Thanksgiving with the Clark side!

November is one of my favorite months of the year. Not only because it is my birthday month and Thanksgiving, but it has the best weather! I love all things fall. Our family enjoys prepping and vacationing during Thanksgiving. We also love watching football in our pj's. November feels like it is never long enough.

Smore's with Dad! 

      

Pres had a campout for Scouts one weekend and had left over smore stuff. He fired up the gas stove :) and made some for the kids. They LOVED this. They thought it was so cool and of course delicious. 

Nothin like football with Daddy :) Go Bears!

The weather has been pretty great here. The kids wanted to ride bikes and walk around our cul-de-sac. Jack made sure to hold everyone's hand when crossing the street. My heart! I just love these kiddos.

The conversations you can hear between these two are some of my absolute faves.

Sickness hit the house pretty good. Everyone got sick at some point. Mostly allergies but nonetheless it was not fun. Red noses, soar throats, coughs and watery eyes. We made it through...Whew! Tis the season.

Haircuts! Before and Afters

        

        

Jack made these cool hats in his Pre-K class. Too Cute!!

All smiles after school :)

We filled as much family fun into this month that we could. We went to a Harry Potter night at the El Paso Zoo, which did not disappoint. It was really fun and the kids loved it!

Zoospecto Patronum!

10 points for Gryffindor! Our little Harry Potter Crew!

They had stations throughout the zoo where you could do fun activities. We planted mandrakes, made glasses and enjoyed the bounce houses.

How cute is he?!

After the zoo we grabbed drinks and chocolate chip cookies. Everyone was so thirsty from all of the running, jumping and playing :) Sleeping babes equals successful trip to the Zoospecto Patronum!

Best buds!! Hanging out in their Harry Potter shirts eating popcorn :) Life is good!

Thanksgiving TIME!!

This year our family took a trip to Oklahoma City, OK and Bentonville, AR to visit family for this amazing holiday. There is nothing better about the holidays and being able to spend it with the people you love. We had so much fun hanging out with the Clark Crew! Here's a look at what happened during out stay.

 

There was definitely a count down to flying on an airplane. The anticipation was beyond what these little hearts could handle. Everyone was so excited!

We had a layover in Dallas for about 30 minutes. Everyone did so well on the flights. I loved having the layovers so they could stretch and run. It also made the flights really short. Perfect for these people!

Almost there!

We made it! Let the memories begin! :) 

We all gathered at the Koudelka home for a few days before heading off to Arkansas for Thanksgiving. It loved seeing where Staci and Judd live now as well as the area around them. I've always liked Oklahoma, it feels more like home to me. 

Since our families have grown over the years we had to separate at night. Brian, Shelby, Grace and Ella stayed with our family in an Airbnb not to far from the Koudelka home. We loved the Airbnb, it was the perfect size for our families. The only downside was having to leave each night from everyone. We enjoyed the time we had together though. We grabbed tacos one night and donuts for breakfast in the mornings. The taco place was absolutely delicious! We had some leftovers that made for a perfect night time snack while the kiddos slept. It was so nice having the one on one time with Bri and Shelb. 

Getting ready for a delicious taco bar.

I have always felt that memories are made in kitchens. There is nothing like food and great conversation.

 

Quinn took a minute to warm up to all of the crazy. She had what I call her "safe" people that she'd go to. She is not one that enjoys loud noises or chaos. She prefers quiet moments and one on one time.

I loved that baby Ella would literally fall asleep in the middle of everything. There could be singing, dancing, laughing, etc. and she would be fast asleep in Shelby's arms while life moved on around her. Not a care in the world :)

Beckham boy and Grandma ;)

A dancing game that the kids LOVED. They got Grandpa involved in this one. It was so fun to watch. Don't you worry, Grandma played too :) 

Cuddles for me! 

I think someone may have been jealous ;) but, I'll take all the cuddles I can get.

We had 10 kids under the age of six. Let's just say there was never a dull moment! Haha ;)

We visited the Memorial from the Oklahoma City Bombing.  Pretty cool to see. Oklahoma was also much colder than our crew is used to, haha. It was pretty frigid but welcomed. It felt great taking in deep breaths of cold air and seeing your breath when talking. It's been awhile since we've experienced that. 

They had a chair set up for each person who had lost their life during this horrific tradegy. It was really sad to see the chairs that belonged children. There had been a daycare in the building. 

Writing messages and drawing pictures.

Drawing pictures :)

The SkyWest Hanger

Judd works here now, so he let us take a little tour of the hanger and an airplane. The kids LOVED seeing the plane and talking over the PA, haha.

Smile Jack! He's ready for his shot.

I didn't realize how huge the hangers are. They are massive and loads of fun for the kids to run around in ;)

Baby Ella. She's just so precious.

Off to Arkansas!

The Gathering Place - A new park in Tulsa, OK

Bring on the anxiety...haha!

On our way to Arkansas we stopped at a park that was beyond what I ever thought it would be. We planned to stop and let the kids play and eat lunch. This was by far the biggest park I have ever seen. There was no parking in the "normal" parking lots so we had to go to an overflow. I couldn't get over how packed it was. 

There were super cool things to climb in and on. Adults could even fit! Even though it was really awesome to see, it was also my worst nightmare as a mom, haha. The park was full of people...I mean massive amounts of families and kids everywhere. My heart about stopped when I realized that I could lose track of my littles in an instant. There were so many fun things to see and do, so they could move on to another part of the park without me even realizing it. Luckily, we had several adults but it still didn't soothe the heart. Pres took the boys and I took Quinn to a smaller area where I could breathe, haha. The hard part is that the park was so big that we couldn't even stay together. I couldn't see Pres and the boys at all while I was with Q. I was a little relieved when it was time to pack up and go. The kids however loved it! I on the other hand may not go back until my people are like 13 years old haha. 

Walking a bridge to a slide. 

Arkansas!

We picked up some really good bbq for dinner the night we got in and took the night to relax. Brian busted out a puzzle after the littles went to bed and we all joined in on the fun. We had so much fun doing puzzles throughout the week. I love puzzles...they're the best! We had some pretty great conversations while we worked away. I think that's what I love about it most, you can talk, listen to music and just enjoy the company around you. 

Life isn't always picture perfect ;)

Our first full day we took our family pictures, which ended up being quite an experience. We went to a park not far from the house we were staying at. It was a cooler day but not freezing. The kids were running around and Ammon took a few pictures of the kids individually. Once everyone was there we lined up for our big family group shot and Jack had a melt down. No clue what caused it or why it was happening...it just did. We took a time out and let everyone else get their pics done. Pres and I literally tried everything but Jack was not having it. His mind was made up, he did not want pictures taken. The more we tried the worse it got. Finally we decided to just take the pictures as is. Once we completed the big family pictures we left. I was about in tears as we were leaving. All of our kids were crying by the end. I could not believe what had just happened. I was embarrassed, sad and upset. Jack cried the entire way home. What upset me the most wasn't necessarily the pictures, it was that this is very out of character for Jack. It made no sense at all for him to act that way and still doesn't. It was the oddest thing. A lot of effort goes into taking large family pics and I felt that it was just all for nothing. I pray that we have one picture that will work...if not, apologies to the Clark family :) Maybe we'll have better luck next time ;)

I did however learn something from this moment of crazy. Had I humbled myself and just let things be it may have been a different outcome. Truth is our kids are super well behaved 95% of the time. I don't say this to gloat, I only say it because when things go awry I don't know as a parent what to do all the time. Most of the time crazy happens because of tiredness or hunger. (same for me and Pres too, hehe) They will whine, complain, cry or be harder to deal with. I rarely experience this behavior outside of the home. At home I know what to do but when you are on a trip or trying to take pics it's much harder to calm them down. 

I was so worried about the other kids being affected by Jacks behavior I didn't focus on Jack. I should have taken a minute and tried to focus on the problem at hand rather than fix what I couldn't fix. It left us both frustrated and annoyed. Later Jack told me, "Mom, I was so mad with you. I was cold and just wanted my jacket." Had I stopped and listened to his real concern I may have been able to fix the problem rather than make it worse. Life as a parent is constant learning and dealing with challenges along the way. You can't win every battle and sometimes you have to accept defeat. 

My sweet boy!

A picture that Ammon had captured before the chaos :) If only he could have stayed this happy.

My Beckham Boy!

After that lovely experience we went back to the house and did nap time. I welcomed the quiet moment to read my scriptures and take a breath from the crazy that just happened. That night we met at the Saumweber house for a soup and pie night. The Saumwebers have been friends of the Clarks for years so we had a great time catching up and meeting new people. I had never heard of a soup and pie night before, but it is awesome. There were several soups to choose from as well as pies. The pies you don't eat that night you take to Thanksgiving. I loved this! A tradition I would love to continue. Pres and I had a lot of fun chatting with everyone and getting to know the Saumweber crew better. 

On the morning of Thanksgiving we did a little reshoot for our family pictures. Ammon offered to take pictures for us since we were unable to take any at the park. I couldn't believe how well the pictures went this time around. It was so normal, haha. Everyone smiled and Ammon did an amazing job! We absolutely love them!! Thank you so much Ammon for taking them for us! 

Thanksgiving at the Ranch

For our Thanksgiving meal we headed out to the Saumweber Ranch for a delicious meal. They had a four wheeler, games, football and a couple bales of hay that entertained everyone while waiting for that amazing turkey dinner. 

We had a hard time getting Jack and Beckham off of the four wheeler, haha. They loved it!

Isaac took everyone for rides :) 

Quinn found her buddy...Uncle Brian was a safe place :)

We had dinner upstairs in this cool barn. Pres and Quinn went up and waved at me. 

Quinnie found a tractor, haha. She loved this thing. She literally sat there for what seemed like forever. 

Soccer with Dad.

Tarisai came for Thanksgiving! It was so fun catching up with him and having a few days to spend together. We absolutely adore Tari and are so happy to have him as part of the family!

More four wheel rides!

Farms are fun!

It felt great being out on a farm, nothing like the feeling of home. Playing football and bags was so fun! We are so grateful to the Saumweber family for letting us all come along. 

Bingo night for the kiddos!

Grandma played Bingo with all of the kids and they had so much fun. Every time someone got a Bingo they got a little gift. Jack scored big :)

Best buddies. They love their shows :) 

Gracie and Beckham, thick as thieves when a screen is on, haha.

Lincoln helping Grandpa navigate his iPad, haha. Poor Linc was sick the majority of the Bentonville stay. I felt so bad for him.

Tarisai made a few friends :)

Birthday Fun and Christmas Lights!

We had so much fun on Friday. It was a great birthday! We had a delicious breakfast followed by a ton of fun at the Amazeum! The kids had been looking forward to this for weeks. They were so excited. I can't believe I have no pics from the day. I guess we were so caught up in all of the fun I totally spaced it. Our little family was in one area the majority of the time, haha. Jack loved the blocks and Quinn loved the little vacuum maze that blew out handkerchiefs. Beckham was the only one that really tried new areas. He and Pres went off while I stayed with the other two. After a couple hours of nonstop entertainment we grabbed Chik-Fil-A for lunch and headed back to the house for naps. 

A group of us headed out to see the new house while the littles napped. It was absolutely stunning and so fun to see. It's almost complete! Hears to hoping it will be finished by Christmas :) We also stopped at Brian and Shelby's place, so cute! I loved seeing more of Bentonville and where everyone was. 

After a delicious dinner of fettuccine alfredo, Olive Garden salad and rolls...YUM, we headed to see Christmas lights at the town square. We of course went through the Walmart museum :) and grabbed hot chocolate. 

Lights!

Williamson's...How cute are they?!

Cute Clark Crew

Love these people!! These two are the best! 

Santa's Sleigh

Koudelka Family! 

So much love and fun in this group!

Shelby, Gracie, Bri and Ella

Santa's sleigh :)

Williamson fun! 

Birthday Cake!

After the lights we came home for some cake and ice cream. Look at all of those smiling faces :)

These two...LOVE!

Yum!

We also did a gift exchange with each of the families. Our family got Zingo from the Williamson's. We have literally played every day since...it's a great game for young kids!

The boys also got ties and a pair of suspenders from Great-Grandpa Curtis. Love this!

All of the boys with their ties!

One more try at a family picture before everyone left the following day. We may not be fancy but everyone is smiling and happy :)

Grandkid shot! 

Some of those smiles may have faded, haha. Sorry guys! We did our best :) 

Overall, I would say this trip was a huge success. Yes, we had our ups and downs but that happens on trips. Our kiddos are never the same on trips as they are at home. I am a very scheduled and organized person, so when we don't have schedules and routines it leaves a little more room for the crazy. We had a blast and are so grateful to have had everyone together for what seemed like such a short time. We are already looking forward to our next Clark get together. 

Philippines Part 2

Saying goodbye once again.

Scott and Sandy have been called as MTC President/Relief Society President for the Philippines Missionary Training Center. These two will embark on yet another journey to the Philippines where they will be serving our Lord and Savior for 2 years. They have truly showed us what it means to be true disciples of Jesus Christ. When they are called to the work, they are ready to serve. They will once again leave a new home, work, family and friends and will be missed immensely! I will be the first to admit that this time was harder than the last. For some reason it feels like more of a sacrifice. However, we also know that with each sacrifice the Lord will bring great blessings. Our family has already seen these blessings and they haven't even left yet :) They will be absolutely wonderful and do incredible work in the Philippines. I know the missionaries will be blessed for having them by their side. 

Looking forward to another sweet reunion in 2 years!