December 2006

Merry Christmas!

Can you believe it??? Another year is coming to an end. And what a year it has been for us. We’ve had our share of challenges and blessings, but I think more blessings than challenges. At this time of year when we ponder upon the great gift of hope in eternal life that comes through our Savior Jesus Christ, how can I not feel overwhelmed with joy over the blessings that are mine? And what blessings still can be mine? I think a feeling of gratitude best summarizes how I feel at the close of this year.

I think I’m most grateful for my family, in particular my fabulous husband. I think all who know Tom know how patient and tolerant he is. He would have to be to put up with me for 14 (almost 15) years. Tom works very hard to provide for the family, even working, what seems like, around the clock. If you consider his day job + gigs + freelance work, I think it all adds up to ‘round the clock work. Tom is not only dedicated to providing for his family, but he is dedicated to being a good husband and father. He makes an effort to help around the house when he’s home, just to make my job easier. Tom’s been known to bake several loaves of homemade bread, make the kids lunches, do laundry, clean the kitchen, make breakfast, dinner, etc. The kids love their dad because of the time, love and support he gives to each of them. We will sorely miss him over Christmas while he travels through South Korea entertaining the U.S. Troops, but will look forward to spending part of the holiday season with him when he returns Jan. 2.

Heather, age 1, is progressing slowly. She has therapy twice a week and is now able to sit up well, turn around in a sitting position, clap her right hand with her left, and can occasionally hold something in her right hand. We’re grateful for any progress that she makes. We’re also grateful for the “First Steps” program that offers free therapy to children under the age of three, and they’re fabulous therapists. As you can imagine, therapy twice a week could normally cost a fortune. Heather has obviously inherited her father’s good nature, as she is very patient, tolerant, calm, and is a VERY good sleeper!

Camilla (6) is beginning to thrive in her 1st grade class at school. She had a rough beginning, but has since settled in. It seems that all of our kids struggle with some shyness in social situations. This is sort of a surprise to me as our kids aren’t shy at home, especially Camilla who never stops talking. I’ve enrolled Camilla in a dance class again and recently took her to see the Nutcracker. I hope that she develops a love for dancing because although she doesn’t realize it yet, she is a beautiful dancer.

Nathan is 13 and overnight has turned into a typical teenager. I guess what I mean by that is he’s never home. He’s always at a church youth activity, at a school football game, at a band practice, at a friend’s house, etc. When he is home, he’s either eating, playing on the Play Station, doing homework or sleeping. Sound familiar to anyone? If I were to choose to raise any teenager, however, I’d pick Nathan. He, like Heather, has inherited Tom’s good nature. Nathan is kind of quiet, but nice to everyone, easy to get along with, and confident. He’s following in his father’s footsteps and is becoming a decent saxophone player and a wiz at the computer.

Wes (10) is our Taekwondo-Man! He’s also our Drama-man! Since as long as Wesley could dress himself (age 2?), he’s enjoyed dressing up as some character from a book, movie, or his imagination and acting out a scene from the story. I finally wizened up one day and enrolled him in a drama class. I think both his drama class and his Taekwondo classes allow him the creative outlets that he needs. Besides Wesley’s creative mind, he has a very keen mind. Wes continues to surprise us with his academic test scores at school. He regularly scores in the top 99% for math and reading. Unfortunately he dislikes school and would rather spend time acting, karate chopping, or playing on the Playstation.

As mentioned before, I have a wonderful family to be grateful for. I’m also grateful for the educational opportunities that the Lord blesses me with. I’ve been asked to teach High School Seminary. I teach 12 fabulous freshmen and sophomore students every morning (Monday-Friday) at 6:30. I’m learning a lot about the Gospel through this opportunity and am hopefully learning how to be an effective teacher-especially with this age group. Thirdly, I’m grateful for the patience that everyone around me has as I continue to struggle with getting myself back in shape after Heather’s birth. I always feel so horrible about myself when I’m not as fit as I like to be. To some this may sound silly, but to me it’s probably one of my biggest daily challenges. Again, I’m grateful for the patience and support that everyone, especially my husband, gives me in trying to conquer this “monster.” I have great faith that with the Lord’s help, I’ll get it under control. “In the strength in the Lord, I can accomplish all things.”

Lastly, I’m grateful for all of you!!! Friends and family have enriched our lives in so many ways. Thank you for everything!

Love,

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

June 2006

Well HELLO to Everyone from The Hoosier State,

Summer is upon us which means long hot days, evening walks with fireflies, A/C, swimsuits (ugh!), entertaining the kids, birthday parties, staying up late and sleeping-in, camping, BUGS, friends moving away, and traveling to see family.

It’s also a reminder that my kids are growing up as three of them have completed another school year.

Nathan just graduated from elementary school and will be starting Jackson Creek Jr. High School in the fall. I remember my jr. high years almost as if they were yesterday. I can’t believe my son is already at that stage in his life. He’s turning 13 in September and has all new interests. I find it fun to try and guess what talents and interests that a toddler will still have when he grows up. Nathan’s interests used to include science, science fiction, and more science. But now he’s all sports and music. Much to his dad and I’s dismay, he wants to play 7th grade football. We’re afraid he’s going to get pounded out on the field because he’s of small stature. (Science was safer.) However, because he’s such a great runner, he’s beginning to show some interest in track. He plans to play saxophone in the school jazz band, take accelerated math and learn Spanish. I do believe he’s a “chip off the old block” wouldn’t you say?

Wesley gets taller and older, but he hasn’t changed much. He just completed 3rd grade and had his 10th birthday on June 4. It was another Harry Potter party. (I think this was the 4th Harry Potter party I’ve done.) Wes is still a “goof ball” and keeps me laughing regularly. If I were to pick a career for him, it would have something to do with film, acting, or producing. He spends a huge amount of time daily studying movies, acting out favorite scenes (including every detail), dressing up in costumes, doing character voices, role playing with action figures and puppets, and making movies with his dad. He’s been doing this since he was age two and hasn’t “grown out of it” yet. Wes was invited to participate in a special school for “gifted and talented” children next year. But he said ABSOLUTELY NO WAY! Wes is generally a good kid who enjoys his baby sister, hanging out with Nathan, and tormenting Camilla.

Camilla, now six, equally enjoys tormenting Wes. I spend a significant amount of my days playing referee for them. Other than that activity, Camilla enjoys playing with friends, doing artwork, swimming, playing games on the computer, and LOVES school! Although I’m pretty sure she likes school, I think it was her kindergarten teacher that she really loved. Camilla saw her kindergarten teacher (who was with her husband and new baby) recently at the public pool. Camilla raced off to say hello to her, but never came back. I basically had to PRY her away from them. I hope her 1st grade teacher is loved as much by her. Camilla seems to get along better with her boy schoolmates rather than the girls. I noticed at her recent birthday party that she hung out with the boys (who often hugged her and wrote “I love you” on their birthday cards to her) more than the girls. When I asked her who her good friends were, she named: Tommy, Chandler, and Andrew as her favorites. Am I ready for her to grow up??? NO WAY!

Speaking of friends, three of my kids are all having really good friends move away this summer. It’s very difficult for them.

Heather, as most of you know, suffered a stroke on the left hemisphere of her brain. The neurologist who she sees has done numerous tests to try and discover the cause of the stroke. So far, the answer seems to be that Heather has a mutation that basically doesn’t break down an enzyme. This causes clots in her blood and one went to her brain. It’s possible that she could suffer another stroke as well as experience seizures, but so far no seizures (which is a very good sign), and she’s on a folic acid and multi-vitamin supplement to help with the enzyme problem. Heather really struggles to use the right side of her body (the left side of the brain controls the right side). She has therapy twice a week to help with her posture, to learn to use her right side, and to develop more sensation in her right hand. She hates the therapy. Regardless of all of this, we have great faith and hope that she’ll be able to overcome these challenges that she faces and will continue to face. I believe that we can all develop good character traits through the challenges that we face in life. Heather has a very cheery disposition and good sense of humor. (And cute as a button!)

Tom is still the busiest and most talented (and most handsome) man I know. His “to do” list doesn’t have an end. Tom is still in the Bishopric at church, works a full-time job at Indiana University, gigs, records, does freelance web work, and is trying to do a complete overhaul of our home. Whenever I ask him what he wants for his birthday, Father’s Day, or Christmas, he usually responds with “A day off!” But his “days off” are usually consumed with trying to make progress on his “to do” list. We are planning on making another trip out West this summer. It just might be the weirdest thing for me to see Tom relax and perhaps get some sleep. Regardless of how busy Tom has been lately, he is always good-natured and always makes himself available to the family. I couldn’t have searched the world over and found a better husband and father.

My goal, as always, is to lose weight. It seems that whenever I get myself “in shape”; I get pregnant again and get “out of shape”. So here goes weight loss attempt number four! I’m happy to say that I’ve started running again and am 1/3 of the way to my weight goal. I’ve discovered that I take an awful lot of my stress out on eating. As my family has gotten bigger and I’ve had more and more responsibility and less and less time for myself, I’ve sort of just put myself on the back burner and let my health go on the back burner as well. But this has changed. I’m putting my running, healthy eating, scripture reading back on the front burner for not only my sake, but for the sake of the whole family. Life is SOOOOO much better!!! I’m happier and so is the family. Funny how that is! I’ve also quit my job at the YMCA (although I really loved it), and have quit cutting hair outside the family. I’m doing much better at saying no to things that are not a priority and yes to things that are essential. My relationship with God, my health, and my family come before anything else. Then my church responsibilities (I’m teaching Seminary this Fall), then whatever else I have time for after that. I think it’s a plan that works for me.

Well, I think there has definitely been some growth among all of us over that past few months whether it be in height, age, or wisdom and experience.

I’m so happy for the friendship, support, and words of wisdom that you offer to all of us to help us grow. I’m looking forward to seeing or hearing from you soon. Thanks for keeping in touch.

Much love to all,

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

December 2005

Dear family members and friends,

Happy Holidays Everyone! This is one of my favorite times of the year. I love everything about Christmas! I bet I'm not the only one feels that way.

Well as this year draws to a close, I'm beginning to refl

ect on the years' highlights. I guess our biggest highlight was the

birth of our 4th child, Heather Sonya Clark. She surprised us not once, but twice, by first deciding to enter our family without us planning on it, then coming a month early. She joined our family on October 10, weighing in at 5 lbs. 5 oz., 17.5” long. She's beautiful, healthy, and a good baby (as if babies could be bad.)

Another highlight was having visitors come to Indiana to see the new baby. My sister, Cherie, came in November and Tom's parents came at the beginning of December for Heather's blessing. We even got our first snowfall of the season-about 8 inches-while Tom's parents were here. The kids' school closed and we all went sledding! Well, not all of us went sledding. Some of us just watched . . .

Nathan's 12th birthday was a real highlight. He had a Napoleon Dynamite themed party. It was really fun. He was later ordained a deacon at church and has graduated to the Young Men's program. He loves hanging out with the teenage boys and participating in all of their sports programs and wild and crazy youth activities. Nathan started playing the alto saxophone in the community Star of Indiana Band. He has a Christmas concert with them on December 21. We're all looking forward to attending that. Nathan's a great kid, a great soccer player, and a wonderful big brother to Heather.

Halloween was probably one of Wesley's highlights of the year. Wesley LOVES to dress up and act out characters. Halloween is, of course, the official day to do that. He was Darth Vader this year. He practiced getting the breathing just right several weeks in advance. By the time Halloween came, I think he thought he WAS Darth Vader! Wes continues to take Taekwondo, make us laugh, and quote from Monty Python and The Holy Grail.

A real highlight this year was redecorating Camilla's room-and completing it! Tom tried very hard to redo it according to Camilla's specifications. She wanted a “garden room” with flowers, clouds, picket fences, bunnies, etc. and to make sure there was room for Heather, too. Tom was successfully able to pull it off. It looks beautiful! Camilla has a definite mind of her own with a whole lot of “girly-girl” mixed with “tomboy” and a hint of spunk! She even got in trouble at school for spitting on a boy who kept teasing her. I had to tell her that was naughty, but inside I was really applauding her for fighting back! That's my girl! Camilla loves to draw, dance, and to jump!

I'm not sure if Tom would consider turning 40 a highlight or not, but it's definitely worth noting. We weren't able to make a big “to-do” over it, though. Because Heather was born by C-section 12 days before Tom's birthday, I wasn't up for a huge party. We made a cake and played games as a family. I would certainly like to surprise him someday with a big celebration just to celebrate his life and the wonderful person he is! Tom continues to gig, design, travel, play daddy, cook delicious pizza, remodel the home, edit movies, and sometimes he sleeps.

Well, my personal highlights are watching my family interact each day. I guess I've been richly blessed because I've had many highlights this year. I hope I've adequately been able to share a few with you through photos and letters. It's been a good year.

I hope you all have a safe and enjoyable Holiday and that the Lord's choicest blessings shower you in the New Year.

Much love, Tom, Michelle, Nathan, Wesley, Camilla, and Heather

Summer 2005

Summers in Bloomington, Indiana can be summarized in one word- HOT! They are especially so to someone who is six months pregnant. Each day I grow more and more pregnant and grow more and more grateful for air conditioning. I am also most grateful for swimming pools. I often feel like an oversized beach ball bobbing around in the cool water, but oh, the relief! Swimming pools are the only place where I can feel both weightless and cool at the same time-that’s what I call heaven.

Besides airconditioning and swimming pools, I have thoroughly enjoyed traveling this summer. We have had the unique opportunity to spend time on the west coast with our extended family members and friends. I say this is unique because flying with the family is outrageously expensive and driving is both time consuming and unbearable. But we bit the bullet and drove to Cannon Beach, Oregon for a Croft family reunion. We drove nearly two days straight-a record for us-and the kids did remarkably well in the car (thanks to the DVD player.) While in Cannon Beach, the kids enjoyed boogie boarding with their cousins at the beach, visiting with grandparents, spending time with aunts and uncles whom they barely know, and best of all trying to compete with their cousin Steven in Dance Dance Revolution. (Nathan is still determined to be as good as Steven someday). Of course, I loved the swimming pool best of all.

The West Coast trip also included a trip to Seattle to visit our friend, Amy Stephens Chen that included a trip to the beach. We also got to visit Brent, Trina, and their three girls and 11 pets in beautiful Crescent City. This also included a trip to the beach. We got a chance to visit Klamath Falls where Tom has a number of relatives. (No beach in Klamath.) We eventually made it down to Hughson where there is no beach, but an absolutely refreshing swimming pool. That’s where most of our time was spent. The great thing about Hughson was that all family members wanted to spend time in the pool as well-a great way to socialize, I think! Upon leaving Hughson, California and heading back to Indiana, we decided to make an overnight stay in Utah. We took the kids to Temple Square in Salt Lake City, and then went on to visit my 98 year-old Grandma. She is an amazing lady who still manages to cook several course meals, walks to church without a cane, keeps up in her garden, knows the names of all her great-great grandchildren, and keeps her house immaculately clean. I’m sixty years younger than her and don’t have half her energy or sharpness of mind. Although there were no beaches or swimming pools, I thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Utah. Overall, our trip out West was wonderful. It was so good to see everyone. We loved the hospitality, the conversation, the sightseeing, the fabulous cooking and enjoyment of the kids’ interaction. We hope to do another trip before the next decade rolls around.

Just a quick update for you on our family:

Tom still divides his time between church work, computer work, music work, and "home" work. As usual, "Mr. Perfectionist" is always in high demand. His motto has always been, "If I can’t do it right, I won’t do it at all". So of course, everyone wants him for the job because they know he’ll get it done right. As usual, I, along with

everyone else, have a waiting list of projects for Tom to complete whenever he has time . . .. Most of the projects are home remodeling projects. I wish they could be done yesterday, but I know he’ll eventually get there and it’ll be worth the wait.

Camilla is starting kindergarten this year. I remember looking forward to this day about a year ago. I thought, "Wow, all my kids will be in school this year. What does that mean for me? Should I go back to school and finish my degree, or go back to work full time . . ." But now that we’ve got baby #4 on the way, that changes everything. Even so, as the day draws closer for Camilla to join her brothers in riding the school bus to school everyday, I’m getting a little nervous for her. I already know I’ll get emotional watching the school bus drive away on the first day of school. Then I’ll wish that I could chase after the bus and be a fly on the wall in her classroom all day-such a mix of emotions. I’ve done this same kind of thing with the boys and I’m sure it will be no different with Camilla. I’m sure she’ll be just fine because she seems very ready for this new adventure in her life, even if I’m not sure I am. Besides beginning kindergarten, she’ll begin dance lessons again this Fall and is looking forward to playing with her many friends who’ve been away for the summer.

Wesley is still waiting to perform the play that he’s written called, "Hamster Adventures". It’s a spoof on Star Wars with hamsters that play all the roles. He wrote it last year with the idea that all his classmates would be the hamsters in the play and perform it at the end of the school year. Unfortunately, the teacher’s assistant who was helping Wes put the play together had to finish the school year earlier than expected. The play never happened. We’re hoping to pull it together this coming school year (3rd grade). Besides being a playwright, Wesley spends a lot of time trying to make people laugh and is enjoying cub scouts. He took a summer break from Taekwondo and is anxious to start again this Fall.

Nathan will be turning twelve in September and is entering the 6th grade. He’s looking forward to playing the saxophone in a local band. He still really enjoys sports, doing chores to earn money, and being the man of the house when Tom is away. He and I had a race recently to see who could read the 6th Harry Potter book the quickest. He won by a few days. I’m glad for his recent desire to read. He can always be found in his bed late at night with his nose in a book-I’m trying to decide if I should tell him to turn out the light, or encourage the reading.

Well, that’s about it! I think the next update that we will have will be when the baby is born. Knowing Tom, he’ll whip up an amazing website just for her. Or perhaps, he’ll just add another page to the one we already have. Regardless, we’ll let you know when the big event happens---probably around Halloween.

We love you all and are so grateful for you!

Love, The Clarks

December 2004

Dear family members and friends,

Well Merry Christmas and a Happy 2005 to all of you!!!

2004 has been a GREAT year for us filled with many learning opportunities! Although learning isn't always easy nor fun, knowledge is always a blessing in the end. So what have we learned this year . . .

Tom has added more skills to his long "What He Can Do" list. He can now put in laminate wood flooring since he replaced our ugly kitchen carpet with a beautiful new floor. He can now call himself a GUID (his job working for Indiana University), which means Graphics Usability Interface Designer. Huh? Well, I'm not exactly sure what that means either, but I'm sure it's something good. He was recently called as Ward Executive Secretary in our church, and keeps busy with that. Although music is nothing new to Tom, he continues to gig, tour, and record. We've taken several family trips this year as Tom has had out-of-state performances. He says that each performance is always a learning experience for him.

Camilla spends her days jumping, hopping, twirling, skipping, and doing forward rolls. We think she is learning how to be a dancer/gymnast. Tom and I have enrolled her in dance and gymnastics classes with the hopes that the teachers will direct her energy into useful skills. Camilla has also discovered whistling, friends, preschool, My Little Ponies, and computers. Camilla will be 5 in May and is already getting excited to start kindergarten in the Fall. In my opinion, she is very ready.

Nathan, our 11 year-old, is moving up! He will be 12 in September. That

seems to be such a landmark age to me. He will soon be leaving Primary and elementary school, and heading toward the teen years. Yikes! Nathan has totally passed me up in the know-how's of anything electronic. He can beat me at any Playstation or computer game. Nathan has become quite a good reader and writer. He's very artistic and creative and loves the use of grammar and vocabulary in his writings. He would say he's learned the most this year in soccer! I would say he's become a wonderful, lovable, and thoughtful kid!

Wesley is still the funny one! He brightens my day by all of the funny things he says and does. I love his spontaneity. I think he's discovering how funny he is, too, as his 2nd Grade teacher consistently awards him with –Life Skill tickets” for his sense of humor. One sad thing that Wesley is also learning is that not everyone is nice. He often comes home from school wondering why people are mean to each other. I think that Wesley's sense of humor will help him deal with some of the mean people he will continue to encounter in his life. Another thing he's learning which will help him face mean people is Tae Kwon Do. Wesley has a fabulous teacher. Wes's confidence level has shot up tremendously since we started him in this Martial Art form. He will test for his orange belt on January 7, 2005.

I am also learning Tae Kwon Do and just earned my yellow belt. The Tae Kwon Do lessons that Wes and I take, the gymnastics and preschool classes that Camilla takes, and the soccer that Nathan does are all done at our local YMCA where I started working at the beginning of this year. I started working in the child care where I could take Camilla with me. Then in September, I enrolled Camilla in their preschool program and I switched to the front desk. I just work two 4-hour shifts a week, but LOVE IT! I've learned this year that I can still sing, even along side young, hot, new voice majors at the University (which is a thrill for me). I've learned that I love to teach as I occasionally substitute teach early morning Seminary and do Sharing Time in Primary. Unfortunately, I can't seem to learn how to keep the weight off. Will 2005 be the year for that beastly problem of mine???

Well, I hope you all know how much we love you and are grateful for you. We wish you the very best in this new year. May all of your righteous desires be granted.

Love, The Clarks

June 2004

Hello Everyone,

Summer is just around the corner and I'm sure that you, like us, are making Summer plans, dusting off your swim suits and outdoor grills, and are beginning to run the A/C.

Some of our Summer plans MAY involve buying a small r/v and traveling across the midwest. We would even like to go back east and see the Hill Cumorah pageant. This is in the very beginning planning stages. Also, after winning some free tickets to King's Island Amusement Park in Ohio, we'll be making a trip out there to have some fun!

We recently bought the kids a trampoline for the backyard to keep them entertained after school lets out. Keep your fingers crossed with us that no one kills themselves . . .

If I were to sum up these last few weeks with just five words they'd be: Cicadas, thunderstorms, parties, Taekwondo, Soccer, weight-loss (does that count as one word?), and gigs.

I think anyone who lives in the midwest needs no explanation when it comes to either cicadas or thunderstorms. But for the rest of you, a cicada (I'm not even sure I have the spelling right), is a bug which looks like a cross between a large wasp, a horsefly, and a butterfly. They get as big as 3' long and are NOISY!!! The last time anyone saw a cicada was 17 years ago; then they were dormant until the end of May 2004! We were the lucky winners to experience the infestation of billions of bugs! They crawled out of the ground and flew into the trees where they buzz (a male mating call), and live for about three weeks then die. There are still billions of cicadas everywhere, but we are beginning so see lots of dead ones on the ground. They don't really hurt anything or bite or sting. Their only annoyance is their noise and their poor flying skills. They will fly right into you or land right on you. Picnics are a real pain-there's always several uninvited 'guests'.

As far as thunderstorms go, May is usually the big storm month out here. Once again we were lucky to be missed by the ten or so tornados that came through Indiana last Sunday. The sirens went off, but all we got was a few flashes of lightening and a lot of rain. I love the storms, but I admit to getting a little nervous when the tornado sirens go off.

Camilla just celebrated her fourth birthday! For the first time, we actually planned a fairly large party for her. She requested a Dora, The Explorer party along with a long list of friends to invite. Everything went very well and Camilla felt super special for a day. Besides turning four, Camilla has been taking dancing and gymnastics classes. She is one of the most cheerful and friendly little girls I know.

Wesley is our Taekwondo man! On June 11, he'll be testing for his yellow belt, a big accomplishment! Another big accomplishment is getting baptized. His scheduled baptism is on June 20 which is also Father's Day. Grandpa and Grandma Clark will be able to attend that special event. Although Wesley already turned eight on June 4, he'll be celebrating his birthday on Saturday, June 12, with a Harry Potter theme. And yes, we've already seen the movie!

Nathan, after four years, has decided to turn in the piano for a saxophone. Although Tom has not objected to teaching Nathan the saxophone, he'd like Nathan to continue with the piano. He thinks it will make Nathan a better musician. Nathan really, really, really likes jazz! He also really, really, really likes basketball-so much so that he wants to grow out his hair and wear it in corn rows like all the cool professional players such as Jermaine O'Neil. Nathan's other love is soccer. He usually scores at least one goal each game.

Tom had such a busy gig week last week that he was out every night except Saturday. The money is always nice, but it's also nice to see his face. 'Tis the season . . . Tom and the word 'busy' are usually said together in the same sentence. He stays 'busy' in his ward calling. He stays 'busy' with his gigs. And he stays 'busy' with his full-time job. He still manages to find time for his family and hobbies. And staying true to Tom's nature, everything that he does, he does well!

Just as 'Tom' and 'busy' are usually heard in the same sentence, my name and 'weight-loss' are found in the same sentence. And not always because I've been so successful at it. It's usually because I'm still working at it. I often wonder what I'll have to think about or talk about or even work on after the resurrection! If I already have a perfect body . . . Then what??? There's just got to be other important things to work on that fill my thoughts wouldn't you agree? Some other things I really do think about or are doing are: reading (I've been a thirsty reader lately), working at the YMCA, ward/stake callings, taekwondo, scrapbooking, home remodeling, singing, and wondering what I'm going to be when I grow up. Well that about covers it for now.

We hope all is going well for you and hope to hear from you soon. You continue to be in our thoughts and prayers and are most grateful for our relationship with you.

God bless you, Tom, Michelle, Nathan, Wesley, and Camilla

August 2003

Hello Everyone,

Summer is quickly drawing to a close, although we still feel the heat of the sticky, balmy midwestern air. It can be a blessing and a cursing as we experience all four seasons (to the max) out here. Thank goodness for air-conditioning and swimming pools to get us through the Summer. I admire our pioneer ancestors more and more. I don't know how they did it all without our modern conveniences.

Our Summer hasn't been all about heat, however. We've had some great opportunities and adventures over the past few months while school has been out.

Wesley celebrated his 7th birthday shortly after his kindergarten graduation. He chose a Spiderman theme and invited his friends to a Ëspidery-webbyÓ party in the park. I still get the chills thinking about all of those plastic spiders we gave to the kids in their goody sacs. Yikes! A little too realistic looking for me. Wes had a great time, however.

Two days after Wesley's party, Tom left for a 3 week USO tour to South Korea. This was Tom's 19th (?) country to visit. Some of Tom's highlights with this tour included going to the non-militarized zone between North and South Korea and . . . This October, Tom plans to do a tour of the Caribbean, then possibly the Mediterranean next Spring. (I'm trying to find a way to tag along on one of these.) Besides carrying his saxophone all over the world, Tom lugs his lap top along wherever he goes. He continues to use this handy lap top to do design work for the University. Most of the time he goes in to work, but he really can do his job anywhere. Tom's talent, intellect, and hard work continues to amaze me.

While Tom entertained our troops overseas, the kids and I headed for the west coast to visit family. We covered California, Oregon, and Washington. Again, I'm thankful for modern conveniences---I don't know if my patience level would have lasted very long in a 4-5 day car ride, much less a wagon ride lasting who knows how long. The plane ride was only a few hours and the kids loved every minute of it! They really are good little travelers. We all had a wonderful time getting reacquainted with cousins, siblings, parents, aunts and uncles, and grandparents. The only person missing was Tom. Maybe next year . . .

After a month of traveling, Tom, the kids, and I were all reunited. It was great to be a family again.

Since our return home, we've enjoyed having a number of visitors, especially the Rackhams. Having them come to visit was kind-of like the cherry on top! With the exception of Trina's family, we were able to cover all siblings on both sides of the family this Summer. What a treat!

We are now settling into a routine again. Nathan is back to his Legos, PlayStation 2, Scouting, and playing with friends. He will be entering the 4th grade this Fall and turning 10 in September. Nathan totally caught me by surprise this morning. At about 7:30 AM, I went to the living room as I noticed the light was on. When I peeked around the corner, I saw that Nathan was reading his scriptures. Sometimes I wonder where this boy came from. He's just such a good kid!

Camilla is 3 and is full of spunk! Her favorite thing in the whole world is music time in nursery. She loves to dance and sing and laugh and make animal noises, etc. We obviously have a wonderful nursery music leader in our ward. Camilla also enjoys playing with any girl who is older than her. This works out well as most older girls enjoy playing with her as well--especially her babysitter. Often when Camilla sees her sitter (at church or out and about), Camilla tells me to go away so she can play with Ëher friendsÓ. Goodness, this isn't suppose to happen until they're teenagers, right?

And me? Well, most people who know me know that I'm the eternal dieter. It seems like my entire life has been spent trying out one diet or another. In fact, when most people ask me how I am, I feel like my answer can be paralleled with how much I'm weighing that day. So, today I'm doing a little better than so-so as I'm slightly more than half way to my weight goal. By January, if all goes well, I should be fantastic as I should be at my weight goal by then. Now, putting weight aside, I'm doing very well. Life seems a little weird, though, as we're heading toward the Ëgoing back to schoolÓ transition. The boys seem restless and could do with a little more structure to their day, but I like having them around. I guess it's just a Ëmom thingÓ.

Well that about wraps it up. I hope you're all doing well and that you don't hesitate to call if you're ever coming this way. We'd love to see you!!! May you continue to be blessed in all of your righteous endeavors.

We love you, Tom, Michelle, Nathan, Wesley, and Camilla