The First Ever New Year's Clark Family Pop Quiz *Answer Key*

The first EVER Clark Family New Year’s Pop Quiz Answer Key

1.We did enjoy a GRAND trip to the GRAND Canyon over Spring break, however, as luck would have it, both times we had opportunity to view a spectacular sunset we arrived 10 minutes late. Such is the life with kids.

2. Emily explored many a land by visiting our local library. She does hope to visit each of those OTHER exotic places some day.

3. YES we painted our kitchen. Can you believe it? The queen of indecisiveness (Me—Kathryn) finally chose a color and painted while Mike was at scout camp, Emily was at YW camp and the rest of the kids were farmed out to cousins.

4. Trick question…Tim did learn to play the piano BETTER, but his new instrument is the Tenor Saxophone.

5. Sierra both learned to ski and on the 5th of January was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We are very proud of her.

6. The thought of Savanna sluffing school at this point is laughable. Around the dinner table we often ask what was the best and worst part of each person’s day. Her answer is almost always, the best: going to school and the worst: having to come home. She is doing great despite her diagnosis of needing bifocals! (We are still working on getting the right prescription)

7. When discussing things with other adults (say at the grocery store or library), they often comment on what a good ‘little’ boy Ethan is. He is apt to remind them that ‘actually…I’m a medium boy’. I’m so glad that despite turning 4 this week that he is still a ‘medium’ boy. He also helped our budget by quitting diapers! (Yeah, they’ve been apart of our lives for 13 years!) and he loves to quote from the movie UP! If you haven’t seen it yet, may I suggest it.

8. Mike has kept busy at work by spending lots of money! He has over 6 million dollars on contract for different projects that help keep our military planes flying. The more amazing number though is the MILLIONS of dollars he is saving the government by implementing some of the test programs and procedures he has helped develop. Too bad there are so many thick heads in the government as not everyone is on board. (Have to get their piece you know.) He also joined Kathryn on a bike race and some mountain biking. (OUCH—that is tough!) And the herding cats comment could pertain to his position as scout leader, father or all the civil service yahoos he works with daily.

9. Kathryn really got into biking this year. It was a lot of fun to ride in the Red Riding Hood bike race for breast cancer awareness and the Legacy Parkway Fun Ride. She also is finally learning ins and outs of her camera so some day she’ll really be able to rock the images…I hope. Also she has embraced the blogging world after some encouragement from friends and family and has made more blog entries then she EVER did trying to keep a journal.

10.We really do hope you had a GREAT Christmas and that your New Year holds many great things. And figgy pudding and rootbeer couldn’t hurt at all could it? Thanks for your love and friendship.

Love, The Clarks Mike, Kathryn, Emily, Tim, Sierra, Savanna, Ethan

The First Ever New Year's Clark Family Pop Quiz

The first EVER Clark Family New Year’s Pop Quiz.

(In lieu of the traditional Christmas Letter)

1. True or False: During our Spring Break trip to the largest hole on Earth otherwise known as the GRAND CANYON, we were overwhelmed by the magnificent sunsets.
2. This year Emily was a worldwide traveler, did she visit:
1. Italy
2. France
3. Washington State
4. The Library
3. What is the new color of our old Kitchen?
1. Navy Blue
2. Brick Oven
3. Periwinkle
4. You painted your kitchen?
4. Which new instrument did Tim learn to play this year?
1. The Double Belled Euphonium
2. Piccolo
3. Tenor Sax
4. Piano
5. This year was a monumental year for Sierra did she:
1. Go Skydiving
2. Get Baptized
3. Go Scuba Diving
4. Go Skiing
5. Wait a minute there is more than one right answer!
6. As usual, Savanna had a GREAT year. Did she:
1. Start Kindergarten
2. Learn how to sluff class
3. Learn to ride a bike backwards
4. Learn to juggle chainsaws
7. Ethan kept us all busy this year. Did he:
1. Become a ‘medium’ boy.
2. Break the 13 year straight diaper wearing streak in our family.
3. Consider changing his name to Russell and joining the Wilderness Explorers (Tribe 54, Sweatlodge 12)
4. All of the Above
8. This year Mike kept busy at home and work did he:
1. Spend 6 Million Dollars
2. Go mountain biking (and survived)
3. Herd Cats
4. (Predictably) All of the above.
9. Kathryn had a fun yet busy year as well, did she:
1. All of the below
2. Bike over 50 miles in two different bike races
3. Torture her children by practicing her photography skills
4. Start blogging at www.thekatstopshere.blogspot.com
10. As the New Year begins, the Clark Family wishes you:
1. A Very Merry Christmas (in the past tense)
2. A Happy New Year (in the present tense)
3. Some Figgy pudding
4. A can of rootbeer!

I need this in writing...

I was taking Tim to basketball practice and I handed him his new Christmas Basketball. I said, I have written your name on it and here is your bottle of water.

He said, "I don't know how I'd survive without a good Mom....It makes going to college and on a mission kind of scary."

I told him he has a few years. {thankfully}

{Ka-Ching} That's the mommy register collecting payment. ;)

Catching up on Christmas

C--omfortable pajamas. Like usual we spent the day decked in our jammies, eating good food, playing games and not worrying about anything.
H--appy. The memorable faces we saw during our delivering of neighborhood Christmas gifts. I love doing this, it is one of the only times we make contact with some neighbors in the year, but over the years it has created friendships. The neighbors next door invited us in and offered us tea. The neighbors on the end are now used to us doing that and last summer they even walked the two houses away to sit and chat for 20 minutes! One neighbor down the street invited us in and told us about all her family traditions. My kids sang for her and listened politely. The comment after by Tim was, I'm really glad we did that and Sierra gave her a great big hug. I think it was more than our night that was enriched. And one last one, the primary teacher. None of my kids had her this year, but she is well into her 80s and has taught Emily, Tim and Sierra. Savanna is next on the docket. She sometimes gets forgotten in the rush not only by the ward, but by her family. I think she is the most thankful of anyone that I have ever given a gift to. I've received thank you calls (multiple times) in the middle of the summer for Christmas gifts. She is a unique individual, and my kids love her. Her smile and tears are what makes Christmas Christmas for me.
R--eunions. Christmas is a time to be with family and there was no shortage of that this year. We had a great time With Mike's family & Brooke's family on Christmas Eve. Word to the wise, Andy is probably lying about being a Werewolf and Brooke's Mom definitely is! Reuninoning on my side of the family was a treat too. So nice to see my niece Heather after 18+ a little months in Argentina on a LDS mission. I love my nieces and nephews. Everyone of them is a great friend and example to my kids.
I--ce cream. Mike's family had a tradition of ice cream sundaes on Christmas Eve so I meant to keep that alive with them on Christmas day...but we forgot. They were yummy for Ethan's birthday though.
S--anta...ours is a bit slow in the head giving Tim his Christmas wrapping paper and all. But, he's still a hero and I'm glad my kids are appreciative of his efforts.
T--raditions. We have a ton of them and they really make the season for me. I can't even share all of them as some are secret.
M--erry & bright. The lights...that will still be on for some weeks. I call it therapy.
A--ngels...they many friends that have made our Christmases bright this year and in years past. This year was a year of not many worries but there have been plenty that were not and I can't tell you how many angels have helped us a long the way. I only hope that we have been angels for someone else.
S--atisfied. Says it all.

FOUR

Four is awesome and thankfully four is STILL Medium. I don't know what I'd do if Ethan had decided he was big today.


Happy birthday to my AWESOME {sweet, lovable, filled with spunk, funny} MEDIUM GUY!

So Naturally...

So it's been a crazy month, school, church, family party, work wise...like usual. And my house is more out of control...than usual. So we need a good cleaning.

So NATURALLY...I started a new project.


We've been through many sets of Christmas stockings...pretty much one set per new child, and frankly I've hated them all. I've been especially unhappy with the stockings we have used for the last 3 years since Ethan was born.

So a late night trip to Joann's (Yeah for 70% off clearance on Christmas items BEFORE Christmas) + dusting off my sewing machine = Merry Christmas Stockings to me. :)

Ridiculous!

Shoes...MANY MANY SHOES.... We have a shoe closet that regularly gets overrun with too many shoes. 7 people times 2 feet each = too many shoes. Yesterday Sierra cleaned out the closet so we could get rid of those shoes that are not needed at the moment and so we could open the front door. Gotta be able to get to all those yummy neighbor treats ya know.



This is the result. Sierra counted 98 shoes. When she told me I said 98 shoes or 98 pairs (I feared the worst) She said shoes, then said I'll count how many pairs...a couple seconds later she said, HEY wait a minute I could just divide by 2! Score...out of school but still learning. {insert evil laugh} And lest you think that we are organized enough to have ALL the shoes in pairs let me disabuse you of this notion. We are NOT. (Not all shoes are pictured...as they climbed several stairs.)

And despite removing about 3/4 of the shoes from the closet our bucket runneth over. What do you do with YOUR shoes?

So learning at home brings me to my next ridiculous thought. School. Still. In. Em, Tim and Sierra got out of school on Friday...Savanna had to go two more days this week. For very important things like Pajama Day. Now I'm not knocking PJ day...sounds like a blast and actually it's been quite peaceful and frankly she loves it...but really can we call it school? I think not. :)
p.s. Thanks Grandpa Clark for new jammies to wear.

And this picture brings me to my next. Presents...maybe not ridiculous...more exciting than not. This is the first time in 12 years we have been able to put presents out before Christmas Eve. I do feel a new era dawning in the life of our family. :) Could I hope for the traditional 1000 piece puzzle to come back between Christmas and New Years?


P.S. Don't you love Ethan's rockin' wrappin' skills? He is a great shopper and very proud of his'presidents'.