed away on Sunday at age 95.

The funeral was today. Sad that I could not go up for it. He was an amazing example of goodness and love.

My Baby is Getting Too Big!

2010-05-14T12:46:00.000-07:00

It's so sad when you have to put away the adorable little clothes!

Jude is officially in 6 month clothes.
He fits 9 months because I have started using CLOTH DIAPERS and they fill out the clothes a lot more too.
I'm so sad!

Thank Goodness for Friends!

2010-04-26T20:16:00.001-07:00

It was so sad to leave Valpo - but leaving wasn't quite so sad when they just came out to visit within a month of us moving! (And that I planned on going back to Indi for Women's Conference a few weeks later).
The Bingham family came out here for a wedding and to visit family - so we got to hang out with them for almost 3 weeks straight! It was SOO fun and Brooklyn as in heaven. "My friends coming over today Mom?" she would ask, then list all 5 of the Bingham family's names off. Jack would hold her hand and take her everywhere, Savanah would make up all the games and make sure everyone was included and Brooklyn - as well as the others would make sure Charlie was always happy. It was a sad day when they left!

To make things sweeter, days after the Binghams left us, the Richardsons came into town and Brooklyn and her best friend Piper were reunited (:

We also got to meet the newest addition to the Richardson Clan! 3 kids under 3 - GO NIKI!

Fun Times with the PHIPPS

Though we miss our old friends, we have found more and We are in LOVE all over again!
We have found incredible friends here who have made our lives wonderful all over again!
You know, finding great friends as a couple is actually almost harder than dating! You not only have to find someone that is compatible with you, but who married someone who is compatible with your spouse and who have kids in the same stages as you. We we have found it all here with the Phipps and we feel like we have fallen in love all over again (;
The first day we hung out, we stayed up till 2am talking - and then the same the next night. I usually spend a part of each day with Janelle and her girls, do FHEs and meals together often, and spend most of our weekends together!
Here are some of our latest adventures:

Trip to Ikea and the Aquarium - we both have passes(:

Weekly Excursions to the Children's Museum - We both have passes there too (:

Eating together (We eat together about 3 or 4 times a week)

Hair Cuts with the Girls (Brooklyn's first!)

And an Incredibly fun Trip down to ZION National Park!

The ride there was an adventure! We learned our new car comes in quite handy though - 4 carseats and 3 adults fit - almost comfortably and when the Phipp's car broke down, the guys sat on the hood of our car while they pushed the bumper with their feet! Ahh memories!

All four parents hiked with a kid on us! Janelle tried the Wrap for the first time and loved it!

The kids were in heaven all weekend - even slept well in the tents (Can't say the same for the adults - except Janelle's Mom who brought a Cot - brilliant!)

Zion is out of this world! Wish I had more photos but my battery died about 2 minute into the hike!

Easter 2010

2010-04-08T10:56:00.000-07:00

This was the first holiday that Brooklyn really understood and got to participate in, so it was really fun! I kind of went overboard, taking her to 2 community Easter egg hunts and having two egg hunts at our place.

Yes, this is in April in Utah! Snow! It was kind of fun to have one last snow of the year though!
Didn't stop hundreds of people coming out for the community Easter Egg hunt!

Trey went to Boston and New York last weekend, so he wasn't here for the big day, so we just did another hunt for Brooklyn when he returned so he could watch her in action.

There are just so many cute photos! I had to post all of them (; Thank you DDaddy and Nana for the adorable Easter dress!

Auntie Vic came to spend the Easter and Conference weekend with us! It was SOOO fun having her!
Sorry Sisters, Vic has been working hard and is now Brooklyn's "Favorite Aunt!"

Finally! Dana's Baby!

2010-04-01T16:44:00.000-07:00

Introducing another adorable Harris Girl (;

Finally I got a picture of My Beautiful Sister and Her Gorgeous Baby Emmy!
They are so cute!

4 Springtime Adventures

2010-03-30T13:58:00.001-07:00

I have been terrible about photo taking lately, but looked at Natalie's blog and recommitted!
You will know at which point I recommitted...
Adventure #1: LIBRARY TIME!

Ok, so this is a bit of a lame "adventure" perhaps, but Hollie was sick last week, so I took Jack and Savannah to the library reading day near their house. This was my first time outside of my house being in charge of 4 kids (including Jude which may not count), so it felt like an adventure! They do really great ones out here. Brooklyn and I have gone every week since we got here. The library has crafts after Sotry time, and puzzles, blocks and other toys to play with all the time! We go a few times a week, but it was a lot more fun with friends! I also realized that having 4 kids isn't so bad - though stressful at times - when they are ages 8,4,2 and 0

Adventure #2: Hiking at the Canyon

Brooklyn loves hiking and the other day, after spending too much time indoors cause it was snowing, I decided to venture out. It was nice and sunny when we left, so I just tied Jude on me and wore my sweatshirt and put Brooklyn in her winter jacket, but with no hat or mitts. After about 45 minutes and luckily as we were halfway down, the temperature started to drop very rapidly and by the time we got to the car, we were in the midst of a full on blizzard! Scary to think we could have been at the top of our hike at that point! A fun adventure non-the-less!
Adventure #3: EASTER HUNT!

Tragically, we missed the actual hunt, but the preparation and excitement about the event and the activities after were enough fun.

Brooklyn is always in heaven with these kids around! I love watching the four of them run around together. Brooklyn always says "Come on Guys!" and "Hi Guys!" So cute!

They had Pictures with the Easter Bunny - it was a little chaotic, so I didn't get a shot with my own camera - and they had a helicopter land and let the kids look inside.

Adventure #4: A Drive to The Mountains!

Hollie took me on a tour of our new area - to the most incredible part!
We live only 15 minutes from the most incredible mountains and 2 great ski resorts!
Also, A river you can raft and a trout farm to take Brooklyn in the summer!
Utah just has so many fun things to do!
So glad spring has sprung!

Jude's 2 Month Stats and Stories

2010-03-30T13:28:00.000-07:00

Jude has been such an easy baby that I feel bad I don't pay enough attention to him! He just fusses enough to tell me he wants to eat, sleep or get changed, then lets us get on with our busy days! But we sure adore him and Brooklyn is the best big sister I've ever seen!

Like Brooklyn, he is thriving on "Blueberry Milk" as Brooklyn calls it - OK, this blog is supposed to be about Jude, but I have to tell this quick story. The first day I came home from the hospital, Brooklyn watched as I nursed Jude and asked very curiously what I was doing! Trey, to my dismay said "Baby is drinking Mommy's Booby Milk!" Brooklyn then said "Mommy's Blueberry Milk?" relieved I said "Yes! Blueberry Milk" and so it stuck...
Anyway, we went to the Doctor yesterday and he is 13.1 pounds, 25 inches and head circumference 41.1 cm. That puts him in 95th percentile in Height and 80th in the other two.
He's getting the expected Clark Rolls and is the poster baby for the saying "Fat babies are Happy Babies"

In point form:
He loves to be in the wrap more than anywhere else
He loves his Big sister and any other attention
He fusses if he's left in a room by himself - already got the social genes working for him
He is a GREAT sleeper - sleeps 6 and sometimes 7 hours straight some nights (Brooklyn got to that at about age 1!)
He has a tough butt! From the beginning we have often left him too long in a diaper - but he's never gotten a rash (: Brooklyn wasn't so lucky
He is growing before our eyes! The newborn phase was too short!
He loves his "Sucker"/Binky and Brooklyn is always first to get it back in his mouth when he starts to fuss
He smiles most at Brooklyn and Trey
He's into Size 2 diapers and 3-6 month clothes already!
And consistently smiles and sometimes even giggles at us now!
We are so glad this Little Jude Bug is Ours to Keep!

We have arrived!

2010-03-19T14:36:00.000-07:00

We have had a baby, moved, found a place to live, bought a new car and found new friends all in the past 6 weeks!

It has been wild, but wonderful. It has truly been amazing how everything has fallen together so well!

Our first week and a half we stayed in Utah, we stayed in the most amazing apartment with an incredible view of the mountains and more importantly THE COOLEST girls! We had origionally planned on getting a hotel room, but our awesome friend Nikki offered for us to take over her room (and king size bed) and room and insisted that she and her 2 roommates (Also friends from BYU Days) loved having all 4 of us there! They are all from big families and said they loved having a family and kids around. Brooklyn loved all the attention and I loved reconnecting with the girls. I cooked meals for them and Brooklyn colored pictures for them to pay rent (;

One of my oldest and dearest friends Kelly McBride came to visit us! She is like a sister to me and it is so fun to have her know my children! Speaking of Sisters... Vic lives only 45 minutes from me now and she has been down twice already! I can't wait for the many more weekends with Auntie Vic around!

Our good friends are in town from Indiana and Brooklyn is in HEAVEN! She asked every day about 20 times if her friends, Jack, Savanah, Charlie, Holie and John were coming over that day for about 2 weeks before they came! When she saw them she nearly peed herself she was so delighted! We have loved having them around!

Being back in Utah comes with a lot of perks, One of course being so close to dear friends and my God-Mother Ginger!!! My team mate from BYU Racquetball days, Eileen is in Provo with her growing family, so we got to see her and her month old baby the other day too!

We have such wonderful good old friends here, but we are SO excited about our new ones! Our second week in our new ward, Trey saw a friend of his from his freshman year - she is married with a 2.5 year old and 1 year old and is married to an awesome guy. We have hung out a dozen times already and have become fast friends! This is of the two girls at the local Children's museum that we got a pass to the first day here. We love it and go every week.

and finanlly, what everyone is waiting for - photos of Jude!
Typical of the second child, there are about a 100th of the amount of picture of him than of Brooklyn. Here are a few though. He is smiling now- hopefully I can have the camera around to catch a few soon!
Most of the time he is in my wrap though - and LOVES it! I call it "Baby Ambian" because he is asleep in about 30 seconds flat when I put him in it and won't wake until I take him out. In fact, I put him in it to go to church each week and he never stirs for the full 3 hours - making it nice that I don't have to change or nurse him during that time. I just LOVE MY WRAP! Everyone else does too - i get about 5 people that stop me every day tell me they like it or to ask where I got it.

Sorry this is such a random post - it's nearly midnight and I am a very sleep deprived Mom still!

My Grandpa Sevy

2010-03-19T14:32:00.000-07:00

My Mom's Dad, Grandpa Sevy passed away tragically a few weeks ago and the funeral was this week. I made a blog for everyone to be able to write their stories and thoughts. This is what I wrote:
Grandpa Sevy was a huge part of our lives, especially our summers. My earliest childhood memories are mostly of our times in Osoyoos - with Grandpa throwing, catching or pulling me!
He is a part of me and made me who am I am. I think he stretched and pushed everyone who knew him to go a little deeper and challenge themselves. He had us kids jump off the garage roof into his arms from the time we were 3 or 4, he taught us all how to water ski (with help of Dad of course) and would bite our arms to the point of leaving his teeth marks in our flesh for at least a few minutes!
He pushed himself harder than he pushed anyone though. He memorized incredibly long poems and would recite them for anyone that would listen - which was most anyone because he was so animated and wonderful when performing! He exercised and competed in sports until the day before he passed! In fact, he won gold in the senior Olympic competitions down in Yuma every time he competed and just last summer he swam across the Osoyoos lake with us! And just a few months ago, he was picking Brooklyn (2.5 year old at about 27lbs) and throwing her up in the air and catching her! He was so good with kids! It was fun to be reminded of this as he spent time with Brooklyn and Hannah. They were fascinated by and gravitated to him. When Brooklyn was fussing one time, Grandpa pretended to cry in his dramatic kind of way and she stopped crying immediately because she was so confused!

He lived life to the fullest! The way he ate insane amounts of hot sauce on things - put Tabasco in his Ketchup bottles (that we would then put on our hot-dogs and burn our mouths off!) or eat onions like apples. His hugs were strong and large, his kisses on the cheek were bristly and long and the way he would say "I'm sure proud of you kid!" always made me feel like I was worth someone being proud of!

He had many loves in his life. First was always Grandma. Some of my favorite memories are of watching Grandpa and Grandma Dace and kiss. They were so sweet to each other whenever we were around. They were happy when we were around and we knew that. His love for his own Parents and brothers, his Kids and Grand kids - and now Great-Grand kids was always evident. He also had a passion for the Gospel, Freedom, America and Canada, Land, motor vehicles and politics(; He was always sure to share his testimony with us and encourage us to get into politics. I remember as early as 10, he was challenging my political views! I also remember him having his Jehovah Witness friends come over and have heated discussions with them about the Bible.
Oh! And he loved a good deal - like all-you-can-eat restaurants and cheap vehicles! At one point he had over 50 motor vehicles! He still has a fire-engine that he picked up for a good deal up on the ranch I think! Whenever I drove with him, he reminded me that you shouldn't have to use your brakes when you drive - you should just coast up to red-lights and stop signs until you come to a slow stop, then put on the gas (; His cars all had little secrets that you needed to know to start or operate them. He got the most out of everything - including his cars. Like Grandma said in the Obituary - he planned on living to 104 and in great shape until the end- I guess on the same philosophy.

He was a great example of healthy living, loving family, loving life and people and loving the Lord. Oh how the world will miss him. Oh how I miss him so much already!

Valentines Cookie Decorating Party!

2010-02-15T21:21:00.001-08:00

My Godmother Ginger has done a huge Valentines Cookie decorating party for the past - I dont' know 30 years. I went to one every year while I was at BYU and loved them, so I thought I'd continue the tradition in my own family. This was the first huge one we had and it was so much fun!

I only had energy to make about 15 of the huge cookies, but we had dozens of smaller ones for everyone else. There were about 35 people in all and so much fun!

Brooklyn had SO much FUN with all these kids around!

It was a perfect way to finish our wonderful time here in Valparaiso!
We will miss you all so much!

A Valentines Baby Blessing

2010-02-15T20:49:00.000-08:00

Jude's Baby Blessing

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this tradition, in our faith, when a baby is born, the father usually gives a "Name and a Blessing" to the baby during the sacrament meeting. In Jude's case, (and similarely with all babies) Trey announced his name, then proceeded to bless him with love, health, faith, wisdom, service etc. Trey did an incredible job, it was a beautiful, memorable blessing!

It was memorable for several reasons; Fred and Logan drove (10 hours each way) all the way from Memphis to meet Jude and be here for his blessing, Trey got everyone in the circle to wear vests - and most to grow mustaches for the event! Baby Jude even sported a vest! And it was Valentines Day!

Brooklyn was in heaven with her "DiDi and Papa" to play with all weekend!

Judy was definitely missed at this event, we were so glad Fred and Logan made the trip up for it.
Thanks so much for coming Fred and Logan! We love you guys!

Leah's Visit!

2010-02-15T20:31:00.000-08:00

I have been so aboslutely spoiled! People ask how I"m holding up with 2 kids - well, it's pretty easy when you have an incredible husband, an amazing sister and a super-woman best friend who all take care of your every need!

Leah, my dear, dear childhood friend came out from Ohio last week, while her dear husband took his Vacation time to take care of their 3 kids so I could be completely pampered for a couple of days!

Leah is superwoman - I just watched in amazement at her energy and efficiency! She cooked the most delicious meals, kept Brooklyn completely entertained - even took her swimming at the YMCA one day while Trey and I slept.

She even did Brooklyn's hair for church - though I wasn't there, Trey reported that everyone was amazed and asked if I did it. -Hah! When I do her hair, the part looks more like a maze than a straight line and the pig-tails - well let's just say they aren't exactly semetrical...
As always, taught me even more about the magic of Newborns (She was a Dhula and Baby nurse in California before she got married - in fact, she was a Baby Nurse for Alpachino's babies!)
Here is a link to her blog where she put a bit more about her trip up. After her time with us, Kelty and Duane drove down with their new adorable baby - 4 days older than Jude - to pick Leah up to go up to Chicago to help them!
We miss you Leah! (Especailly Trey who has had to resume the super-dad role! - a very tireing role that you so kindly relieved him of for a few days)
Thank you so so very much!

He Arrived!

2010-02-03T13:23:00.000-08:00

Baby Jude Harris Clark Finally arrived January 31st at 4;19am.
8lb 7oz, 22 inches long and perfect in every way!

I will have more photos of the Handsome Man as well as my birth story soon. For now I am just going to do an overview of all the events that led up to the wonderful arrival.

Since my actual due date was January 22nd, that is when Brooke, my older sister/best friend/hero, came to help. She brought her most adorable daughter Hannah with her and Brooklyn was basically in Heaven. A playmate and the most awesome aunt ever who constantly has another activity to do with her.

They played out in the snow together, made cookies for the nurses when I was getting ready to go to the hospital, colored, painted, went on outings and I don't even know what else because I was sleeping a lot of the time they were together having fun. On top of it, she spoiled me rotten by cooking, cleaning and even shopping for us!

My meal contribution was Chicago Deep Dish Pizza and Culver's Frozen Custard(;

Trey also made this time of preparation perfect as he gave Brooke and I lots of Sister Time by taking Brooklyn swimming and to the library several days. We took long walks, got organization and cleaning projects done and just talked nonstop. We even got in some Chicago Deep Dish Pizza and Culver's Frozen Custard before the baby came!

The 5 days prior to the birth, I received about 10 packages! Of course DDaddy's were about half of them, (including our yearly delivery of 17 POUNDS of Georgia Penuts!). Dana and Mom sent a package full of herbal remedies for before and after Birth. (She had a beautiful baby girl - by water birth at her home in California - my Mom was there with her)

With a Sister in the house, I finally got some belly shots taken - Something I didnt' do much of all through this Pregnancy. Every time I went out the door, Brooke would say - "I have to take a photo! It may be the last time you go out before you have the baby!" We kept our hopes high for about 9 days! Brooke ended up having to extend her stay because Jude was just too comfy in there, but finally, Saturday Baby decided it was time - well, with a little persuasion of Double Strawberry Frozen Custard, Castor Oil rubbed on my tummy, a 1.5 hour walk and a rough internal exam by my INCREDIBLE Dhula/midwife/nurse - more to come on her later...

I waited until I was almost ready to push to go to the hospital, so when I arrived at the hospital around 3am, I was at an 8 or 9. By 4:10 I was pushing and a few minutes later, Jude was out. My doctor really respected my birth plan, so there was no intervention and he got to stay on my chest for 2 hours after the birth. He didn't like when they took him away.

The hospital experience was one I hope never to repeat, but the homecoming was wonderful. Brooke made it a big deal with Balloons, streamers and presents for everyone.

She even got a gift for Brooklyn "From Jude". A bouncy ball just like the ones Brooke and I would jump all around our house on when we were her size!
It was really amazing to have Brooke be here for both my births! She has held both Brooklyn and Jude on their first days on earth. There are no words to describe what her sisterhood/friendship means to me.

All in all, it was truly a wonderful birth experience. Thanks to Trey, Brooke and all who sent their love and prayers!

Home Sweet Home

2010-01-23T19:43:00.000-08:00

We have loved being home with all our good friends and our comfy beds!
Trey and Brooklyn made a fort that filled our entire living room -which is ridiculously huge!

Brooklyn has loved having so much Playtime with her Daddy!

I have loved having "Playtime" with my Valpo Girls! We've been sewing, crafting, doing a bookgroups and even playing Guitar Hero! So fun. Brooklyn and Piper have been reunited!

While we were gone, Brooklyn would have to sing "Happy Birthday" to Becca, her babysitter every day. She also had to pray for Sean and "brina" every night. She's happy to have them around again! We are too (;

Since we didn't have a Turkey last year, I decided to do a THanksgiving in January! Trey was in Heaven and it was fun having our friends Duane and Kelty down from Chicago and of course the Richardsons over to celebrate with!

The Past Month and a Half

2009-12-29T15:18:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Season and Happy New Year!
I am trying to get caught up on my blogging, so Warning: This is LONG!
This past month has been wild. Here is a map of where we have been since November 16:

View Larger Map
Once again, The Clarks trekked the globe.
Though these 15,000 miles of traveling looks fun and exciting, it was not necessarily by choice. This has definitely been one of the most difficult month and a half of my life thus far, but we made it, and made the best of it!.

1st stop Calgary:

Brooklyn and I flew out to Calgary November 16th. During our stay, we got to see several of my childhood friends, and surprisingly a ton of family! Of course we got to spend a lot of time with Ama and Grandpa Greg and Brig, but Grandpa Sevy surprised us and came to visit, then Brooke, Mike and Hannah drove up for Thanksgiving, and then for the cherry on top, Uncle Geoff and Kelty were in town for the Grey Cup, so we got to see them as well!
Unfortunately, I had was suffering from health problems the whole trip, but it was an excuse to just sit and visit a lot, so it was fine. I got my second bout of Bronchitis of the season right before we flew out. I was unable to get enough oxygen or sleep because of it. My Mom doctored me up with "Magic Juice" (Onion, Garlic, Ginger, Lemon, Lime and Honey Juice) and other natural remedies, but before I could get better, I cartilage in my coughed and cracked the cartilage in my pelvic/tailbone area. This happened a few days before we were supposed to fly home as it made it impossible to move or sit for a few days. Trey and Brooke's family arrived on Thanksgiving day and the 'crack' occurred 2 days later.

A Flames Game! Bath time at Ama and Grandpa's - Harris Style

We were so lucky to have Grandpa Sevy come out from the Okanogan for a few days to see us!
Uncle Brig was absolutely amazing with Brooklyn. She would run and exclaim "Uncle Brig!" every time she saw him. Thanks for the fun swim at the Glencoe!

Time with Ama and Grandpa was priceless. There was a lot of it as I was mostly incapacitated!

Brooklyn's best friend was her Auntie Brookie. They made cookies and Brooke played with her for hours!
When my back went out, Trey and I were figuring out if I could even fly home to Indiana when we got news of his Mom being in the hospital. Trey boarded the next plane out of Calgary and arrived a few hours before she passed away.
I got on the plane the next day and flew to Chicago where our friends here went above and beyond helping me. Melinda picked us up at the airport, Sabrina met me at my house to help me pack, Nikki took Brooklyn while we packed and The Thomas' picked us up the next morning at 4:30am to take us back up to the airport to arrive a few hours before the Viewing.
The flights were hard, but bearable due to such wonderful friends and Trey's incredible planning on organizing it all from Chattanooga!

2nd Stop, Chattanooga
The Funeral:

The Friday Family Brooklyn was a delight - she loves her uncle Clay!

Our Little Cabin in the woods!

Though it was the saddest time of my life, it was also a time where we got to reconnect with family and friends who we love so much. The love and support given and felt throughout this time has been overwhelming and taught me a lot about charity and service.
A wonderful couple in the Branch let us stay in their cabin behind their home during our stay for the funeral. It was a dream to have our own space where we could talk and cry as we pleased. They had a cat and 3 dogs, so of course Brooklyn was in heaven.
Brooklyn was actually a real breath of fresh air during the entire event. She was her happy, playful self and added a real sweetness and lightness to the funeral.

3rd Stop, Ila Georgia:
Ddaddy and Nana's!
o

The Quiddler Champions!
We had nightly battles. Ddaddy, next time...

Like always, our visit with Ddaddy and Nana was delightful! Abundant with Food, Family, fun and much needed rest. Nana went above and beyond insisting on taking Brooklyn in the mornings so we could sleep in and reminding me to take a nap while Brooklyn did each day.

This was hilarious! Ddaddy was handing out $100 to each of the Grandchildren for Christmas, and Brooklyn went up to him and said " DDaddy, I want Money!" Of course DDaddy had his famous stack of $2 bills and gave each of the great-grandchildren one. They were thrilled!

4th Stop, Atlanta
We Spent one night at Trey's step-brother Phil's house before starting our road trip.

5th Stop: Pensicola FL

We decided that we would do a road trip down south before heading over to Memphis for Christmas. We rented a car and headed down to the beach. Phil actually was going to be down there for business and had a nice hotel room he let us share with him! We were so grateful for his generosity and great company! It worked out perfectly and was fun to spend a bit more time with him.

Our first day was rainy, but we still ventured out onto the beach!

The next day was nicer though a little chilly. Brooklyn still loved finding shells, chasing the seagulls and playing with Daddy!

6th Stop: New Orleans

This is a place I have always wanted to go. The full experience of music and food and exploration was a little difficult with an opinionated 2 year old, but we still had fun!
We went on a bus tour of where the Hurricane Katrina aftermath was the worst and most of the rest of the city.

I found a real deal on a 41/2 star hotel - Le Pavillion. It had the nicest lobby of any hotel I've ever stayed in, but the room and service was ridiculous. We do not recommend this hotel.

Despite the poor hotel experience, we loved Cafe Dumont, walking through the French Quarter, eating lots of sea-food like Oyster Po-Boys, Soft Shell Crabs and Craw fish and other yummy Cajun, New Orleans food.

7th Stop: Memphis
One of the major highlights of our trip was when we went a Grizzlies vs Pacers NBA game in Memphis. Fred got FRONT ROW tickets, along with Valet parking, free food and opportunity to meet the players after the game! It was an opportunity of a lifetime!

Can you believe where we were sitting!?

Here are a few of the players we met

Definitely the way to watch a game!

Christmas:

Brooklyn had no complaints with being at Papa and Didis! 2 Kittens that would let her terrorize them and an Uncle Didi that would do the same!

Though it was terribly sad not to have Judy with us, we made the best of it!
The boys went Paintballing, Phil drove over for about 3 days - bringing his PS3 and beautiful Dog Zoe, and Brooklyn and I kept busy. Incredible neighbors brought meals regularely, including a full Christmas Dinner!

Though Judy wasn't with us, she was definitely there in spirit. She had done almost all her Christmas shopping before her surgery. One last time, Brooklyn and I were spoiled rotten by our Nai Nai! Judy went all out on the Elmo theme (;

So, though it was a difficult time, we have so much to be grateful for! We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Holiday. I wish I could have gotten Christmas cards out, but please know of our love for you and thank you for yours!

Oh, here are just a few more pictures - they are just so good I couldn't not post them!

f

Judy

2009-12-09T11:30:00.000-08:00

As many of you have already heard, Trey's Mother, and one of the most incredible women, my biggest supporter and dearest friend passed away December 2nd. She died of bleeding on her brain a few days after neck surgery.
Just stating that she is gone and how she died just doesn't seem right. I don't know if going into why she was so wonderful, and how I don't know what we will do without her, or why I haven't been able to write this till now will help, but I just don't know what else to do. So, I will try to somehow express myself.

To say, she was my "Mother-in-law" never felt right. She was so much more. she was my second Mom, my advocate, my angel who would just show up, or say exactly what I needed, She was one of my closest friends, by business partner/boss, my reminder, the mother and biggest fan of my husband and most incredible Grandmother to my child.
We used to talk several times a week, and almost always, she would remind me of something or think of something that was really important in our lives that I have completely not thought of. She had a focus on us that was amazing and needed and I don't know what we will do without her.

She was adoring, intelligent, capable, so easy to be around and talk to. She was the most generous person I have ever met. I was more spoiled in my 5 years with her than by anyone over my lifetime. She was completely selfless with her time and resources with us.

From the beginning, we could talk for hours on end because we shared the same favorite topic: Trey. Brooklyn naturally made that list and just made our conversations that much more fun!

She was the perfect Mother-in-law and Perfect Grandma/Nai Nai. I have never dared to imagine what life would be like without our her. She was the only other person on earth that looked at Brooklyn the same way Trey and I do. She adored her the way I know she adored her boys. She would always assure me that Brooklyn is brilliant and more beautiful than any other child(; She spoiled her with the most adorable clothes and all her love. I actually never had to buy her clothes! Last visit she showed up with her entire winter wardrobe, then took us shopping at Target for more clothes!

All my friends would say to me "I want a Judy!" or "everyone needs a Judy". I agreed and was so glad I was the one that had her.

When Trey got the call when we were all still in Calgary, Trey ran out the door in less than 5 minutes to board the next plane. Brooklyn and I were left in my parents Condo alone. I couldn't stop sobbing, I just knew she was gone. Brookyln didnt' know what to do, so I sat on the floor and held her to me in a tight hug as I wailed. I was amazed at how still she became and just became the heartbeat I needed to hear as I cried. She just let me hold her and hug her for at least half hour as I sobbed before a Sheila, our friend came over. Over the next few days, she wasn't quite as understanding as she would just say "No more crying Mommy!" every time I would start sobbing again.

When Judy passed away, it felt like there was a lighted path in my life, full of joy and love and memories that was suddenly extinguished. That's just the best way to describe it. As I walk through my days, I think of how I'd like to call her and tell her something, or now that we are here at her house, what I would be saying to her and it is just so heartbreaking and lonely. I miss her so much it hurts. We are now learning to live in the world without her.
This entry is all about me and my feelings, but Trey and Logan just lost their Mom, Fred his wife and helpmeet. She was their Rock and they are dealing with it in thier own ways. Part of the pain is knowing how much they must hurt.
Through this experience I have learned an incredible amount about how to serve and help others in the grieving experinece. The outpouring of love and support has been overwhelming and each call, note and shared tear has been felt and appreciated.

God Bless in the New Year and Thank you for all you have done.

BaoBei Boutique - Wraps for Sale!

2009-11-15T12:58:00.000-08:00

I am starting up a business "BaoBei Boutique" (BaoBei mean Precious Child in Chinese) but the website isn't up yet, so for now this post has to do to show the wraps I am making and selling.

There are 3 different types of wraps.
1. Simple, Solid color wrap ($30)
2. Peneled wrap with bordered ends and binky pouch ($40)
3. Paneled wrap with bordered ends, Binky pouch, and matching carrying case bag. ($50)
(photos Below)
***Organic Wraps available for additional $15 on each.
All wraps come with instructions and information on "Baby Wearing". $5 shipping.

1 2 3

I can make the wrap panels and bags in cotton, fleece or cordoroy material.

A few more photos of the colors and fabrics I"ve used
Here are the colors of wrap material you can pick from

Not all colors come in Organic - check with me

The website will be much easier to understand and have better photos. Please feel free to call or email me with any questions - or make a comment and I"ll get back to you..