FiRSt dAy of ScHooL

The girls had their first day of school this week. WOW my baby is going to pre-school. She was so excited and was all set with a new haircut and back-pack taboot. Her first words to Brian on the phone to tell him about her day was, " Dad it was so fun, it was awesome!" She kept saying how awesome it was and even though she is the youngest the teacher said she is the most obedient. MaKenna had her first day of 1st grade and was so excited she did not have to have a nap anymore. However when she got home all she could say to me is, "Mom I am so exhausted, it was such a long day with 3 recesses" I told her she will get used to it and I think that mom is going to need some time to adjust too. I cried down the school hall after dropping her off, knowing she is gone all day...it is weird for me and I miss her a lot. Hunter has his first day next week but he got to go and meet his teacher and see his class, he can hardly wait. So for the day he went and helped Dad in the shop and Brian said it was amazing how well he picked up on the instructions he was given. I can't believe how much our little family is grown.

So excited for preschool!!

Look at that cute cheese-ball

MaKenna all ready for a full day of school.

Daddy and Brianna

Hunter hard at work, Dad says he can't wait until he is older when he can really put him to work, lol.

So Brave???

This past week we went to Idaho Falls to visit my sister and her family. They just moved and we wanted to check out their new "pad" I traveled all by myself with the 3 kids and pregnant. Yes it was brave, however I was so pleasantly suprised in how well my children traveled. They are such great travelers and at the end of a 7 hour trip I thought they would all be screaming but they were not. Thanks kids!! While we were there we did lots of fun and adventurous things. We went and fed the ducks on the snake river. Then we went to the local dairy and enjoyed an ice cream cone but did not enjoy the smell. Well at least my pregnant nose did not appreciate it. The kids loved the farm animals and baby calves that licked their legs and were so adorable. Then we went to the Tautphas Zoo and Park. This park is great it covers, 10 blocks and has a small carnival, zoo and pavillions and play grounds everywhere. Then we ended our hot day with a water fight at home. Then we got all dried up and went to a great little pizza buffet. It was so cheap and you got to choose pastas, pizzas and dessert. YUMMY!!! Everyone was satisfied. Then on Saturday night Linds and I went on a little drive we ended up driving past this enormous house and could help ourselves....there were no signs to Keep Out so we Entered. This house had at least 10 rooms and a bathroom connected to each room. It was a great and fun evening in an abandoned house. When we finally returned home to Ben we had some enormous smores. They were so yummy and so filling. Then we made the long trek home on Monday. We really had a great time there and we so grateful for the Smarts hospitality. Your home is so beautiful and so much fun to visit. I think we made Brian a little jealous of our visit and he wants to come soon too.

Kenna feeding the Ducks

Brianna and Ellie feeding the ducks

enjoying an ice cream at the dairy

The Tiger at the Zoo

Waiting for the animal show at the zoo

Sitting on the front porch

The water fight

The enormous house we ventured into

Huge S'more

Enjoying our s'mores...yumm-o!!

It's A........?????

Well we went to the ultrasound today and all is well and we are having another, BOY!!!! We are excited and ready for number four. We will now start the battle of figuring out a name. The kids are excited and got there wish, they all hoped for a brother. MaKenna went with us to the ultrasound and once she found out the gender she couldn't stand it. She was ready to shout it out the world.
And so are we here comes Clark Baby Boy #4!!!!

A New Niece

My sister had her baby today. She weighed 8 Lbs 1 oz and 19 inches long. Might I say a chunky monkey but a cute one! She is the largest baby in the family but will still be adored. My sis went all natural which is hard for me to even think about doing, GIVE ME THE DRUGS DOC!!! However she did great and we have a cute new addition to our family...WELCOME BABY ARIANNA!!!!! We can't wait to meet you and kiss all over you!

Motherhood: An Eternal Partnership with God

How many times since I have had children and especially since I have been pregnant this last time, I have seemed to lost the vision of what I am doing. Our children are so important and they need us as their mothers to love them unconditionally, even if the house is a mess or they can't seem to stop fighting. The work we have been sent here to do in behalf of our Father in Heaven is a priority and in partnership with Him NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE. I hope this is a good reminder for you as it was for me that we all need to remember our own worth and all else will fall into place.

Lake Powell....for reals this time!

Down here in Southern Utah we just can't get enough of all the water activities. There are so many lakes so close to us...who could resist anyhow? Well I guess we can't and we love to spend time as a family and even better if friends join us. We went camping at Lake Powell for the weekend. We packed all our equipment on the boat and went and found ourselves a little cove beach. It was great weather too. I even attempted wake boarding at 4 months pregnant and I did get up, i just could not figure out how to turn the board after that. lol Well maybe I will figure it out next time. MaKenna could not get enough of the tube, we had to make them get off too. And Hunter, he was just content hanging out. We swam a lot to keep cool and just explored. Brian even solemn skied for the first time and he did great too. Let's not forget Brianna, she loved the tube and the rides on the boatie too. Thanks Reynolds for a great weekend together!!

Family Fun!!

This past 5 days my sister and her kids came into town. It was so much fun to spend time toegether. My mom came for the first part and then flew home early. We did a bunch of water activities and lots of boating. It was so great to let the kids play, play, play. And after they were all tucked into bed it was so great to sit and talk until wee hours of the morning with Linds. We are so glad that you guys came to visit before your big move. We love spending time with you!!!
Brianna told me today that she loves Aunt Lindsey and weally(really) misses her too.

Grandma and Brianna

Lindsey, Chase and Ellie. At first Ellie was terrified of the boat but later she warmed up.

The Whole Crew minus my honey

More fun on the boat.

Ellie is turning 3 and so we did a little b-day party on the boat for her!