April - SF Zoo, Trip to Montara, AJR Concert

This month started off with a little procedure. I had my first colonoscopy due to a history of colon cancer in my family line. It was not my favorite experience, haha. The nurse had to poke me four times just to get the IV in. This was quite painful due to dehydration from not being able to eat or drink. Not a great start. When the anesthesia was put through my IV it burned like lava going through my veins. I actually yelled out when it hit. The anesthesiologist quickly started rubbing my arm apologizing while informing me that this happens sometimes. Before I knew it though I was sleeping. Once I was awake I got dressed and Pres and I hit up a Greek restaurant for some much needed substance. We got home and fell asleep hard for a few hours. I do love my sleep ;)  Luckily, we got the call that everything came back great. 

However, something had happened during the procedure which caused a pain all the way from my left hip to my feet. My doctor believes that it is my sciatica nerve. I have been unable to stand straight up ever since, yeesh. This preventative procedure turned out to cause a lot more issues than I had thought. Grateful all came back healthy, but I am dealing with the most random repercussions ever. This is not a common thing to deal with after a colonoscopy. Most people walk away just fine. I was the one and a million. I am now going through physical therapy, seeing a chiropractor, and taking meds daily to get my hips, muscles, and nerves back to where they need to be. Hoping I'll be back to complete normalcy in no time. To be continued...

Just a night of making faces on Snapchat.

On April 8th we had the solar eclipse. We also had the kids classroom open house. They were so excited to show us their rooms and what they prepped for us. Jack wanted to snap this pic with his friends while we were visiting his 3rd grade class with Ms. Green.

Date Night!

Pres and I were excited to have babysitters for a night while we attended the temple with friends. We even grabbed dinner at my favorite place afterwards. Our good friends were going through the temple for the first time and asked if we would be willing to attend with them. We of course said yes! It was such a neat experience. We are so happy for them. Their family was sealed the following day for time and all eternity. Such a spiritual moment! 

I was privileged to be the photographer for Elise and Charlie's wedding. It was such a blast! Love love love these two. The three of us had become so close over the last four months. Planning, laughing, and creating a day they'd never forget has been a highlight for me. I am SO grateful to know Elise & Charlie and have them as forever friends! 

Everyday the kids walk to and from school together. I love seeing the three of them chatting and laughing as they walk. 

"Mom take a picture." Haha! This is his smolder look ;)

Quinn's teacher, Mrs. Inderbitzen, sent me this cute pic. She titled it "new sub for the day." Haha. Apparently Quinn went and sat in her desk, put on her glasses, and snapped a pic with friends from her phone, haha. She is too funny!

The Clark crew had a little staycation at the end of the month. We headed to Montara for a night away. It was gorgeous! Everyone enjoyed being at the beach, and exploring yet another town along the coast. 

I had three family shoots on the coast the following day, so we thought we would make a night and day of it. I am so glad we did. We had a great time.

We of course had to stop by a book store :) Everyone walked away with a new book to read for the way home. Love these little book readers of ours.

We had some time before the sunset shoots, so after the bookstore we went to the San Francisco Zoo. 

The gorillas were so fun to watch. 

I think the kids had a blast. We haven't been to a zoo in a few years. 

Kodiak bears are the coolest...from a distance ;) I think these two were my faves.

My cute friend Danicia captured these pics of me in my element. I absolutely love being a photographer. 

Taking a pic of Danicia's little guy. He's such a cutie.

Fun times at church with my girls!

Pres and I bought tickets for the family to see AJR in concert. AJR is the kids favorite band. They were so nervous and excited to see them in person :) I legit got a little emotional as I watched them enjoy the night. There is nothing like concerts, and you always remember your first. Everyone sang, danced, and cheered throughout the night. AJR puts on an incredible show! 

These three passed out on the way home :) 

The concert was on a Monday in San Francisco. I packed jammies and pillows for everyone so they could sleep on the way home. I'm so happy I did that! It was such a late night for our littles. We got out of the concert around 10:30p and home around midnight. I was super impressed that they still went to school the following day. 

April was an incredible month! We started off a little rocky, but we made our way through. We loved our staycation and the zoo. I think going to the AJR concert had been on the count down for a few months now :) I am so happy the kids got to see their favorite band live. I am also so grateful for how many photo shoots I have been able to do over the past few months. It has been such a fun ride, and I am so grateful for the support and love. Looking forward to what May has in store. 

Kauai, Utah, Friends, & Easter

March was such an incredible month. We had an absolute blast spending time with family, exploring Hawaii, and making the most of our days. 

Quinn started this month off by asking her Dad out on a date. She was so excited, and counted down to their Friday ice cream date night. Pres got home from work, and she was ready to go. I love our one on one time with our kiddos. It's such a treat. I know this particular night may have melted this Dad's heart.

                

Unicorn ice cream for the win! 

Jack was invited to Kung Fu Panda 4 by his best bud Elijah. They had a blast together. Elijah's Dad spoiled these two with treats and lots of fun. Jack had a blast!

Beckham boy rocked his filling he had. He was so nervous. He hates the numbing feeling and how long it lasts. Once again though, Beckham rose up, and did a great job. The dentist was so impressed that he received several awards. Plus, Mom got him a little Costco ice cream to help ;) 

I was super stoked to find cheap tickets to Kauai! It is one of my favorite places on Earth. I called Mom and Dad to ask if they'd like to join us this time. They were all in. They booked a flight to California so we could all head to the rainbow state together. 

First, the girls had to get a little pedicure before hitting the beach. This was Q's first time. She LOVED it! They even treated her with a little flower on her toenails. She was in heaven!

We flew in around 12:30p, so we made our first stop at Duke's restaurant. 

We hung out on the beach until our table was ready. Not a bad place to wait.

Lunch was great. Starting off your vacay with a little hula pie is not a bad choice by any means.

First sunset from our balcony. 

After lunch we ran to Walmart to gather all the essentials. Then, we checked into our Airbnb and enjoyed the rest of the night.

The following day was cloudy and rained on and off. We decided to make this our Waimea Canyon day! We LOVE this gorgeous canyon. It truly is the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. It's hard to capture the beauty through a lens, but I gave it a shot. 

Having a little fun off the trail :)

We pulled over in a little nook to get out and see the canyon. We walked to the edge and just took in all the scenery. My mom is terrified of heights, or so we thought, haha. She did amazing! She came out to get a picture with this gorgeous landscape. We were all so proud of her.

Clark Fam Kauai 2024

My Pops

Beckham was always so willing to be my little model. Love this kid of mine.

Jack loved how it looked like Jurassic Park, haha. He was spot on since the movie was filmed in Kauai.

Sweet Quinnie and her almost toothless smile ;)

My love

A Dad and his girl...heart eyes!

The following day I booked us a train ride on a plantation. The Kilohana Plantation did not disappoint. We took a ride to a specific location, and then got off to walk the plantation. Our guide, Kai, taught us all about the plants, fruits, flowers, animals on the land, and history of Kauai. I think it's safe to say that we all very much enjoyed our time. 

Our trusty train.

Kai and our train.

Once we got off of the train we had to switch the track so the train could return to the station. The kids volunteered to assist Kai with this task. They were so excited about it too.

Now that the track was shifted we could move on with our tour.

This is called a walking tree. It literally moves across the ground slowly over time.

Coconut time!

We all got to drink some fresh coconut water. So dang tasty!

Such beautiful grounds.

Picking flowers.

We put all of our flowers in Quinn's hair :)

These flowers tasted like Granny Smith apples. It was crazy!

The kids were always in the front of the group anxiously waiting to learn more. 

We would stop at times to taste different fruits and flowers. Everything tasted so good. Nothing like fresh fruit right off a tree.

On our way to our lunch, we walked through the sheep pen. I was in heaven! Love sheep. I think they knew it too because they came running to me. My heart!

I could have taken this little guy home with me.

Lunch break!

The plantation feeds you farm to table. It was super yummy. We all enjoyed our picks. I had a chef's salad, Mom and Dad had caesar salads, Pres had a pork sandwich, the kids chose buttered noodles with parm.

After lunch we got to feed some of the animals.

This guy was ready for his tortillas, haha.

The painted trees.

When the bark peels away it leaves this artwork behind. It's so pretty.

The luau piggies.

This guy was so funny with his mullet. We were able to feed the alpaca's as well. The kids LOVED this part of the tour.

Waiting for our train ride back.

The next day we took a little trip to the other side of the island. First stop was the lighthouse.

We stopped for lunch at a delicious pizza/calzone place. Then on to Hanalei!

Once we were in Hanalei we stopped for some shave ice. Jack was in heaven! I think this was one of his favorite things about the island. He would eat it every day.

Goofy kids, haha.

When we got back, Pres and I took a walk to Shipwreck beach. It was a gorgeous night.

Love this beach.

Pres and I were extremely lucky. We saw several whales breaching from the shoreline. See if you can spot them through the pics.

Such gorgeous sunsets!

Another whale!

A beach day!

I absolutely LOVED teaching everyone how to boogey board. We had so much fun. Mom and Dad watched on from the shore and cheered us on. 

The waves were HUGE! They were so fun to play in. I was impressed with how fearless this crew was.

Pres telling Q to wait there ;) A father watching out for his littles as he navigates the hard coming.

A huge pod of spinner dolphins came through. It was incredible to watch them show off for all of us. They were flying through the air so high!

On our final full day we took the parents on a boat ride to see the Napali coast. It was super windy and choppy waters. Luckily we all survived, but several boat members got sick. I was almost there. If I hadn't taken a dramamine I would have been.

 

More whales!

We found a few whales on our trek out. The captain stopped at one point to put a microphone he had on board in the water. He used his guitar amp for us to hear the whale sounds. It was unbelievable! I couldn't believe we were listening to whales communicating right around us. It was so pretty to hear.

We made it!

After the Napali coast we headed home for some rest after that crazy boat ride. We went down to the beach one more time before packing up. The trip went by SO fast! I think everyone agreed that we could have easily done a few more days. This place is like magic for the mind, body, and soul. There is no place like Kauai. Pres and I were so happy that Mom and Dad could come join us this time. It's safe to say that we all had a BLAST and will be back again soon!

An amazing reunion and dinner with this guy! Carl reached out to me a few weeks ago, and asked if we could meet up for dinner. We served together in NYC as missionaries for our Lord and Savior. We hadn't seen each other in almost 20 years! It was as if no time passed. His family happened to be living in a town not far from us. I was so excited to meet his cute wife, Kailei, and three sweet kiddos. Our kids hit it off right away, haha. It was so fun catching up after all this time. Funny thing about great friends, you can not see them for almost 20 years, and it is as if no time has passed at all. Carl is the best! Thanks for an epic night you two!

Carl and Kailei were telling me about Knight's Ferry which isn't far from their place. Other photographers have mentioned how beautiful it is to shoot here. I had to check it out for myself. Pres took us on a little detour after dinner. The kids and I walked the grounds quickly since it was pretty cold out. It was gorgeous. I would totally do a shoot here. Such a fun place. 

An old abandoned building and bridge on the other side. You could have a lot of fun taking pics here. The only downside is that you have to be careful of the rattle snakes. Apparently they come out in the summer time and like to warm up on the trails...eek! Still a fun place though.

A couple weeks after our Hawaii trip I took off for a few days to Utah. I needed me a little sibling time.

Here we go! 

I got to Er's house and found Zipporah and Avery! I was so happy to see Z. She's Er and Craig's niece, but also, our french tutor! Pres, the kids, and I started learning French about five months ago. We wanted to learn that part of my family culture. Plus, we want to spend some time in France with family. Learning the language will be a positive for all of us! It's been going really well so far. We brought Z on about two months ago to help us out. She served her mission in Barbados French speaking. She's been incredible for us to have. Love this girl!

Love these kiddos!

Kam Jam! 

That first night I came in, we all met up at Er's house. I got to see the kiddos, hang with the parents, and see the siblings that were able to make it in. It was a perfect first night!

Day two was a sisters dinner at a delicious restaurant. We met Emmy at the Dodo, and it did not disappoint. It was so good. We ended up staying for a couple of hours and chatted about everything. I was so happy to squeeze on this cute nugget. I was so grateful to have some sister time. It was the best night. After dinner we said goodbye to Em and Violet while the four us girls headed back to Britt's. We enjoyed a fun night catching up. 

Meanwhile back at the house, these four were enjoying a little life without Momma bear around for a few days. I'm so grateful for technology and being able to stay in touch. I loved hearing about their days. 

The next morning we slept in, did a little DI shopping for the murder mystery dinner, ate sushi at a tasty place, and then went back to Britt's for a little old school Euchre game. I haven't laughed that hard in ages! Literal tears streamed down my face. I've said it before and I'll say it again... there is nothing like the bond of sisters!

That night we met Jimmy, and the parents, for dinner at Edna's in Lehi. It was good! It was fun having a little OG dinner. Getting the seven of us back together again is always a treat. We laughed, talked, and enjoyed each others company for a couple hours. It was such a treat!

The gang's all here!

We stole Jim for that night after dinner. He came back to Britt's with us for a little sibling night. We talked for hours, and stayed up way too late, haha. The perfect sibling night. Everyone woke up the next morning ready to take on the day. We all had things going on. After hanging with Er and Britt for awhile we headed back to Er's. I was so happy to sneak in a couple hours at the Williamson family house. Sadly, I forgot to snap a pic. Booo! I was too caught up in hearing all of the latests from everyone. Loved having my one on one time with Mikale too. Again, nothing like sisters. I am so grateful to have so many incredible women in my life. Many of whom I am related to :) Mikale was sweet enough to drop me at the airport. My quick weekend was just that. Super fast. Happy to get the time I did with each person.

I had a bridal shoot coming up and wanted to check out which beach I felt would be best for the shoot. I took a little Mom time, and explored Ocean Beach, and Thornton Beach. Both are gorgeous, but my heart goes to Baker Beach. These photos are from Ocean Beach. 

I sat here for several minutes just watching everyone around me. It was such a beautiful still moment. 

March was an epic month! We traveled, we met knew people, we enjoyed family time, and celebrated the resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ. This month could not have ended any better. We had small baskets for the kids, an incredible church meeting filled with music and testimony of Christ, and a delicious soup, salad, and bread dinner. Pres and I talked to the kids about the importance of this day, and relished in the testimonies they shared of the Savior. How grateful we are for Jesus Christ. Who He was, is, and the continual strength He is in our life. Because of Him, families are forever!

Happy Easter!