Christmas & Some Thoughts on Death

We had an amazing Christmas this year. Bob & Tommy spent Christmas Eve with us and stayed the night. In the morning we went to my parents house for a delicious breakfast and afterwards we opened presents. The kids got a ton of presents and they've played with everything. Hannah got a kitchen set from my parents & sister and a bicycle from Bobby & me. Sammy got a remote control truck from my Dad and a Cars mini-four-wheeler (that only goes 2 miles/hr) from Bobby & me. They got a lot more but those were the major things. I'm going to post pictures but I wanted to get some shots of them enjoying their toys so it might take a few days.
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Today my mom took the kids & me to Wal-Mart. While shopping I found some of those little fat Coca Cola bottles on sale for $0.50 each. I was telling my mom that I wanted to get one for Hannah & Samuel but all they had left was Diet Coke.
Hannah was standing beside me listening to our conversation. After a second she looked at me and asked, "Why does it make you die?"
My Mom & I laughed so hard!! From the mouths of babes!!

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TOMORROW IS NOT ONLY THE BEGINNING OF 2010 BUT IT'S ALSO HANNAH'S 4TH BIRTHDAY!!

Christmas With the Cows

Last week the kids and I went to the Cow's Christmas Party at Chick-fil-A (just like last year). There were no door prizes this year though ... meaning no huge cow Pez Dispensers. We still had a great time decorating cupcakes and making Christmas cards. Of course Hannah had to have her picture made with the Cows. That's about it so enjoy the pictures!!

I'm thinking we should buy stock in Chick-fil-A considering how much time we spend there!!

Sammy enjoying his cupcake.

Hannah & the Chick-fil-A Cows.

Sammy taking a turn with the cows.

Delicious

Gorgeous girl!

Sorry the color is slightly off in this picture but...
Merry Christmas!!

Rocking Around the Christmas Tree...

One of my favorite holiday traditions is picking out a Christmas tree and decorating it. I love the smell of fresh pine, I love the way the lights look with the silver garland, and I love reminiscing over the ornaments as we put them on the tree (I have several ornaments from my childhood and Bobby & I have bought a new ornament every year.) It's even more special now that we have Hannah and Samuel. They've got their own ornaments and they loved decorating the tree this year.

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We bought our tree last Wednesday and had a 'Tree Decorating Party' on Saturday. I cooked some delicious food (if I do say so myself!) and we invited our family and neighbors. It was such fun!! I really enjoyed spending time with our families - just sitting around eating and talking. What could be better?

My sister paid for Hannah & Samuel to have their pictures taken with Santa. Hannah was excited and actually talked to him but Samuel started crying the minute we put him on Santa's lap. Don't really blame him.

I have the most beautiful family ever!!

It was so windy the day we bought our tree! Our tree was one of four that was still standing.

Not only was it windy but it was also freezing cold!

This is the picture we took of the kids for our Christmas card.

Hannah & I relax after our party Saturday. Hannah looks like some 80's Rocker with her sequined head-band around her forehead.

Our beautiful tree!

Around the House

Here are some of the fun things we do throughout the day...

Two of my pictures wouldn't load - one of Hannah washing the dishes and one of Sammy rinsing. Here he's putting the dishes in the correct spot without me telling him what to do!

Hannah & Samuel really enjoyed mixing up the batter for Gingerbread Cookies. We recently made Gingerbread Cookies from scratch. It was a fun way to spend a Thursday afternoon.
They took turns adding the ingredients and then they took turns mixing.
*Thanks for the aprons Lindsay!! Hannah wears it every time she cooks or washes dishes!*

I always let the kids lick the beaters... You can see Samuel really enjoyed the cookie batter.

Hannah & Samuel had a blast cutting out their Gingerbread Men. Sam's came out missing a few arms and legs. Hannah's came out really looonng b/c she had a hard time picking them up once she'd cut them.

Their beautifully decorated Gingerbread Men.

We spent Thanksgiving at my Granny James' house. I'm lovin' Grannies facial expression.

Most afternoons the kids jump on the trampoline while I walk on the treadmill. I can't believe how beautiful they are!!!

We spend a lot of time snuggling. I walked into the kids room this morning & found them snuggling in Sammy's bed.

"I want to take the picture!"

You Must Have Your Hands Full!!

Recently my dear friend Lindsay posted a funny blog about being domesticated. It made me laugh when I read it but she's so right. Later while she & I talked about staying home with our kids, homeschooling, staying busy, etc, I really started thinking about the person/wife/mother that I've become ...

I can't remember exactly what my dreams and plans were when I was a teenager. I know I wanted to go to college, major in English and some day teach British Literature at a local college. Never did I envision myself being a stay-at-home mom. I don't even think I envisioned myself being a mother really. Kids scared me. They were so tiny and fragile and cried all the time (or so I thought :-) I couldn't cook, never thought I would breastfeed and had some crazy idea that if I stayed home/home schooled it would be (in Lindsay's words) beneath me. But that was then ... all those years ago.

Bobby & I have been married eight and a half years. He's still the brilliant, sexy, funny man that I fell in love with (more than 8 years ago. Bobby & I have been a couple the majority of my life.) We have two beautiful children that I have the great honor of training, loving and teaching every day. Bobby is a wonderful husband and father. I'm so very thankful that he works so hard so that I can stay home with our kids. And not only do we have two kids but I (we) actually want more!

I laughed when Lindsay talked about not being able to cook a lot when she & Josh first married because I was right there with her. When Bobby & I first married our menu consisted of Hamburger Helper and anything else that came in a box. Now I find I can make meals from scratch and a lot of times I don't even have to consult the recipe - I just make it from memory. This past week the kids and I made Gingerbread Cookies from scratch. They had so much fun and I can't imagine a better way to spend a Thursday. I love being able to cook delicious home made meals for my family. I love teaching Hannah so she'll be able to do the same for her family one day.



Another thing that I can't believe I do is research natural home remedies and herbs. I used to make fun of those moms who stayed home with their kids, made sure everything was all organic & healthy and used home remedies. Now I spend an hour or two a day searching the web or reading books so I'll be prepared for any illness that might creep into our home. So far we've successfully used garlic to reduce the duration of our colds. We've taken honey for coughs and put it on blisters to speed the healing process. And every day I'm looking for more remedies and checking out different herbs to have on hand (as well as to cook with). I love it! It's another thing I can teach my children!!


Our children are 4 and 2 years old (in case you didn't know) and they're already smart. My Dad jokes that Hannah is smarter than he is. Hannah & Sammy love learning and I like the we can work on whatever they're interested in at the moment. Hannah can write all of her letters, she can write her name as well as a few other words, and she's already learning to read. Sammy is different from Hannah. He's ahead in motor skills and is just starting to take off with talking. But it's nice knowing that we're not rushed to learn one thing or another. We can take our time and work on what we're interested in at the moment.

I take the kids everywhere I go. We go grocery shopping as a family. If I run errands during the week the kids go with me. When I deliver Avon or go around leaving my brochures the the kids are there too. The one phrase I hear most often is, "You must have your hands full!!" That and, "You want more kids!? You must be crazy!!" How do I tell people that my life isn't crazy? That my children are well behaved & listen because Bobby & I have trained them well. That they're helpful and sweet -they wash dishes, put away toys and help clean. That being home with them is the place I want to be the most and I can't imagine working away from them. And no, they don't need to be in school or preschool for socialization. My four year old talks & can hold a conversation better than some 21 year olds. I don't bother answering these thoughtless people - I just smile and nod and keep moving because the kids and I know that we're incredibly blessed to have each other.

A Marathon with Some Pirates on the Side

Geez I'm so slow at posting lately!!
On Halloween day Bobby ran his first half marathon in Greenville. The kids and I were so excited for him but sadly we weren't able to be there to cheer for him. The lack of support didn't slow him down a bit. Just call him 'Speedy' - he ran 13 miles in 1 hour, 44 minutes, 47 seconds!! One second under 8 minutes a mile!! How awesome is that?! Sorry I'm so late in posting about your amazing 1/2 marathon babe!!

In other news... a few weeks ago I took the kids to the Pirate Party at Chick-fil-A. Since boys didn't get to come to the Tea Party they decided to host a Pirate Party for everyone. The kids loved every minute of it and had so much fun dressing up as little pirates. Of course my kids were the cutest pirates ever!!

*I just love how Sammy is looking at 'Jack Sparrow'!!*

Music Videos Today...

Suck!! Fortunately there are still some good videos out there. I'd forgotten how totally awesome this video was until the kids and I watched it this morning. Hannah really enjoyed the little ballerina's. Scroll down and pause my music so you can enjoy...

Kings of Convenience - I'd Rather Dance With You

The Joys of Autumn

I love autumn. The smells, the leaves, the pumpkins, Halloween...everything.

Carving our pumpkin.
Samuel loved scooping out the seeds.

Hannah wasn't quite as excited to stick her hand inside the pumpkin. She said it was gross.

Are there any seeds left?

Ta-da! Our poor pumpkin lost a tooth during the carving process but looks cute none the less.

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Trunk or Treat at Wal-Mart
Getting T-Rex ready.

T-Rex and Daddy

Hannah didn't want her picture taken because she was mad about something but I finally managed to get this one during supper. She was a beautiful mermaid complete with the tail.

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Fall Leaves
Hannah & Samuel love playing in the leaves. The past several days we've gone out in the afternoon in an attempt to get control of the leaves that have taken over our yard. We've got a huge pile that seems to stay the same size - burning leaves while raking more seems to equal out.
Hannah will jump right into the middle of the pile.

Sammy prefers to stay toward the edge of the pile.

This is such a cute picture of Oscar & Sammy. Oscar is such a sweet dog and he loves the kids so much. He picked a spot towards the side of the pile to lay and watch the kids as they jumped. Here he's getting some love from Sammy.

The Clark Clan is definitely enjoying these beautiful autumn days!

To Minnestota and Back Again

Boy I sure am getting slack about posting events as they happen! I used to be on top of it but now.... I've become a terrible slacker!!

Well two weeks ago I flew to Minnesota to be a brides maid in a friend's wedding. It was so much fun. I've never been on a trip by myself so it was pretty exciting to travel alone and then have two whole days away from Bobby & the kids. It was nice having time to myself but I still missed them so much!!
I went up on a Thursday evening, the rehearsal was on Friday (in Duluth), the wedding was Saturday and I came home on Sunday. It was a whirlwind trip and I spent most of my time riding in a car but at least I got to see Lake Superior - and we even ventured over the border into Wisconsin as well. I made some new friends who were delighted to learn that Southerners really do drink iced tea, eat grits and say "y'all." I, on the other hand, was less than thrilled to learn that most Northerners aren't friendly at all (would it kill you to smile?) and call everything "cute". The wedding itself was interesting, to say the least, but that's a tale that you'll have to hear in person :-)

Evie & I the morning of the wedding. It took 65 bobby-pins (no joking!) to put my hair up in a french twist.

The Matron of Honor- Darcy. She was such a sweetheart! She was cute ;-)

Me & the beautiful bride.

The entire wedding party.

The groomsmen I walked with was Jake - Darcy's little brother.

Taking a moment to pose.

There's a whole story about Nate. He was very quiet and answered questions with one word answers. Darcy asked him questions non-stop throughout the rehearsal dinner until he finally got up and left the table!! We thought it was hilarious that he goofed off with us while we were waiting between wedding pictures (it took 90 minutes for the photographer to get all of the shots that Evie wanted!).

Another new friend, Stephanie. She loved it when I said, "y'all!"