Naomi Rides Without Training Wheels

Friday night while the big kids were playing Ga-Ga Ball Naomi decided it was time to learn to ride her bike without training wheels.  Well, actually, the boys took her training wheels off of the bike last year because they were going to use the wheels on her bike to build a go-cart, but that's a different post.  For lack of anyone willing to put the trainers back on, she determined to learn to ride without them.

She was a little shaky at times...

Showing some attitude!

She's been practicing all weekend, and has the scraped up knees to prove it!

"...but diligence is man's precious possession."  Proverbs 12:27

Ga-Ga Ball

On Mother's Day we made a trip into Waterloo and bought some lumber to build a Ga-Ga Ball Pit.  It took us about an hour to build.  You just can't beat the Clark Assembly Line when building things.  I think we've gotten our money's worth out of it already.

You can find the official Wikipedia Ga-Ga Ball rules here.  Our kids learned to play at IRBC.

We enjoy it because the whole family can play.  The big boys are usually nice about letting the little ones get their fair share of game time.

Jumping to avoid the ball.

One of the main hazards of the game is bloody knuckles.  We've invested in a super-sized box of bandaids.

Hudson getting in on the action.

The agony of defeat.

Chase wrote this endearing message with his blood...

Macklin gets to watch from outside the pit.

We were hoping to have nice weather for Alex's graduation open house so the little kids could be outside playing.  Unfortunately, it was rainy, so we didn't get to share that day.  We have had a couple opportunities for friends to come over and play since then.

Wanna come play?



"Whoso causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil way, he shall fall himself into his own pit: but the upright shall have good things in possession."  Proverbs 28:10

Alex Graduates from High School

Alex celebrated his graduation from High School this month.  Our church honors our seniors on graduation Sunday.  Alex and several of his friends participated.

Alex was awarded the Ironmen's Scholarship and was given a bible.

We hosted a graduation open house in our home on May 14th.  Although the weather didn't cooperate and we ended up moving the family room furniture upstairs in order to set up tables and chairs inside, we had a really nice time visiting with friends and family.  It meant a lot to Alex to have so many people who have influenced his life celebrate with him.

I did not get a single picture of his open house.  It didn't even occur to me at the time.  There was so much going on and so many people coming and going that there wasn't time.

We are very proud of Alex.  He has done an excellent job with his schooling.  Being the oldest, he was at times our 'guinea pig'.  We tried many different kinds of curriculum, some of which we liked, some we didn't.  We feel we have given him a well-rounded education, centered on our faith in Jesus Christ.  He has excelled in his math and science courses, and has had the opportunity to learn many skills that are unique to our home school.  We are pleased with the man he has become.

Alex has been accepted to Faith Baptist Bible College in Ankeny.  He plans to play soccer for them this fall.

Here is a link to view the slideshow presentation that we showed at Alex's open house.
http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/jodiclark-1037631-alex-clark/

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge."  Proverbs 1:7

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful that~

~I serve a RISEN Saviour.
~I have healthy children.
~there is a soccer game tonight.
~Chase's hip flexor has improved enough to play in the soccer game tonight.
~there is no track meet tonight.
~we have money to go buy groceries tonight so I can feed my healthy children.
~graduation invitations are on their way to the mailbox.
~the sun is shining.
~my new septic system has been installed.
~I can pray for friends who are hurting and struggling right now.  God is good, always.
~Macklin got his cast off last Monday.  He's doing exceptionally well.
~Shannon is my husband.
~I'm headed upstairs to put the LAST load of laundry in when I'm done blogging.
~I have a drawer full of USB cables so I can add some photos to this blog.

Easter 2011

"Put away from thee a forward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee."  Proverbs 4:24

Baby Macklin

Baby Macklin is six and a half months old.  He's chubby, slobbery (2 teeth!), smiley, and overall, a pretty easy baby.  He's slept through the night almost from the start. He's eating baby food like a champ.   He's attended tons of football and basketball games, and tolerated them all pretty well. 

He's starting to get up on his hands and knees and move around the house.  He hasn't mastered the traditional crawl yet, but he's able to scoot and move from room to room to find the action.

Hudson likes to get down on the floor and play cars with him.  He also moves his toys out in front of him to entice Macklin to crawl and get them.

Sometimes Macklin gets moving so much, he'll crawl right over his toys.

The first thing Naomi does when she wakes up in the morning is come up to my bedroom and check on her baby brother.  Every. Single. Morning. Tuesday of last week was no exception.  Macklin woke up when Shannon was getting ready for work.  Since I wasn't ready to get up yet, Shannon put him in bed with me.  Not long after that, Naomi came up for her morning snuggle with her baby brother.  

As I was getting dressed, Chase called to check in with me after he finished track practice.  Naomi started heading downstairs with Macklin.  There are three steps from our bedroom to the landing.  I think Naomi thought she was on the landing, but in fact she had one more step to go.  She stumbled, and landed on Macklin.  She had the presence of mind not to drop him.  It was just an accident.  It could have just as easily happened to me or one of the big boys.

I checked them over, and neither one seemed  hurt, with no bumps or bruises. We went about our day, but by mid-afternoon I noticed Macklin was getting a bit fussy, and as I changed his diaper, he began to cry.  We decided to take him to the doctor to make sure he was okay.  X-rays revealed he had a fracture of his right femur, just above the growth plate above his knee.  The orthopedic doctor recommended casting him under anesthesia, which meant we had to wait 4-6 hours because he had a bottle on the way to the doctor's office. 

We were admitted to the pediatric floor, and at about 10:30pm he was taken for his procedure.  The plan was to put him in a Spica cast to help immobilize his hip area and promote quicker healing.  Everything went well, and they kept us overnight for observation.

We were discharged by 8:30 the next morning.  Shannon picked us up on his lunch break and brought us home.  Macklin's cast is big and bulky and awkward, but he's tolerating it well, and he hasn't needed any Tylenol since being in the hospital.

The photo below gives an idea of how diapering works.  We use a size 1 diaper and stuff it in the opening.  Then a great big size 4 diaper goes over the entire cast.  This system leaves a lot to be desired, but we're making the best of it. 

He enjoys sitting in the bean bag chair.  We also put him in the stroller occasionally and take him for rides around the house.  He had some difficulty sleeping the first few nights, but the last couple have been much better.  I still get him up to change his diaper during the night. 

To allay some of the rumors that are circulating around town, I would like to assure everyone that he only has ONE fracture (not every bone in his body), he was not THROWN down the stairs, nor did he BOUNCE down the stairs, and he DOES NOT have brain damage. 

Although I would prefer to turn back the hands of time and not have to have Macklin experience any of this, I'm confident he will never remember any of it.

He's still scooching himself around the floor, and is just as happy and content as ever.  He's looking forward to going to the first soccer game of the season tomorrow--weather permitting.  GO REBELS!

"Like the legs of the lame that hang limp Is a proverb in the mouth of fools."  Proverbs 26:7

Thankful Thursday

I haven't done a Thankful Thursday post since March 25, 2010.  I think it's about time again.

I came across my last Thankful Thursday post while looking for the results of our March Madness competition last year.  I didn't post the results, but as of the second round, I was ahead.  We can all assume I won the whole thing.

I'll try to keep you posted on this year's status.  Let the games begin!

Oh...I almost forgot.  It's Thankful Thursday.

*I'm thankful for Shannon. He's lost 22 lbs. in 4 weeks.  Tomorrow is his next weigh-in day.
*I'm thankful for my children.  Without them, who would I pick up after?
*I'm thankful that the bathroom remodel is almost finished.
*I'm thankful that the weather is getting warmer.
*I'm thankful that our septic system is going to be replaced.
*I'm thankful for broccoli.  I've eaten a lot of it lately.
*I'm thankful for March Madness.

"Better is a dry morsel with quietness, than a house full of feasting with strife."  Proverbs 17:1

Hudson

On January 9th Hudson turned 4 years old.  I asked each of our family members (that is able) to tell me one word that describes Hudson.  Here are the results:

Shannon:  The Bane of My Existence (Shannon doesn't follow rules)
Alex:  Nuts
Jackson:  Uncontrollable
Chase:  Uuuuhhhhh....
Bryce:  Loud
Colton: Wild
Katie:  Cute
Naomi:  Crazy
Jodi:  Mine


Hudson is all of those things, and more.  I think he drives Shannon crazy because they are so much alike!

Four is my favorite age.  If only I could keep them like this forever!

I love you Hudson!

"He who loves purity of heart and has grace on his lips, The king will be his friend." Proverbs 22:11

Zoo 2010

At the beginning of November we planned to load the kids up and head to Omaha to visit the Zoo.  Since Alex and Jackson had a short garbage day, we we were hoping to be on the road by about 10:30am.  Things rarely go as planned at our home, and this day was no exception.

By the time we got to Des Moines, Hudson had thrown up once from car sickness and it was almost 1:00pm.  We decided to go with Plan B and stop at the the Blank Park Zoo, instead.

The weather was beautiful, and we pretty much had the zoo to ourselves.  Here are some photos from our day at the zoo.

 The Clarks (sans Macklin--he slept in his stroller the whole time)

 Chase and Jack striking a pose.

 Alexander

 Biggest smile contest

 My Beauties

 Colt

 Every family should have a Hudson

 The littles

 Bryce Jamison

 Fabio

 The Goodfellas

 Got milk?

 Taming the bull

Future Chiropractor?

With Alex leaving for college this fall, I'm afraid our family vacations/outings are limited.  Gotta make some memories while we still can!

"A wise son makes a glad father, But a foolish son is the grief of his mother." Proverbs 10:1