Amber's Sixth Birthday Bash

My little girl is six! What?! Where has the time gone? I still vividly remember the month leading up to her birth, the torture of those last three weeks of pregnancy, the vain attempts at throwing myself into labor (like running two miles and jumping on the trampoline every day with that enormous belly of mine), and finally, the excitement of being induced and knowing that all those months of waiting would produce a sweet little girl and change our lives in every way. Sheesh. What a great six years!

Amber was so excited to have a big birthday party this year, and of course, her idea of the perfect party was a "Pink Stilettos Party". If you don't know about Pink Stilettos, they are a pop group who recently released their first album. They're gorgeous, talented, and even cooler, they are my sisters. Amber begged them to perform at her party and they sweetly obliged, so all the girls (and boys, and family members including grandpas and uncles)were treated to a private concert. It was awesome.

Ever the opinionated fashionista, Amber just HAD to have her own pair of pink stilettos. Fortunately, I found a sweet pair of pink, sparkly, ruffly high heels at Walmart, shoved in the very back of the dress-up section, that were screaming her name. Even better still was that they were only $4. The shoes fit her demands, and then she explained to me in great detail that she wanted a tall cake with two round tiers, not covered in frosting but in whipped cream, with a black bow and ribbon. Since fondant work scares me to death, we compromised on marshmallow flowers. The snack table included purple chocolate in the fountain, gooey popcorn, tons of cookies and other junk food, and Capri Suns tied up with a little bling for each girl (a huge, fake diamond ring--a big hit!). We even found a sassy black and pink high-heel pinata. After a frantic, last-minute set up, we were ready to rock in the studio at my parents' house.

My sisters are the best! First, they fixed Amber's hair with extensions and did her makeup. She was smokin' hot and ultra fierce.

Then, all the party guests had a shoe fashion show (Amber's idea, of course...she's obsessed), complete with a runway and an MC (my cute niece, Alyssa). Kinzie, Brooke, and Tayler were the judges, and everyone earned a cute ribbon with their superlative on it (Amber was convinced she needed the "Highest Heels" medal). We decorated little paper purses and had snacks. Then, the moment of truth: Pink Stilettos emerged and then it was a party.

They invited most of the girls up to sing with them. "Dreamgirl" seems to be the favorite of most young divas, but PS included "Crazy About You", "Runaway", "Always in Love", and "Thank You" in their set. They finished it off with a dazzling rendition of "Happy Birthday" and everyone loved it. My sisters rock!

Amber had a grand time, her friends were so adorable, sweet, and generous, and I think everyone who attended really enjoyed the show. I know for sure that these big birthday parties are going to be a seldom thing--like maybe at ages six, twelve, and eighteen. :) I don't have the stamina or financial wherewithal to produce them every year.

The Pink Stilettos plus Amber.

This is my cousin Savanna, whose birthday was the same day as Amber's party. She is so sweet and darling!

My cake started to slump halfway through the party, but it tasted great. I never look nice in pictures of my kids' birthdays because I spend all day on those darn cakes. I don't know if they're worth the trouble.

Happy birthday, sweet Amber! We love you and think you are fabulous!

My Thrifty, Crafty Projects of Late

I always shun decorating my own house because we have been entirely transient for the duration of our married life and I can't stand hauling superfluity around with us wherever we go. Granted, I do have a few decor items that hold remarkable sentimental value, but they all fit into one diaper box. Our walls are mostly bare, but I've grown to greatly appreciate the minimalistic sense of calm they lend to the inevitably cluttered floor (thank you, children).

At long last, I broke down and decided to make some Valentine's Day decorations. I started with a small vinyl quote for my front door, and then made a heart to hang on the wall in our family room. The heart turned out so well that I figured I could make a matching bunting. Then, I discovered yards of hot pink tulle at the bottom of my fabric bin and...voila! I had a darling little lovey-dovey-yet-funky-pseudovintage vignette that I'm crazy about. The best part: I made the heart and bunting from diaper boxes, some old WSJ pages, and paint I already had lying around the house. FREE! Those are my favorite kind of projects.













Now I'm hooked and I can't wait to get going on my St. Patrick's Day creations. Nine years later, I guess it's high time I add a little holiday cheer to the family, right? My kids love it and so do I, once I get the decorations up and forget about the hassle of storing them later. Cheers, everyone!

Caped Crusader Conquers the Commode

After months of my lamest attempt ever at trying to talk Rex into using the potty and forsaking diapers for good, he woke up last Sunday and said "I need to go potty!" Upon completion of this fabulous task, he wanted to wear undies. I couldn't believe my eyes and ears. From that moment on, he never went back to diapers (except at night, but even those are staying dry...yay!). It is grand to only have one child in diapers.


For an awesome reward, Adam indulged Rex's superhero obsession and bought him these rockin' Batman jammies. Of course, though, Rex wears them all day, every day and gets mad at anyone who calls them p.j.s. "They not jammies! They Batman clothes!" Excuse me.


I am proud of Rex, Adam is proud of Rex, the other kids are proud of Rex, and Rex is proud of Rex. Everyone wins!...


...and Batman flies off into the night.

Amber's Admirer

Today when Amber came home from school, I found this in her backpack:

Her teacher lets the students send "mail" to each other and a cute litte boy named Jacobi sent her this "how sweet you are beautiful" message. Cute! A few days later, he sent her a candy-gram at school. I think it's darling to see their crushes, especially near Valentine's Day.

Copycat Strut

My name is Case Clark and I'm learning new things every day. Mom and Dad think it's a blast to see me put my fountain of knowledge to use. I walk, talk a little, get into everything, wrestle my siblings and parents, head-butt people, pick my nose on cue and laugh my head off, and basically melt Mom's heart every day. I've developed quite a feisty little temper, too, which nobody loves, but when you're the youngest, what choice do you have? I have to assert myself somehow, I suppose. Here's a rundown of my best new discoveries:

Kitchen cabinets: pots and pans make the best noise in the house aside from whining children, especially when clanged on the floor while Mom is trying to make dinner. She loves it!

Amber's and Karli's closet is a treasure trove of soft, furry items with which I like to suck my thumb (just like my three older siblings do!).

First, I crawl...

Then I stand...

Then I make a run for the camera. Maybe one of these days Mom will let me snag it.

Yes, it is possible to have a wedgie when wearing a diaper. It happens when you suddenly outgrow your footed jammies.

Now that I'm such a big boy, I should start acting like one and guzzle milk straight from the jug. I will, after I've finished my giant gulp of milk, exclaim "disgusting!", "yummy", "Da Da", "Mommy", "shake", "play!" and I'll copy any other word anyone tells me. Yes, I'm brilliant and hilarious and everyone loves me!

Pink Polka Dot Party

Grandma Shelley is, like most grandmas, a master at making things fun for the grandchildren. She told the girls about a "pink polka dot party" that she wanted to have with Amber, Karli, and Gracie. Finally, the glorious day arrived and my daughters were so excited to be able to have the party with their cousins Libby, Kya, and Addie who were visiting from out of town. We missed Whitney, Olivia, Evelyn, and Elle. A sequel is in order for sure!

My Baby is One Year Old!

Where does the time go? I vividly remember all the end-of-pregnancy drama I experienced last year like it was yesterday. It's been a wonderful year and I love having Case in our family. He's delightfully sweet, cuddly, and adorable. His brown eyes and olive skin are so handsome and different from anyone else's in our family (thank you, Clark genes, for finally appearing). Everyone loves Case and we are all thrilled to have him around.

Since he's the youngest (rip off) and since he only turned one this year (rip off again), we didn't do much to celebrate. Amber and I actually went to San Diego on Case's birthday, so I made a penguin cake and we had a tiny party with my parents, Jen and her family, Adam's parents, and us after Christmas. The cake didn't turn out quite as well as I wanted it to, but Case loved it and it tasted good. He loved being the birthday boy and would smile bashfully when anyone wished him a happy day.

I've tried to enjoy every aspect of Case's babyhood since he's my last and it's been a fantastic 12 months of snugly, squishy kisses, miserable ear infections, and the cutest giggle. I love my little Queso!

Girls' Trip: Poinsettia Bowl 2010

My mom and sisters choreograph the halftime show for the Poinsettia Bowl every year, but since it's right before Christmas, we haven't been able to work out a family trip to San Diego to participate. I really wanted to go this year because the halftime show involved honoring members of the Armed Services, and Adam's brother Dave would represent the Marines, Adam's Grandpa Smith would represent the Army, my cousin Fletcher would represent the Navy, and my Grandpa Rydalch would represent the Air Force. I was secretly really bummed that we couldn't make the trip.

Enter my wonderful husband, Adam. At the last minute, he arranged for Amber and I to fly to San Diego on a private jet (amazing!) on Wednesday morning, attend the game on Thursday night, and fly home on Friday (Christmas Eve) morning. Despite several mishaps, the trip was a blast! It was great fun to be able to have a "girls' trip" with Amber, and we felt like major celebrities when we drove right onto the runway, had our bags loaded and car parked by the valet service, snuggled into the huge leather seats, and were in the air only five minutes later. The ride was fantastic! I can never fly commercial again...he he.





San Diego was completely flooded when we arrived, so we couldn't go anywhere (no shopping, boo!). Everyone and everything was soggy as could be, but we made the most of it and hung out in the hotel room watching football with Grandpa and Lorna, Greg and Leslie, Rob and Amy, Dave and Maren, Ryan and Steph, and eleven kids. It was a party! After a soggy night, several hours of rehersals, and a few episodes of Amber vomiting, it was time for us to get our glittery poinsettias painted on our faces and head to Qualcomm Stadium for the game. Wahoo!



We had second-row seats, right behind SDSU's team on the sidelines, and it was thrilling to be that close to all of the action. We could clearly hear the coaches calling plays, etc. and the best part of those seats was being able to watch the hundreds of Navy Midshipmen march onto the field in perfect squads for the National Anthem, during which Navy performed a sweet fly-over. What a sight and what a sound! The game was so-so, and soon it was time for us to head to the tunnel to prepare for our big entrance.



The halftime production turned out to be an almost total disaster. Mr. Sound Guy screwed up the music (even after three sound checks earlier in the day, duh!) so badly that the timing of every subsequent event was ruined. The dancers didn't have their cues so they didn't dance, the fireworks started too early...it was an utter mess. The only thing that went perfectly was the honoring of the Veterans--thank heavens. Despite the sobbing performers, the totally-miffed parents, and the ridiculous Poinsettia Bowl staff who did nothing to make it up to us, I had a great time being involved in something of that magnitude. Since I was a coach, I got to be on the field for the whole second half of the game. It was surreal and loud and fun and amazing. I was proud of Amber for performing her little heart out even though she didn't have music, and I'm excited to try it again next year.

Rivalry Revelry

If there's a reason to convene and consume, the Clark family finds it and has a party. We were all stoked to bring the noise and the trash talk at Greg and Leslie's house on Saturday when U of U played BYU in the annual Deseret Duel. Of course, we knew the Utes would win, and I think we were evenly matched in the Utes:Cougars ratio. Thankfully, after a painfully uneventful and in-offensive game, the Utes squeaked out a win at the last second with an awesome blocked field goal attempt. Days later, the family is still arguing over the calls by the refs, the methods of coaching, where the most LDS prophets went to school, which team really has the Spirit, etc. I love this rivalry!

Rex and Kinzi sported crimson. Kinzi is a waffler, though. The next day, she wore a BYU sweatshirt. Traitor!

Amber decided on Saturday morning that she HAD to have a BYU shirt, so I quickly made her this one out of a man's t-shirt I got on clearance at Walmart this summer. I used a freezer paper stencil and acrylic paint to make the "Y". For about an hour of time and some white-trash methods, I think it turned out pretty well. She loved it.

Amber was really representing the Y. Where did she come from?

Karli was all for BYU as well. I made her a cute shirt, too, out of some blue and white gingham fabric she fell in love with. Of course, though, when I was finished, she found a number of problems with it and refused to wear it. Kinz let her borrow the wig, so that was good enough for Karli.

Case is a Ute fan by default; he has all the gear thanks to Grandpa Brad.

Since Adam and I have brainwashed Rex into being a Ute fan (get 'em while they're fresh!), Amber said he had to cheer for MSU as well. She provided the green M tattoo on his forehead for some Spartan love.

Whitney was just happy to be there; I don't think she could have cared less about the game. She's adorable!

This poor little boy is so confused! Can you tell he's related to Kinzi? BYU hat and Utah shirt. Nice.

Things were pretty tense during the game. We even had an adult throw a fit and stomp upstairs because the little kids were in his way. Tee hee. It's just a game, people!

The best part of the Ute's victory was Adam's computer speakers blasting the Utah fight song at the end of the game. It was adorable to see the little kids dance, and I loved seeing Greg, Leslie, Amber, Karli, and even Kinzi cringe.

So until next year, we have the bragging rights. A Utah fam are we.....GO UTES!