Happy Halloween!!

Yeah it's been a while......

Things are going pretty good. Long story short Dan lost his hospital job but has gained an even better one. He has been hired as the Training Manager for a private security company, he loves it and could not be happier- the Lord has a hand in all things. I love my job at the preschool daycare, I think that I have the most rewarding job there ever was! I have been called as the 1st counselor in the Relief Society, hopefully I get it right the second time around!


Kids are all doing good- Cody got baptized (thanks for coming up mom and dad!!), Bryan has found his true sport, football, he is SO good (if he could only get those grades up so he could play!), Cole just seems to love life and everything that he does.



We had a great Halloween! I'm a year older, and boy do I feel it :( We went trick or treating with Dan's new boss and his family, we had a blast!! Thanks for the good time Shawn and Jodi, and the presents!

Our Halloween feast:

Bloody eyeballs for breakfast, Mummies and eyeballs with rotten apple punch for lunch , and eyeballs and jack o lantern turn overs for dinner!

Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer

Seriously.

Sometimes I love Dan and his connections.

Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer came to play together in Orem Friday night. Dan's Private Contract security side job got the contract for the concert. I tell Dan (in confidence) how I was sooo in love with Vanilla as a pre-teen. He tells his boss and she said to go ahead and bring me and my friend along! My childhood dream come true! We had a blast! It was an 80's theme dance party and so we dressed up 80's, I think that the pics speak for themselves!

Oh yeah, we are so hot! Check out the pants!

Me and Krys at the concert, wow, we are so hot!

This dude was taking pics of me and Krys for a newspaper, so I snapped one of him. See Dan in the background chewing someone out??

My favorite view :)

MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice on stage together!

Vanilla was SO close (yes I called him Vanilla, we are on a first name basis)

Of course we were in the front row and as Vanilla (ahhh) was walking by I grabbed his hand and he took my camera and took this picture! I know you are so jealous!

Update

All has been going well for us......

Dan- We are so grateful for the job that Dan has and the amazing benefits that come along with it, especially at a time where a lot of people are out of work. Dan will be starting school in fall, maybe business management or something in computers. We just keep praying that this whole job thing works out!!!

Me- Pretty boring. Mostly taxi driver to the kids and working.

Kids- Got report cards Bry and Cody have all A's and one B each! Of course we gave them a hard time about that B! Cole had A's in his strong subjects (math, science- not my child) and C's in his tough one's (spelling, reading- there's my child!). They have been doing well at piano and have now joined choir and are surprisingly good! They have enjoyed sledding and snowboarding a lot this year, it's fun to watch their coordination get better and better!

I love this time of year.....

We rode on the Polar Express train to see the Christmas Village

Cody got a little tired of walking

One of the hundreds of little houses decorated for Christmas in the Village

The boys with Santa

It was a little cold.

Typical Californian's!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! I love time. It is my favorite gift to give and receive. It seems like we are all in such a huge rush now a days it is so nice to slow down and enjoy each other and this time of year.

My parents came up for a visit. They stayed for 4 days. We went to movies, enjoyed a Christmas dinner (yum), exchanged presents, and endured the cold snowy weather when we visited the Christmas Village downtown. I am so thankful for the time they took to come and see us and the kids, we really enjoyed ourselves. (hey Dad- I cannot see my neighbors house, now you can say that it is dumping!)

We have had many Christmas parties to attend the past couple of weeks. One of my fav's was Dan's family adult only party. We ate at our favorite Chinese restaurants, you know the one that you can only afford to eat at once a year! So yummy, thanks Doug and Sue! Christmas eve was a very nice evening. We spent the night eating good food and playing games all night at Doug and Sue's house, the kids got the softest blankets and PJ's! The best part of the night was when we sat as a whole family and Doug read parts of the Christmas story from the Bible. We then watched the Nativity movie from the church. This was a wonderful teaching moment for the kids, to be able to learn more about our savior's birth from their Grandfather. After we open presents at our house Christmas morning tradition is, we go to Doug and Sue's for really yummy omelets and more presents. We had a great time with all of our brother and sister's and all of those fun little cousins! I am so thankful for that time making memories and remembering the savior.

Christmas morning was a blast! The kids opened their gifts from Santa and Dan and I. I made a decision last year. I felt like the kids really thought that Christmas was all about the presents and did not appreciate what they got. So my decision was that I was going to cut back, way back. The boys got some winter clothes and two small toys from us. Of course Santa should cut back too! Santa brought one toy for each of the boys. They got a few group games and a movie from Dan and I. I had explained that this is what their Christmas would be like a while ago, we needed to appreciate what we had, we are so lucky to have what we have, some kids don't have anything at all..... that got me thinking. We choose names off of the Angle Tree at church. We then purchased those children some really great presents and dropped them off at the collection home. The boys knew that this one present that we bought was probably one of the only presents that would be under that child's tree this year. That feeling that I taught my boys that day is indescribable. They were so happy for everything that they received today so incredibly grateful. I know that this feeling will stay with them for a long time to come, I think that I started a new tradition for our family. I am so grateful for that time with my boys.

I am so grateful for all of the time that our Savior gave to us. All of his sacrifice and love. We watched a cute cartoon last night about the fourth wise man (from the church). This wise man is trying to travel to see the lord but keeps getting sidetracked by people in need. He never makes it to see the savior before the Crucifixion. At the end he is dying and feels like a failure for not finding Jesus in time, the lord says ye hath done it to the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. This is what this time of year is all about. I am so grateful for time the Savior took to teach us these lessons, and as any mother knows these take a lot of time!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

We had a great Thanksgiving. We went to Dan's Dad and Mom's house. The food was SO good. My food assignment was Sweet Potatoes. I was told that this is one of Doug's favorite things for Thanksgiving, I was determined to get this perfect. Well, after I boiled the sweet potatoes I was peeling them and could not figure out why they were not orange. Even Bryan walked by and said " thought they were supposed to be orange". I called Sue, confused. She laughed. Then she said "I am sorry I should have told you to get Yam's, not Sweet Potato's!" So long story short, they actually tasted fine with the brown sugar and butter! I got a little teased, but Doug did say that he thought they were great. Next Sunday dinner I am so bringing Yam's I don't care if they go with the meat we are having or not!

Sue's parents were there, it's always so nice to visit with them. Sue's sister Lisa, her husband, and the only daughter still living at home were also there. We never get to see Lisa, so it was good to catch up with her and admire the table decorations she brought with her! Some good family friends from down the street were also able to make it, they have a 14 yr old son that the boys think is so COOL- we love it when they come to family things! We did the Clark family tradition and went to a movie (adults only). We saw Transporter 3, the guys loved it, I thought it was okay- to much violence for my taste.

I just got back from another tradition, all day after Thanksgiving shopping! I like this part. I found AMAZING deals! My shopping is all done for Christmas! I love it, now I get to sit back and enjoy the Holiday with out all of the hustle and bustle of shopping.

Cute Thanksgiving story- This would only happen in Utah. Our theme in preschool this past week was Thanksgiving. We made Indian vests out of brown grocery bags and Indian headbands with feathers cut out of construction paper. I had the kids tell me things that they are thankful for and I wrote them on the feathers. I got alot of my mom, toys, even my favorite little boy said Ms. Clark and me. (I know I shouldn't have favorites but when his mom asks him who loves him instead of saying "mom" he says "Ms. Clark" how can he not be my favorite. When he does something naughty at school he looks at me and says "But Ms. Clark you love me" He is one smart 3 yr. old! -sorry for the side story) One of the other boys said Heavenly Father. It was so precious! This same little boy will just randomly start singing primary song (I constantly have Follow the Prophet in my head because of him!) I told his mom she was doing something right!

I missed being with my side of the family this year, maybe next year if we can get away.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I have so much to be thankful for, my family, good friends, my home, food, my health, and the means Heavenly Father has provided for me to obtain the things my family needs. I am so grateful for many things, the list goes on and on. Today, right now, it's my health. I get results from my moles one week from today. I am grateful for my health.

Park City and a few moles........

I have the cutest boys!!

Looking down at the lower level living room from the upper level living room

The most expensive pizzeria I have ever eaten at!

Walking back up to the car after a nice lunch and stopping at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for dessert!

We spent this past weekend in Park City. Dan is working as the Site Manager at Angy's School and he has been putting in a lot of hours. Mike and Angy gave us the best gift ever, a weekend at the nicest condo I have ever seen! It was 2 level, and had 4 bedrooms, 4 full baths, 2 living rooms, 4 jacuzzi tubs, a pool and a full spa. It was so nice to relax and just get away from it all! We had fun walking through shops, eating good food and relaxing around the condo. Thanks Mike and Angy for the memories!!!

Bryan and Cody sitting by the fireplace

I went to the Dermatologist on Friday. She did not like 3 of my moles and took them off. One was on the very tip of my big toe and hurt like you would not believe!!! The other two were no picnic either- back of my upper arm and the inside of my ankle- they still did not compare to the pain on my toe! I was a little nervous and called Angy, she has had melanoma and been through all of this before. She said to not stress. It is the doctor's job to find the funkiest looking moles and take them off. Every 3-6 months (this is how often I have to go in and get checked for the next 5 years) I should have at least 2 moles taken off each time. I will find out the results from the ones taken off this time on Dec. 5. I am sure it will all be fine, I am just a little nervous being this is my first time since "C".

Carol Clark, loving grandmother

Well we just got back from Dan's grandma's funeral. It was a beautiful service. It was nice to reconnect with old cousins and friends. It was fun to hear stories of her life and her adult children tell about the creative, funny, and loving mother she was. My favorite story of the day was about a water fight that consisted of outside water hoses being drug inside the house and 5 gallon buckets of water on the roof!! Grandma Clark was in the middle of it all.

Dan and I were the first of the grandchildren married and she was onr of the first people to accept me, it was as if I were her grandchild from the beginning of my life. She always took time to make us feel special, even my children, her great grandchildren, knew who she was and felt as if they were her favorite! She had such a loving kind heart and I hope to be half the wife, mother, grandmother, and friend she was.

I feel so blessed to have the gospel in my life. I know that I will see Grandma again. I think of the reunion that took place in Heaven. Dan's brother Robby must be so happy to have Grandma with him again. I think of her meeting my Grandma Donna, I think if they knew eachother on this earth, they would be great friends. I can see our Heavenly Father wrapping his arms around Grandma, welcoming her home. She will be missed by many people. I am happy that she is no longer suffering and her body is made whole and healthy again.