Star scout baby!

Here is AJ our 11 year old star scout!! I took him to the board of review tonight and I knew, I KNEW I shouldn't go in, but I'm just not made that way. I feel like I must say hi and thank you and all that. Next thing I know I'm helping do the board of review, my shirt does not go with my shorts, I have no makeup and haven't showered in a day or more. I was a little embarrassed but oh well. Anyway so AJ did great, he is the youngest Star in the ward. I asked him why he thinks he's gotten so far so fast and he said "my awesomeness" and I said of course and what else, so he remembered his totally amazing leader, and then me :) I am happy

As the world turns

well as it happens in our church, Kirk was released on Sunday. It's been a very rewarding time for Kirk. He doesn't normally get to know everyone in the ward like he was able to do as a member of the Bishopric. It's also been very challenging on him. We were sad for the time to end but grateful for new opportunities. This next one will be challenging on him for the amount of time and effort it takes! He is now the 1 st counselor in the YM and the Varsity scout leader. Our scouts have been struggling so much, the ym aren't bonding like they were and it's been hard on our boys. So we are going to be very busy, but we hope to help our YM. It's a fun time for Kirk to be in there since this fall we will have all 3 boys in the YM. Kirks currently over Matt and Connor will be there in a few short weeks! AJ is going in for a Board of review this week and he will be a Star, next is Life then Eagle, so he is way ahead of the curve. Thanks in part to a amazing leader and of course me :) Connor is currently drawing up his plans to get approved for his Eagle project and I'm hoping to have his court of honor this fall when my parents would be here to see it!! Wish us luck!

The stake presidency leader who came to release Kirk on Sunday asked Kirk and I to bear our testimonies, it's one of only 2 times I've ever been called up on the spot. But I was grateful for the chance to bear my testimony of the gospel, my love and appreciation for Joseph Smith and the amazing experience I had standing with my kids in the temple open house. It still fills my heart with peace and gratitude. I hope it will always do so when I think back on the experience!

Cool Connor rowing Picture

I've been spoiled by my friend who had her sons in gymnastics with AJ, she has the most amazing camera so I got amazing photos of AJ. I havne't been as lucky with the other kids. I've really want a great picture of Connor rowing. While this one isn't perfect it's going to be one of my favorites! Especially since that os a friend of Connor's behind him. But it was with all brand new rowers, so the kids paddle at the edge of the picture is of course totally wrong :}

one class down!

Matt gets to tets out of math class early this week! He took the final yesterday and is taking the state test today which he actually passed the first time around last month so odds are he's done today! It's only 4 days early, but every day makes a huge difference!! He is getting out with a B with is huge!! I do think he has a better grade because this is his 2nd time through the subject so it's kind of a review. But the teacher was also very good and Matt actually tried and that has made all the difference!!

She's got legs

I was hugging Elle this morning and boy is she getting tall! I commeneted on how tall she is and she said yes, it's because of my legs. Lol she is too cute!

Beautiful pictures

We took the kids kayaking on the Chattahoochee this weekend for a fun fathers day family activity. I admit I thought the boys should all go fishing but it was fun to go as well I must admit. It's so much work hooking all the boats up before and after, but boy is it fun on the river. we paddled up stream for a while so then we could float back to the ramp. The water was really high since we've had some great rain storms this week. I wished most of the trip I had a super awesome camera. I missed some wonderful pictures. One of my favorites was coming back, I was behind Matt and Connor and it was so beautiful to watch their back muscles and bones shift as they paddled. I have to admit Connors especially since he is a rower and has developed those muscles. But watching their bodies move and shift was a beautiful thing. I think it's such a miracle that these are my little babies growing up and I'm so grateful for their health and strength! I was I had a picture of that moment, but could a picture showing all the shifting muscle? No but it's still be cool!

Scout camp

Aj had a great week of scout camp. SOme annoying things, as there will always be. But overall he had a great time. This is my child who can have fun anywhere. He went with boys in another ward since none of our ward signed up, and then the camp stuck him in groups with all boys he didn't know, but he had fun. He had fun in the communications merit badge that everyone else hated, he gave a speech on doing gymnastics, complete with demonstrations! Today he cut himself horribly in the wood carving merit badge, he says his knife closed on him. They probably should have sent him to get stitches, but by the time he got home it was holding closed. His aunt Tiff drove the carpool home and stopped to get the boys doughnuts. so here is AJ once I got him, high on sugar and blood loss and still finding fun! You gotta love that kid!

Connor was so sweet he did a 2 week learn to row camp with a friend who hasn't done it before. The poor kid was bored most days because he's been doing this for a year. You can see all the kids rowing at different times, he kept making the boat turn since he knew when to dig in. The water was so red and filthy today because we had a huge storm come through last night. The coaches were going along in front of the boats to catch the big logs before they hit the boats! ( Connor is the one in a white shirt on the right side of the front boat)

my rotten no good very bad day

I have to be honest. This week was way way too chaotic and stressful. And it's not going to get any better until the end of June, or maybe July. I was really looking forward to Friday since it's the one day nobody has school, gymnastics, drums, rowing, scouts, it's a wide open day. Now as much as I wanted to sleep in, my friend reminded me we need to run so i got up at 6:30 telling myself it's better then sleep. Went down stairs and the bathroom down there is covered in a 1/4 inch of water, the carpet is squishy around the door... someone clogged the toilet, luckily whatever it was went down so it was clear water, but it was clear water EVERYWHERE! So I mop it up quickly and race to meet my friend. The trail we run was randomly blocked and closed at only 1.6 miles so we turned back and shortened our run, which believe me I was kind of glad for. I got my boys up to help me run to the Bishops tree farm where I was helping my friend get his trailer hitch and fill it with a whole load of wood for girls camp next week. My boys weren't overly enthusiastic and I'm embarrassed to say I got into a slight yelling match with one of them, so I felt like crap. We get there and fill the trailer and it's going well.... and as we are approaching the exit to the farm I had the thought pop into my head, I wonder if it's a automatic gate or if I'm going to have to get out and close it? Now maybe the spirit actually said, that gate is going to close, pay attention! But thats not what I heard, I drove through contemplating having Matt jump out to close when there is a huge crash and I look in the side mirror to see the gate in pieces against the trailer. I've totally wrecked the Bishops gate, the wheel cover is bent against the tire. Our friend who came out to help saw what happened and he took off the tire to bang out the metal so it was drivable, I suggest he shoot it off with his cool gun (he's DEA) but I 'm sure he thought I was mental. At this point we are having a guy from the ward tell us how much it's going to cost to see if I want to do insurance or cash and my friend is checking with the stake to see if it's covered since I was on girls camp business. All in all not a repeater day. Kirk worked until almost 10 and on a whim I took Elle and Connor, the only kids home to waffle house where they had a 2nd dinner with Kirk. We never do that, but it was fun.

Matts home!!!

Well I picked up Matt tonight. He had a amazing time. He hates it here and wants to live by all the "good Mormons" who all apparently live in AZ and Utah. Anybody out there want to have a teenage boy for a few years? It was amazing actually that he was in GA for less than 30 minutes before the drama started. Wow, lay it on me!

Connor and Kirk 's potato gun

So because the Deacon leaders didn't send me a email about where scouts was being held this week Connor missed out on the potato gun activity. So what else could we do but build one ourselves?! Connor spent hours watching youtube videos and figuring out exactly what he needed. I took him to Home depot and then he and Kirk built it today. the neighbor was nice enough to walk a potato back over that "accidentally" went in his yard!

Favorite website

Remember when Bard told all the family about the Running Ahead website to help us all start exercising and be something we could bond over? Well I've been using it and I LOVE it! One of my favorite things I took advantage them of today. It keeps track of all the miles I put on my shoes, obviously I enter my shoes and all the times I run in them. So today when my legs are KILLING me more than normal after a run, all I had to do was look on the site and sure enough... I've run 334 miles on! How is that possible? Do I really run that much? I guess so! And it tells me that means my shoes cost me 34cents a mile, so I can explain to Kirk why it's ok for me to go buy good shoes!! I love it!

Bedtime texts

ok tonight I texted Matt to say goodnight and the reply made my night, week , whatever so I have to document it!

Me "goodnite I lov you"
Matt "Night i love u,. im so glad I came! I love everyone here and I wih i could stay so bad!"
Me "Cool!!! We'll do it again!"
Matt "Awesome :) night love ya"

In case you can't count, that was Matt telling me he loved me twice! And he wasn't even asking for anything!! Going to sleep happy!

Ideas??

Ok time for a opinion, my therapist brother is welcome to chime in. If I have a son who complains, a lot, but specifically about how his Dad likes one child the best and only cares about work and his past times, is it up to the Dad to try and prove this isn't true, or is this simply the child's view of the world, it isn't the truth and therefore really isn't his job to try and change the opinion? The the child's opinion will change in time as he matures??

My babies

Ok I know I've put this on facebook and the Clark family webpage I just love it so much! It just doesn't seem that long ago when Becky was younger than Elle and holding Matt as a baby and now Matts taller than she is and Becky has her own baby. It's just cool. the only thing cooler would be if I could have gone as well! I hear Matt is enjoying EFY in Provo. I try really really hard to never text. But on the occasion that he texts me I ask how it's going and he says things like, "great", "good" and "yep". When I ask for more he says it would take too long and he's busy. WHich make same happy. I can't wait to hear how it went, my fingers are crossed and I pray several times a day that this is a inspiring time for him! I know as much as I miss him, I'm thrilled to have him gone for a week! Boy has it been a easy week! I try and tell him he's like Pinocchio in the scene early on in the movie, where he says WHY like a100 times. Thats Matt. And when I say "BECAUSE I FREAKIN SAID SO" because I can't explain it anymore, it still doesn't stop!