That's My Boy

Samuel Jackson Clark a.k.a Sambo and Lunchbox is an amazing kid. We have really had our thoughts and energy all spent on him this past week. Last Tuesday night he was horribly stricken with stomach pains...so bad that he didn't fall asleep until 6:20 the next morning. Of course, as things go, Dad was out of town so Mom spent a long sleepless night trying to comfort and calm him. If Dad hadn't been gone we would have gone to the hospital in the middle of the night. We called Dr. Grandpa at 3:00 am and between the 2 of us, decided it probably wasn't his appendix. I had my appendix taken out 8 years ago so I remember that agony. I was worried because I have never seen him so miserable or so sad.
I took him to the Dr. the next day. Everything seemed to check-out fine until they did some lab tests and found blood in his urine. This was an odd finding because the 2 symptoms aren't really related. I barely managed to get him through that day/night. His "stabbing" stomach pains came in waves and he would sleep between attacks. Just cry and sleep for 2 days. But no fever, no constipation, no vomiting. Also, I've never known him not to have an appetite - he didn't want to eat or drink ANYTHING. Dad came home and gave him a blessing and he soon fell asleep for awhile.
OnThursday I took him to the hospital for a CT scan and another urine test. He was so brave, even when they started his IV. Will came with us and he thought the whole thing was the coolest. He was even a little jealous that Sam got to pee in a cup! We waited 2.5 hours for the results in the radiology waiting room. I realize now that I was over-reacting but as a mother I couldn't help but think the worst about what the Dr. was going to tell me. A tumor, or some rare disorder. For a moment I was sick with worry for my little Sam.
I sighed with relief when the results came back normal. They could not find the reason behind his abdominal pain (which had decreased by this time) or bloody urine (which came back positive again). Their best guess was possibly kidney stones. Ouch! I have had those 3 times in my life and I can personally guarantee that it is the worst pain ever!
Who knows what he had but thank goodness he is better now! I knew he was back when he woke-up Saturday and asked for pancakes, eggs, bacon, and cereal for breakfast!

ANYWAY, over the past 3 months he has really grown up. A couple of cool things he has done in the last few months are:

1. Rode his bike to school (this is a 3.4 mile descent that drops over 1500 ft! He rode with mom by his side). He had so much fun that he wanted to do it again the next day!
2. He has amazing coordination. For no reason at all he will do a back handspring or round off back handspring at anytime and anywhere. The other day he did 5 back handsprings in a row. Then out of nowhere he is doing perfect dives into the pool, self-taught. Also, pulled a 360 on the kneeboard his first try.

3. He tries so hard to be a good boy. He is the best big brother and very responsible when it comes to his brother and baby sister. He may be athletic but more important is his personality. He still is the "sensitive bully" in that he is sweet and sensitive but also strong and aggressive. When he gets in trouble, he cries but not because of the punishment, but because he disapointed us, especially when it's his dad. He has high ambitions for himself and does not give up until he achieves them. He really is a sweetheart.

I am so proud of his willingness to try new things. He definitely isn't afraid of failure. It seems whenever he gets the idea to do a new trick or stunt, his body just instinctively figures out what his brain wants him to do. Sambo keep up the good work! We love you.

Baby Cole

On June 23rd, my sister welcomed her 3rd baby...another miracle. It's hard to believe he's already 1 month old. He sure is a lucky guy to have such an amazing mother! We love him so much already! I made this announcement for him:

Lake Powell again, and Capitol Reef

We had the pleasure of going back to Lake Powell this past week. This time it was with all of the Clarks. Once again it was a fantastic trip. Apparently, "fantastic" is a popular word right now. I heard it many times last week. Some highlights:

-Having lots of fun people on board.. My kids were total "cling-ons", especially to Doug and Jordan. Thanks to Grandma, Grandpa, Adam, Jess, Candice, Doug, Jenny, and Jordan for being such sweethearts to them. I don't know if you realize how much my kids adore you!

-FINALLY having Jake & Ashlee's kids there to play with, even if it was only for 1 day!

-Quincy figured out how to swim all by herself in her life jacket. She couldn't get enough of swimming in the lake...we think she must be a mermaid (or "mernaid" as she calls it). She thought she was so cool swimming & "washing" with all of her aunts & uncles/boyfriend/fiance.
She was really crabby Monday but after a good nappy in the cave and good night's sleep she was back to herself again. Still had her occasional "2" year old moments!

-Watching Grandpa ski, or try to ski...he would have been fine if the boat had more power. His determination was a great example to the kids - we have a saying in our family "Clarks aren't quitters" and he didn't quit. While he kept trying to get up we told the kids, "See, Grandpa isn't quitting because Clarks don't quit" and then Will said, "But he's not a Clark, he's a Judy."
The funny thing about this is when Will was just a little guy he called Grandma Judy "Grandpa Judy." So now we always call her Grandpa Judy. When Will made that comment we all laughed and realized that he really must have thought that their last names were "Judy". :oD

-Sambo pulled a 360 on the kneeboard without prompting- actually many times! Millie figuring out turns wakeboarding, Will kneeboarding like a champ, and Quinny tubing.

-Playing games - Fill or Bust, Uno, and Pinochle.

-Sam and I taking advantage of the morning smooth water to ski and wakeboard everyday.

-Grandma wearing her sexy bikini.


-The occasional toxic odor :)

I was a bit of a slacker taking pictures but those are cute enough. We anchored the houseboat up Lake Canyon where there was lots to hike and explore. The boys looked for hidden treasures, fished, and found tadpoles with Grandpa.

We look forward to next year...some folks think that it's not a place for little kids, but we can't imagine not taking them to Powell every year!

Capitol Reef:

So on Thursday eve we drove from Lake Powell straight to Capitol Reef. We met some friends there for the Capitol Reef Classic which is a 2 day cycling event. We towed my parents trailer and camped at Sunglow Camp Ground in Bicknell, Utah. I have to admit that after an exhausting day packing-up, hauling stuff, and preparing the houseboat in 100 degree weather, I was overwhelmed with the thought of camping. We all know how much work that is and how much dirt is involved. I just wanted a shower and my bed.

BUT, it didn't take long for my love of camping to kick-in and soon enough we were thrilled to be in the outdoors and especially in the cozy trailer. It's a perfect size for our family.

Sam's events included a time trial (his first), and a circuit race on Friday, which he won 1st place! He really is amazing and I am so proud of him and jealous of his natural talent. Between cheering him on, eating in small town joints, and exploring in HOTness (no shade), we managed to relax a bit in the evening with games and a super duper lotion massage from the kids. Quincy took 1 foot, Will took the other foot, Sam took the back, and Millie rubbed our arms. They were pretending that it was their business called "The 4 Clarks massage service." They said it was free to bike riders. That included me because I was able to get out on my bike for an hour just before dusk. Honestly, the massage felt REALLY GOOD. I will have to give the 4 Clarks some business often.

Saturday morning was a 52 mile race. We handed off a water bottle and chomps to Sam at the feed station then met him at the finish line. I can't even stand in the heat, let alone think about riding my bike fast in the heat. I don't know how they do it. Again he did awesome.

It was only noon so then we grabbed some lunch and headed to Capitol Reef National Park. We hiked up the creek to a waterfall where the water was deep enough for us to swim.

I know it looks dirty but it felt so good to cool off!

We felt ashamed that we live so close and hadn't been here before. It is really cool. Sometimes I feel like we take advantage of living in such a great state where there is so much to do and we don't take the time to visit. There were even tourists there from other countries!Great trip, great fun.

Well, this trip wraps-up 6 Clarks summer vacation marathon...we crammed 5 trips into 7 weeks. - WHEW! What a freaking blast! I still need to post about Snowbird.

Now to those lazy days of summer...

4th of July in Island Park

Our family checked-out of Snowbird on Saturday June 27th, then it was off to Island Park early Monday, June 29th. Once again it was unpack, wash, and pack. I just keep recycling the same stuff! We are lucky that Dad has a job where he can make the quick drive to Salt Lake from Snowbird and work, and that he covers part of Idaho so he could also do some work while in Island Park.
On Monday, we left at 6:00 am because he had a case at the Idaho Falls hospital he was doing, on our way to Island Park. From experience, I know that these cases can take anywhere from 30 min. to 6 hours, and I wondered what in the heck I was going to do with the kids in Idaho Falls to kill time. Not to mention I was towing a huge trailer around town.
Surprisingly, the city has just about everything we needed. 1st we dropped off Daisy at PetSmart to get a groom, then we went to see "Up" in 3D at the new movie theatre (loved it), then off to lunch at TGIFridays, then to Albertson's to get groceries for the week at the cabin. We picked-up Daisy and she had 2 cute little bows on her ears. By that time, after killing 6 hours, Sam was finished and we picked him up. Whew, we made it. Now we could make our way to the lake house.
The next 6 days were pure bliss. I think that place has tied with Lake Powell as a favorite.
It is important to note that this was the 1st year since we have been married that we haven't spent the 4th of July in Provo. This holiday is like Christmas for the whole Clark clan. It is an awesome family tradition with the parade, wearing red white & blue, golf, BBQ, and watching "Stadium of Fire" fireworks from Grandma's yard. Dad and I were a bit worried about missing out on this and hoped that being away would be just as much fun. Indeed it was, everything turned out incredible! Even though we missed being with our Clark relatives, we really had an awesome time!
Beware for picture overload of all the activities we enjoyed, we truly could not have fit more into one week















To celebrate the 4th, Island Park has a "Regatta" which is a parade of boats. We heard about this late in the day and did some quick last minute decorating of our boat (we call the "Sea Bass") with blue streamers we cut up from a plastic table cloth. The kids had matching festive shirts so we called it good at that. We showed up for the event and soon realized we were the scrappy ones with weak sauce deco! At first Millie was embarrassed but regardless we laughed really hard, put on our smiles, and waved our homemade streamers anyway! Check out some of the other boats complete with lights, music, dancers, etc:







Then, about the time the parade ended, it was almost dark. Within minutes we were surrounded by hundred of boats floating in the lake anticipating the fireworks show. The show did not dissapoint, we couldn't believe how much effort they put into it. Apparently the memebers of the HOA of the cabins on the island plan and contribute to this annual event. It was fabulous.


Thanks to Uncle Shad for providing your cabin and helping us plan such a great vacation!