December 2007

Tom, Nathan, Wesley, Camilla, Heather and I wish all of you a very, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

We truly hope that you are enjoying this wonderful time of year in which we commemorate our Savior's birth. The lights, the music, the decorations, the Christmas programs, and the notes and cards that we receive from each of you are all so enjoyable. The Spirit we feel at this time of year makes it my favorite time of year. I wish it could last year round. I guess that in a way, it can . . .

Just to bring you up to date:

Tom remains busy with his many roles and responsibilities: daddy, husband, gigs, graphic designer, handyman, executive secretary at Church, counselor and friend, runner, etc. Most recently Tom has been asked to play congas, keyboards, tambourine, and sing in his variety bands. This winter he plans to learn how to be a plumber while remodeling our downstairs bathroom.

Nathan is in 8th grade and looks and acts more and more like his dad as he gets older, especially when Nathan plays his saxophone. It just makes me wonder if Nathan is giving me a hint as to what Tom may have been like as a teenager. Nathan is very easy-going and a joy to have around. I hear that teenagers are difficult, but so far he's been a really good kid. Nathan has many friends, mostly from Church, who choose wholesome activities to entertain themselves with. The most recent activity, however, that I'm questioning is when the boys chose to play “Capture the Flag” at midnight. Because it was dark, Nathan couldn't see where he was going and ran into a barbed wire fence. It slashed him across his face-mostly over his right eye. He has a scar now which he thinks is pretty cool.

Wesley is 11 and in the 5th grade. Wes still enjoys Taekwondo and has earned his purple belt so far. I think he would like to stick with it until he earns his black belt. Wesley's greatest gift is his sense of humor. He keeps us laughing daily. He also has a unique way of looking at the world and combines that with his humor and incredible creativity and memory. Wesley does very well in school with very little effort. He's managed to find some friends who share his enthusiasm for Star Wars and video games.

Camilla, 7, has joined Wesley in the Taekwondo studio. She should be testing for her yellow belt very soon. Although Camilla has beautiful long dancer legs, she'd rather put on a martial arts uniform and kick, yell, and punch than put on a tutu and twirl. This must have something to do with having two older brothers to defend herself from. Camilla looks like a very beautiful and feminine little girl, but inside she's all tomboy.

Heather turned 2 in October. Her progress is slow, but steady. She has four FABULOUS therapists who work with her during the week and they make a huge difference. I consider these women angels, because of their desire to do much good and bring hope to children and their families. Heather's hair is getting long enough to put in pigtails and other hairstyles. She and Camilla often have matching dresses and hair bows for Church (pretty darn cute!) Heather's personality is like Nathan's because she's pretty easy-going yet determined, but she's funny like Wes. A good combination with what she has to face in life.

Michelle: Well, I continue to teach early morning Seminary. I have 9 Freshmen/Sophomore age kids in my class. They're awesome! Besides Seminary and taking care of my four kids, I still work a few hours a week at the YMCA, and do Weight Watchers. I'm desperately trying to reach my weight goal (which somehow always seems unattainable-along with my goal to someday run a marathon.) I firmly believe, however, that with the start of a new year and with renewed faith in the Lord, perhaps I can achieve what may seem impossible . . .

I wish the same for all of you in the coming year (reaching your goals).

We love you all and wish you the very best,

-The Clarks

June 2007

Happy Summer Everyone!!!

I hope you ’re all enjoying your summer break as much as I am. As a family, we just returned from The Twin Cities in Minnesota. Tom had a resort gig there. Housing was paid for, along with some money for food. (Plus Tom got paid for the gig.) Tom likes to travel this way . . . Cheap! Anyway, the kids got a kick out of Mall of America and enjoyed swimming and generally hanging out. It was a fun trip.

To bring you up to date, this is what we were doing before the summer break and what we plan to do the rest of the summer:

I was getting up every weekday at 5:00 am to teach Seminary. If you’re not familiar with Seminary, it’s like a Bible study class for High School aged kids taught in the early morning before school. I had twelve WONDERFUL Freshmen and sophomores in my class. I plan to teach again next fall. Besides Seminary, I started a weight loss support group called “Lean on Me.” Tom built me an AMAZING website for it: http://mypage.iu.edu/~thrclark/lean/index.html. This group meets until July 6, and then we’ll take a break until fall. Beyond these two “activities,” I’ve been busy with Heather’s therapy and playing chauffer to the other kids. The summer changes are: working part-time at the YMCA, exercising, vacations, playing with kids, cleaning, cleaning, cleaning!

Nathan just finished the 7th grade at Jackson Creek Middle School. He ran track/cross-country and played the saxophone in both the school band and jazz band. Nathan NEVER has nothing to do. I think his social calendar is busier than Tom’s or mine. Over the summer: he’s thrilled to have his best friend visiting from Pennsylvania They’ve got the whole summer planned out with group get-togethers with other kids going boating, seeing movies, camp-outs, barbecues, etc. Tom also plans to give Nathan saxophone lessons over the summer, if they can find the time to coordinate.

Right at the end of the school year, Wesley earned his purple-belt in Tae Kwon Do. It took him about six months to earn. Wesley also just completed the 4th grade at Child’s Elementary School with flying colors, and he just completed the 4th Harry Potter book (734 pages). Summer plans for Wes include: Tae Kwon Do! Tae Kwon Do! Tae Kwon Do! I paid for an entire summer’s worth. He can go as many times as he wants until August 18. Besides kicking and punching this summer, Wesley would really like to make another movie. (We’ll have to find a way to post his other two movies on the Internet so you can watch them---maybe on Youtube or something). Wes also just celebrated his11th birthday.

Before the summer came, Camilla worked diligently at reading. At the beginning of the school year (1st grade), Camilla was just learning to read; now she reads like a pro. Camilla also became a “tree hugger” this year at school, and a “health nut.” I think some of you know that she chose, as her birthday party theme this year, Earth Day. Summer changes for Camilla are: learning to play well with siblings (Camilla and Wes can sometimes really go at it), quitting dance for Tae Kwon Do lessons (Camilla has a dance recital next week. After that she wants to learn how to kick and punch like her brother), and swimming lessons.

Before summer, Heather only had therapy twice a week. Now we’re going to try therapy three times a week. Heather’s getting close to walking . . . Heather also began attending the nursery at Church (big milestone for all of us), and she just recently began attending Child Care with me at the YMCA. (Yes, I gave up working at the front desk at the Y to work in Child Care again-ugh! Hopefully after a year, Heather will feel comfortable enough in there to let me move back to the desk). We’ll keep you posted on all of Heather’s development. It’s slow . . . but she’s definitely making progress.

Tom’s routine doesn’t change a whole lot. Whether it’s summer or fall, he’s my “working man!” Seriously, he’s ridiculously busy with all of his work projects. Between his day job and his gigs, he’s practically a round the clock-er. But he’s added a new “summer project” to his schedule: remodeling his office. We’re not talking changing furniture around or anything. With the help of his dad, who was visiting, Tom has knocked down walls, reframed, wired, insulated, and dry walled his office. Of course, like everything else Tom does, it will be fantastic when he’s done!

I wish you all a happy summer! Please keep in touch.

Much love,

Tom, Michelle, Nathan, Wesley, Camilla, and Heather Clark