Taylor and Jannie

Wrestling

2012-01-16T20:48:00.000-08:00

Tylor decided to try wrestling this year for the first time. It turns out that he is pretty good at it and even made the Varsity team at his school. Too bad he really doesn't enjoy it much! :)

Go Tylor!! (I must admit that wrestling is a hard sport to watch as a mother...)

As you can tell, Taylor loved watching Tylor wrestle. Taylor was a wrestler back in high school, so this was really fun for him.

Thanksgiving

2012-01-13T21:19:00.000-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving this year with my brother, Ryon, and his family in Hayden, Idaho. We always have so much fun together.
This was the spread for our Thanksgiving feast - so yummy!

As usual, Nichole and I were the Thanksgiving cooks.

Ryon was busy cleaning out an elk head, though (so he wasn't being lazy while we were cooking!). The kids found observing this activity to be quite fascinating, and a little gross. They got to have the new experience on holding an eyeball - which is not something every kid gets to do on Thanksgiving! This was truely a "Schofield-type" of activity for Thanksgiving. :)
(I should probably mention that the elk head was NOT part of our dinner.)

Taylie and he cousin, Janna, with the beautiful pie they made. They are turning into quite the little cooks!

Dinner Time!

Crashing with the cousins every night - so fun!

Cantus Winter Concert

2012-01-13T21:03:00.000-08:00

Tylor and Taylie both participate in the Cantus Youth Choir, a community choir that is AMAZING! They had their winter concert in December and did such a great job.

Sicily and Julianne (and Julianne's mom) came to see the concert. Such sweet aunts to come support these kids!

So proud of these two!

Taylie singing

Tylor singing

Rub A Dub Dub!

2012-01-13T20:53:00.000-08:00

I just love these cute little buddies! :)

The Joy of Dixie Cups

2012-01-09T21:17:00.000-08:00

I was telling everyone before Christmas that the best gift to give their kids would be a big pack of Dixie cups. Our little boys have kept themselves busy for hours building all kinds of towers out of cups. This has become one of Ray's favorite activities!

"Tastes Like Ramen!"

2011-12-09T21:38:00.000-08:00

When our little Ray thinks that something he is eating or drinking is particularly delicious, he says, "Tastes like Ramen!" I guess Ramen is the ultimate delicacy for this 2-year-old! :) He is about the cutest little thing ever!

Trick or Treat!

2011-12-09T21:37:00.000-08:00

This was our scarey bunch ready to head out to get some goodies! It was another fun Halloween!

None of us (including Tylor) quite knew what Tylor's costume was... :)

Taylie as cotton candy

Coleton as his Uncle Jayson (BYU football player)

T.J. the ninja

This wasn't the costume we got for Jaymon this year, but as sometimes happens with 4-year-olds he changed his mind about what he wanted to be for Halloween, so we went with his dog costume from last year instead of his new one. As long as he was happy and I didn't have to buy another costume (because that was not going to happen), it was all good! Besides, Jaymon really does have a thing for dogs! :)

Our little monkey, Ray

This is how you trick-or-treat in style!

Was this Taylor stealing candy from the kids? I'm not really sure! :)

Ray ate so much candy when he got home that I thought he was going to be sick!

T.J. and his haul.

Coleton and Jaymon - so proud of how much candy they could get.


Tylor had gone with a couple of friends and came home with the biggest pile of all. Too bad he can't eat a lot of it due to the fact that he now has braces! :)

Trunk-R-Treat

2011-12-09T21:23:00.000-08:00

I took the kids to a Trunk-R-Treat Halloween party a few days before Halloween. It was a good chance to give their costumes a "trial run". It was also fun to get out and do something with the kids that they enjoyed.

T.J. (ninja), Coleton (BYU football player), Tylor (box), Taylie (cotton candy), Ray (monkey). and Jaymon (dog)

Is this a cute little boy or what?! :)

Ray and T.J.

This was my favorite part of the evening - watching big brother Tylor with his little buddy, Ray. Melts a mother's heart!! :)

Pumpkin Carving

2011-11-01T19:55:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin carving time at our house!

Jaymon

T.J.

Ray loved his pumpkin!

We couldn't really let Ray carve his pumpkin, so he got to color his with markers and then I carved it for him.

Our little pumpkins!

Our Little Pumpkin

2011-10-29T21:13:00.000-07:00

We took a little pumpkin to our baby Maree's grave. We all miss her so much!! She is such an important part of our family.

Braces!

2011-10-25T08:40:00.000-07:00

Tylor is a teenager now, so you know what that means... time for braces!!

This was the BEFORE picture...

In the chair getting everything placed.

The AFTER picture... :)

His teeth were pretty sore at first, but he is handling it all really well. Tylor also got Head-gear to wear at night, but I decided to be nice and not post a picture of that!

Pumpkin Patch Fieldtrip

2011-10-23T20:15:00.000-07:00

Jaymon's preschool class took a fieldtrip to the Pumpkin Patch. It was perfect weather and a great day!

Jaymon's class on the "Big Chair".

Of course Ray got to come along for the fun. This was the cow-train ride.

Jaymon going for a ride.

Ray and I on the hayride.

This was the pumpkin Jaymon picked out (but of course he changed his mind and wanted a different one before we were done!). :)

Ray showing me his pumpkin.

Jaymon and Ray had a blast jumping on the "Big Pillow".

They this saddle on a log that Ray wanted to try out. He got on and then said, "It no work!". :)

Playing in the Corn Box.

Jaymon loved feeding the goats.

Ray liked to see the "Big Moo".

This slide looked cool, but was actually a slow and bumpy ride down. The kids still liked it, though.

What a cute boy!

Another cute boy!! :)
I love being a mom and getting to spend my day with these sweet boys.

One Last Taste of Summer

2011-10-19T20:30:00.000-07:00

You just never know about the weather here in the fall. Some days are warm and sunny and other days are bitter cold. This was the last really hot day we had, and the kids made sure to go out and enjoy it. I am sad that summer is over - I personally love the warm weather!

Our niece, Sorelle, was over to play so I got the kids some of the grapes we grew in our yard for a snack. I was amazed at how many they ate!

Ray with his grapes.

Jaymon and his cousin, Ace, thought it would be great to put the sprinkler under the trampoline. They had a blast!

Warm weather is so much fun!

These two little boys are quite a pair! I just love them! :)

Preschool Fieldtrip to the Zoo

2011-10-18T20:30:00.000-07:00

For Jaymon's first preschool fieldtrip we headed to where-else but the Zoo?! The weather was nice and it was a great day to be there.

Jaymon with some of his preschool buddies.

Our zoo is not the greatest, so one of the highlights is this big giraffe slide!

Ray got to come along for the trip.

Nice ears, Buddy!

Look what just hatched! :) He's so cute!

I don't think I would want to be the mama bird for this nest! :)

Jaymon's class

Soccer Season

2011-10-15T20:20:00.000-07:00

This fall we have 3 soccer teams to cheer for. It keeps our schedule busy, but I love having the kids involved in something active.

This was Jaymon's first time playing on a soccer team, and he has just LOVED it! Every week he looks forward to Saturday so that he can go to his soccer game.

This is a shot of one of the many goals Jaymon made this season. He has been SO fun to watch because he is so passionate about playing and has such a great time.

This particular game he scored 6 goals (which is about the average for him!). :)

Coleton also loves playing soccer and plays every chance he gets. All the extra work and practice he puts in has made him into a good little player!

One of the goals Coleton scored (he is in the red).

Look at the concentration on T.J.'s face! I am not a big sports fan, but I sure do love watching these boys play!

Go T.J.!

T.J. scoring a goal! :)

Jaymon's First Day of Preschool

2011-10-14T17:02:00.000-07:00

Our little Jaymon is growing up and (as he will remind us) is not so little anymore. He started preschool this year with the same teacher that all of his older siblings had for preschool. This lady (Danene) teaches in the basement of her house and the kids just love her! Jaymon has been watching as his older siblings would go to preschool in past years, so he was very excited that it was finally his turn!

My big boy!

This is his preschool room complete with lots of toys - every kid's dream! :)

After his first day with his hat that he made. It is going to be a great year!

Cross Country

2011-10-14T16:52:00.000-07:00

Tylor decided to try running cross country for his middle school this year. He enjoyed it and improved his time at every meet.
These pictures were taken at the District Meet on a very cold and rainy day.

Quite the mob!

Go Tylor!

So proud of him!

Tylor and his good friend, Brayden.

Love Those Boots!

2011-10-10T20:57:00.000-07:00

Ray has had quite the love affair with these boots. He wore them nearly everyday last Fall and Winter and would get so excited to put them on (because that would mean that he was going to go somewhere). Ray wore these boots until they were falling apart and starting to smell a little funny. :) I even tried to Super-glue the soles back on so that he could keep wearing them, but eventually I had to give up on the beloved boots because his little feet had grown too big. We tried to put the boots away, but Ray found them and was trying to wear them again (even though they totally didn't fit). So, I do this post so that someday when Ray is older he can remember his favorite boots and maybe can find a bigger, similar pair!

T.J.'s Birthday

2011-10-10T20:53:00.000-07:00

My sweet boy with the big brown eyes turned 7 years old the end of August. He is an awesome kid and I love him so much!

We let T.J. open his gifts from our family on his birthday to celebrate the "actual" day, and then we let him have a party with his friends and cousins about a week later.

You have to love Jaymon in his Halloween costume! (I bought it early to try to be prepared for Halloween, but Jaymon will probably change his mind and want to be something else by the time the end of October gets here - that is the way it goes with kids!) :)

My good buddy! I love his kid!

I wasn't really wanting to make a cake after doing 2 wedding cakes in August, but T. J. really wanted me to make him a pirate cake, so how could I refuse?

The kids played on the waterslide and had snacks at the party.

Blowing out the candles (except they were the kind that re-light by themselves, so he had to blow them out a few times!). :)

The pirate pinata

Presents from friends

Coleton really wanted to do a fishing game for the party, so he and Taylie set one up.

Some of the kids' cousins also came over. These two little buddies are our nieces, Savannah and Sorelle.

Senator Taylie

2011-10-09T20:31:00.000-07:00

Taylie ran for 6th grade Senator for Student Council at school and was so excited when she won!
Taylie and Tylor are trying to run the school I guess! :) Tylor is the 8th grade President, and we are very proud of them both.

First Day of School

2011-10-08T19:38:00.000-07:00

I almost can't believe that school has started again. What is even harder to believe is that Tylor is now in 8th grade, Taylie is in 6th, Coleton is in 4th, and T.J. is in 1st grade. They are growing up too fast!

Taylie and Tylor ready for their first day! It was a little hard to let Taylie go to Middle School this year.

Coleton was ready to go! He loves his football jerseys.

T.J. was excited to get to have lunch at school this year since he would now be going for a full day. He still seems so little and cute, so it is hard to accept that he is big enough for first grade.

J.R.'s Wedding Receptions

2011-10-08T19:33:00.000-07:00

My brother, J.R, and his new wife, Debbie, had 2 wedding receptions at the end of August. The first reception was held in Mapleton, Utah, at the home of one of our parents' former neighbors (the Toblers).

Reception #1

It was raining right before the reception was about to start, but it looked like it might clear up, so we were all debating if we should put the food outside or keep it inside. Some of us were joking that my parents were up in Heaven controlling the weather with my dad trying to make it rain and my mom trying to stop the rain. (My dad would have thought that it was funny to watch us all move the food outside and then have to run it all back in because the rain started again, but my mom would have wanted everything to be perfect for J.R. and Debbie.) :) Once the rain cleared up (just as the reception got started), there were 2 beautiful rainbows out in the backyard. I think they were from my parents - they wanted to be a part of the party!

This was their wedding cake that I made for them.

The happy couple!

Trying out the cake.

Food fight!

These are some of my dear friends from Flagstaff. They are all now in Utah, so they came for the reception. This is Cristianne, Terrilynn, Diana, and Danne Morris with me.


This sweet lady was my mom's best friend, Debbie Tucker.

Taylie and Tylor and the other kids had fun playing in the backyard during the reception. My little monkeys!

Another monkey (T.J.)

Taylor's brother, Ryan, and his family came for the reception so the kids got to play with their cousins.
This is our sweet little nephew, Abe.

Reception #2
J.R. and Debbie's second reception was held in Nampa 2 days after the Utah reception.

I made another cake for this reception, but the same flavors and appearance (basically) as the other cake.

Debbie's friend, Kendra, did a beautiful job decorating for the reception.

This was the groom's cake that Nichole decorated. I made a similar one for the other reception, but forgot to get a picture! :)

The kids loved the chocolate fountain.

J.R. and Debbie

Cole and Ray dancing - so cute!

Taylie and Janna dancing with the little boys.

Janna and my Aunt Gloria (We were so thrilled to have Aunt Gloria and Uncle Tom come!)

The boys and Uncle Tom spotted a tractor show across the street and had to go check it out. :)

These girls had a fun time together.

J.R. is such a good dad to this silly little girl (Madi).

Cole, Ray, Madi, and Jaymon
Look at those little faces! :)

Ashlynn wanted to join in too.

Cutting cake #2

J.R. had a hard time being nice feeding cake to Debbie.

Debbie also had a hard time being nice with the cake - I guess they make a good couple! :)

J.R., Debbie, and myself

J.R. and Ryon

J.R. wanted to use his own knife to cut the groom's cake. (Scarey!)

The newlyweds dancing.

This is the bouquet that I made for Debbie. I think it turned out pretty. :)

Both receptions turned out great, and we couldn't be happier for those two!

Picking Corn

2011-10-05T20:25:00.000-07:00

At the end of every summer some of Taylor's relatives invite us out to their family farm to pick corn. We always enjoy doing this as a family, and this year was even more fun because Jayson and Julianne and their girls came along too.

Jayson, Savannah, and Julianne

Taylor and Ray (Ray was a big help) :)

Jayson and his little helper, Savannah

T.J. filling up his bucket with corn.

Sophie chillin' in the cornfield.

Cute Jaymon

Tylor is such a good big brother to Ray. They are so cute together!

Ray thought it was more fun to play in the box than pick the corn.

Our pretty little lady, Taylie.

Coleton trying the corn - it sure was tasty!

San Diego Trip Part 4: Mormon Battalion Museum

2011-10-04T20:52:00.000-07:00

Sometimes on vacations it is hard to find good activities to do on Sundays so that we can help our family still have a "sacred day". In San Diego there is a neat museum called the Mormon Battalion Center. We were able to visit there on Sunday and learn more about these pioneers.
Here is Taylie checking out a covered wagon.

Cole, Jaymon, Dyllon, and Coleton in the wagon. That would have been a rowdy bunch stuck in a wagon for hundreds of miles! No wonder the pioneer kids had to walk most of the time - the parents needed them to burn off their energy somehow! When our family is all traveling together for a long distance in our Suburban I sometimes wish we could make the kids get out and walk (in fact I think I have threatened this more than once!). :)

Taylie and T.J.

Janna and Dyllon

Grant

Janna and Taylie trying out being "wash maids"

All the kids dressing up to join the Mormon Battalion

I just loved Cole in this hat! Too cute!

T.J. checking out the guns (my brothers would be so proud!). :)

Everyone got to try panning for gold and the kids were able to keep a piece if they could find one (which they all did). The kids were not as excited, however, when they found out that the gold was really Fools Gold. :)

T.J. and Coleton

Ryon trying out the old water pump.

This museum had so many fun activities and was one of the best museums we have ever taken our kids to.

San Diego Trip Part 3 - Beach Fun & the Pool

2011-10-03T09:34:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to the beach to play while we were in San Diego. They had a blast collecting sea shells, digging in the sand, and seeing the sea creatures. They found a starfish, a ray (at least I think that is what it was), and they saw seals swimming nearby. They don't get to see wildlife like that where we live!


T.J. and the dead ray.

Grant and Jaymon

Ray digging in the sand.

Tylor, Coleton, and Dyllon were working hard on their sand creation.

Skinny little Cole just couldn't keep those shorts on!

Me and Nichole

Cousins burying each other.

Ryon keeping a lookout to make sure no kids drowned or ran too far away down the beach.

Taylor looking handsome (as always)!

Grant was not so happy covered in sand - especially when he had to go wash it off in the cold ocean water!

On a different day we went to La Jolla Cove. There were a lot of seals out playing a short distance away. Those are seals all over the edge of the land in the above picture.

Nichole and I and the kids.

The highlight of this day was the kids trying to catch little crabs that were down in the water between the rock cracks. We did not know about this activity beforehand, so we were not prepared, but a nice lady gave them each a piece of string with a small piece of meat tied on it to try to "fish" for crabs. Jaymon was so excited!

Here are the boys trying to catch a crab.

Jaymon, Ray, Taylie, and Janna

This is what the crabs looked like. Our kids did not end up catching any, but we borrowed this one from some other people to take a picture!

Ray loved this big rock and was playing "King of the Rock" by himself.

Ryon and Nichole

Taylor and Ray

One of the kids' favorite activities of the trip was swimming everyday at the hotel pool.

The older kids would have races across the pool and try to do synchronized diving.

The hot tub was also a big hit with the kids.

That is a lot of heads in that hot tub! We kind of overtook the place! :)

San Diego Trip: Part 2 - San Diego Wild Animal Park & Orange Picking

2011-09-28T18:18:00.000-07:00

The day after J.R.'s wedding Ryon's family and our family went to explore the San Diego Safari Park. Here is T.J. carefully examining our map of the park to see where we should go first.

So we barely made it into the park and we had to make a stop at the Carousel. At least there were fake animals to see and ride on! :)

Ray liked riding the elephant.

The next stop was to try out some African drums. The kids thought this was fun, too, but we still didn't see any animals! :) Here is Janna drumming away.

T.J. tried out this fancy xylophone-type drum.

We should start our own family band! Here is Coleton.

Dyllon was taking the drumming lesson seriously!

After the drums, we had to stop and see the Zumba guys do their show. Zumba competed on the America's Got Talent show. They had Taylie and Janna come up to jump rope with them. The girls did pretty well!

But- still no animals (unless you count the Zumba guys in their zebra outfits!). :)

O.K., so we finally made it to see some animals (although you can't see them in this picture!). At least Taylie looks cute! :)

Coleton

Cole, Ray, Nichole, and Taylor

So, after seeing a few animals it was time for a stop at the "splash spot" in the park. The kids weren't really dressed to get wet, but they got wet anyway! Here's T.J., Jaymon, Janna, and Dyllon.

Cole had a blast just running around in his diaper. Someday he will be so glad that I took this picture! :)

It was a good place to cool off, but then it was time to see more animals!

The best part of the Safari park is the ride around to see all the animals. You can just sit and relax and see lots of different animals. Here is T.J. checking out the giraffes.

As you can see, this was also Ryon's favorite part! :)

Here is our whole group at the end of our journey through the park. We didn't lose any kids, and after a slow start we were still able to see plenty of animals.

On our way back to the hotel, we found a place to go and pick oranges. Taylor's dad is a "produce man" and loves to check out the fields wherever he goes, so we thought we would keep up the family tradition. Nothing smells as good as an orange grove! Here's the line-up of kids ready to go pick oranges!

Jaymon had to try one out. They were super juicy and messy, but quite tasty!

Taylor helped Ray pick a few. Such cute boys!

San Diego Trip: Part 1 - Sea World

2011-09-27T19:34:00.000-07:00

We all flew to San Diego a day or two early so that we could go to Sea World together before J.R. and Debbie's wedding. Here is Ray checking out the whales.

Ready for the Shamu show.

The kids wanted to sit up close and get wet, but the adults opted to not sit with them so we could stay dry.

Some of the little kids were not too happy after the show when they were soaking wet! I guess they didn't realize just HOW wet they would get!

Ryon and Cole

Ray loved touching the starfish. He wasn't really supposed to take it out of the water, but we quickly put it back (and we got a cute picture!). :)

Me and Ray exploring Sea World just 6 weeks after major surgery and the most traumatic day of my life. I was still physically sore, but thank goodness for pain medication! It is amazing how much faster you can heal physically than emotionally.

My sister-in-law, Nichole, and Cole. I am so blessed to have this amazing lady in my life!

Cole and Ray

J.R. has quickly adapted to the role of "Daddy J.R".

Dyllon, Coleton, and Tylor on one of the rides.

It was only in the 70s, but the kids thought it was warm enough to get wet (again) since their clothes had partially dried from earlier in the day. :)

Meeting Elmo was the highlight of the trip for Jaymon. You have never seen a 4-year-old so excited waiting in line! He LOVED this!

Jaymon even got Elmo's autograph!

Journey to Atlantis was the favorite ride for most of the kids, except for my nephew, Grant, who said, "This ride is DANGEROUS!". :)

J.R's Wedding

2011-09-27T18:54:00.000-07:00

We had been hoping and praying for my brother, J.R., to find the right girl and finally be able to get married. August 11th he got himself a cute wife (plus 2 cute little girls!). Debbie has been a friend of ours for years and was Taylor's first employee when he started his dental practice. J.R. and Debbie are a perfect fit, and we couldn't be happier for both of them.

Ashlynn, J.R., Debbie, and Madi - Their new family! (Those girls just love their "Daddy J.R.")

Me with my 2 newest nieces.

Our parents would not have believed they would have so many grandkids! I wish they could have been there for this day, but I am sure they were in spirit.

Our family by the San Diego temple where they were married.

I just love these two boys! I couldn't have asked for better brothers.

Taylor and I were being "cheesy" and pretending like we were getting wedding photos again. :)

Here is my family - except you can't see Maree. There will always be something missing in our family pictures now. I am sure Maree was also there in spirit with my parents.

Janna and Taylie - pretty girls!

On the left is Debbie's friend, Kendra, and her husband. The couple on the right are Wally and Peggy Rhoton. They have always been like family to my brothers and I, and it was so sweet of them to come. It was nice to have some "parental figures" there.


The kids started to get bored while the wedding pictures were being taken, so they began to roll down the hill. Their nice clothes were covered in grass stains, but I probably would have done the same thing if I was them!

Clark Summer Reunion 2011

2011-09-10T21:03:00.000-07:00

Every August, Taylor's parents and all of his siblings try to get together. It is always a lot of fun, especially for the kids. There is no shortage of cousins to play with! We played at Lagoon, rode the gondolas up to the top of Snow Basin, went swimming at the pool, took a family hike, and played games at the park. I didn't participate in everything due to my body not being healed yet, but it was nice to be able to spend time with family.

Ray and McKay on a not-too-exciting ride. :)

Jaymon and Ray

Ray, Savannah, and McKay

The uncles had fun playing "Pass the Kids". This is Ray flying high thanks to Uncle Jon and Uncle Greg.

Ray loved it when Taylor took him on the Carousel.

Jaymon really loved the rides this year - can you tell? :)

Taylie and Avari in the gondola at Snow Basin.

I got to ride with these two little cuties (Ray and Savannah).


It is really beautiful up at the top of Snow Basin. Here is Ray, Taylor, Jaymon, and I. The bigger kids were busy sliding down a glacier that was just a short distance away.

Taylor and Ray - what cute boys!

Grandpa Clark taking Jaymon for a little hike. Jaymon loves his grandparents.

Taylor's Uncle Reed joined us for dinner one evening. If you tell him your middle name is Reed, then he will give you a dollar, so all the kids lined up to tell him they also had Reed as a middle name. I think they cleaned out his wallet! (This is Ellie, Tylor, Karis, Jayden, Avari, Mike, and Reed.)

Aunt Misty is a lot of fun and planned games for everyone to do at the park. This was a game where rubber chickens were launched with a water balloon launcher and then people tried to catch the chickens in these big clown pants. It was pretty funny - especially with the kids who were smaller than the pants. Here is Jaymon, Ellie, and Aliyah.

The "Big Boys" tried the chicken-catching game as well. Here is Ryan, Mike, Nate, Greg, and Taylor.

Another game the dads were involved in was this one where they had to try to carry a whole bunch of kids at one time and run to the finish line. Luckily nobody got hurt!

This was a special game for the little kids to see which one of the 2-year-olds could empty a box of tissues first. Savannah and Cleo were both pretty good at this one!

In this game for the cousins, the kids had to move a cookie from their foreheads into their mouths without using their hands. I wonder what Aunt Misty will come up with for next time! :)

Maree's Funeral

2011-09-04T13:14:00.000-07:00

On July 1, 2011, we held a memorial service for our sweet angel, Maree. It was at her graveside in Cloverdale Cemetery on a beautiful summer morning. We only invited our family because even just with only immediate family there were still over 60 people. We had a beautiful white dress and bonnet made for Maree to wear, and she looked like an angel.

Maree Rose Clark

The kids had made bracelets for Maree, and this was the one her sister, Taylie had made for her. I had painted her little fingernails pink while we were in the hospital together.

This was the program we followed.

Needless to say, this was a painful experience for our family.

I held our baby for the service, and hoped somehow I wouldn't have to let go.

My brother, J.R., was the first speaker.

Taylor's mother, Coleen, also spoke.

Taylor did a wonderful job relating his thoughts and feelings.

Our children sang, "Families Can Be Together Forever"


Taylor's dad, JayDee, gave the closing remarks.

This picture of Taylie portrays how we all felt.

Our family had made a special quilt for Maree with messages from each of us on it to place in her casket.

Tylor's square

Coleton's square

Taylie's square

My square

Taylor's square

Ray's square

T.J.'s square

Jaymon's square

This square made everyone cry.

Holding an angel

One last kiss

Closing the casket

We bought balloons for all the cousins to release after the funeral.

It was beautiful to see the balloons go into the blue sky, and we all felt our sorrow lift with them (even if only for a moment).

I don't think our little Ray really understood what was happening.

My family

Taylor's family

Our family will never be the same, but hopefully we will be better for knowing and feeling the spirit of someone as special as Maree. We will never forget her!

Small Tender Mercies

2011-08-19T19:14:00.000-07:00

As we struggle through the days this summer trying to find a new "normal" in our home since the passing of our angel, Maree, Heavenly Father blesses us once in awhile with small tender mercies to get us through the day and make the moments bearable. I found this poem on the blog of a friend who had also lost a child and it seemed as though it could have been written just for me.

I thought of you and closed my eyes
And prayed to God today
I asked "What makes a Mother?"
And I know I heard Him say.

"A Mother has a baby"
This we know is true
"But God can you be a Mother,
When your baby's not with you?"

"Yes, you can," He replied
With confidence in His voice
"I give many women babies,
When they leave is not their choice.

Some I send for a lifetime,
And others for the day.
And some I send to feel your womb,
But there's no need to stay."

"I just don't understand this God
I want my baby to be here."
He took a deep breath and
cleared His throat,
And then I saw the tear.

"I wish I could show you,
What your child is doing today.
If you could see your child's smile,
With all the other children and say...

'We go to Earth to learn our lessons,
Of love and life and fear.
My Mommy loved me oh so much,
I got to come straight here.

I feel so lucky to have a Mom,
Who had so much love for me.
I learned my lessons very quickly,
My Mommy set me free.

I miss my Mommy oh so much,
But I visit her every day.
When she goes to sleep,
On her pillow's where I lay

I stroke her hair and kiss her cheek,
And whisper in her ear.
Mommy don't be sad today,
I'm your baby and I'm here.'

"So you see my dear sweet ones,
your children are okay.
Your babies are born here in My home,
And this is where they'll stay.

They'll wait for you with Me,
Until your lesson's through.
And on the day that you come home
they'll be at the gates for you.

So now you see what makes a Mother,
It's the feeling in your heart
it's the love you had so much of
Right from the very start."

Maree Rose Clark

2011-07-14T19:25:00.000-07:00

     The most perfect person I have ever met resided in my belly for 9 months and I said good-bye to 3 weeks ago today. She is our angel baby and her name is Maree Rose Clark.
      On June 23rd I was induced to give birth to our sweet girl. We knew she had a birth defect called anencephaly and would not be able to live for long, but we hoped to have a little time with her before she returned to heaven. My labors were not very long with our other 6 kids, but because of the shape of Maree's head this labor was different and much longer. The last time I felt her kick was about an hour or so before I started pushing, so I knew soon after I started pushing that she was gone. I felt at peace, but my body was having serious issues. My blood pressure had dropped dangerously low and my uterus had ruptured - I was bleeding to death. I was rushed to surgery and had an emergency C-section and hysterectomy. I can remember everything until they gave me something to make me "fuzzy" to do the surgery. Taylor and the hospital staff were all very worried, but the interesting thing was that I was not worried or scared in the least. I know I had my angel baby with me as well as my parents who passed away 8 years ago, and I was filled with such an incredible and perfect peace. Maybe I got a little taste of heaven.
    During surgery, Taylor was not allowed in the room, so he had to go and somehow explain to our other 6 children that their baby sister was gone and that their mom was not doing well and the doctors were trying to save her. Taylor gathered the kids all close and had a prayer with them. After Maree was delivered, Taylor and the kids all got to hold her and spend time with her while the doctors finished up with me. A kind volunteer photographer took some beautiful pictures of them that night. Once I was awake after surgery, Taylor brought my baby to me and he gave Maree and I both blessings with the help of his dad. I can't remember much of what was said, but it gave me great comfort. Taylor's mother said that I had a beautiful glow that night like I had maybe been visiting with angels.
    Maree was able to donate here heart valves the next morning and will possibly save the lives of up to 3 other babies - she is a hero. The nurse also told us that when my uterus had ruptured the baby had fallen into the hole and was putting pressure there so that I did not bleed as fast, so she also helped to save my life. It is amazing what this little baby could accomplish, and she never even took a breath.
    Needless to say, Maree's birth did not go as we had planned or hoped, but it all probably happened the way it was supposed to. Taylor and I were blessed to be able to stay in the hospital together the entire 6 days I was recovering and hold our baby girl. Those days were priceless! Now we try to move forward with faith and hope one day at a time. Our hearts are broken, but we know that our family will be together again and our little angel Maree will be watching over all of us.

2-th Times!

2010-09-27T15:39:00.000-07:00

So, last night T.J. really wanted his loose tooth pulled out, so his dad worked with him to pull it out rght before bedtime. He was so excited to have lost his 2nd tooth! We put the tooth under his pillow and got all the kids settled into bed, but after a while, I kept hearing noise from upstairs. I went upstairs to see what was going on, and Tylor had pulled out a tooth also! It was a very productive night at our house as far as teeth go! :)

Our Little Songbird

2010-07-23T21:50:00.000-07:00

Our little Jaymon is his own person from the way he dresses to his opinions about things. He keeps my days interesting and I love having him be "my little buddy". Lately, however, I have been wondering if I am living in a musical because Jaymon will sing everything he says! He is always humming or singing, but I just have to laugh when he sings whatever he is trying to say to me. He is so fun! :)

Fun Weekend

2010-01-24T15:43:00.000-08:00

I usually make the kids do a lot of chores on Saturdays, but this week we decided to lighten up and work a little in the morning and then have some fun! The kids didn't have school Friday, so Taylor took the 4 oldest skiing. T.J. was excited to go to the "Bunny Hill" because he said he "would probably find lots of eggs!". I hope he wasn't disappointed! :) The kids had fun skiing and sliding down the hill on their behinds when they had finished skiing. On Saturday after doing a few chores, we took the kids downtown to a big party to celebrate the BSU Bronco's Fiesta Bowl win and perfect season. Tylor especially enjoyed that (he is our sports nut!). After that, we went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant and then went to an Idaho Steelheads hockey game. We stayed until the kids started to "melt down" because they were too tired, and then we headed home. It was great to spend the day as a family. I loved watching Jaymon rock out to the music at the Fiesta Bowl party, seeing Tylor cheer as he watched the BSU football highlights, having Jaymon hold my hand and say, "Rock and Roll, Mom!", watching Taylie and Coleton get so excited to go buy popcorn and candy, seeing T.J. get piggy-back rides on Taylie, and hearing all the admiring comments about Ray in his bear-bunting as we would walk by. I am incredibly blessed and so thankful to have these sweet kids and wonderful husband!

Jaymon's 3rd Birthday

2009-12-22T15:41:00.000-08:00

One of Jaymon's favorite people is Sister Spambauer who was his teacher in Nursery class at church. One of the things he wanted to do for his birthday was go and see her.

Jaymon wanted to go to Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate his 3rd birthday, so we went as a family and had a great time together.

Ray at 7 months old

2009-12-22T12:15:00.001-08:00

Our baby is getting bigger! He now eats baby food (although he doesn't like it much), and can sit up for a few seconds on his own before he falls over. He is still happy most of the time, and is just so much fun!

First Bite

2009-12-02T10:56:00.001-08:00

At about 6 months old, we decided it was time for Ray to start learning to eat baby food. These are some pictures of our first attempt. He liked his rice cereal O.K., but needed a little practice on eating from a spoon. The kids thought it was great fun to watch him try to eat.

7

Beating All Odds

2009-12-02T10:55:00.006-08:00

Taylor wrote a book titled Beating All Odds. We are very proud of him for accomplishing this big goal, and think he did a great job! This project took a lot of time and determination, but it will be something that will have a great impact on many people. Below are some pictures of the book-signing event that he held at his office.
Ray checking out Dad's book.

Winter Piano Recital 09

2009-12-02T10:55:00.005-08:00

Tylor, Taylie, and Coleton all take piano lessons and had a recital to show what they had learned. They played Christmas songs (The Allelujah Chorus, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, and Up On the Housetop), and did an excellent job. We are very proud of them!

Shaving Cream Man

2009-12-02T10:55:00.001-08:00

Jaymon loves to get into Dad's shaving cream put it all over. He just wants to be big like Dad. :)

Love Our Baby

2009-11-20T21:16:00.008-08:00

Words cannot express how much Baby Ray is loved in our house!

Jaymon and Ray
Ray and Tylor
Taylie and Ray
Mom and Ray
This is how Ray kisses Mom (slobber, slobber!). Love it!

Ray at 6 months old

2009-11-20T21:16:00.007-08:00

At 6 months old, Ray is sitting up, starting to eat baby food, laughing all the time, and loving life! He loves to go for walks outside all bundled up in Mom or Dad's coat.

He loves to suck on his toes!

Learning to Ride a Bike

2009-11-20T21:16:00.005-08:00

There was a little bike that someone left in our front yard for a few days, so T.J. decided to try it out. He just hoped on and started riding all over the place. I couldn't believe it because we hadn't done anything to try to teach him how to ride a bike yet (he hadn't even ridden with training-wheels). All he had practiced on was his tricycle and Big Wheel. That is one thing about T.J., though, when he wants to do something he is VERY determined and focused to achieve his goal. I love this boy and think he is pretty incredible! This was the easiest bike-riding lesson ever! :)

Young Entrepreneurs

2009-11-20T21:16:00.003-08:00

T.J. and Jaymon love to have "stands" to sell lemonade, Kool-aid, toys, candy, or whatever else I will let them sell. Maybe they will be great business-men someday! For now, they are just really cute! :)

Pumpkin Patch

2009-11-20T21:16:00.001-08:00

T.J.'s preschool class had a field-trip to the Pumpkin Patch. Jaymon, Ray, and I also came along at T.J.'s request. The boys both got to pick their own pumpkins (they just had to be able to carry their own). This is always a fun autumn activity!

My cute boys!
T.J.

Jaymon
Jaymon checking out the animals.
Sweet T.J.
Handsome Jaymon
T.J. in the hay-maze
T.J.'s preschool class

Visit to Grammie's House

2009-11-20T21:10:00.000-08:00

We went to Utah to Taylor's parents' home for a few days to have some fun with the grandparents and also be a part of the baby blessing of our niece, Savannah. We watched movies with Grammie, played with cousins, and went to a pumpkin patch and corn maze with Grandpa.
Movie time with Grammie and cousins.
Grammie feeding the kids (again!).
Aunt Natalie and Ray
T.J.
Taylie
Tylor
Coleton
Mom and Ray
In the corn maze with Grandpa and Uncle Jayson
Being a "produce man", Grandpa had to check out the corn in the corn maze. :)
Playing in the sandbox filled with corn.
T.J. swimming in the corn.
Misty, Abe, Jannie, and Ray
Abraham and Ray - little buddies!
Grandpa, Jayson, and Taylor enjoying some "guy talk".
Coleton
T.J.
Aliyah, Taylie, and Tylor
T.J., Jayce, Aliyah, Tylor, Gracie, and Taylie
Coleton and his toothless smile!
Cousin Aliyah
Uncle Jayson
Cousin Jayce
Coleton
Cute little cousin Abe
Taylie, Tylor, and Aliyah playing Grammie's piano.
Dad and Ray
Sweet Savannah
The baby cousins - Abe, Savannah, and Ray
Savannah
Tylor and Aliyah in Grammie's play house.
Cute T.J.
Jaymon, Grandpa, and Ray
Ray and Abe (little twinners!)
Abe and Ray
Aliyah and Taylie in Grammie's backyard.

Sticker Art

2009-11-20T21:09:00.003-08:00

Jaymon decided it would be fun one day to decorate Mom while she was rocking Ray - silly kid! I decided to let him since it kept him occupied and he was so proud of his work! :)

Ray at 5 months old

2009-11-20T21:09:00.001-08:00

Ray is probably the happiest baby I have ever seen. He is such a joy to have around!

Ray and Grammie

Hawks Baseball Game

2009-11-20T21:06:00.002-08:00

Taylor took the kids to a Hawks Baseball Game early in the Fall while Ray and Mom stayed home to bond one evening. The kids had a blast, and Jaymon came home so excited to tell me all about the Hawk. Jaymon kept saying he wanted the Hawk to come live at our house - sorry Buddy! :)

The kids with the Hawk.

T.J., Jaymon, and Taylor's Uncle Reed
Jaymon
So excited!
Tylor and Taylie
T.J.

I Love To See the Temple

2009-11-20T21:06:00.001-08:00

In September, we took the kids over to see the temple and enjoy the beautiful temple grounds. When Tylor was little, he used to like to see the angel "Ramoni" (Moroni) on the top of the temple. Everyone enjoyed the visit except for maybe Jaymon because he was a little too tired!

Taylor trying to cheer up Jaymon.
Our cute kids.
The whole family. (Someone always has to be picking their nose in a family picture, right?) :)
Tylor and Ray
Our toothless man, Coleton (or Bubba)
Tylor and Jaymon (Tylor is a great big brother!)
Jannie and Ray
T.J.
Tylor
Jaymon and Taylor

Uncle Tom's Visit

2009-11-20T20:59:00.000-08:00

My Uncle Tom (married to my dad's sister, Gloria) stopped by to visit us for a couple of days at the beginning of September. I hadn't seen him for about 7 years, so it was wonderful to be able to introduce the kids to him and catch up on old times. Being around him brought back memories of when I was a kid and our families would go out camping and motorcycle riding together. My family even lived in our camp trailer in Uncle Tom's driveway for a couple of months while our house was being built when I was 3 or 4 years old. So much history! I love this guy!

Potty Training our "Little Doggy"

2009-11-20T20:46:00.001-08:00

Jaymon decided to get potty trained which was great, but sometimes we can't convince him that his underwear should go on his bum! He also likes to pretend that he is a dog, so that explains why his tongue is sticking out in this picture. He is such a funny kid!

Halloween

2009-10-31T16:34:00.001-07:00

Carving pumpkins
Ray was a big help!
Mom and Ray
T.J.
Jaymon
Ray likes candy (at least he likes the wrappers)!
Oh boy!
Our little pumpkin.
Jack-o-Coleton :)
T.J. as a monkey
Taylie being a witch.
The kids ready for the Trunk-or-Treat at the church the week before Halloween. (T.J. wanted to be a vampire originally and then changed his mind to being a monkey on Halloween night).
Coleton wanted a Jack-o-lantern costume because of his Jack-o-lantern smile! :)
Ready to go on Halloween night.
Tylor wanted to be a zombie football player.

1st Day of School

2009-10-29T12:59:00.001-07:00

Here we go for another school year... Coleton started 2nd grade, Taylie started 4th grade, and Tylor started 6th grade (middle school - scary!). T.J. is also doing another year of preschool.

Ray at 4 months old

2009-10-29T12:58:00.002-07:00

Daddy feet and baby feet
Ray has learned a lot in 4 months- how to smile (3 weeks old), how to laugh (about 6 weeks old), how to roll over (about 4 months old), and how to put his pacifier in his mouth by himself (3 months old). We think he is pretty smart!
The joys of having an older brother - Ray gets lots of loving! :)

T.J.'s Birthday

2009-10-29T12:58:00.001-07:00

T.J. turned 5 years old, so we had a party for him in the backyard. They played on the waterslide, ate snacks, and just had a lot of fun!

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Fall Sports - Soccer and Flag-Football

2009-10-29T12:57:00.000-07:00

We had a busy Fall with 3 soccer teams and a flag-football team to keep up with. It was good for the kids and fun to watch them, but we were all ready for a break when the season ended!

Taylie playing soccer.

Little Ray and Dad out watching everyone's games.
Coleton playing flag-football.
T.J. scoring some goals in his soccer game (he usually scored about 5 goals a game).
Tylor playing soccer. (He also scored a few times!)

Locks of Love

2009-09-30T18:39:00.003-07:00

Before school started, Taylie had her long, beautiful hair cut off to donate to "Locks of Love". She was excited to not only do a nice thing for someone else by donating her hair, but also get to experience having a different hairstyle. Her new cut looks adorable on her (in my unbiased opinion). :)

Taylor's Birthday

2009-09-30T18:39:00.001-07:00

Taylor turned 36 this year. We kept his birthday pretty simple, but we hope he knows how incredible he is!
The kids are always a lot of help when it comes to opening presents!

Corn

2009-09-30T18:35:00.000-07:00

Taylor has some kind relatives that let us go and pick all the corn we want at their farm every year. This is always a fun family activity, and the kids like eating the "corn they picked". We usually freeze a bunch of it, but this year we mostly just ate it off the cob since I had my hands full with the baby.

Tylor and Jaymon

T.J. tasting the corn
Jaymon
Dad and T.J. eating the fresh corn. (It is so good that we sometimes just eat it raw!)
Taylie, Mom, Ray, T.J., Coleton, Jaymon, and Tylor

Cowboy Jaymon

2009-09-30T18:30:00.000-07:00

I got Coleton some new pants for school, and Jaymon decided they would make the perfect cowboy outfit. He rode all around the house on the pink stick horse with his pants falling down. He had the best time, and put on quite a show for us!

Nap Time

2009-09-30T18:29:00.000-07:00

Some of my favorite things in life right now are just holding baby Ray and having him close to me. Once in a great while, I get the chance to take a little nap with my precious angel - what could be better?! :)

So Tired!

2009-09-30T18:27:00.000-07:00

Jaymon couldn't stay awake one more minute and crashed on the kitchen counter!

Ray at 3 Months Old

2009-09-30T18:17:00.000-07:00

Our sweet little boy...

Jannie's Birthday

2009-09-30T18:15:00.000-07:00

O.K. - so I had a birthday and turned 34! I don't know where all these years have gone! We were actually traveling home from Utah on my exact birthday, so we celebrated the next day. The kids are always so helpful when it comes to opening presents (why can't they be that helpful about cleaning the house?)!