Playing Catch Up

I am a month behind!  I recently ordered and received our first blog book from the first year (2008) of our family blog.  Our family LOVES it!  I gives me extra incentive to try to stay current on our blog.  I can see the value of documenting memories as they happen because you remember little details that otherwise would be forgotten.  Anyway, I am really going to try to get all caught up this Memorial weekend (when all the kids are asleep)!

There are some pictures that have been haunting me in iPhoto because I haven't posted them....only because at the time I hadn't got around to it and then forgot about it.
The first ones are from Will's championship football game.  They won 1st place!  This was a big deal for him/us and I can't believe I forgot to post about it.
Anyway, read about it  here

The other pictures that have been lingering are from one of our favorite local Summer/Fall spots:  LAGOON!  
See them  here


Millie's Spring piano recital was in March.  She played two of my favorite songs yet:  "The Phantom of the Opera" and "He's a Pirate" from Pirates of the Caribbean.  She's getting really good!  We were way impressed that she memorized these songs and she gave us a great performance!

Piano

I don't know if I mentioned this in a post from her last piano recital, but I'm happy to say that Millie has turned a corner!!!  She is learning and playing so much better now that she doesn't fight it.  She will never admit that she likes to play, but I can tell that she is enjoying it a little bit.  She even asked for some new piano books for Christmas - gasp!
Her recital was at a Elderly Care Center in Murray, she played 3 Christmas songs very nicely.

Her awesome teacher Jill

I am proud of her and how well she does under pressure - no performance anxiety.  Good job sweets.

Spring Piano Recital

In April Mills and Sam had their Spring piano recital.  Sam has been taking lessons for about 8 months and doing well, even though he is not a big fan.   He learned from the best {his big sister} how to argue and resist practicing piano.  But he has moments when I can tell he is enjoying it once he has learned to play a song.  We told him that he needs to be learning something musical and that he can learn to play a different instrument if he wants, or even take some break dancing classes.  It can't be ALL sports.

After 3 years of sweat and tears, my persistence with Millie is finally starting to pay off.  It has clicked with her and for the most part she can learn songs on her own and does not complain when it's time to practice.  {SIGH} She will thank me later, right?

William, however, has shown the most interest so far.  He has been asking to take "keyboarding lessons" since Christmas when he got his new keyboard {which he asked for}.  He just started lessons from my friend Allison and we will see how it goes.  So far, so good.  It's funny he was insisting that it is keyboard lessons and not piano lessons.

Good job guys!

been busy...

Lots going on with the 6 Clarks:

Field Trip
Dance performance
Piano Recital
Cub Scouts
Sewing quilts for Humanitarian day
Activity Days
Baseball
Dr. Appt (Quincy well check)
Fun Friday at School
Hotch Potch stuff
Tumbling
Bike Riding
Enjoying warm weather
Playing with Puppies
Neighborhood visitors everyday to see the puppies
Cleaning up puppy poop.

That about sums up the past week.

Here's Sambo and I on the bus for his field trip to the Harward Farm and Discovery Park.

Here's Millie at her Piano Recital - she did a great job! Below are videos for Grandma...

Christmas Recitals

It's always a joy watching Millie perform in her Christmas recitals...
First was her dance performance at the Festival of Trees. We love going to the Festival of Trees, it's a fun tradition, but I swear the whole population of Utah was there the same night we were! She danced to "Let it Snow", the same routine from the filming of the Disneyland parade.

Sambo opted to go to tumbling instead of watching "boring dance"

Isn't this a lovely pose?The next week she performed at a recital at Summit Academy. Here she is dancing a lyrical:


Then last week was her piano recital. Even though she won't admit it, she really likes piano. She really dislikes practicing, but she loves to perform her songs once she knows them.
She did a great job, below is a clip of her playing one of her songs, a duet with her teacher Jill.


She is also lucky because her friend next door takes from the same teacher so they get to hang-out together.
I'm so proud of her confidence and the way she glows when she is on stage. Good job Mills.

BTW: Watch for her on Christmas morning on channel 4 dancing in the Disney Christmas parade. She is wearing a snowman costume. Also watch the backgrounds for maybe a glimpse of our family?