Abba Fans in the Making

Since the last post, my Abba Greatest Hits CD has been resurrected from the archives and played in our mini van wherever we go. LTD have taken a special liking to the music: Lindsey loves "SOS", Taylor's favorite is "Mama Mia" and Dylan's first choice is "Dancing Queen" (go figure). They even know the words to the chorus for each song!!! Last night we were on our way home from dinner with the Erickson's and Abba was playing on the CD player and the kiddos kept shouting, "play it louder!". What kind of a mother am I anyway?

And yet another episode of "Camp Clark Conversations":

Lindsey: (as mom is handing out the daily vitamin after mealtime) "I don't want to be that healthy!"
"Dylan, you're acting like you don't love me." (as he raised his voice at her over sharing a toy)

Taylor: "Please don't wake my children!" (as I walk in their bedroom one morning to cuddle up & give hugs and they have ALL their baby dolls lined up on their rug & covered up with towels)
"Mom, God wants you to lift me up right now" (as I'm busy TRYING to prepare dinner)

Dylan: "Lindsey & Taylor, can you say 'I love pie' (they repeat, "I love pie!") 'very good!'
"I've got the joy of the Lord on my heart this morning, mom!" (I guess he woke up on the right side of the bed this particular day)

LTD favorite one-liners recently: "No Way, Jose!" or "Super Duper!"

Dancing Queen

For those of you who know me best, some of my favorite songs are from the group Abba. Yes, I am dating myself but I have met girls in their early teens (friends' daughters) who love their songs equally as well. In fact, at our recent waterpark overnight adventure, my good friend Nik played the song "Dancing Queen" on her IPod and the hotel room came alive with moms and daughters (as young as 4 yrs old) dancing energetically to the beat. This is one reason why I used "Dancing Queen" as one of our background songs in our photo slideshow at our wedding reception - it fits me to a "T". SO, when I recently saw the movie "Mama Mia", I was a bit disappointed. Don't get me wrong, I still love the music and always will. But hearing Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth (just to name a few) sing some of my absolute favorite songs, it just didn't sit right in my stomach. Personally, I think they better keep their day jobs and stick to acting. The Broadway play was much better than the movie, as the story goes with most plays made into Hollywood movies - with the exception of "The Sound of Music" which is absolutely unbeatable. But then again, Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer were phenomenal (both their voices and their acting abilities)!!!

So what is my point? I thought to myself as I sat restlessly through the "Mama Mia" movie, "even Dave and I could do better than that!". So I perused through some video from a little over 4 years ago and found a perfect example of what it takes to be a true Dancing Queen (and King). Take a look:

Bye Bye Tonsils

It has been confirmed - Taylor's tonsils and adenoids need to come out. It's something we have suspected for the last several years due to freight train decibal snoring, restless sleep, ear infections, swollen glands due to enlarged tonsils/adenoids and speech challenges. As our pediatrician once said, it's not a matter of "if" but "when" they come out. Well they are officially coming out on Friday, Feb. 6th at 7am. I am full of fear since she will be "put under" which is never to be taken lightly. I pray God and his angels are in the operating room with us that morning, smiling upon her, hugging her tightly. Let's hope she is a trooper and looks forward to LOTS of popsicles afterwards - something she really enjoys. I know she won't like being down and out for about one week, especially when she sees Lindsey & Dylan having fun. She is such a little spitfire and doesn't like to miss out on any action!

And now for the latest episode of "Camp Clark Conversations":

Lindsey: (in the car on the way home from KPT) "I missed you today, mom! You were in my heart."
Dylan: "You and Daddy were in MY heart today, mom!"
Taylor: "You, Daddy, Lindsey, Dylan and Papas & Grandmas were in MY heart today, mom!"

Lindsey: (teaching Dylan and Taylor the order to introduce themselves) "It's Lindsey, Taylor & Dylan."
Dylan: "Ha, uh. It's Dylan, Lindsey & Taylor!"
Lindsey: "No, that is NOT correct. It's Lindsey, Taylor & Dylan just like how we were born!"

Lindsey: "Taylor, get up here now & make your bed (pause.....) I'm going to count to 3...one, two, three."

LTD: (singing all together) "In heaven there is no beer, that's why we drink it here! And when we gone from here, our friends will be drinking all our beer!"
(mama has a coaster with this quote on her desk. I sang it to them ONCE when they asked what the words on the coaster said - I guess it stuck!!) We will have to capture that on video and hope the Child Protection Agency has a sense of humor.

Taylor: "Mom, why do people poop on the potty and animals poop outside?" (answer: That's how God created us.) "Why?" (yet another answer). "Why?" (and another) "Why?" (this continued on 8 or 9 times!! - what is about "WHY?" at this age - it wears me out!!)

"Look mommy, I ate all my food! There's starving children in Africa, you know."

Dylan: "Why come?" (versus why not or how come?)

(I told him how proud I was that he slept all night long without waking me up) "I woke up once but I asked God to come lay with me and he did".

"Will you lay with me for 2 minutes?" (his nightly question at bedtime to dad and mom)

Winter Outdoors

The last 2 days have been a heatwave in Minnesota (mid 20's to low 30's). Must be that global warming effect! (HA! - ever been to MN or ND in the winter?) Camp Clark took full advantage of our balmy weather and headed for the outdoors. Daddy joined us too which made it even more of an adventure. Last time we went sledding this year, Dave tried showing LTD how he can "surf" standing up on a sled going downhill. BIG WIPEOUT! I laughed but at the same time was worried he really hurt himself. He was sore for a few days but bounced back to middle-aged reality pretty quickly. We always truly savor our time outdoors, especially taking in our neighborhood park and sledding hill. The kids are getting more brave and love to go as fast as they can. Taylor's favorite ride is laying on top of Daddy's back while he lays on his stomach on the sled and they zoom down the hill as fast as they can. She giggles the whole way down and says it reminds her of "Karen and Frosty" (being a bellywhopper). Lindsey likes to race (we have 2 sleds) and is always up for a good race (we like to take on Dad & Dylan or Taylor). Dylan prefers the solo ride and really wants to do the jumps but we have had to hold back on that one. One injury at a time for now and Dad's got that title.

Fun Times - Airborne & in Water

We just returned from a 2-day getaway to a local waterpark with 3 other triplet families +1. We had an absolute blast, parents & children alike. The hotel wasn't sure what to think when all 4 families checked in and they did a quick headcount of children: let's see, that's 13 kiddos about the same age and 8 adults? Hmmm? The only complaint we had was when the blood curdling fire alarms went off at 7:20am, especially since the parents got to bed about 2am! Yikes!

Check out our video of the night before our trip (Dave practicing launching the munchkins) and smiles at the waterpark. We are so grateful for our friends and so are LTD! Great times!

Preschool Prep

Quick question: when did preschool ever begin to be "ultra critical" and the ridiculous and overwhelming process that we have now made it to be in today's society? Guess what? I never attended preschool NOR kindergarten but I think I turned out "ok". Maybe some minor issues, but hey, that's life. I think I will survive thanks to love of my family, great friends, the opportunity to live life and learn from it, belief in God & our Savior, and some basic common sense.

Seriously, I started homeschooling LTD this year because the cost of preschool was absolutely absurd considering the overall benefits children supposedly receive at THREE years old. Let me say that again: THREE (when most children start preschool)!!! What ever happened to free play and imagination? Has our society gone mad with overwhelming our children with overactive scheduling including: school, sports, arts, etc. I just wish we could slow down time for our children's sake and instead take time to TRULY enjoy the journey, PLAY with them, live in the present & savor our time with them, and praise God for the amazing gifts we have been blessed with.

Just some basic thoughts as we go through preschool prep. So much process, drama and costs involved and I just have to ask myself, "why?". Is this truly for their overall benefit? OR, is it society's way of creating guilt within us, causing us to push our young away much too soon when it's really up to us parents to instill the values and lessons that matter most in life? Hmmm? Anybody feel the same way I do or am I simply lost in time and need to get a firm grip on today's reality?

Speech Therapy

Yesterday afternoon, Taylor and I had a date. It was not the typical date though since the first part of it involved a stop at the School District office for a speech evaluation, Taylor's third one in 6 months. The previous times, Taylor was considered borderline for qualifying for speech therapy. However, this time she was approved for receiving therapy through the school district, starting late Feb. She will even get to ride the mini bus!! She is really excited about that and Lindsey and Dylan are quite jealous.

The class she will be involved in is one hour long, one day a week, along with 7 other children and will last the rest of this school year and resume in the Fall. The therapist who evaluated Taylor strongly believes Taylor has a "minimal" issue with her annunciation which can easily be corrected. They believe by the Spring of 2010 (probably even earlier), Taylor will be right where she needs to be, just in time for Kindergarten. I am thankful for this early intervention and their expertise because the last thing we want for her is a lowered self-esteem due to her speech (or anything for that matter).

Taylor did so well at her review so I treated her to a long visit at our favorite pet store. We got to hold and play with two adorable puppies. We were the only customers so the staff was really kind and gave us lots of time with each puppy. One was a female Shih-Poo (white with apricot and black markings); the other was a male Bichon-Shihtzu (black with white and caramel markings); Black Betty II (inside joke for non-family members). If only I had the camera or video with!!! It was absolutely adorable and priceless! Taylor was giggling non-stop and both puppies were all over her, kissing her, playing with her, wanting to go home with her. She even said, "puppy, we gotta get you outta here! You're comin' home with me!" It was hysterical. I don't know who loved the puppies more; mom or Taylor. I SO wanted to bring one of them home with us but knew Dave wouldn't appreciate it without his input & approval first. "BUT, they are hypoallergenic" I proceeded to emphasize when we got home; Taylor pleading alongside me, "but Dad, I just HAVE to have a puppy!. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE" . "Maybe after we move next year and you kids are a little older to take care of it" was our final answer, "I'm not going to be the one stuck cleaning up poop and taking it on walks!" Ah, shucks! Oh well, when we get to that bridge, we will most likely visit the Humane Society first and give a loving home to an animal from there, provided we can find one remotely as cute, precious and with good temperament as the two we held (and hypoallergenic for Dave's sake). For now, Camp Clark is "puppy-less".

Admiration from Afar

A very nice and smiley gentleman told Dave and I today at church, "you have the most beautiful children in our entire church!" He proceeded to say he and his family notice them every Sunday and is amazed at how well they sit through the service (thanks to Polly Pockets and Matchbox cars stashed in their backpacks). His wife grabbed my arm and said, "oh, they are such angels - you are SO blessed (I almost cried)". Their kind words and sincerity were so uplifting, it just made my day. I must say I have to agree, new chopped "dos" and all :)

I managed to take a few candid shots this weekend that capture the munchkins true personalities: Dylan clowning around, Taylor eating (once again) in her gymnastics outfit and Lindsey in her ballerina/angel get-up, sporting a funky smile. Enjoy!

Very Healthy Mouths!

Today was our very first visit to the dentist and LTD really enjoyed it. I had a hard time peeling them away from the waiting room since it was extremely child-friendly with lots of interactive games, books, and murals of the jungle with all kinds of animals they love. After peeling them away from naming all the animals, we finally advanced to the exam room which they had reserved just for us; 3 chairs in a row, each with their own personal hygenist!! I wish I had a camera with me to capture this adorable moment but I dropped the ball big time. The staff gave them each a pair of shades to wear (to block out the bright exam lights) during the entire process. So there they are, laying in their chairs, shades on, listening so nicely to the hygenists requests. They told me they were the "perfect patients and so well behaved". It was priceless. The dentist told me "they have VERY healthy,clean mouths" and asked me what our ritual is; I guess he was impressed. I wish I could say we brush 2x daily, floss every day, and NEVER eat sugar, but that would be LA-LA land. Instead I told him the truth: Melaleuca toothpaste and brushing every night before bed. Now I have new instructions: brush after breakfast as well (one more thing to do in the mad rush of the morning) and make sure we get in every 6 months for check-up exams, cleanings and fluoride treatments. Wait a minute; didn't we just get an excellent clean bill of dental health and isn't fluoride extremely toxic?? I guess they want that $377 every 6 months vs. annually even though the munchkins still have "baby teeth" that will eventually fall out. Hmmm? What's wrong with this picture??

Camp Clark Massacre

Yesterday was a depressing day at Camp Clark. It all started when LTD decided to have a tea party/picnic in their playroom. I was upstairs doing laundry and heard them giggling together which is typically a good sign that all is well. Not this time!

I heard Lindsey say, "Dylan is making my hair SO pretty for our tea party" (giggle, giggle) and then I heard the word "scissors". Yikes! I ran downstairs at the speed of light only to discover Dylan standing there with the kitchen scissors in hand and a big smile on his face. I was absolutely horrified to see all the blonde curls scattered ALL over the playroom. Not only did he go after Lindsey, but he had already "styled" Taylor's hair. The girls were both sitting their so prim and proper at their tea table with their princess dresses and jewels on, hair EVERYWHERE, and scarves around their necks and head to make them "pretty". Camp Clark was now officially "Camp Mullet". Their hair was cut down to the nubs on the back of the head and on the right side (surprisingly, he did almost the same "style" on each of them). It almost looked like he tried to scalp them, leaving the length to resemble full-blown mullets. Emotions were very high and I can just about guarantee those kids won't be touching scissors again unless it involves paper and mom's supervision. We'll leave it at that.

As Dave says, "thankfully it happened on your watch and not mine". I have to admit, he is right. I feel bad enough, downright guilty, that this happened in the first place but had it happened on his watch, I think it could have been a little ugly since "mom" typically pays lots more attention to what's going on. Not this time.

Today we went to Kids Hair and had the damage "repaired". The salon was full of spectators laughing and feeling a little bad at the same time. Thankfully, we are laughing about it now. After all, it's only hair and it will grow back. Things could always be alot worse. Check out our brief slideshow below for the story of "Camp Clark Massacre", January 2009.

Oh What Fun!!

Dashing through the snow, in a mini van full of kids, over the ND plains we go, puking all the way......ha, ha, ha - NOT! Christmas was almost cancelled this year thanks to a lovely stomach virus. Sound familiar? Didn't that happen last year at this time? Yes, you would be correct. Except this time, we captured the enchanting virus the night before we were due to drive 7 hours to ND - it started with Taylor vomitting, then diahrea (I will spare you the details). After she slept all day, she woke up and seemed much better so we loaded up the varmints at 5:30pm and arrived in Bismarck at 1am on Monday. Monday night it seemed like we were in the clear, until Grandma Clark had a wonderful party with guests and Lindsey got hit right after we ate (vomit has the amazing ability to clear a house full of guests real fast). About 2 hours later, Dylan had to join in the fun. We were up all night "spitting in buckets" and visiting the toilet for the other end. Lindsey got over her bout within 24-36 hours but Dylan was not so lucky and ended up being sick for 3 days and almost got to visit the ER on Christmas. Unfortunately, the kiddos missed out on visiting Santa at the mall due to the illness, Lindsey and Dylan missed out on Christmas Eve church service and the Clark family traditional fondue dinner and Christmas celebration. To make matters worse, Grandma Clark caught the lovely virus and was up all night and the next day trying to recover, just in time for their winter trip to Texas. Talk about a disaster!

On a positive note, LTD bounced back to health and really did enjoy the magic of the season. They were SO excited that Santa ate their cookies and drank their milk they left out at Grandma & Papas houses. We were also blessed with a surprise visit from Uncle Bruce (my brother) and cousins Dexter and Eli, who drove all the way from Arkansas!! The massive amount of snow was a big hit too and they had fun on sleigh rides, snowball fights, and a visit to Papa's Polar Patch for family winter fun activities. They really loved sharing time with all their Papas and Grandmas, their Uncle Bruce and their cousins. It was hard to say goodbye to everybody without tears. Thank you to our families & friends for making the season so full of warm memories. Please check out our Kodak Gallery link in the right hand column for LOTS of photos (Nov & Dec 2008).

So we are back in MN and ready to start our year out with love, happiness, joy, thankfulness, gratitude and hope for a promising year full of surprises. Speaking of surprises.......you must stay tuned for the next post to learn all about our new name: Camp Mullet. Much too late to get into the drama right now. Happy New Year to all!!