Love my boys!
Jackson started Kindergarten this year. I didn't think it would be a hard transition for me since he had done Pre-K previously. I was wrong. I think anything that my kids do for the first time I get emotional. It's a proud happy moment for me. I get nervous and excited for them all at once. I try not to show too much emotion so that I don't freak them out or make them nervous. I wait and do it in the car with Quinnie :) His Kindergarten class is everyday but for only half day. I love it! I enjoy having him back home in the afternoons. He goes from 8:40a-12p everyday. I think half day Kindergarten will be a perfect transition to all day 1st Grade.
Before his official first day of Kindergarten they had "Meet the Teacher" night. A chance for the kids to come and see the classroom and meet their teacher. We all went as a family to see Jackson's new classroom.
Jack found his name and sat right down and started coloring his picture.
Making friends.
He was telling the kids at his table what his favorite colors were and why. Most of the answers dealt with the colors of the planets :) He said, "I like blue and green because it's the color of the Earth. I like red because it's like Mars or the great red spot on Jupiter." Haha. The kids looked at him a little strange, not exactly sure what he was talking about, but he kept telling them anyway. Love that kid.
First DAY!!!
Quinn was very proud of her big brother. She wanted to make sure to be in one of the pics.
My Buddy Bear is so grown up.
He walked ahead of us the entire way to school. So excited to begin his first day.
When we got to the classroom he put his book bag in a cubby and grabbed his sticker with his name on it. Ready to go!
After a quick squeeze for Beckham, Quinn and me he was off to play.
We couldn't wait to pick him up and hear how his day went. All Kindergarteners came out with their little hats on. It was the cutest thing. Jack definitely ROCKED his first day. He LOVED it!!
We got him to school just in time to get in line for class. Whew!
Saying goodbye from the fence.
BOWLING!
That weekend we took the family bowling. We like to try and do something fun on Saturdays while we have Dad around. Bowling was the perfect activity for this family of five.
Quinn watching intently. Those shoes...heart eyes!
Quinn's turn.
She LOVED bowling!
Trying their hardest to wait for their turn :)
Jack's turn!
Watching Dad go and doing their best to be patient.
All smiles!
My yellow shirt buddy.
YAY!!
We had never tried bowling before as a family. It was a major success! The kids LOVED this activity. Pres and I had a lot of fun as well. We ordered a giant cookie with ice cream and everyone dove in. It was such a fun evening spent with the people we love.
Harvest Time
Beckham's cucumbers!
Beckham boy checks on his cucumbers everyday. He makes sure they have water and finds any he can harvest. He LOVES his cucumbers!
I was cleaning out Quinn's clothes that she had out grown and she decided to dress herself. Haha. She's officially in size 3T. My growing girl!
After school one day, Jack made each planet out of paper plates and paint. He LOVED doing this project.
A trip to the park to get some wiggles out.
A weekend trip to the outlets with my favorite girl!
Beckham starts Pre-K!
Beckham boy started Pre-K this year! I cannot believe I have two in school now. He attends school every Mon/Wed/Fri from 8:15-12:30p. I actually take Beckham before Jack and pick him up after, haha. Beckham was so excited to start school. He loves being just like his big brother Jack :)
My sweet Beckham Boy!
Saying goodbye to this kid on the first day was rough. I was so nervous for him and yet anxious to hear how his day went. He LOVED his day. His teacher said that after about an hour and a half he got nervous and asked where I was. Luckily they were getting ready to go out to recess so once they went out to play, he was totally fine. He gets to eat lunch with his friends too. I pack him a lunch on his school days and he enjoys eating with his friends at school. He picked out his very own lunch box. It's shaped like a dragon and came with a dragon thermos :)
My three little angels.
Everyone was so excited for Beckham!
Kids imaginations are the best! They came down after playing one day like this.
They laughed and laughed! LOVE these three!
A Trip to Stanford!
On one of our Saturday trips we headed to Stanford University. We had so much fun exploring this campus. It was absolutely BEAUTIFUL! It smelled like fall. This campus was incredible. Before we headed there we made a quick stop at Shake Shack in honor of our D.C. trip last year. We love Shake Shack!! So delicious!
Playing in the fountain.
Looking for Ninja Turtles...haha.
The architecture was fascinating. It was gorgeous!
Exploring campus.
Hi Quinnie!
The boys.
The cool bell tower in the back. We loved the fountains too.
Clark Crew!
So pretty.
A closer look at the bell tower. It stood so tall. It was beautiful.
Walking around campus.
Jackson Scott looking cute.
Can you believe this is a water fountain?! It was so pretty.
Chapel on campus.
Three little Clarks in the windows :)
We stopped at the bookstore to get some souvenirs and then headed toward home.
After exploring campus we drove by the Apple and Google headquarters. Those buildings weren't as cool as we had hoped they would be haha. We thought they would be more eccentric or ornate but they were just ordinary buildings haha. We were all hungry after our self guided tour of Stanford so we hit up Sweet Tomatoes for dinner. It did not disappoint. We hadn't had Sweet Tomatoes in ages. It was so good.
My goofy boys.
Back to School Nights for Jack and Beckham!
About 2 weeks after school started they had a back to night. Jack showed us where he sat for story time, his desk and his playground. He was so excited to show us his classroom. Mrs. Meadows is Jacks teacher this year and we love her. She's been so great!
Playing on Jackson's playground.
Jack loved showing Beckham and Quinn where he got to play while he was at school.
This girl... haha.
Beckham's back to school night was shortly after Jack's. He showed us his classroom and some of his artwork he had done. He was so excited to have his turn showing the family all around. This bench is where he does quiet reading while waiting for me to come pick him up :) Cute boy!
Beckham's artwork hung proudly in the classroom. He was so happy to show us his work.
I had a little help with laundry :)
Trip to Utah!
For the past few weeks I have been feeling like I needed to see the Grandma's. I have felt strongly that I needed to see my Grandma's as well as Preston's Grandma. I also wanted to spend time with family. Aunt Steph told me that her and Gram would be in Utah at the end of August. I was worried about Jack missing school so I didn't put much thought into it. As the end of August started approaching I felt that we needed to go. I talked to Pres and we made the necessary arrangements to go and we headed out. We found out the day before we left that Preston's Grandma wasn't doing that great. We were excited that we made this trip happen. We wanted to see her and spend some time with her in case anything happened to soon. It was as if the stars aligned. All of our living grandparents were in the same state at the same time. I didn't want to regret not going. I am so GRATEFUL that we did. It was such a fast trip but one that I think my soul needed more than I knew.
Ready to go!
Preston got home earlier than we expected on Wednesday so we hit the road. We ended up leaving three hours before we had originally planned so we made it quite far on our drive.
Beckham is always the last one to fall asleep. I could not believe he was the first! I think it was from having school that morning and then leaving during nap time. I love Quinn in this picture too, haha. She's awake and happy haha. We stopped that night in Elko and finished the drive the following morning. It was a great drive. Long but easy.
Our first stop was to see Grandma Curtis. Aunt Mary had some puzzles for the kids to do while we all visited.
We found out a week after this trip that Grandma Curtis passed away peacefully in her sleep. I cannot tell you how grateful I am for following a prompting I received. We are so happy that we got to spend this time with Grandma and give her one last hug before she went back home to Heavenly Father and her wonderful husband. There is no one like Grandma Curtis! She will forever be with us. We love you Grandma!
Our next stop on the Utah tour was the Williamson house.
Playing at the park with cousins.
The crew after the park.
Snack time!
Can you tell they're related? Brother/Sister love :)
Two peas in a pod.
Teagan was so helpful with Quinn. She pushed her on the swing and made sure she was taken care of while we stayed there. Teag's the cutest! Quinn loved the attention and having somebody to look out for her :)
Buddies.
A year apart in age and you wouldn't know it. Jack is one year younger than Kai Guy.
Lincoln!!
Hugs goodbye :)
Now that's a good lookin crew right there! Cousins!
LOVE this woman!
I called Mikale about a week before we came out and asked if we could stay with her for a night. She was excited to have us stay even though it was last minute. I never feel like we get enough time when we see her and the kids so a night at the Williamson home was much needed. She was so accommodating. We LOVED our time with these guys. The kids laughed, played and ran all around. Pres and I got a chance to catch up with Ammon and Mikale. It was a win-win in our book. The time just went by to fast!
After the Williamson home we drove to Spanish Fork for some much needed R&R time. There is nothing like the canyon my parents live in. It's beautiful, quiet and peaceful. The kids play from sun up until sun down and are covered in dirt from head to toe. The bath water literally turns brown. To me that's childhood.
Cuddles for Grandma.
This is Grandma's happy place :)
Just hanging out on a pile of dirt, haha.
Playing with Luke and the neighbor boy, Dawson. These four boys had a BLAST!
One dirty Beckham boy :)
Mower rides for Quinn and Beckham! This is a tradition that never gets old!
Meeting Sammy James!
This kid is the sweetest and cutest little thing.
Cody Man!
We met up with the gang on Saturday for Cody Man's football game. It was so fun cheering him on and watching him play. Go Code Go!!
Cody's Posse ;)
The kids played games in the shade while we watched the football game.
After the game we all headed back to Mom and Dad's for lunch.
Uncle Craig reading Paw Patrol to Quinnie Bear :)
Aunt Angie's turn.
Our kids LOVE books! They will sit and read with you for as long as you allow them to.
Story time with Aunt Bill :)
Who doesn't love a great book reading?!
It was so good seeing Britt! We haven't seen the Freeze crew in a long time. We got to officially meet Samuel and the kids loved playing with Lydia and Luke. We had a ton of fun with family over these 4 days we had. Nights of course were spent playing games and munching on delicious treats and goodies and the days were filled with laughter and stories. This could not have been a better Labor Day weekend! It was perfect!
My GRAMS!!
I cannot express how much I love these women! They are the best! I absolutely LOVED having some time with my Grandma's. These two are pretty dang incredible and because of them I'm here ;)
I really enjoyed catching up with Grandmere and Aunt Steph. It was as if no time had gone by. We haven't seen each other in 3 years but you wouldn't have known it. Love these people!
One more with Quinn Marie :)
4 Generations of Awesome right there!
Another 4 generations of pure Awesomeness! :)
Say "Cheese"!
My Gram has been through some pretty hard times in her life and over the past few weeks. She recently fell and broke her arm which resulted in a surgery, she was moved to a memory care facility and her mind is going at a much more rapid pace now. Despite all of these things she keeps smiling and moving forward. It's not easy being 84.
Aunt Stephie Lou made a friend ;)
A nice moment with Grandmere.
Quinn had a rough morning and Jack took good care of her. Oh my heart!
Love for Grandmere.
I am so happy the kids got to spend some time with their Great Grandma's and Great Aunt. There's nothing like family!
Saying goodbye is never easy. We just have to cherish the moments we get when we have them. We are so grateful for the time we got to spend with each family member. Our family LOVES spending time with cousins, aunts, uncles, siblings, grandparents, etc. Life tends to be shorter than we think and we don't want to regret not spending it with the people we love :) I will forever cherish this weekend we had in Utah. It was a last minute decision that turned into a much needed trip in so many ways. I thank my Father in Heaven for giving the prompting to go.
