How I've Missed You!

Dear Blog,

Sorry I've been away for so long. I have New Year's Resolutions. None of them are to update you because I'm already too good at that. I have been cleaning and organizing, prioritizing my time, and spending one-on-one time with my 3 boys.

Since we've been back, I have:

-Moved Tyler and Jackson in the same room. I needed my sewing room back and a calm master bedroom space. The boys have done pretty well together and I had to massively organize their closet to make all their clothes, toys and furniture fit in one room. But I feel like it is the right thing. I've solidified their nap/sleeping schedule and they are already bonding more.

-Cleaned my bedroom and bathroom. If you've seen my master bed/bath in the last 6 months, I'm so sorry. It contained all of the following: bed, clothes, sewing machine, measuring/cutting area, inventory, play place for the kids to sit while I work, mess! They say don't put work in your bedroom, so true. I could never relax. I moved it all back into the bedroom Jackson used to be in and now it is all under control. I walk into my room and breathe. I love it. If you'd like a tour of my house now, I'm not ashamed anymore, I'll show you!

-Taught preschool twice. We did the letter "p" and square shapes. We had a blast!

(p-post coming soon!)

-Taught a private art lesson. I am going to be teaching art lessons again! I'm so excited. I love all the resources there are online now! I'll show you some great projects when we get to them.

-Worked on orders. It's amazing what a 2 week break can do to your stress level. I left frazzled, overwhelmed, and sick (I think mostly from exhaustion.) I came back with a killer cleaning bug (think nesting hormones- luckily it's not from pregnancy this time), and tons of energy to get it all done.

I am determined to become a better person. My 2010 goals include reading my scriptures daily, saying personal and family prayers daily, spending time with each family member individually, keep my house presentable and allow for the spirit to dwell, and do something nice for someone else daily. It's amazing how when that is what I pray for, Heavenly Father allows for me to be in the path of someone who's in need. I have already had 2 great experiences where I have been in the right place at the right time to help someone who needed it.

When I make time for the important things first, my attitude is better and somehow there is always enough time to get it all done.

I still need to update my blog from our trip: Wolfe Christmas, Clark Christmas, Jackson's Birthday, New Years, so much to do! I'll have to do it slowly so that I can keep doing the important things in the process. Self control is a hard one when it comes to spending time online!!

I have loved reading your blogs and thanks for the updates. I love how close I feel to family members and friends who I haven't seen in so long!

Love,

Kirsti

How cute are we?

Ok, I know a girl who takes amazing photographs. My sister-in-law is Kara Layne. Two hours with this girl and my family looks adorable. We walked through the park holding hands and convincing Tyler he wanted to smile and sit still. We bribed him with tigers and toys and McDonald's. In the end, we got some really great shots!

Click here and see our photo session: http://www.karalayneblog.com/journal/2009/12/29/phoenix-family-photographer-the-clark-family.html

I have to explain to you that both my boys have had horrible colds with disgusting noses and dry rosy cheeks. Kara's photo editing skills are great and we all look like we have crystal clear skin and bright eyes. I mean, I wish I could say I always look this good, but with a little bit of Kara Layne, I could convince you that I'm a model.

Thanks so much Kara for sharing your talent with us. One of my 2010 resolutions is to have family photos in my home. Now I can fill my empty picture frames with the ones I love most in this world.

Why I'm excited for Tuesday

1. Because hopefully by then my cold will be gone.

2. Because that is the day I get on an airplane (and you know how much I love airplanes. Especially with kids. I get nauseous. I've had to use the barf bags. More than once.)

3. Because I will get to re-meet my brother-in-law who I have really only met twice. The first time I was really sick and he was strategically keeping his distance. The second time was the wedding and for some reason he was paying way more attention to my little sister than me.

4. Because I just bought this game and I am excited. I LOVE playing games with my family.

5. Because on Tuesday I will get to body slam my mom and dad, and of course, my little sister and new brother. Can't wait!!

8 more days...

Raking Leaves

The other day we decided to pay attention to our yard and rake the 5 billion leaves...

If we had known it would be this much fun, we would have done it sooner.

Tyler got his own "rake" and "helped"

And then we jumped in the pile and took a nap.

We've been so good this week that Santa brought a reindeer for us to play with!

More Tyler Funnies

Today for lunch, I made Tyler a quesadilla. He was pulling it apart to only eat the pieces of tortilla with lots of cheese. I heard him say to himself, "Cheese on this one. No cheese on this one. Why not? I don't know." It was so funny, just the way he was pointing to each piece and then finished the conversation off with I don't know, in a very cute, so sad that he didn't know sort of way.

Lately when I put Tyler to bed, he keeps calling for me and asks for something different every time. Apple juice, a different colored binky, his shark book, and even the "mommy tiger" that he asked Santa for. I haven't been able to figure out a way to get him to stop calling for me. Tonight, I was so tired when I put him to bed that I just gave him apple juice. Then I figured we'd brush his teeth the first time he called for me. So I told him to call me when he's ready to brush his teeth. I haven't heard a peep out of him all night.

Today we went to Target for a couple gifts and some groceries. I had a lot of time to look around, so for fun we started in the toy section. We made our way around the isles and he insisted on walking and not being in the cart. {Which was fine with me, because Jackson now knows how to wiggle right out of the seat buckle in the front of the cart, so I had the kind with the extra 2 seats facing the cart-- you know what kind I'm talking about? So, I had Jackson strapped in one and of course, the bag of Target popcorn strapped in the other seat. I should have taken a picture, my cart was a pretty funny sight. Jackson is hardly tall enough to see the top of his head above the seat and he'd put his hand across to grab a handful of popcorn. ok I'm getting off subject...} Anyway, so we make our way to the bike isle and Tyler finds a nice tricycle that looks like it needs a test drive. I peacefully completed my shopping with a baby eating popcorn and an almost 3 year old driving behind me in a green John Deere trike. What a sight to see. I LOVE my target trips!!

Just in case you haven't been to Target with 2-3+ children lately, here is the latest invention:

which I think is so smart since, evidently this isn't allowed.

What's up with that?

My babies

Some days I am so overwhelmed with how much I love my babies that it makes me cry. Just randomly, in the middle of the day, I start getting teary-eyed {so of course, I have to tackle one of them so I can laugh instead}. This week I have been hearing so many tragic stories of loosing a family member and I don't know what I would do without any of my boys. These stories make me realize that I have to take every single moment and appreciate that we are together as a family.

I am so grateful to a loving Heavenly Father who gave me two healthy, happy children. I know that their spirits were meant to come to me and to Jeff. They make me a better person, more kind and gentle, more patient and loving. More aware of the small miracles and the simple joys. I love them. They are ours. I am so grateful that I get to be a mom and a wife.

Clark Thanksgiving Top Ten:

10.Riding the scooter around and around in Grandma and Grandpa's garage.

9. Taking a trip up to the mountains "that way" as Tyler would say, and point to the mountains that are visible from inside the house. I don't think he's ever seen mountains that he can remember!

8. Jackson naked except for the turkey bib for Thanksgiving dinner.

7. Gamma and Gappa: aren't they just the cutest grandparents ever?

6. Having my parents all to myself. Sorry siblings, it was MY turn!! :)

5. My boys. Love love love them.

4. Hoodie Parties. Mom, put your hood back on!

3. The fish that made Tyler scream like a little girl. Why is he holding his mouth, you ask? Probably because his dad just said "kiss it!"

2. Having enough free time to be silly.

1. Beating everyone {except my mom} at Banana Grams. Great game, by the way if you are looking for a good present- mix between scrabble and a crossword puzzle. So fun!

I never take enough pictures on vacation. Between the craziness of the kids and the chance to veg-out, I just don't!

A couple other highlights that are picture-less:

• My grandparent's home full of people I love and a beautifully delicious Thanksgiving dinner!
• Turkey avocado sandwiches at Wolfe's Market
• A day at Disneyland (pictures to come from my mom's camera!)
• Hot tubbing in my parent's gorgeous backyard
• Sleeping on my sister's very comfortable bed :)
• The fact that we will be back in 18 days {but who's counting?}

Just so you know:

This is what Jackson's hair looks like when he wakes up

and this is what Tyler's face looks like scrunched up

and this is what my new hair cut looks like

and this is the delicious dessert Jeff made me

{He told me it had a "surprise ingredient" which always makes me nervous. Come to find out, it was pudding. Which, by the way, is very tasty when it is frozen.}

As Seen on TV...

I've been sick with the achy flu for a couple days and my sweet husband went grocery shopping for us last night. He always brings me special treats when he shops, but when he pulled this from behind his back, I begged him to take it back.

"Please honey, we don't need that."

"Don't open it, we can take it back!"

"We don't have the money"

and then I said,

"You know I make fun of this commercial all the time, right?!"

He giggled and then said,

"I know, that's why I got it for you!"

He made me put it on and lay down on the couch with the other treats he got me. Some peach bubbly and a chocolate pudding. I fell asleep in about 10 minutes. I'm still mad at him for getting this for me. Now I don't want to take it off.

J is for Jellyfish

and JACKSON...

I love the crafts Tyler has been doing at preschool. Usually he tells me he does not want to go to preschool. Today he asked to go. Twice!! Too bad it's a Friday! Good job Toni- you did it!

Jackson's first act of destruction

I walked into his room to see that he pulled all the clothes off his changing shelves. He was so proud of himself. For his punishment, I kissed his cheek over and over and told him he was too cute to go on time out. {although Tyler kept chanting "bad baby, bad baby!" I think he wanted to see him go to time out for a change!!}

Tyler Funnies

The other day we were driving in the car and I told Tyler we were going to the bank. He knows when we go to the bank he gets a balloon. He started screaming about what color he wanted: "Green. No green Mommy. Green all gone. Yellow. No yellow. BLLUE!" I laughed and called him a lucky duck. And then he started quacking.

This morning I told him he got to go to preschool. He said, "Preschool all dirty. Stay home today." Oh boy. He's a little confused about the phrases "all dirty" and "all gone"...

At night he asks for apple juice. I explain to him that we just brushed his teeth apple juice will hurt his teeth, but he can have water. Then he says, "Water all gone. Daddy drink it all gone. Have apple juice Me." I love the daddy drink it all gone part cuz that's what I say about milk half the time!!

Ever since Halloween Tyler thinks both people need to say "You're Welcome". He'll ask for something and when I give it to him he says "thank you." Then I tell him "you're welcome" and he says "welcome" back. So polite!

On Halloween, he would walk up to the house and say "tick-a-teet!" Then they'd give him the candy. He would walk away saying, "Thank you. Welcome. Bye!"

Happy Halloween: Friday Night

CAUTION: ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK...

Lots of pictures!! and commentary {from yours truly}

Our ward party was Friday night. They had a carnival and chili cook-off and then trunk-or-treating. It was really fun!

Tyler the Tiger trying to get the doughnut. Whose idea was it to give him a messy white powdered doughnut right after his face painting? Not mommy's!

It was so funny to watch. I was seriously cracking up. The kind where your stomach hurts. He would just stand there with his mouth open waiting for it to land in his mouth or something. I think he thought it was cheating to look directly at the doughnut, cuz he wouldn't look at it. Just opened his mouth and waited. so funny!

Somehow he got another doughnut after the carnival was over. Those young women really like him or something!

Next up: Jackson the skunk. He was very stinky. Just kidding. Actually he was extremely happy the whole time. He is such a good little {stinky} boy!

People would hold their noses as he crawled by...

just kidding.

Remember how I said he was happy the whole night?

...might have had something to do with the lollipop he got! I guess it's a tradition for my boys to get their first suckers on Halloween night. (or the night before) Tyler was also a skunk at this age.

Next was the Trunk-or-Treating. Some very nicely decorated trunks!

We wouldn't dare open our trunk in public {Seriously, always trashed!} So I handed out candy on our lawn chairs. I was out of candy in about 10 minutes! and I even brought 3 bags!!

Hi daddy!!

Does Jeff's costume look familiar? See last year... hehehe. Why be someone else when he is so good at being himself?

and that's what I decided when Tyler asked "What mommy be Halloween?" I said, "I'm a scary mom!" Then he said, "Oh, yeah"

What's going on?

JACKSON JEFFERY: Our little Jack-jack is almost 10 months old. 10 months! That's almost a year, I just can't believe it! I took him into the dr. the other day and he is 20 lbs, 6 oz. (Also, the SIZE of a big one year old) He loves to pull himself up to stand, makes really funny noises and sleeps like a champ.

TYLER KENT: Is learning new things every day. The other day, he sneezed and said, "Mommy, bless me. Germs in my hand." I think my mouth dropped to the floor. As I washed all the germs off his hands, I asked him if he learned about germs from Sid the Science Kid and he said "yup" HA! Thanks Sid for educating my children {daily}!

ME: I have been working a ton to get all my items ready for the holidays and getting orders filled. My friend Becca chopped my hair and I love it! It takes way less time to do it and I can even sleep with my hair down now. It feels healthy and shiny and thinner! YAY! Thanks BEC!

JEFF: Working hard at work and a great dad at home. He is punching in as many lawn applications as he can until we leave for THANKSGIVING in a month! WAHOO! He found a mountain bike at a garage sale and has been fixing it up. We took it for a ride on Saturday- so fun! I don't think I've ridden a bike for over 10 years, and for Jeff it's been since his mission. I felt so free! Anyway, back to Jeff, he's enjoyed working on it and plans to ride it daily.
{pic to come!}

As I was taking some pictures for this post, my busy little 2 and a half year old would not hold still for a sec. Well, actually only for a second, to stand on top of the stool and say...

"Free, fibe, Fo, GOOOOO!"

You know, "three, five, four, go..." Don't you always say that when you jump off things?