So Cal Clarkes

Part 3 - Yellowstone

2011-09-14T22:28:00.001-07:00

We just happened to be in Yellowstone during the hottest days they had this summer. We came prepared with jackets, etc. but totally melted instead.

(Ok, so these bears were actually at a really cool bear park in West Yellowstone, but so amazing and totally worth the extra stop!)

Trying to make an "awkward family photo" :)

Doesn't that backdrop look fake?

I think these photos look like a postcard, but we really took them!

The pots were so colorful (and stinky!)

The bison really showed us the love. Saw deer and elk too,

but sadly, no moose.

Jones & Clarke kids goofing off= got to love these awesome tour buses

A little stop in Rexburg for a college tour

Took a quick detour through Preston, ID to see Napoleon Dynamite sights!

Summer part 2 - Road Trip...

2011-08-09T19:59:00.001-07:00

with stops in SLC, Bear Lake, Preston, Rexburg,

Island Park, Yellowstone, Jackson Hole!

We were in 7 states in 7 days!

It was a whirlwind of a trip with lots of driving (way too much :)

but the kids were awesome travelers and we saw

things we'd never seen before.

First stop: the Joneses--love these cute girls!

Why doesn't CA have more shaved ice?

Cousin Emily

Hanging at the cabin

Clarke cousins + Grandma Ann

Minute to Win It Games:

Having a lot of brothers teaches you to be a sharp shooter

Fly fishing instruction from Grandpa

Summer part 1

2011-07-30T17:27:00.000-07:00

Brynn turns 17 and celebrates at her favorite place, BJ's pizza!

A family adventure that wasn't so adventurous-

We tried to ride the orange balloon at the "Great Park" in Irvine. After waiting a couple hours, they shut it down right before our turn! (too much wind) The kids said it was fun anyway,

just chillin' and hanging together.

Waiting for the balloon....

GIRLS CAMP!

Getting ready for some fun, sun and beach in Santa Barbara...

Sister love--kind of sad since it was probably Brynn's

last girls' camp.

The boy moves on...

2011-06-29T20:09:00.000-07:00

Last day of 5th grade - they don't really have a graduation,

but they have a "Morning of Memories." Here he is, off the school grounds with a big smile, ready for summer!

Way to go big "E"!

So strange that we won't have any more kids in Elementary school.

During the last week of school at the morning flag ceremony,

the 5th graders did a "flash mob". None of the other grades knew what was going on, so it was fun to see their reactions.

Here he is portraying his Revolutionary hero, "Ethan Allen".

It's easy to tell why he picked that one. He gave his oral

presentation at Open House and kept a British

accent the whole time...pretty funny!

Right before school ended, Ethan got his Webelo and lots of

other awards. He's so happy to move on to the 11 year old Boy Scouts!

2011-05-31T15:32:00.000-07:00

These girls are goofy!

And this one just got her braces off!

L.A. Story

2011-05-31T15:00:00.001-07:00

So it's been a super busy few months for us with Wayne's collarbone healing, calling changes (I got released from RS President and Wayne got called to EQ Pres the same week...crazy), a car accident, work issues, etc. etc.

In any case, I will continue to post some highlights from the past few months. I've been printing this blog each year and our kids love to look back through the books.
It's really our only family history, so I gotta keep going...

Our most recent family fun this past weekend included a trip to the Getty Museum, the Santa Monica pier, and Westwood for some yummy cookie/ice-cream sandwiches
(only $1.50 at Diddy Riese!)

love how this caught the drops of water

Cassie in the sketch room...She got Wayne's gift of being able to draw.
The rest of us just watched in wonder, haha

Snowboarding & Skiing at Bear Mountain (posted by Wayne)

2011-02-05T16:17:00.000-08:00

Ethan learned how to snowboard this weekend...pretty amazing!!

He is the one further away and closest to the green lift tower.

I had a blast skiing all over the mountain while Ethan was in class...it was a beautiful day. I also came within about an inch of pulling off a sweet backscratcher on a jump. Instead, however, I did this...

Look left and then right (my left)...one of these things is not like the other.

That's my left collar bone up top in two pieces...ouch!
My worst skiing injury ever.

leftovers

2011-01-17T21:26:00.000-08:00

For some reason, I've been pretty bad about taking pictures the past few months. Just found a few on my camera and thought I should post some last memories from 2010.

Wayne's Mom left the cold of Utah and visited us for Thanksgiving. Luckily the weather was beautiful and we enjoyed lots of walks. (I should have cropped out the random guy in the background, but I'm too lazy ;)

Brynn doesn't really like most pies, which is an issue every Thanksgiving. This year she may have started a new tradition with this recipe for Boston Creme pie. It's really easy to make and was AMAZING! It made us forget about the other pies and it was worthy of a blog post and picture:

Ethan goes to science camp:

There were a few parents crying here the day we saw the kids off to camp. Ethan was SO excited to go; he packed way too early and drove us all crazy with the anticipation. Later he said it was the best week of his life. So no tears for us--just happy for him!

Waiting to board the buses with Payson & Ben:

Self portrait with friend Teddy on the bus:

Merry Christmas & Happy 2011!

2010-12-25T18:33:00.001-08:00

San Francisco - summer 2010

20 on the 20th

2010-11-21T18:36:00.001-08:00

Just had our 20th anniversary!

Cassie pointed out that it was 20 years on the 20th of November and it's funny that we hadn't even realized that. Pretty cool. I think that's a good reason to just keep celebrating!

So many great years together with lots of love and plenty of laughter ;)

Spooky stuff

2010-11-11T19:28:00.000-08:00

Ethan and his hippie friends

Our last trip to Disneyland for the year

And a Disney themed party...of course Wayne couldn't just be Prince Charming!

Still more Disney= Alice in Wonderland
But what's up with Lady Gaga?!

Finally 14!

2010-10-29T16:14:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Cassie!

Here she is sitting at one of her favorite places.
She is becoming an amazing pianist and we love to hear her music fill the house. Not to mention, she's been playing on the tennis team and singing in the high school choir....busy!

Some of her other favorite things=
the color turquoise, shopping,
cleaning the house (seriously), Fiji water,
Cake Boss, Project Runway and sunchips

Love ya Cass!

Love it/Hate it

2010-10-16T14:42:00.000-07:00

I have a love/hate relationship with this boat. I find it annoying that it is still sitting in my driveway from the summer. Why?

Because sometimes it lives up to it's name:

...so we are still waiting for a part from when we had starter issues during the youth trip in Aug!

But how can I be too mad when it has brought us a lot of family fun over the years? Sigh.
Weather is gloomy outside today, so for now, we'll just be grateful for sunny boating days.

Discovery Bay 2010:

Jones & Clarke crew = good times!

In session

2010-09-10T14:48:00.000-07:00

First day of school
(Only two schools this year...yeah!)

Our 5th Grader

Our two high schoolers

And first day back to school for me too! Just got a job with the school district working in various elementary school libraries. Should be fun! As opposed to the Alcatraz library:

Summer stuff- part 2

2010-09-04T12:38:00.000-07:00

Love this city! It's been years since we lived near San Francisco and the kids were too young then to remember our trips to the city, so we took them back and did all the fun "touristy" things like Lombard St, plus a few other personal favorites.

Alcatraz--Cassie looks like we might leave her there!

Wayne's favorite San Fran restaurant did not disappoint.
I love how it says "Wayne's liquors" in the background!

Ethan said finding Mythbusters studio was the highlight of his trip--even though we couldn't go inside.

If you can blow up this photo, you can read the funny sign taped on the Mythbuster's door.

Cassie and I pretended like this was our charming Pacific Heights house for a moment.

and my fav, the Painted Ladies. The one on the left end was for sale and it was green, too!
It's just waiting for me ;)

Summer stuff-part 1

2010-08-11T15:34:00.000-07:00

4th of July w/Bruce & kids-
Weather was a little cold in July, but we had fun anyway. We froze waiting for fireworks and at the beach, but it LOOKS pretty.

the boy cousins made a great cake

The "before" and "after" pictures of the house:
Here's the "before", complete with faded paint, pink flamingos, signs on the door/garage and old boat. Pretty sweet!

"After" - now that's MUCH improved!
(Still with the boat, but at least it's been running this summer.)

Got rid of the play structure.....

to make room for this.....

The kids literally jumped for joy and have used it every day since.

Driver's License

2010-07-23T17:17:00.000-07:00

Pretty good summer for Brynn!

when they are bored

2010-07-23T16:50:00.000-07:00

Here's a few things the kids have thought of to keep themselves busy this summer:

Baking bread (thank you YW leaders!)

Making crazy moustaches--you wouldn't believe how much time this killed, how much they laughed and how many pictures were taken. And it's cheap, too!

Making a banana cream pie...are you sensing a food theme?

Cassie made this cute chalkboard for her
camp secret sister...

And talented Melissa W. was so sweet to have the girls over to sew these darling wallets--fun fabrics, fun project. Thanks Melissa!

Goodbye LRMS

2010-07-11T17:47:00.000-07:00

Here's a few of Cassie's 8th grade end-of -the-year events. It will be strange to not have a kid in middle school this fall.

Cassie had Ms. T. all 3 years for choir. We will sure miss her! Cass got to sing & play "Bubbly", which she had also performed at her piano recital this year.

Cass & Rachel posed for Brynn just before the 8th grade dance....so cute!

HauteLook

2010-07-02T10:17:00.000-07:00

HauteLook is a new client where Wayne is currently working in L.A.. They have a website that releases 3-day, blowout, designer sales via e-mail. You can pick up products like: jeans, purses, watches, sunglasses, shoes, other clothing, and much more at 50% to 75%+ off. They really have some great products. It's free to join, and they already have over 2 million members. Just click the following link to check out their site:

http://www.hautelook.com/invite/WClarke526

Wet paint

2010-06-24T18:03:00.001-07:00

So happy this is finally happening!
And hard to believe this was the original color...

It had faded to a gross yellow-green. This picture doesn't really do it justice because you can't entirely see the lovely chartreuse. I even got a sincere compliment one time on my house being "two-toned".
Anyway, I'm glad it's all one color now ;)

Before....

Sweet Sixteen!

2010-06-18T12:55:00.001-07:00

I had a lot of memories this week as I thought back to the birth of my first baby. I know it's cliche but seriously, how could she be 16?? I remember laying in the hospital in Pasadena (while labor was being induced of course since my babies never decided to come on their own!) watching TV & seeing OJ drive his white bronco down the freeway, haha...and also watching an NBA playoff game. She finally made it here about 9pm that night. I had a few complications after the delivery, so Wayne got to hold her and I will never forget the look of pure love on his face. Cheesy and sappy I know, but it was a sweet moment that I won't forget and we sure love this girl!

I'm not usually a fan of kid bragging but since 16 is a big one, I have an excuse, right? Brynn's name in Welsh means "the heights" and although she may not be tall in stature, her personality has always been extraordinary--a natural leader and someone who sets high goals and will continue to soar to great heights throughout her life.

Congratulations Brynn! We hope it was a special day for you! More celebrating to come....

Last week was her school dance recital and this "Bollywood" number was a huge hit! So colorful and fun to watch. The costumes were amazing.

Her friends "flamingo'd" our yard. Another friend decorated her room while she was out and she got lots of flowers and goodies. Thanks to all her fun friends and leaders for making it a special day.

the big 10

2010-05-22T11:49:00.001-07:00

It's been a fun birthday week for Ethan. He celebrated double digits by seeing the new Shrek movie and eating In-and-Out. And of course, being Ethan he did not want a traditional cake, .....so instead, we had a Sundae bar which was a lot of fun. And to make it an even better week, his baseball team won a couple games and advanced in the playoffs. Go Titans!
Happy 10th Birthday Ethan!

English Beat

2010-05-11T08:02:00.000-07:00

Surfing, and then an English Beat concert (which happened to be just a few blocks from our house!)
--It was the perfect birthday for Wayne.
Happy Birthday!

The Huntington

2010-04-26T09:15:00.000-07:00

It's pretty rare when we get to see my brother Ryan and his family since they live in Atlanta. We were so happy to have them drive back from AZ and spend a few extra days with us here in CA.

We took a nostalgic trip back to Pasadena and visited the Huntington Library & Gardens. It was spectacular and brought back so many great memories. Wayne and I loved living in South Pasadena. I miss all the good restaurants, shopping and charming neighborhoods and homes. Ryan & Leah lived in Pasadena too (although after we did) and Leah actually worked at the Huntington. This was a beautiful day...perfect for photos!
(Note: I hardly take pictures anymore...I just steal them from Brynn. So if you see a good-quality photo, it's hers, not mine :)

Spring Break

2010-04-26T08:51:00.001-07:00

Spring break included a trip to Arizona and a fun celebration for my Dad's 80th birthday, Easter eggs, pool time, great food, lots of fun with cousins and trips to the beach, etc.

A little tribute to my Dad since he loves puzzles and has done the daily newspaper crossword most of his life...

Bruce, Brad, Mom & Dad & Chris

Cousin fun...Ethan is so happy about all the boys here!

The whole gang (unfortunately we missed quite a few of the college kids and one on a mission)

Coloring eggs...

Wayne's artistic egg photo...

Happy Birthday Momma!

2010-04-10T11:37:00.000-07:00

xoxo,
cass

Son of Rambow

2010-03-19T08:17:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen the movie "Son of Rambow", I highly recommend it. It's a cute, quirky British film. Here's Ethan's version....funny but a little disturbing.
(PJ bottoms are a nice touch.)

a rare picture

2010-03-08T11:24:00.001-08:00

Having all six of my brothers in one room is a rare occasion and I thought I'd better capture this moment while they were rehearsing. They have a wonderful sound when they sing together because their voices blend so well. They sang the closing song at Grandma's funeral, "Remember me." It was just what she wanted and she would've loved it.

It was nice to all be together for Grandma's funeral and especially fun to be reunited with cousins we haven't seen in years.

Grandma Tyler

2010-02-25T14:27:00.001-08:00

After many years of suffering, my Grandma Tyler passed away last week and I am heading to Arizona for her funeral. She lived to be 97 and was funny, quirky and loved life. One thing we know for sure was that she loved her Grandchildren deeply. I've smiled this week when I think of the reunion she is finally having with my Grandpa. I'm sure he can not get a word in!

While putting together the funeral program this week, I came across these great pictures. Love you Grandma!

Happy Valentines!

2010-02-15T18:19:00.001-08:00

LOVING the yummy surprises from friends:

LOVING heart shaped paninis and fruit pizza...is it all about the food or what??

LOVING Brynn's artistic photos:

LOVING my family:

We're "vintage"

2010-01-25T09:12:00.001-08:00

One day, the girls were describing this cool "vintage" sweater they saw at Heritage. I didn't quite understand what they were describing. Then they came out of the store with it and I had to laugh. It's the middle one below and it looks like some sweatshirt I might have worn in the 80's.

Then, after Brynn received her new DSLR camera for Christmas and we realized it was compatible with some of Wayne's old lenses (from the SLR he got in high school!), he pulled out this baby seen around Cassie's neck:

The girls went crazy. "It's Sooo Vintage!" Hmmm.
I guess Wayne and I are too ;)

Holiday highlights

2010-01-13T11:23:00.000-08:00

It's taken me a few weeks to get on track again, but now as Christmas is put away and the 2010 calendar is out and getting full already, I want to make sure we remember our fun times from the end of the year.

4th graders got dressed up for a New Year's celebration. Ethan was looking sharp! (This outfit did not come home in this condition ;)

Lots of cookies baked:

Gingerbread house, made by a few kids who were thinking outside the box.
Cassie called it the "Clarke Hotel", but Brynn and Ethan, after getting a hysterical sugar high from the frosting, decided to call it the "Crazy House."

The sugar high led to lots of this:

Christmas favorites:A new camera

which takes much better shots like this:

a "vintage" Snoopy shirt (I have more to say about what my girls consider to be "vintage"...maybe in my next post.)

Another wonderful Christmas:

Driver's permit!

2009-12-23T20:38:00.000-08:00

It begins....

Giving Thanks

2009-12-07T09:36:00.000-08:00

We have a lot to be thankful for this year, including wonderful friends! We have known Roger & Lisa since we were all newlyweds in Pasadena. It's been so fun over the years to see our kids develop friendships, too (we both have two girls and a boy!) It was a blast to have them for Thanksgiving this year. We wish they just didn't live so far!

Ethan & Ian were bear stalkers...

Cassie's cute place cards/treat bags:

a visit to the temple...

Better get these in...

2009-11-24T19:24:00.000-08:00

before Thanksgiving arrives! We were pretty bummed to miss Trunk or Treat this year and not do our family costumes. I think it was mostly Wayne who was disappointed. Trunk or treat fell on Cassie's birthday and she had made other plans, so we'll catch 'em next year.

Thanks to my kids for the easiest and cheapest costumes this year! And you should know that Brynn decided on her costume (her alter ego, Tink) one hour before the Halloween dance. Gave me a small heart attack, but she had a Tinkerbell skirt from a previous year and it all worked out. Ethan's was just an Einstein wig and moustache and we put the rest together just before he went trick or treating. It's one of my most favorite costumes he's ever worn. (Runs a close second to the gorilla costume ;)
Thanks to Drapers for the fun "Thing" shirt and Sandi for the photo. I think there were a total of eight "Things". Cassie embraced the blue wig and wore it proud.

The trick-or-treaters loved Taylor and many stopped to take pictures with him. It's a pretty good security system with this guy in the window.

Happy 13th Birthday!

2009-11-09T21:14:00.000-08:00

Cassie spent her big day at Disneyland. It's been years since we went, so it was time to go again and especially fun to enjoy all the Halloween decor and special effects. Cass said it was the "best birthday ever!"

She received a lifesize cutout of Taylor Lautner (thank you Rachel) which continues to scare me & Brynn when Wayne or Ethan moves it around the house without our knowledge. Actually, I was alone in the house last week doing laundry and I totally jumped and caught my breath as I walked by Cassie's room....."who is that man in there??!" Seriously, it's very real looking! It was sure fun on Halloween. More pictures to come on that...

We managed to stretch the celebrating through all of Halloween weekend, finishing with Cassie's favorite Oreo ice-cream pie....yum!

(TWO teenagers living here now...whoa!)

U2

2009-11-01T22:54:00.001-08:00

Fun weekend in Vegas with U2...

Great weather, great company(Ken & Teri), great music!

This stage is amazing. It's 82 ft. high and 170 ft. to the top of the spire. It takes 4 days to assemble and 2 to take down. They have 3 of them at $25 million each!

The Black Eyed Peas opened for U2 and were also incredible!

Me & Teri

YW in Excellence

2009-11-01T22:26:00.000-08:00

Last week, the girls had a chance to show what they've been working on in Personal Progress this year.

Earlier in the year, we posted about Brynn organizing "New Beginnings" (another YW program). It was titled "A Royal Heritage" and she put a ton of thought and work into every detail. It turned out beautifully!

Here' s what the dining room looked like as we were preparing....

For her project, Cassie showed how she participated in "OC Idol" over the summer. (It's a take-off on "American Idol", but for Orange County.) She had to practice a few different songs and participate in an all day audition at South Coast Plaza. Then, after making the first cut, she went on to a stage performance a few weeks later.

We're proud of our girls!

And the winner is...

2009-10-12T11:01:00.000-07:00

Green Draggin' !!

Ethan's car took first place at the pinewood derby--what a fun surprise!

The excitement continued the next day when Ethan got his braces on. He 's been a real trooper with hardly any pain or complaints.

Back in session

2009-09-20T21:30:00.000-07:00

I spent this week proofreading essays, reviewing math, helping with an oral report (yes, with a poster and all!), carpooling and attending one of three Back to School nights. It all happened so fast, we didn't know what hit us!
So here we go....

4th grader:

8th grader:

Sophomore:

Last beach bike ride before school:

Highlights...

2009-09-08T21:24:00.000-07:00

Well, summer is officially over and school has begun. 2009 was the BEST summer and to prove it, here are some of our highlights....

UTAH trip
(& lots of fishin' at Fish Lake)

Clarke family

Cousin fun

Beautiful hike to Cecret lake

Brynn & Taylor at EFY!

Together again

2009-09-08T21:23:00.001-07:00

So fun for us to see our Chavez friends a few times this summer! It makes up just a little for how much we miss them all year. First, Luke came for a little visit...

The coolest fort, complete with a "home theater"...

Then, my lucky kids flew to Texas all by themselves and were shown a great time by Shana, Allie, Darcy & Luke.

Trip to Schlitterbahn...

Cassie & Darcy at the lake...

Allie & Brynn
(Can't believe these two will be driving next year!)

While...

2009-09-08T20:59:00.000-07:00

the kids were in Texas, Wayne and I celebrated my 40th birthday in Coronado. Best weekend ever and most relaxing....just what I needed!

funny finds

2009-08-23T20:58:00.000-07:00

Braces

2009-08-11T14:55:00.000-07:00

Braces on.....

Braces off....

It's finished!

2009-08-05T10:36:00.001-07:00

Well, it was finished awhile ago, I just never took the photos. Still have to hang the pictures & curtains, but we are loving our new living room. Lots of hard work & time on Wayne's part. Thanks hon!