Halloween Festivities!

Halloween is not just a day in which Sugar Police lets down his guard and the kiddos get to Trick-or-Treat. Nope, it's a week long jamboree here at Camp Clark!

It started with a costume party at school along with their 3 favorite teachers and school friends. This year, our costumes included Dorothy & Toto (L), Ariel & her twin mermaid dolls (T), and IRONMAN! (D). All the children in school AND their teachers were so darn cute!

We also got to go on a school field trip to Orchestra Hall which was Dylan and Lindsey's first school bus ride ever (Taylor had to make sure to remind them of that). I got to chaperone along with some other nice parents and we had a fabulous time playing musical instruments with our children, listening to a large variety of instruments, and hearing "Jack & The Beanstock" come to life by the MN Orchestra . Not sure who loved it more; me or the kiddos??

In addtion, LTD got to bake fresh apple pie with Grandma Clark, carve pumpkins with Dad, hang out with their cousins, aunts & uncles TWICE, make Halloween art for cousins, bake pumpkin seeds, and individually pick out and purchase "goodies" for a charity for Sunday School. For the grand finale, we went trick-or-treating in our neighborhood tonight and saw lots of fun costumes. The kiddos had an absolute blast and are very proud of their new "sugar stash". But I have a slight suspicion that Dave will be back at his post with badge & boots on tight come tomorrow :)

Getting ready for the Costume Ball at School

Carving pumpkins with Dad

Check out our masterpieces! Little Ms. Ariel (and twin mermaid dolls)

Dorothy loves up to Ironman

Ironman ready to fight off the bad guys

Ready to hit the streets & beg for candy One last cuddle though
Masterpieces light up our front step - Happy Halloween!

Papa & Grandma Clark Visit

Grandma & Papa Clark are in town!!! We have been blessed with their presence over the last 4 days and we have all enjoyed it thoroughly. They are on their way to Texas for the winter and are visiting Mpls to say their goodbyes to Dave and his two sisters and our families. Unfortunately, Dave needed help and put Papa Clark to work. Shucks, just when he thought he could kick back and relax. Sorry Papa Clark; we appreciate it SO much and are very grateful to you. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!

Grandma Clark turned 70 years old October 1 so we just had to have a special celebration for her. Wednesday night (together with Dave's sisters) we rented a limo and went on an hour-long champagne cruise around the Uptown lakes area, then proceeded to Maggiano's for dinner. We even got FREE babysitting from LTD's cousins and they had a blast staying up later than ususal with the big kids. Unfortunately, not one person remembered their cameras!!! Can you believe that??? Oh well, it was fun, trust us :)

LTD really enjoyed sharing time with Papa & Grandma. They kept them on the run with lots of activities including: showing off their school & introducing their favorite teachers, dance class, gymnastics, helped Grandma bake an apple pie and apple crisp, gobbled it down afterwards, got to go on individual dates with Papa & Grandma to pick out their birthday gifts (early), and lots of singing, dancing and reading back at Camp. We will miss them while they are in Texas. BUT, we plan to visit them in early April. We love and will miss you Papa & Grandma Clark; you are in our hearts!

Proud of her first Apple Crisp I helped too!

Pat it...

and prick it...

and mark it with a "C"...

and put it in the oven for the Clark Family!

We Like Pie!

We love our Papa & Grandma Clark!

Rocky Mountain High

I just returned from an amazing 5-day trip to Colorado for my niece Shannon's wedding to her best friend, Chris, AND to share time with 4 dear and genuine friends from high school. 3 words describe it all: Rocky Mountain High!

Shannon was stunningly beautiful and her now-hubby Chris even performed on his guitar - very talented!! I was so happy to see my nephews, Ryan and Tyson, my nieces, Brandi Jo and Elise, my sister Jill and her husband Joe, and of course, my mom and Jon. Mom and I ripped up the dance floor TRYING to show the troops how to polka. Funny, we were the only people out there, that is until mom bounced so much she had to leave the dance floor!

Afterwards, we headed back to Denver where I stayed at my friend Sarah's gorgeous home along with my partner in crime, Dawnice, who flew in from NJ. We also hung out with 2 other friends from high school, Susan and Mary Beth, who live in Denver and we all shared 4 fun-filled days together. 5 high school friends reunited once again - funny how we just picked up where we left off. We had an absolute BLAST and made lots of new memories including:

great restaurants

took a nature walk in the hills where the elk and buffalo roam (seriously)

hiked a mountain ridge and looked out over the city of Denver

fun bars with live music

cocktails

danced to 80's music once again

danced to jazz and rock music

bowled in an Irish pub

slumber parties

more cocktails

sang on stage with the band

savored Hans' homemade HOT BBQ wings

pulled out old high school annuals and photos

laughed hysterically until our bellies hurt

Such genuine friends whom I miss already. But, we plan to reunite once again in the next year or two, sometime before our 30-yr high school reunion. Right girls??? Here are just a few photos (will share many more through KodakGallery at the end of October).

Here comes the bride

Family photo at the reception

Fearless foursome (Susan checked out early)

Dinner downtown Denver
Cocktails (and bowling) at an Irish Pub
We wobble but we don't fall down
Friends since grade school and still close

Let It Snow!

This weekend and today, we received this lovely blanket of white stuff, aka snow, which arrived a BIT too early for our preference. For goodness sakes, it's not even Halloween yet and my flowers are still in bloom!! But, no complaints. Not only was it beautiful to behold, we had 3 overjoyed munchkins that rushed to get their snow gear on and get outside to do what they do best.......play and giggle.


So much for the global warming theory. I sometimes wish I could kick Al Gore's "backside" something fierce. Perhaps we need to invite him to stay in Minnesota or North Dakota for an entire winter?

Ready for the season

Wanna throw some snowballs?

Let me show you how it's done!

My turn!

Will this size do?

Time to build a baby snowman Oops, I broke his belly
Snow Angels!!!

The Price of Children

Ten Angels on Earth

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 to be $160,140 for a middle income family. Talk about sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition. But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into $8,896.66 a year, or $741.38 a month, or $171.08 a week. That's a mere $24.24 a day! Just over a dollar an hour. Still you might think the best financial advice is "if you want to be 'rich', don't have children". Actually, it is just the opposite. What do you get for your $160,140?

• Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
• Glimpses of God every day
• Giggles under the covers every night
• More love than your heart can hold
• Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs
• Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies
• A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate
• A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites
• Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day

For $160,140, you never have to grow up. You get to:

• finger-paint
• carve pumpkins
• play hide-and-seek
• catch lightning bugs
• never stop believing in Santa Claus

You have an excuse to:

• keep reading "The Adventures of Piglet and Pooh"
• watch Saturday morning cartoons
• go to Disney movies
• wish upon a star

You also get to:

• frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets
• collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas
• collect hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day
• collect cards with backward letters for Father's Day

For $160,140, there is no bigger bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for:

• retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof
• taking the training wheels off a bike
• removing a splinter
• filling a wading pool
• coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs
• coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless

You get a front row seat to witness history:

• her first step
• his first word
• her first bra
• his first date
• their first time behind the wheel

You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky,a long list of limbs called grandchildren and great grandchildren in your obituary.You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match. In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God.You have the power to:

• heal a boo-boo
• scare away the monsters under the bed
• patch a broken heart
• police a slumber party
• ground them forever
• love them without limits...so that one day they, like you, will love without counting the cost.

That is quite a deal for the price! Love & enjoy your children & grandchildren!

Thought of the Day

Last week I was at a dinner with some wonderful mothers who share in the journey of parenting multiples. I admire these women enormously in so many ways and enjoy sharing time with them. What I was surprised by was a specific conversation that centered around the latest and greatest toys and gadgets (Wii, American Girl dolls, Leapsters/electronics, etc.). As I sat and listened, I realized I was truly a minority since our family doesn't own (and don't plan to) any of these latest fads.

Honestly, whatever happened to good ol' fashion child's play? What's wrong with the $10 doll from Target? Can't we have our own FREE tea party at home versus going to Mall of America and paying $30 for a dinner with the $100 doll, not to mention the expensive clothes the doll must have? How about a $.97 coloring book and color crayons OR paint, a paintbrush and a piece of paper? How about going on a family nature walk or going outside to play instead of sitting in front of a TV screen that similates sports/exercise? How about taking time to sit down with books and read, and read some more to our children? Better yet, why not teach our children all the letters, their sounds and how to read themselves vs relying on a DVD or electronic device? Please don't get me wrong, I am not passing judgment on ANYBODY who has or uses these things, but rather asking, "why is our society placing so much emphasis on material possessions and fads at such a young age? Most importantly, why are we letting that happen?" We are the adults and we are the ones who are forming the very foundations of the next generation. I personally believe we need to ask ourselves as parents, "where do we want to lead our children? What's important; what's not?" And that's my thought of the day :)

Apple Orchard Adventure

Sundays are typically our "family outing" days so today after Sunday School/church, we packed up and headed out for an afternoon at the apple orchard in Jordan. Although it was a bit grey, it was still a nice day to be outside picking apples. The kiddos fell in love with the trail ride horses and were saddened they were not old enough to ride them (min age is 6). They spent alot of time petting the big horses, feeding them hay and talking sweetly to them. After that, we headed over to their size pony ride, the Shetland ponies, and they were all smiles for the 3 whole minutes they got to ride them.

From there, we hopped on the tractor ride out to the orchard to start picking. LTD were in high heaven eating apples (which was encouraged) and Dad had them up on the ladder reaching for the biggest and best apples. Wouldn't you know, all 3 had to go to the bathroom right in the middle of picking! Good thing there were lots of trees and groves to hide around! We had a great time and especially enjoyed the fresh apple dumpling with caramel sauce & ice cream, fresh apple crisp, and polka music back at the lodge. The kiddos danced to the accordian music which reminded them of their Grandma Good.

On the way back home, we had 3 little munchkins sleeping soundly in the back, all tuckered out from the fresh air and running around. Lots of fond memories!

We love apples AND each other

...and they all fall down

These apples are mighty tasty
Lift me up, Dad - I see the perfect apple!

Dylan found a BIG stick (as usual)
Apple Dumpling Gang

Which tree is next?

This one is my "famous" apple! (aka favorite)

Lil' Cowpoke

Do I look like a cowgirl?

Pumpkins everywhere!!