Oral Surgery for Jack & a Laid Back November

I think I say this every year but...November is a favorite month of mine! It means Thanksgiving, family, football, fall weather, my birthday, and that much closer to Christmas. There is nothing I love more than the spirit of Christmas. Everyone is so happy and is focused on the Savior. Gratitude and an attitude of giving is in the air. We light the world each day with an act of kindness or service in some way. However, before I get lost in all things December, let's look back on our much needed November. 

Poor Jackson Scott has inherited the bad teeth in our family. I have been very diligent in flossing, brushing, even mouth wash to help keep him from hearing bad news every six months. Sadly, even with all that attention to his teeth, we still hear that he will need to have extractions, fillings, or crowns. Jackson underwent oral surgery at the beginning of the month. He had three infected teeth that needed to be removed along with one filling. Jack does not do well with the dentist (can you blame him?) so we opted for an oral surgeon to get it all in one trip. I am SO grateful that I followed my instincts on this one. He was given a heavy dose of medicine and didn't remember anything from the procedure. Pres took him in to his appointment and said that Jack was super brave. Jack asked the surgeon several questions to make sure he wouldn't feel anything and proceeded to do as he was asked to help prevent any pain. The nurses raved that he was the "perfect patient". They wished all of their patients were as great as Jack. When Preston and Jack pulled into the driveway after his surgery, Beckham and Quinn were dying to see how he did. I have to admit I was too. Jack was still coming off of the anesthesia but was doing great. He was a little concerned by the blood on his gauze but overall enjoyed resting and playing his Kindle. 

After some ice and gauze, he was back to normal. 

You would never know this kid had surgery. These two partners in crime were side by side all day. They played games, laughed and just enjoyed the down time. Later that evening Jack hit this crazy hyper stage. He was running all around, talking a mile a minute, laughing, playing, you name it. The doc said that could be a side effect from the anesthesia and it hit hard. Haha. Pres and I were unsure how to reign him in since he was supposed to take it easy and rest. We decided to give him some paper and sharpies and that did the trick. He drew picture after picture while telling us stories about each drawing created. It was pretty funny to witness, haha. We were so grateful that the surgery and recovery went so well. 

I know this picture is dark but I had to capture this moment with my sweet Beckham boy. He asked me to take a nap with him one afternoon, so I happily obliged. He passed out on my shoulder. I love these tender moments I get to cherish as mother and son. I am sure I will miss this one day. Right now, I just try to take it all in :)

Happy Birthday to ME! 

My salon reopened for at least a moment. YAY! I was so excited to spend a little "kid free" time on my birthday. I had an awesome birthday this year. The kids and Preston spoiled me rotten with gifts from my favorite food places as well as food choices, new pots and pans (I haven't had new since our wedding-10 years ago), a salon day, massage, and time for just me. It was an awesome day.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Clarks!

Momma's little helpers :)

We had an awesome Thanksgiving. The kids LOVED helping me bake all of the goodies for the day. Everyone was willing to take turns pouring different ingredients into the KitchenAid. I made a chicken casserole for the crew which was mostly eaten by Preston and I, haha. The desserts were definitely the favorite part of the night.

Pres supported men's health awareness with this sweet "stache". 

Every November the hospital supports men's health by growing out their beards for Movember. This year, the CEO asked for everyone to grow mustache's instead since beards are in vogue and not really a sacrifice. I really wish he hadn't, haha. This bad boy stared at us all month long, haha. Even the kids celebrated when Dad could finally shave it off. I'm pulling for a beard month next November. The mustache was much more of a sacrifice on all parties involved ;) I am thankful for this guy and supporting such a great cause. It goes to show the heart and loyalty he has for those he works with and for health care.

Overall, November was a great month. We were able to finally relax, catch up on several things that had been put off for weeks, and enjoy some good ol' quality family time. We had a lovely, low key Thanksgiving. My birthday looked a little different this year because I didn't really go anywhere. That being said, I wouldn't trade it for anything. I had the people I love most surrounding me on my special day. 

Here we come December! We have anxiously awaited your arrival. This month is always our busiest and craziest. As we celebrate a wedding anniversary, two birthdays, Christmas and New Years Eve, I look forward to documenting our celebrations along the way. Here's to an awesome December!

Back to School & A Halloween To Remember

I'm sure this will be a surprise to you, but 2020 is an election year. We had the opportunity to vote for our local politicians all the way up to the President of the United States of America. Voting is such a privilege. I am so grateful that we have the right to vote and make our voices heard. This year was an extra crazy year that surrounded the election. On top of having a pandemic, we had a division in our country over politics. In all my life I have never seen an election get so out of hand. Loss of respect, real listening, and any kindness seemed to have completely disappeared from politicians and the general public. In my opinion, it was heart breaking to watch the country divide and have so much anger against one another. Especially in a time when we should be uniting and doing our best to help those in need. Let us all look a little more to the Lord and a little less to the anger of those around us. I'm praying for a more unified and better 2021. 

I VOTED

The boys head back to school!! 

We hit a huge milestone here in California. Jack and Beckham are officially back in the classroom with their teachers. HOORAY!! We have in-person instruction 4 days a week and one virtual learning day on Wednesday. Jack attends from 8a-1p while Beckham goes from 8a-10:40am. They LOVE being back in a classroom with structure, and they love receiving instruction from their teachers. I get the sense that the teachers love it just as much as the students (and their parents, haha). 

Jack had orientation first. His teacher Mrs. Adkins planned to have class for two hours so they could do crafts and get to know their classroom. Jack was so excited to tell us all about his first day back to school. Love that cute little hat and the little boy under it :)

Beckham's first day of Kindergarten

Next, we headed to Mrs. Meadow's classroom. The kids (and adults) had a temperature check at the door and received hand sanitizer before entering. Everyone was very willing to except the new norm. We were all just grateful to have made it this far.

Beckham's desk! Ready to learn. 

Beckham's orientation was much shorter than Jack's. Mrs. Meadows explained what would be expected for both students and parents. After receiving our instruction, we could go home. I think Beckham was a little disappointed that he didn't get a day like Jack, but he was excited to see Mrs. Meadows and his classroom. 

Halloween

Our adorable Skye!

"Let's take to the sky"

Love this girl!

I wasn't able to get a good picture of the boys together. They were too excited to be Mario and Luigi, haha.

Love these three! 

We had the cutest little crew on the block.

We made lots of different crafts to celebrate the day. Beckham was excited to show off his witch hat.

Our table turned into quite the crafting spot. The kids had SO much fun making their special contribution to our Halloween day. We hung up each piece of art that was created. Pres and I dressed up as salt and pepper, but I don't have a good pic of us together.

Making mummies and eating candies :)

Spider time!

Jack opted to make his own haunted house scene :)

One of the greatest thrills of the day was playing Halloween Bingo as a family! The kids LOVED playing over and over again. They won a candy prize every time they got a Bingo. Thank goodness for Etsy and being able to find a fun little game for the day.

Painting pumpkins!

An epic balloon race around the house. I haven't laughed that much in a while. 

Jack threw on this wig with his hat and we about died in laughter. HAHA. Looking good Mario!

Due to the pandemic, we did not have trick or treating here in Manteca. We opted to hide the candy and let the kids run around to find it. They had such a BLAST looking for candy. They asked us if we could do this every year :)

Beckham looking for candies.

The last activity of the night was decorating cupcakes. 

The finished product. They were delicious!

We topped the night off with Curious George: A Halloween Boofest and pizza party. 

I think it is safe to say that the kids had a TON of fun at Halloween this year. Even though we were unable to trick or treat, we found ways to make it memorable. We really enjoyed the entire day. At the end of it though, Pres and I were ready to sit back and relax, haha. How grateful we are for this family of ours. They are flexible and "go with the flow" kind of kids. We are so blessed to have been able to make it a fun day.

October was such an incredible month. We filled it with family fun. We had our family vacation to Portland and Seattle, a fantastic Halloween, and the kids were able to head back to in person school. We sure LOVED our October this year. Looking forward to a more chill November :)