I will catch up....but not today!

Well folks, I'm not gonna lie to ya- I have been 1 busy woman! I spend so much time in meetings, trainings, going on visits, doing other things a Relief Society President does, being a "soccer mom" (literally, and I LOVE it!), playing with my kids, FEEDING those kids (they are bottomless pits that weigh next to nothing!), taking said kids to dr appointments, buying groceries to keep our hungry, growing family appeased, and hanging around with Cauley for a little personal time once the kids are in bed, that my blogging time is severely limited. I may or may not go back and catch up on all the missed Christmas adventures and happenings since then. I will try and blog about soccer and the sadness of my baby growing up WAY too fast! But, as my title says, not today- there is chicken that needs canned and a big shiny new pressure canner that needs to be used.

Birthday Surprise

This year for my birthday my wonderful and amazing hubby decided to surprise me. He told me I needed to be ready and have the kids ready to be gone (and in something to sleep in) by 4:45. He wouldn't tell me anything else other than we needed to eat before hand because he wasn't quite sure when we would be eating next. Well, the time came and we all loaded up and drove toward the 60. (I thought we'd just be dropping off the kids at his parent's, but nope- I was wrong.) FINALLY, after driving for a while, he told me we were indeed dropping off the kids to be with his parents, but we had to meet them first at a T-shirt convention that they were at in Phoenix. (My father-in-law has a business selling screened and embroidered shirts, sweats, hats, etc.) After we dropped off the kids, we headed downtown and I started going crazy not knowing my surprise yet. Finally, after parking and walking a few blocks he gave me the hint of "The only thing your surprise cost me was the $12 for our parking." I had it figured out- he was taking me to a Suns game!

Back Up to August: At Jeff's wedding reception, Tom M., the former athletic trainer for Dobson High School was talking with Cauley and I and we found out that he is now an assistant trainer for the Phoenix Suns and he said that if we ever wanted to go to a game, just to give him a call. Both Cauley and I filed it away in our memory box to be used at a later date, and I guess Cauley decided it was time!

After we found our envelope at Will Call, we were excited to make our way to our seats. We didn't quite know what to do as we not only had amazing seats, but Tom had also given us Guest Pass's. We asked the usher who directed us to an area down on the North side of the court just inside the black curtains. Feeling WAY out of place, we made our way down and through. The media area was right in front of us and so we tried going in there, but we told we had to make our way behind that. So we did. And we felt even MORE so out of place being in the VIP area. It was AWESOME food, but there were people in that room that we both felt we should know, but didn't quite recognize. (It was mainly people's family members who were there.) Can you say AWKWARD!!! After we finished eating, we made our way out, just in time to realize we were right next to the Suns locker room! They had all come out and were doing a pregame huddle/jump/dance thing before running past us, giving high fives as they made their way to the court for their pregame warm ups. We caught Tom as he headed out and talked with him for a minute before we too headed out and to our seats.

The first half of the game was ok. There wasn't many people there, and not many of the fans there were really into the game. Besides, when the buzzer rang, ending the first half of play, the Pacers were winning. Jenn, Tom's wife, found us almost immediately and escorted us down to the VIP area the back way (to avoid everyone in the isles.) We got to talk to her for a bit before the Suns players came out to get ready for the 2nd half. We got to see all of the players and coaches again, and even got to talk with Tom once more before we went in and ate some more food. This time we sat and talked with someone's wife and son who had 2 of his friends there with him. It was fun, but we missed most of the 3rd quarter. We stocked up with cups of Sprite, water bottles, and popcorn before heading back to our seats to watch the end of the game. The 2nd half was so much more fun as most of the fans had finally arrived and it got LOUD! The Suns came back and ended up winning, although my 30 year old brain can't remember the final score.

We decided to head home after the game to relieve our sitters instead of heading back to the VIP area once more. (We were so full anyways, we'd probably look funny just standing around in that room!) Thank you so much Cauley for such a memorable birthday surprise!

Dear Santa,

I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited their doctor's office more than my own doctor's, and sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground.

I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmas', since had to write this letter with my son's red crayon, on the back of a receipt, in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find anymore free time in the next 18 years.
Here are my Christmas wishes:
I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any color, except purple, which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze; but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy aisle in the grocery store.
I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy.
If you're hauling big ticket items this year, I'd like fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music; a television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals; and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.
On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, "Yes, Mommy" to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don't fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools.
I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting "Don't eat in the living room" and "Take your hands off your brother", because my voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard by the dog.
If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container.
If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely.
It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family.
Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is ringing and my son saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think he wants his crayon back.
Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and come in to dry off so you don't catch cold.
Help yourself to cookies on the table but don't eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet.

Yours Always,

MOM
P.S. One more thing ...you can cancel all my requests if you can keep my children young enough to believe in Santa.

A Child's Perspective

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"
"It was great, Dad."
"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.
"Oh yeah," said the son.
"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.
The son answered: "I saw that we have one dog and they had four.
We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.
We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.
We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.
We buy our food, but they grow theirs.
We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them."
The boy's father was speechless.
Then his son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are."
Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have.

Catch- up! (August)

  We were very excited for August to come this year as it meant Jeff (Cauley's little brother) was getting married to Jaclyn. We all LOVE Jac! (I just don't happen to have ANY pictures of her or Jeff as we were not the ones taking them.:( Oh well, I will get some during the holidays and put them up for everyone to see my new GORGEOUS sister-in-law as well as her handsome hubby!) They got married in Mesa and then had 2 receptions- technically just one and then an open house/reception. I am sad to report that we also don't have any pictures except the 2 of Tyli below that Cauley stole from my sister-in-law. Isn't my 3 year old beautiful? (I am VERY partial!) I made her dress so please don't look too closely! She had SO much fun dancing in it the night of the reception too! (Sadly though, the dress didn't hold up from the dancing. Her cousin decided to join her and one tug on her new dress broke the stitches in the sash that gave me a headache trying to get right.)

Here are the boys on their new bunk beds. They needed more space and Tyli needed a big girl bed.

First Day of School!
Dallin was very blessed to get into Benjamin Franklin Charter School this year. We have loved every school he's attended, but I felt so strongly that this year he needed to switch over to this school. He has another wonderful teacher and many friends he already knew in his class. I'd say his school has about 80% LDS kids, which I really like too. He does have a dress code- but it is very lax except for the pants part. I have never been happier with my child's education! He has come leaps and bounds this year in everything, including his handwriting! (And that is coming from being in the accelerated program here in our local school district!) Dallin has got really awesome grades- except in his handwriting, but he IS improving on that! Way to go, D-MAN!

McKade's birthday falls toward the end of August. This year was his year to have a party, and PARTY we did! He invited lots of friends and family over and we put on a "Minute-to Win-it" party! I have to say, I have the most amazing husband ever! We had about 22 kids here, and he kept their attention the ENTIRE time- including opening presents! (Notice no other kids around the birthday boy- oh wait, who is that little girl?) There were 9 games that we played and there were no losers in any of them! My favorite one was when Cauley, who is a school teacher, taught all the kids how to shoot rubber bands to knock off pop cans from a table. It was incredibly hilarious watching the kids try and shoot the can. They never quite got the cans so Cauley threw up a balloon and had them try and hit that instead. I think every one had a blast, and McKade has never been so spoiled in his entire life! We ended with cupcakes made in ice cream cones (less mess!) A big thank you to all those who came and helped out!

September

September was more laid back. This is my "Spy Kid", aka D-Man. Dallin and McKade really got into being agents, spies, and a whole lot of that kid of stuff this month. Love the gear!

These are some of my favorite cookies- playdough cookies. I love eating them, but making them is a very arduous task! I'll be posting the recipe soon on my food blog!

Pretty much the rest of the month was spent doing the football thing. With Cauley being the head Freshman coach and also helping out during the varsity games, that means 2 games a week that we attend. The kids are troopers! They love to dress up for the games, so I made a onsie for Halli (the one she is wearing) that says I love coach clark on the back and I made her little headband (that she destroyed a couple of games ago!).

A Camping we did go!

This year during Fall break we decided to put the tent we just bought to good use and head out for our first "official" camping trip as a family. (The other 2 times we've gone have been spent sleeping in a cabin, playing pool, and soaking in the hot tub.) This time we "roughed it!"

We don't have too many supplies as of yet (we have only been married for 10 years!) so we borrowed some from Aunt LaRee. (Thank you!) Basically, we took our tent, blow-up mattress, and sleeping bags and clothes, and we used Aunt LaRee's firewood and tarps. We didn't take much at all, but we were LOADED down!

We had SO much fun! I can't wait until our next camping trip!

This picture was taken as we were leaving our neighborhood



We went to Christopher Creek to go camping and here is that famous (not really!) creek! We kept telling all of the kids to stay out of the water, knowing that inevitably someone would fall in. Sure enough, McKade took the plunge- TWICE!

(Evidence of those slippery rocks!)

Daddy and his daughter! After a short hike, we stopped and let the kids play more by the creek. (This was a shallow, slow moving spot.)

Hanging out!

So I went up to the car to get a diaper to change Halli and when I went to come back, I found this tarantula on the top step. Thinking it was fake and that my family was playing a joke, I took another step forward just as it MOVED!!! It climbed down 3 more stairs before Cauley and the kids came running. Cauley calmly grabbed a shovel and picked it up and carried it down the road and up the mountain a long ways. We definitely made sure our tent was zipped up wonderfully after that!

DINNER! We went really easy with roasted hot dogs and chips!

DESSERT!!!

It got pretty chilly! The days were BEAUTIFUL! (around 74 degrees) But once the sun went down, it got cold! Halli had over 4 layers on here!

It was a long night! It got really cold and the kids didn't stay in their sleeping bags at all, which kept us up with them. Halli was up a bunch too, wondering what was going on. I had a rough time- with the whole camping trip that it. My back had been hurting for about 6 days and I could barely move at all without seizing up in pain! Good thing we bought a blow up mattress!

Morning was the chilliest of all! Cauley got up and found us some fire wood so we wouldn't freeze as we ate our poptarts and orange juice! What a hubby- he gave me his sweatshirt as I forgot to grab mine before heading up to the mountains. (Hey- I didn't forget anything else though!)

McKade had the best adventures EVER!

And we succeeded in wearing them ALL out! (about 20 minutes into our drive home)



6 Months old!

Can you believe she's 6 months old already? I can't! My sweet little one may look like a 6 month old, but she sure doesn't act like one! Halli weighed in at her 6 month appointment at a whopping 14 lbs, 6 oz and measured a little over 27 3/4 inches long! (Very normal for my kids- in fact, she is the shortest of all my kids at this age.) The interesting part is that she still won't roll, grab most things, and sit up. The pediatrician isn't concerned at all- he says it's because her siblings do everything for her, which is very true! She CAN roll over, she just really is against it. In fact, the first thing she does when I lay her in her crib is roll to her sides, catching herself from rolling over. She also can grab things, but usually she'll just wait until someone puts in it her hand or her mouth for her. I was starting to wonder if she could do it one day when I turned around to find her with a handful of flour going toward her mouth. (I was making bread and she was sitting in the bumbo next to my baking area.) She is also really good at grabbing and pulling handfuls of Tyli's hair out!) She is almost sitting on her own- just not good enough for me to leave her on the floor sitting just yet.
Halli LOVES food- just like her siblings! She is almost through all of the veggies so far and definitely doesn't like the green ones. She eats more than one jar a meal, and STILL wants to nurse afterwards. Her 2 little teeth are like razors, and it won't be long before she's eating everything we are!
Halli is sleeping mostly through the night- she still thinks 3 a.m. is playtime, but will usually play for awhile and then go back to sleep. Nap times, however, are still very difficult with her- no schedule, usually only half hour naps. GGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
She is starting to say a few things like mama, dada, and well, that's it. I love that she said mama first- my first child to say it before saying dada. Halli still loves to blow raspberries and spit at her siblings! Her shirts are usually always soaked right through.
I love this little monkey more than she'll ever know! I feel blessed to have her in our family!

A whole lotta info on my 2 month old!

I am really behind again! Happy 2 months old to my baby girl! (ok, so she's almost 3 months now, but who really cares?) She is starting to smile a lot now, but still makes us work for them sometimes. Her happiest times are always right after she wakes up. Halli has also started cooing, which I LOVE!!! She still sounds like a cat when she's starting to get upset. Her hair is coming in more and more (the sides and back are actually getting pretty long, but the top only has about a centimeter so she still looks funny). In some lights her hair is very red, others, it's brown. (her eyebrows have the most red in them.) We can't wait to find out what color she'll be! Halli is definitely spoiled- she LOVES to be held and played with! She is still only going poo about every 4-5 days, but we're told that's normal for some breastfed babies. (McKade did the exact same thing.) She is my best sleeper by FAR! (for this age.) Last night she went 10 hours, and then after I fed her she slept another 2 1/2 before deciding it was morning time. (not to compare my kids, but all my others were up every 2 hours still at this point.) She isn't on a schedule yet though and doesn't take very good naps during the day, but hey, at least I get to sleep at night! I also have to put special cream on her face 2 times daily as she has eczema on her cheeks. We are still waiting to see who she looks like- mostly like her big sister Tyli and Dallin, but I see some of my side come out in her a lot too. Halli is such a mommy's girl and I love it! I love her so much and feel so blessed to have her here in our family!

2 Month Stats:

11 lbs, 6 oz. (54%)

24 in. long (97-99%)

I don't remember her head circumference, but it was in the 56%.

ROAD TRIP!

I just had to add this picture in- Halli wore this HUGE daisy on her head last week to church. This is a picture of one of her very first smiles. She is so much better at it now! Doesn't she look a lot like her big sister?

I LOVE having my hubby home during the summer months! (I pay for it during the school year, but it is worth it!) With school being out, Cauley has had a nice, non-relaxing break so far. (Hey, I did just have a baby you know! Just kidding.) He does do a conditioning/weight lifting program for the football team from 6 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. every morning, but then he gets to spend the rest of the day with us. He also gets Fridays off, which allows us to go have fun without having to wait and leave on Saturdays. We decided to take a road trip up north for a few days.

We left on Thursday, right after he got home. First we went to Sedona. I told my kids, isn't it funny we're going to Sedona in our Red Sedona?" The boys thought it was hilarious and repeated it most of the way there, and then as we were leaving. We bypassed most tourist stuff and arrived at our destination- Slide Rock. It was SOOOOO much fun! For those friends and family who don't know what Slide Rock is, it is just as it sounds. The Oak Creek runs through some rocks which, over time, has made them really smooth, and it has made a natural slide through a part of a canyon. (oak Creek canyon) It's not a huge slide, just a bunch of little small ones, and it has a few deep water places and a few areas to cliff jump. Our kids had a blast! Cauley and I took turns going with the older kids since we had Halli with us.  

(our one touristy picture- Halli was left in the car.)

Dallin going down- you can also see in the upper left picture the lower half of Cauley who is holding onto Tyli's hand.

My shorts are permanently brown from sliding on my bum. Here, I was just sitting, allowing the ice cold water to cool me down. It was really relaxing!

If you head up the canyon behind the boys, there is a little swimming area, kinda like a small dam. There are also a few deeper slides and some cliffs.

Once We had our fill at Slide Rock, we took the most twisty road I have ever- and hope to ever be on!! We drove through Jerome, AZ (one of the most interesting places I have seen!) and over a mountain to Prescott where we stayed with Cauley's Aunt Gerry. Our kids LOVE going to her house! It seems there is always an adventure waiting for them. Aunt Gerry had to work Friday so we got up and went for a hike up Thumb Butte.

Ok- a little explanation on these pictures- First, the cacti were all in bloom and it was GORGEOUS!!! This picture hardly does it justice, and a little after this picture was taken, most buds were open. The picture that looks like a rock- look closely. See the lizard? This was at the top of the mountain were we took a short break. We were entertained by this lizard, watching him do "push ups" for about 5 minutes.

This last one, of the boys, is them pointing out Thumb Butte from Aunt Gerry's backyard. See that mountain sticking up WAAAYYYY back there? That's the one we hiked.

Saturday morning we woke up and headed to Chino Valley to have breakfast and visit with Aunt Pearl, GT (Cauley's cousin), Victoria (GT's fiance), and Aunt Gerry. I have been married to Cauley for 10 years now and that was my first time at Uncle Grant and Aunt Pearl's home, but I can say I definitely want to go back! Good food, good company, and good fun!

We had to head back home Saturday afternoon as I had the Visiting Teaching workshop the next day to prepare for. We had a BLAST as a family this road trip, and I will always cherish the memories we made. I love my family to pieces and feel like the most blessed person alive!

Happy Birthday, D-Man!!!

I can't believe my baby is 7!!! I still remember EVERYTHING the day/night he was born! One more year and then he gets to be baptized- WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE!?!

Dallin's birthday was really low-key this year; an off year for his party, so we decided very last minute to invite his cousins over for a BBQ and cake. He has been asking for Lego cakes for quite some time now, and I agreed. However, the cake he requested inside (red velvet) was WAY too moist and didn't want the frosting on it! I struggled with these cakes (which should have been VERY easy to make!) for about 3 hours total! (Hey- Don't judge- YOU try making this kind of cake and frosting it in this heat!:)

I made the mistake, while wrestling the cakes, of sending Cauley to the store for party favors. If you know my hubby, you know his sense of humor is a little wacko sometimes. He came home with hillbilly teeth- a pair for every cousin! We definitely had a good laugh for quite a while watching each cousin try theirs on! Sorry I didn't add pictures of us adults with them- they were too scary!

These two sweet cousins didn't get to try some on yet, but they sure look cute together! "T." (Steph's baby) is 2 months older than Halli. They really look alike in this picture to me.

I asked Dallin if he wanted me to put something sentimental on here about him, and he was adamant that I did not do so. I do love him so much though! Instead of posting it on here, he wants a private note; one that he can always keep and nobody but his family can read. (He's so funny like that sometimes!) Happy Birthday, Dallin!

Hiking, D-Backs, and Halli

This is Halli. She really isn't as chubby as she looks in this picture! Halli is growing up WAY too fast! I can't believe she is already 7 weeks old! She is getting a lot stronger, holding her own head up a lot of the time, rolling from side to side (I said side to side, not front to back to front!), and yes, those lungs are getting stronger too! She is having problems with going # 2, so right now I am on a lactose-free diet (not fun in the summer time, I'm missing my ice cream WAY too much!) and we are hoping that works. She is just so constipated. (something a breast fed baby should not be!) I took her to the dr last Thursday, and other than being constipated, she is very healthy! (a good 10 lbs. 11 oz healthy! Halli is by far my best sleeping baby ever! She usually goes to bed at 7 pm, sleeps until 2:30 am, then sleeps until 7am, then wants to sleep until around 9. I LOVE it! She also sleeps a lot during the day and I'm starting to wonder if she'll ever wake up! Halli is definitely adored by all under our roof, and she really loves her brothers and sister! She is my least smiley baby by a long shot, but she does smile (sometimes it takes a lot of coaxing though!). She especially loves her daddy, and will quiet for him every time he picks her up, then cries again when he puts her down. I love it! Like all my others, Halli is a binki baby (sometimes she won't take it though). She prefers her belly over her back. She is already losing her hair, but more is already growing back in, replacing what she's losing! Halli definitely has the lightest colored hair out of all my kids! Her eyelashes have finally grown in, and are even dark brown, unlike when she was born (with only a few very white ones!). Even though she's growing steadily, she doesn't eat well still. She especially doesn't eat well when covered up!


One Friday night we headed into Phoenix (a good hour + drive!) for the Diamondbacks/Rockies game. It was so much fun taking the kids! Even though we live in AZ, we don't go to many sporting events. (Ok, not true, we got to TONS! We just go to High school ones, not professional ones!) We met up with Brad and Steph and their boys, most all of the Greer family, Jeff (Cauley's little bro!), and Cauley's parents. We had a group of 35 of us! Tyli wasn't too interested, and Halli was too hot (they had the roof of the stadium open so no AC, plus, I carried her in the baby bjorn since we had to park away from the stadium and I didn't want to deal with her car seat at my feet all night.) I guess Tyli did really like the "clapping songs." The boys had a good time though! I think it had something to do with the fact that Steph had some nephews there about their age! It was fun, listening to Cauley teach Dallin about what was going on on the field! All in all it was a good game! The D-Backs were down 4-6 going into the bottom of the 9th. We ended up tying it up, then hitting a double to knock in the game winning run! My boys were yelling "Hit a home run so we can watch the fireworks!" at the end. That's when we won. We stayed after the game for the fireworks show. My kids all really enjoyed that as well. Funny how it didn't take long after we got back to the car for all of the kids to crash! (and they slept in the next morning too!)

Don't let this picture fool you, we sat on the other side of the stadium! (Upper left field side.)

Cheering on the D-Backs!

This is just a random picture I threw in- Cauley took it one morning. These flowers are in our front yard. Cauley planted them for me last summer. I love them! They open really big in the morning and usually stay that way most of the day, and yet every day the sun bleaches the flowers to a pale orange. The next morning more buds open, and so on. (they're pretty big flowers too, bigger than my hand span!) Every time I pull into my driveway and see them, it makes me smile.



A-hiking-we-will-go!

(Pictures are backward- again!)

Last Friday Cauley woke up and decided it was hike day. Not me! It was too hot for me, plus that'd mean Halli'd have to hike with me, AND my toe still isn't allowing me to do too much yet. Tyli didn't want to go either, so us girls stayed here while the boys went and hiked the San Tan Mountains again. It is definitely the perfect family hiking spot, and it's nice that it's fairly close!

(looking down from the top- you can see our house wwwaaaaaaayyyyyyy out there!)

Cauley made it to the top too!

Oh look, some shade!

Cauley called me from the top of the mountain and asked me to get every one's swim suits ready. We then met him at his sister Jennifer's house and swam for a while. We love swimming (sorry no pics of that!) and have been about 1-2 times a week. (I know, we should live in the pool in AZ, but we don't always have access to them!) My kids are swimming so good (but still need to learn more!) Dallin loves to play, swimming from end to end, diving for toys, jumping in, and I am happy that I don't have to watch his every move in the water now. McKade is getting a lot better. He can now jump in, float on his back, and swim the long way across the pool without help, and he likes to just kick around the pool on noodles, and Tyli, well, she needs to learn to kick her feet or she's going to drown! Unless she's being held onto, she spends most of her time where she can touch! She LOVES to put her face in the water though, and will put her face in and walk on her hands from side to side of Jenn's pool on the sun shelf. Halli has yet to go swimming. (although she has the most adorable swim suit ever!)

Oops! Another picture out of place!

Yeah, I'm a "little" behind!

Halli D Clark on her blessing day (6 weeks old)


Some of our favorite people who came to support us on Halli's blessing day. Missing from this picture is Uncle Ray and Aunt Jeni who had to leave right away, Jeremy and Cori Contreras with their beautiful kids, and Correy and Heather Johnson and their kids. (they were taking the pictures for us.)

I have to apologize to everyone who keeps checking in on me to see if there's anything new. We have been so busy having fun the past month or so that I haven't taken time to get on here and write about it. I know that I will definitely be missing things as I definitely have post pardum brain, but oh well.
The beginning of May brought a fun get together with good food and even better friends. Every year my friend Marie and her husband throw a Cinco De Mayo party (and yet the actual party has not fallen on the 5th of May yet) at a local park. We always have the yummiest carne asada tacos, chips and salsa, and fruit. The location is perfect as we plant our lawn chairs right next to a splash pad that the kids spend most of their time in. This was Cauley's first year attending and I don't think he'll miss it from now on! (there is a picture below of my kids together playing in the splash pad.)

(1 month old. Taken by Aunt Steph May 23rd!)

My parents got to come down for a very brief but wonderful visit the end of May. They haven't been here since Tyli was a month old (3 1/2 years ago) so we were SO excited to show them all the changes that have taken place since then. (I can't describe it for those who don't live here, except that we used to live literally in the middle of nowhere, and now we don't have to travel more than 5 minutes to do most things like shop, Dr. appointments, and so on!) They even got to see our new house (that we've been in for 1 year now!). While they were here, they got to attend Dallin's awards assembly that Dallin got his Honor Roll certificate at. We shopped till we dropped, barbecued and swam with some good friends, and had a wonderful time in the 2 days that they were visiting. They ended up staying a little later on Saturday as Dallin and McKade ran in a track meet that Cauley's track team put on and then Tyli performed in her dance recital. At the Higley school district elementary school track meet, Dallin got first place in the long jump (for K-2nd graders), 3rd place in softball throw, 3rd place in 50 meter dash, and 4th place in 100 meters! McKade, who wasn't supposed to participate because he's only 4 and hasn't completed Kindergarten yet (but since his daddy put on the whole track meet, he let him) got 3rd in long jump out of ALL kindergartners! (They DEFINITELY got their jumping ability from their dad- thank goodness!)

Tyli was part of a little dance group this past 6 months. A young lady in my ward who is 13 decided to teach dance starting in January and she did a GREAT job! (Way to go, Keagan!) Tyli LOVED going to dance and most of her little friends ended up in her dance class with her. Their dance was to a clown song, hence the clown costumes. It was so fun having my parents there, as well as being supported by the whole Clark family. Thank you to all who came! My parents and I at Tyli's recital.


(Ty's right behing the cute little girl with the walker.)

I am going to end right here for now as I just thought of lots of other things we have done, but didn't upload the pictures from my camera yet. Most of the pictures I have on this post is from my wonderful sister-in-law, Stephanie. Thanks, Steph! (Check back soon for more posts!)