December 29, 2010

Santa!

Dec. 15, 2010
A couple weeks ago Clark's school had a little Christmas party for the kids, and parents.
It was nice to meet the other parents, and kids, and both boys had a great time.
Even Harry, who sometimes has a hard time with crowds and new situations, had a lot of fun.
We even got a surprise visit from Santa!
Hiding from Santa???
Hiding from Santa???
I am not sure why Clark was so shy of Santa, he talks about him constantly,
 and never seems shy or afraid of anything.
It took a lot of coaxing, but we finally got him on Santa's lap.

Clark and Santa
This is his "okay Mom, I am sitting on his lap, are you happy??? and where is my candy" look.
He did manage to whisper to Santa, something about wanting a Star Wars game.

Clark and Santa
He was very very excited when Santa gave him some new cars.  He still calls them his Santa cars.

Harry and Santa
This is as good as it got for Harry.  He had no interest what-so-ever in sitting on some weird guys lap,
especially when there was a room full of toys and treats from him to explore and eat.
I felt bad for this slim little Santa, having to wrestle with 42 pounds of chunky Harry.
Candy!
Clark so exited to eat his candy cane.  My cute little sugar-aholic.

December 22, 2010

Wordless Wednesday- I love my family.

November 24, 2010
A couple of hams!
Bosko Fam
Me and Jay
 I love my family.

December 21, 2010

A Week In Our Life December 12- December 18

December 18-  Jason had a meeting at church today, a meeting I have been hoping and praying for.  I am thrilled for the possibilities and blessings this could bring our family.  I am proud of Jason for making a good decision!  That's pretty much all I want to share now, but I am thankful.... okay, cryptic talk over ;)
Since Clark is starting school tomorrow, he got his special Father's Blessing tonight.  Growing up, my Dad gave me, and my brothers and sisters, a special Father's Blessing before the start of every school year.  It meant a lot to me growing up, and I know it helped me through my rough times.  I am so glad this is a tradition that we can pass on to Clark (and our other kids, to come...), and I know it will help him with his struggles and changes in the next coming weeks and months.  I am so proud of the little -BIG- boy he is becoming.  He has fallen asleep the past couple nights, with his back-pack and shoes on, just so excited for school to start.  He is going to be a very happy boy tomorrow.

We have been thinking more and more about the school Jason was offered, at work.  It is still 50/50.  We both think the school is a wonderful idea, for his career, and we really want to do it.  But so many things are telling us to stay here, at least for now.  Things just seem to be falling into place too perfectly to ignore, Clark's school, Harry's therapy classes, church things, friend things... I don't want to mess with a good thing.  So unless something (BIG) changes in the next couple weeks, I think we are going to hold off on the school for now, maybe still do it in a year or so, but most likely not in March.  (I realized as I type this, I could be eating my words very soon...but that's how life always works out huh???)
Snow!
Monday morning we woke up to it snowing! Big fluffy white snowflakes.  I loved it.  And Clark was so excited.  He came running into my bedroom, shrieking about a ho-ho show, and Santa, I thought he was asking me to put on a Christmas movie, when he pulled open the blinds and said, "see Mom ho ho snow, Santa snow."  He must think Snow and Santa go together, as they should.  It really feels wintry with the snow.  He was also really excited to go to school.  He had no problem getting on the bus, and was very happy when he came home from school.  I did wish he would talk a little more, so he could answer all my questions about school.  Harry and I enjoyed our first afternoon together, we had a nice quiet lunch, ran some errands and played Lego's.  I can't tell if he misses Clark or not, he doesn't seem to care either way.  Now that Clark is in school I am going to find a reading group for Harry and me to go to, at the public library.
For FHE tonight we went to see the Christmas lights on the broad walk.  They have the board walk at the beach decorated with big light displays. It was fun driving up, and laughing as a family, looking at all the lights.  It was dark out, but I do think I saw a little remains of that mornings snow, ON THE BEACH.  Snow on the beach, something about that doesn't sound right.  Next time it snows I wanna go to the beach :)

Tuesday morning Clark got up so early, asking to go to school.  After talking for a bit, I finally convinced him to fall back asleep for an hour.  Before falling asleep I asked him if he as excited to ride the bus again, to which he replied, "no bus, sailboat please."  "What?  You want to ride a sailboat to school?"  I was trying hard not to laugh at him.  "Yes, a sailboat, night." Then he fell right back asleep, and of course when he woke up he didn't remember the conversation at all, because when I asked him if he wanted to ride a sailboat to school, he looked at me like I was a nut.
That's a funny way to sleep Harry.
Harry that is sure a funny way to sleep!
Harry has been having a hard time sleeping.  Late nights, really early morning...tired Mama unable to keep up, you know the drill.  He must be going through a growth spurt, although I don't know how much bigger he can get. He already looks like  3 year old, and is bigger than Clark -except in height. 

It's been a busy week getting ready for Christmas and keeping up with the boys.  We had a fun party, with a visit from Santa, at Clark's new school.  Thursday we had an unexpected snow day, with actually very little snow, but it was fun to have Jason and Clark home all day to laze about and have fun.  I have been trying to finish my Christmas cards all day, and I will be lucky if I can get them out by this weekend.  I don't do anything fancy, so I don't know why it takes me so long every year... maybe it is all the extra little hands trying to "help".  Next year I swear I am starting in October to save myself the
stress.

Busy, busy, busy... things here have been so busy, and it is strangely wonderful.  I used to get so depressed for days and weeks and months at a time.  It was maddening.  But here I am so busy I never have time to sit and think about those types of things, dwell over the things I can't change, mope about the things I don't like.   (It also helps finally having my own car, and the boys being older.)  Today I didn't have a minute to sit still; babysitting for a friend, a hundred errands to run, school things, shopping things, dinner for the missionaries, chores... it is 11:00 pm and I still have to get the boys ready for bed.  I didn't have a minute to myself today, and you know what, I am happy.  Now, I can't do this everyday, it would kill me, but it is nice to have a busy day.  A happy, busy life.   Who knew that I would have to leave paradise (Hawaii) to find happiness, and some peace of mind.  I still have a few hard days, but they are less frequent, and it is much easier to step out of the fog.  By the way, Clark loved having the missionaries over for dinner tonight,  the rest of the night he told me he wanted to go on a mission, my heart swelled with joy.
Helping
Daddy and Clark fixing my broken garbage disposal.  Clark loves helping Jason. 
 He gets so excited every time Jason gets out his tools to do a project.  

Homemade Ornaments
On Saturday (December 18th) my friend Trisha came over and we made little Christmas tree ornaments for our playgroup/girls club friends.  Aren't they so cute???  It took a couple hours of prep work, and another couple of hours deciding what direction we wanted to take, but I think the end result turned out really cute.  I am proud of myself for taking more crafty steps... who knew I had it in me :)  I also had so much fun getting to know a new friend.
The longer we are are here and the more people we get to to know, the more I see why we were sent here to Virgina Beach.  This was truly an answer to my prayers, only I guess I didn't realize it until now.
 I am so thankful for Trisha, for helping me feel welcomed and included.  I now help her out with all the Girls Group activities, which include the playgroup, a book club, and girls night outs and more.  This was something I never knew how much I needed, and it has helped me get over my shyness, and all the anxiety I feel whenever I go out.  Another awesome thing about Trisha (besides her sparkling personality), is her son Porter, Clark's best friend.  They love each other, honestly. They are a pair of adorable little trouble makers, and they play so well. Clark really looks up to him, he gets so excited whenever he sees Porter, and asks for him constantly.
BFFs
Clark and Porter, best friends, making their silly faces.
It makes me so happy the Clark had a special friend too.

December 20, 2010

Last Night

Sweet
I dreamt of Hawaii last night.  
It was so vivid.  I swear  I could feel the warm breeze on my skin while I was standing in our old backyard, looking at the bright colors of the trees.  In my dream I was taking people around, giving directions, showing off.  I don't know if I was living there, or if I was vacationing, but it felt so nice and calm.  Seeing the beautiful ocean and hearing the crash of the waves again... I loved it.  
The feeling of home, warm, sunny, breezy, home sweet home.  
I am not saying I don't feel at home here, I do... it is taking time, and it is so different.  
I woke up cold, really cold, and a little sad.  
The novelty of all the cold winter weather here is getting old. 
I miss being warm, and tan, and going to the beach.

December 19, 2010

Trust

With even your strongest faith, 
God will not always reward you immediately according to your desires. 
Rather, 
God will respond with what in His eternal plan is best for you, when it will yield the greatest advantage. 
Be thankful that sometimes God lets you struggle for a long time before that answer comes. 
That causes your faith to increase and your character to grow.

 --Richard G. Scott--

December 17, 2010

Flashback Friday- Hiking Timp

7-18-10
Mike, Jay, John, Danny and Jake
Back in July, when we were home with our family, Jay, his Dad, and brothers went hiking, 
to conquer Mt. Timpanogos!  
They left really late at night, and hiked all night, so they could enjoy the sunrise in the morning.
Here are the guys close near the top;
Mike, Jason, John, Danny and Jake.
Ut County
A view from the top, Utah County and Utah Lake in the distance.
I sure wish I would've at least tried to go.
Jay
Jay.

December 16, 2010

Clark's First Day of School... again.

December 13, 2010
ClarkClark
Isn't he such a goof ball, I love his big cheesey smile.
He was (and is everyday) so excited to go to school.  
He was rushing me out the door, and very insistent that he was taking the bus, and I was not to drive him in the "ban".
Clark
He has a smile to die for.  I love my cute little boy, and I am so proud of him.
Clark
As hard as it is to watch my kids grow up and leave the nest, so to speak, it is exciting and freeing at the same time.  I miss Clark when he is at school, and want him to be around me.  I hate not knowing what he is doing every minute of the day.  I want to keep him safe, and protect him from mean kids, scary things, the big bad world outside my front door.  But, I know this is the best thing for him.  The structure and learning of the classroom, and friendships he makes are so helpful for his development.  He learns so much faster and better in this type of environment, way better than I could ever do at home... it's the peer pressure I think.  It has only been a couple days, and I can already see an improvement with his talking, and the way he listens to me.  I am really hoping that being at school will help with his potty training too!
So yea, its hard for me to watch him go everyday...
but its -oh so good- at the same time, good for all of us.
Clark
Waiting for the bus!
On the bus.
Leaving on the bus... he loves that his bus has a happy face on it.
He was not afraid to leave me at all, so ready for his next adventure.
I love how confident and independent he is.  So brave, so strong.
I hope and pray he will never loss these qualities.
m&ms and Harry
Do you want to know what Harry was doing while we were outside waiting for the bus?
Spilling the bag of mini M&Ms (I had reserved for baking), and spreading them all over the living room floor.
(Four days later I am still finding mini M&Ms on the floor.)

ps. It was snowing on his first day of school!  He thought is was a special Christmasy treat, just for him.

December 15, 2010

Wordless Wednesday- Virginia Beach

I don't know why, but this makes me happy.
Beach
I love these old beach fences.  They seem so romantic and idyllic to me.
Beach
Virginia Beach 11-21-10

Check out other Wordless Wednesday pictures here.

December 13, 2010

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

It's the most wonderful time of the year.
Christmas Lights
Here is our outside Christmas lights this year.
 Jason was so excited to finally live in a house that we could decorate!
All Thanksgiving weekend Jason was outside, with Clark, sorting and hanging lights.
I love that he let Clark help, and how excited Clark was about it.
After Christmas we plan to visit a few sales to pick up a few more lights and pieces for next year.
I really am proud of Jason's hard work,
and I'm so thankful he loves to do this kind of stuff for the family.
Daddy and Clark hanging ornaments.Clark helping with the lights.
Clark helping Daddy decorate the tree.
Harry was only interested in eating the lights, so we let him sit out this activity.
Only a couple more weeks until Christmas, I feel like it is going by so fast this year.




December 12, 2010

A week In Our Life December 5- December 11

Dec. 5-  I spend another day alone at church, again.  I just can't get my lazy babies out of bed to ever get to church, on time.  C'est la vie.  Next year, in just a couple weeks, church will start at 11:30am, instead of 9:00 am.  I am very excited about this!!!
We finally put up put Christmas tree tonight.  The kids loved getting out all the Christmas stuff.  It is so fun that we have a fireplace to hang the stockings from this year.  It was also fun to wake up to a little bit of snow on the ground, not much, just a light dusting.  It sure helps make things seems more Christmasy.

I was up all night with Clark again.  He had his little croupy-coughy asthma attack again, and couldn't sleep.  Luckily I got him in to see the doctor, and they gave us a new inhaler to try, that will hopefully prevent the attacks, rather than trying to treat him after.  Now, if I could get him to use the inhaler thingy without throwing the biggest fit we would be set.

For Family Home Evening tonight we went to Target, so the kids could give us hints on what toys they like.  Harry liked all the books, and anything with flashing lights, and/or music.  Clark, of course, liked anything and everything that had to do with Star Wars and Mario.  We also drove around looking at Christmas lights, got some pizza, and watched Simpson's Christmas episodes. I love having FHE.  I wish we could remember to do it every Monday, and I can't wait until the kids are older so we can do more types of things.

Harry is not doing as well as I thought, with the milk with-drawls.  He has spend the last two days following me around crying.  He throws his cups at me over and over, trying to get me to get him milk.  He steals Clark's cups.  He is just insatiable.  I feel so bad, and I really do want to give him what he wants, but I also need him to eat more real food...and not pee his bed every night.  Poor milky addicted Harry.  I really don't know how much longer I can deal with his tantrums and begging.  He did do well at both of his therapy appointments this week though, and I am proud of him.  I know he doesn't like to be bothered, but so far he is putting up with it really well.  I can't wait to start seeing some improvements.

I got a Good News call today, Clark finally got accepted into the Head-start program here.  Finally!!  The weird thing is he starts Monday.  That is in 3 days, and you can't really count the weekend.  The lady who called me hardly gave me any information.  I've had to call her back three times, asking her simple things, like, WHERE is the school, WHAT time does it start...you know normal information, that she should have told me without me having to ask her.  I hope I have time to find out everything else tomorrow, while people are still in their offices, so I can feel comfortable enough to send him on Monday.  I might just have to go down to the school and stalk them a bit.  It all just seems so different from Hawaii...  In Hawaii we were so involved every step of the way, here it seems like I am having to beg and steal to get any sort of information.

Friday was a busy day.  Grocery shopping, list making, and laundry laundry laundry.  I found an hour to go and visit Clark's new school, which turns out - is not an actual school, but a trailer size classroom in a subdivision down the street (actually I think it is the section 8 houses- so totally ghetto, but it's free preschool, and Clark is so happy).  I got most, if not all, of my questions answered.  There will be a bus that takes him to and from school, and he is in the afternoon class, yay for not having to get up at 6 am (!).  No backpacks allowed, which he is really really sad about, he had an R2D2 one picked out (shhh... he may still get it for Christmas).  All in all it looks like a good plan, and Clark is over the moon happy.  When we walked into the class, to meet the teacher, he didn't even take a second glance back at me, he went straight to the other kids, and sat for circle time.  In fact a few times I saw a look of annoyance on his face that I was still there, and he kept trying to wave me away- "go Mom, I'm fine".  I really am so proud of him, and his excitement for school.  And I am so beyond grateful that it finally worked out that he could get into a class, we needed this so much.  For Clark, for Harry... and for Mommy :)

Saturday was a fun day at home with the family, watching old movies, playing "choo-choo train tracks" as Clark likes to call it, and catching up on chores.  Clark must have asked us a billion times if it was time to go to school yet.  I love a good rainy lazy day every now and then.  I can't believe Christmas is coming up so fast.  We still have so much to do, and I am just waiting for our next paycheck (on the 15th) to start doing it.  Thank God,  I am good at making lists (and lists and lists), or I would be going crazy right now.

December 11, 2010

Our First SNOW!

December  4, 2010
It's snowing.
Last Saturday night we had our first snow!  I was so surprised.
I knew it occasionally snowed here, but not this early in the year.
Now that I think of it, I did remember thinking the air felt different that day, the feel of snow was in the air.  I should've remembered it, from all my years growing up in Utah.
SNOW.
It didn't stick much, and by the morning it was mostly all gone.
(Which I've heard it typical for this area. It has to be a really big storm for there to be anything substantial...ie. really rare and not very often.  All the snow they got last year was a freak thing.)
Our First Snow!
It was still fun to see a little snow on the ground.
We certainly aren't used to it, a BIG BIG change from Hawaii this time of year.
I am not complaining, its just different.

I am really really hoping that this means that maybe we will have a white Christmas.

December 10, 2010

Flashback Friday- Jason and Clark

June 24, 2010
(More pictures from Jason's camera.)
Jason and Clark
Jason and Clark at the Dinosaur Museum in Lehi, Utah.
I couldn't go on the trip, because I was stuck at home with Harry, who had the barfs.
 Clark had a wonderful time playing with his cousins, and having a special outing with his Dad.
Clark, Maddie, and Joci
Clark, Joci, and Maddie.
Clark loved hanging out with his cousins so much.  
When ever he sees a girl with blond hair, he will ask for Maddie.
(I am not sure why he always wants to bite his nails, nervous habit he inherited for me.)
Clark and John
Jason and John
Showing off their mad acting skills,
they totally deserved a part in Jurassic Park.
Jason and Clark
Fun memories, for Daddy and Clark.
Two of my best boys.