Happy Summer Everyone!
We hope that none of you have been caught up in the crazy weather of the spring/summer: fires, floods, tornados, etc. We got over 11 inches of rain in June and had some flooding. It was nuts! But luckily, our house didn't slide away or anything. We're just fine and hope you are too.
Here's what's going on in the Clark household:
Tom is busy renovating our basement. I hope that six months from now when we do another update for our family newsletter that I can say that it's done! I also hope that you will all be motivated to come for a visit and check it out. It's going to double the living space in our home and according to Tom's 3D designs of it on his computer, it will be AWESOME! Besides sawing, hammering, and dry-walling, Tom continues to work for the University, continues to record and gig, and continues to keep our ward's bishop (leader of our Church's congregation) organized. Most of all, Tom continues to be a fantastic husband and dad-REALLY!
I got a shock a couple of months ago when I went to our ward's bishop and told him that I didn't want to teach Seminary (early morning bible study for high schoolers) anymore. After two years, I thought someone else should have a turn. Rather than giving me a break with something less time consuming, he called me to be the ward's Relief Society President (leader of our Church's women's organization)-ugh! As usual, I had a tough beginning, but I'm slowly figuring it out. In my "free time" I do Weight Watchers, walk while listening to my new iPod , entertain the kids, and do boring stuff like clean the house and do laundry. I have dreams of singing and dancing again some day, but can't quite figure out when and how to add that to my schedule. Anyone want a singing/dancing telegram?
Nathan starts high school in the fall (gasp!) He seems ready for it as many of his friends are already high school age. But still, it seems weird to have a child enter high school. Where did the time go? Nathan auditioned and made it into the advanced jazz band. He's mostly interested in science-related classes (which is a big surprise) so that's going to be his core emphasis. He also likes cross-country running, is interested in wrestling, and hopes to be able to pass the life guarding class so he can do that as a summer job when he turns 16.
Wesley just turned 12 and was ordained to be a Deacon at church. Pretty cool! Wes continues to be his goofy self and keeps us laughing. I've discovered recently that he's really good at math. When one of his buddies, who likes to do math problems for fun, kept throwing math problems at Wesley he always got the answer right. Me, being a dork at math, was pretty impressed! Wesley actually seems to be good at so many things (voice impressions, humor, writing, memory, creativity, figuring things out, etc), it'll be interesting to see where he ends up as an adult. Wes is now a purple belt with a white stripe in Taekwondo, and just started taking electric bass lessons.
Camilla celebrated her 8th birthday on May 18 and got baptized. It was a very nice occasion. She gets more and more beautiful everyday. I'm serious! I look at her and wonder where her long, thin legs, big brown eyes, long shiny hair, and beautiful smile came from. Obviously she got all of the best qualities from both sides of the family. She also has a very sweet and happy disposition. I love how she's so bubbly and looks for and sees the good in everybody and everything around her. For example, I noticed at Camilla's birthday party that she had friends there from all over the world: Turkey, China, Vietnam, Korea, France, Africa, and even Indiana! Camilla had a "bug" theme for her birthday party and now has a pet beetle named Chocolate. I accidentally put it down the garbage disposal a week ago and thought Camilla's heart was going to break. Luckily Tom was able to save the day and got it out. Camilla will save worms and just about any squiggly thing out there that lives in dirt. I imagine her being a Parks and Recreation representative someday or perhaps a therapist. She loves Heather's therapy sessions and has learned probably 200-300 words in sign language. Camilla also continues to take Taekwondo and is a yellow belt. She also plays the piano.
Heather will turn 3 in October. She adds a sweetness to our home. Some of the kids will fight and argue with each other, but everyone loves Heather. She continues to have therapy 4 times a week, but it will all come to an end on her 3rd birthday. I have mixed feelings about that. I love her therapists and love all of the hours of one on one attention that she gets, but it will be good for her to move on to see what's next in her life's journey. We're currently looking at therapeutic preschools for her. Heather loves music time in her Nursery class at church and loves having all of her siblings home from school over the summer. We've all been spending lots of time at the pool and she seems to like that as well.
As a family we plan to make a trip to Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana this summer. (Yes, there is a Santa Claus, Indiana.) It's a HUGE water and theme park a few hours from Bloomington. Also, Tom has a few gigs with hotel stays that the family may tag along on. Besides that, we're just hanging out at home and trying to enjoy not being crazy-busy. We help Tom on occasion with the basement, but mostly he likes to do it all himself.
We hope all is well with you. Please keep in touch!
Love,
Tom, Michelle, Nathan, Wesley, Camilla, and Heather Clark
