Introducing....the Burb

We have decided that after over a year of marriage we should probably have a car that fits our entire family. We found a Suburban that we can add 2 seats to the back and then wahoo!!!! We will have one car to take everyone in!

The We Will Get Along Shirt.

I love our kids. They are amazing in so many ways and for the most part they really get along well. Paul and I feel pretty lucky in that way. However, there are those days when the fighting WON'T stop and they are just picking on each other and bugging each other ( and driving us crazy in the process!) So, we introduced the "We will get along shirt."  Pretty simple idea that has worked wonders for our family! We got an x-large shirt. Wrote "we will get along" on it and the kids that are fighting get to wear the shirt-TOGETHER and do a chore.  It's amazing the power that the shirt has! Everyone has had a chance to wear it and experience the "joy" of it. The kids have figured out the faster they work together the sooner they can get out of the shirt. I will admit, it's hard not to laugh when the kids wearing the shirt are trying to figure out how to move and work together with their least favorite sibling of the moment. It's awesome. The kids all hate it.

Grace-being the oldest doesn't mind the shirt because she weighs more than anyone else and can control where the shirt goes! 

Grace and Lauren

Ty and Kash-not fans.

3 kids is the most we have put in the shirt-poor Claire, half the time she couldn't see where she was going.

It's catch up time already!

So, since it's almost the end of March and I have missed posting about 2 birthdays, lots of out of town guests, plays, doctors visits and everything in between here's a quick catch up of whats been going on in the Clark house this year!

Claire LOVES dressing herself and always comes up with the most creative and fun combinations! I always tell the kids wear whatever you want as long as it's clean, modest and ready for whatever the weather may be. Claire usually wears (at a minimum) 2 outfits at once.

Spirit Week at school

Claire ice-skating with her preschool class -surprising how quickly these 4 and 5 year olds caught on to it!

 Grace and Lauren tried out for the Missoula Children's Theatre production of Pied Piper. Lauren wasn't sure if she wanted to try out but she LOVED it! Grace was a cook and Lauren was a Rat-I told Lauren that I don't let Rats in my house and she ASSURED me that she is a clean rat!

Papa flew in to watch the girls play. They didn't know he was coming until they saw him in the audience-it was great!

Papa and Lauren 

I've decided that headlamps were invented for reading books in bed at night so you don't wake up anyone else...they are genius!

I signed up Logan for Martial Arts and he LOVES it! 

Lauren is in gymnastics but, truth be told when deciding between ballet and gymnastics she went with the one that had the outfit that "sparkled" more. It's all about the clothes with that girl!

Lauren and Ty

Nana and Alison Malouf came into town for my Favorite things party. It was so fun to have them here!

I love this lady! She is my other sister. It was so fun to have her in town for the weekend!

Devrey came to visit us for a week while Aunt Ellen was recuperating after having Baby Brayden. It was so fun! Devrey is the EASIEST and most laid back kid to have around. The kids all loved having her around. We took her skiing for the first time and she helped us shovel the driveway.

Moving to Montana has been AWESOME for our family! One of the hardest things for me though has been to not live close to a temple. Our temple district is The Cardston, Canada temple. On a good sunny day it's a 2 1/2 hour drive each way. In the winter it can be twice that. Paul and I had planned a trip to the Cardston temple. I was dressed and ready to go. Had a babysitter for Claire. En route to the babysitters house Claire said. "Mom, there is a wrapper up my nose." She decided that NOW was the perfect time to experiment with those two small holes on the end of her nose! After trying to take it out on our own-with no success we headed to the Doctors office. I just have to say though, that after today I fell in love with my sweet husband even more! When I came home with Claire, as frusterated as could be he just looked at me smiled and laughed and said "Babe, it's no big deal, it's life" and as always, helped me put perspective back into things. He's the best. Ever since then though, Claire will randomly come up to me and say "Mom, is there anything in my nose?" I tell her no and ask if she put something up there. Her response is always no, I was just checking! Love that girl.

Winter in Montana

Montana is known for it's snow and long very cold winters. However, since moving to Montana this is the second year that our winter has been very mild! I keep telling Paul it's because of me. I'm a good luck charm. We still managed to get some skiing in and Lucy and Claire really picked it up this year! We got passes to Big Mountain resort in Whitefish and it was so fun to be able to ski with all 7 of the kids! Grace and Kash are surpassing me now though and I may need some extra lessons to keep up with them!

Dad and Claire

Dad and Claire

All of us riding the bus to the ski lift...The kids were SO excited to not have to walk from our car.

Ty man posing!

Cousin Devrey

Lauren

Mom and Claire

Kash and Grace

Grace and Devrey

Lucy-loves skiing and sporting her Minnie Mouse hat!

Ty and Dad

It's about time...

I have talked about doing a family blog forever but, I never got around to it. At the end of every year as I am trying to compile our family pictures and memories into a digital scrapbook and trying to remember who is who and what happened when I always think...arrrgggg I should do this throughout the year and not all at once! So, it's finally happening :) Hopefully it goes better than what I have been doing :) Anything that means I won't have to rely on my memory as much usually is a good thing:)

Yes, you see correctly...all 7 children are looking at the camera AND smiling.  No bribing, begging, yelling or threatening was involved either :) Pure luck!