Happy Halloween!!

Halloween is great for checking out all the adorable children's costumes but it's a real doozy when you have little ones with LOTS of candy treasure. What's a parent to do? How do you secretly get rid of the "stash", the fruit of their labor of going door-to-door and begging for sugar, without breaking their little hearts? What about those of us who have an addiction to Tootsie Rolls and have an entire bag leftover from that night? Bah humbug!!

Sugar aside, Halloween week was a blast!!! LTD got a chance to dress up on several occasions: the Mother's of Mutliples party, their KPT class and on Halloween night. Dylan was sold on the duck outfit the first time I pulled it out for them to see (I bought 3 for a great price from a friend with triplets hoping LTD would like them - no questions asked). NOPE! Lindsey and Taylor had their hearts set on being princesses and that was that. I did talk them into wearing the duck outfits to KPT since they needed an outfit that was "easy on and off" for the teachers' sake. Princess outfits seem to include about 20 pieces of fluff per outfit and I couldn't do that to Ms. Lisa and Ms. Kim. I played and sang the "5 Little Ducks" song over and over for a few days prior to get them fired up about it, but Lindsey was NOT happy about it (although she caved in for one day). Not sure how they cope with all their stress, poor things!

Make sure to check out the KodakGallery link (right hand column) for all our Halloween photos and October fun. Also, click on the "music we love" to hear Steven Curtis Chapman's song "Cinderella", which seemed appropriate for our little princesses. Steven is a Christian music artist. If you don't know Steven's story about his daughter who he lost at an early age due to an unfortunate accident, check it out on google or YouTube. Very sad and it makes Dave and I want to hug our children tightly and never let them go.

Most recent quotes at Camp Clark:

Taylor: "Daddy, do you got a baby in your belly?" (no, that's just good beer)

Dave: "I like that meat on this pizza. What is it, sheep?" (confusing that with 'lamb' as in gyros - actually it was steak sliced thin )

Stay tuned for more :)

Goblin Talk

Halloween is in the air! Check out what our little goblins have been saying lately:

Lindsey:
"Uncle Ken, winter is just around the corner you know." (Ms. KIA)

"Honey, what are you doing honey bunch?" (to Taylor)

"Mommy, do you need a time out?" (after I accidentally said "stupid" when talking with Dave)

Taylor:
"I've lost my appetite (as she pushes her dinner plate away). I need to find a new appetite. (mommy says 'really, where are going to find that?') Old McDonald's!" (the golden arches)

"Stop teasing my brother!" (as Daddy is pretending to take away his food with his crawling fingers)

"We don't want to lose our teeth like Grandma!" (as she brushes her teeth after having a sucker - sorry Grandma Good!)

Dylan:
"That sippy cup is Taylor's; I have the gerbil straw!" (As I give Taylor his cup by mistake - Dylan cut off half his straw on his sippy cup in a scissors experiment & overheard mom call it a gerbil size straw)

"Mommy, you're not cute (.............VERY long pause.........) you're beautiful!" (as I tuck him in one night and tell him how cute he is)

"God wants us to obey!" (as he scorns his sisters for not listening - look who's talking)

As you can see, SO much laughter which is great for the soul. Keep smiling :)

School is fun!! (from the mouths of LTD)

Camp Clark started homeschooling in mid-September and LTD are having a great time learning, so far, while Ms. Mommy is learning a whole new dimension of "patience". My goodness, it makes me appreciate even more the important and challenging role of our teachers. Hats off to all educational professionals - they deserve alot more $$$.

Somebody at my church who is a Sunday School teacher once told me that the influence parents have on our young children is profound and the single most important role God gave us is being their teacher. That is one of the main reasons why I took on this challenge; the second reason being $$. After researching 3-4 preschools, I was amazed by the cost of it for only 2 days/week (2-1/2 hrs each day) considering the basic cirriculums offered. I thought to myself, why spend that kind of money on things we are already doing, and then some? Instead, I consulted with other moms who homeschool that I respect and admire wholeheartedy and they referred me to some excellent online resources that help me with our weekly cirriculum. It has been very positive and truly lots of fun for all of us. Daddy even steps in and offers his math expertise from time to time, although he can get a little "above" their heads at times. (example: you are 3.8 years old vs. 3-1/2 or almost 4). Huh?

Our focus for the school year is on phonics and the alphabet (letter of the week), music and singing, story time, counting, colors and shapes, arts and crafts, field trips and time outside with nature, the calendar and days of the week, the US of America and the world (via maps and the globe), telling time, and most importantly, all about God. The above photos show them being mini-Picassos painting at the easel and getting ready at their desks for some tracing/cutting activities.

I have gained a huge sense of accomplishment and pride when I ring the school bell and see them come running up the stairs to their "classroom" with wide grins from ear to ear. It just melts my heart!!

Fall Bismarck Trip

Camp Clark just returned from a 10-day trip to Bismarck and we all had a great time. The kiddos got a chance to spend LOTS of time with all 3 sets of their grandparents, visit Papa's Pumpkin Patch with their cousin Eastynn (pony rides, train ride, hay bale climbing and mazes, lots to do!!), check out the local parks and play outside, share lunch with mommy and her dear friend Lori, and hang out with their cousins Anna, Faith & Baby Jordan at a hotel in Fargo for a NDSU Bison football game (lots of swimming). Dave got a chance to golf with his dad several times which is one of his favorite things. They even took Dylan along one day and he gladly took over driving the golf cart and taking a few shots himself. The kiddos also got to see 1/3 of the infamous Memorial Bridge being imploded which just about scared the daylights out of them. Dave had to get as close to the site as possible which made for a very loud "BOOM", one which I heard clearly from my mom's condo about 5 miles away. Needless to say, LTD came home talking non-stop about the bridge and are still talking about it.

Bismarck is always a breath of fresh air after living in the Cities for so long. People are just so genuine and "real" and it makes me homesick for our family and friends who we rarely get to see. It's amazing and wonderful to drive only 5-10 minutes to get anywhere in the city! Perhaps there is still hope we can move there someday and raise our children in a conservative, safe, small community like we were raised.

The pictures above are from a day at Papa's Pumpkin Patch and reading a book with Papa Clark in the hotel room in Fargo (after the Bison football game) with cousins Anna & Faith.

Bike Riding Babes

Summer is over, Fall is here, Winter is just around the corner. Although Dave and I love the change of seasons, it is always sad to say goodbye to Summer which means alot less bike riding time. This video captures a typical day of riding bike and taking in the sweet summer sun. Take note of Dylan's bike basket. The girls each have a flower basket to hold their dolls/stuffed animals and Dylan wanted one too to hold his balls, rocks, whatever (Target only sells flower baskets - not cool for boys). So Dave got a bit creative, grabbed a small beer cooler and slapped it on Dylan's bike. Our little man is in high heaven and shows off his "basket" to everybody we meet. What's really funny is hearing other little boys at the playground tell their parent(s) they want a basket just like that one. Patent pending :)

Accordian Mania

One of my favorite memories growing up was hearing my mom play the accordian and of course, doing the polka. It appears that LTD are similar in their fondness of accordian music, particularly when Grandma Good plays. While back in Bismarck recently, Grandma once again pulled out her accordian and rolled out the barrel of fun :)

Backseat Drivers

Although I love my dear hubby with all my heart and soul, one area we need to work on is his patience level with traffic in the metro area. It's amazing how every time we drive in the same car, it's non-stop complaining about drivers & traffic. Well, it has now officially rubbed off on our children and this quick video clip is proof of what I listen to every time we cruise around in the mini van. Lovely!!