Merry Christmas

So many gifts this year to be thankful for.. salvation, life, health, home, marriage, children, family-near and far, dear friends, education, love, the greatest gift of all is the light and life and hope that Jesus Christ brings us.

Merry Christmas to everyone!

We made it! Happy Birthday Sara & Emma

12 months ago we went in for a routine (well as routine as it gets with a high-risk identical twin pregnancy) OB appointment and than went into the hospital to bring Sara and Emma into the world. We knew that they would probably come early but we didn't know that they would come over a month early. We were scared but excited to welcome them into the world. That day was a wonderful one in that they were finally here, but it was also very hard in that the girls had to be wisked into the NICU becuase they both had blood sugar issues,(not uncommon with twins) and Emma liked to just stop breathing. The nurses all assured us that the girls were a good size and that I would probably get to have them in my room within a few hours and for sure by the morning. Well the next morning came and we still did not get to have our babies and we went to the NICU to find, (what I think was probably the worst bed-side mannered Neonatologist) She said that the healthy girls that we let go to the NICU the day before, were not doing so great and that they needed to stay for a while possibly weeks and that we should not hold or touch Emma! Devastating news. But the girls and their mom, defied those orders. Mom said over and over that her girls would be home by Christmas, or the new year at the latest--and they were! They were tiny and couldn't leave the house for months, but they came home. There were lots of bumps in the road along the way. Emma had to wear a apnea/breathing monitor day and night and it seemed like Sara constantly cried when she was awake. But we made it! Today we celebrate their first birthday and also the strength of a mother and a father and enduring love. We celebrate Hannah and the sweet love she gives to each of her sisters. We celebrate friends and family who helped us along the way. We celebrate the strength that our faith has given us. Today we celebrate 2 little miracles that have blessed our lives more than we can ever express. Happy Birthday Sara & Emma!

Clark Family Christmas Letter

(Nathan told me not to worry about this, noting "we have never done this before, why start now?" I was adamant about letting people know what is going on in the Clark corner of the world. With all of the changes that have happened in the last 12 months, I thought it completely necessary. Most people getting out Christmas card would wonder what is going on, just by the postmark, some people don't know that we have moved or that we had twins, so here goes, it may be a little longer than the usual “Christmas Letter” but I haven’t written one in ten years...)

The Clark Family Timeline

December 2007
Nathan, Melissa, and proud big sister Hannah welcome identical twins Sara & Emma into the world 5 weeks early on December 17, 2007! Weighing in at 6 lbs. and 6 lbs. 10 oz. respectively, the babies each spent about a week in the NICU before coming home. Grandma & Grandpa Clark came to stay for a few weeks to help us around the house and to get to know the babies.
January 2008
The proud parents were bleary eyed and sleep deprived. Nathan returned to work, Hannah to school, and Melissa handled taking care of the new babies the best she could, with a few delicious meals from friends and family to help keep everyone fed!
February 2008
Nathan and Melissa left the house for the first time, together, without the babies and Grandma & Grandpa Hedburg were dubbed "Chief Baby Watchers". Nathan began the production of Anne of Green Gables for Youth Theatre Workshop, the local children's theatre that Melissa co-founded.
March 2008
Melissa turned 30! It was no big deal, she hardly even noticed that it happened. Grandma & Grandpa Clark, Nathan's brother Colin, his wife Heather, and their twin boys, Carter & Tyler come out to freezing and snowy Minnesota for the baby blessing of the girls.
April 2008
Hannah appeared in YTW’s production of Anne of Green Gables as Minnie May Barry. Melissa found time to start a family blog to detail the events of the family.
May 2008
Hannah turns 9! Melissa was very smart to have her birthday at the local community center water park to avoid any set-up or clean-up. Hannah appears in YTW’s production Disney’s Aladdin Jr. The babies both learned to roll-over!
June 2008
Melissa, Hannah, Sara, & Emma began to enjoy the summer together. Since Melissa started teaching, this was the first summer she had off. The babies started some solid foods. Sara and Emma met Great-Grandma Hanson.
July 2008
We had a 4th of July garage sale! Nathan became a Cub Scout leader for our church. Hannah decided to cut her hair almost all the way to the scalp at her bangs. (Check out our blog, we have a great video of her explaining why!) Nathan and Melissa celebrate 10 years of wedded bliss!
August 2008
We took a much needed and deserved family vacation to Nauvoo, Illinois (a historic Mormon Church settlement and the place where we went on our honeymoon.) We also stopped at the SPAM Museum in Austin, MN.
September 2008
Hannah began the school year at a wonderful new school, Kaleidoscope Charter School. There she got to be in many classes with her cousin Isaac. Nathan was abruptly laid off from Carlson Marketing Worldwide due to cut-backs after over 6 years of faithful service.
October 2008
We decided to move to Las Vegas, NV to live with Nathan’s parents and re-group a little, but after further consideration made a switch to Eagle Mountain, Utah-a fast-growing city near Salt Lake City and Provo. Nathan’s dad, Rod, drives with us all the way from Minnesota; the trip took 3 days. It was unexpected and crazy, and we miss all of our friends and family in Minnesota, but it was the right move for us.
November 2008
Hannah started school at a new school—Lakeview Academy, another charter school, with her UT cousins! Nathan decided to start a new career—teaching, with a little economic supplementation from a 2nd job at the local Wal-Mart. Melissa loves the discount!
December 2008
Sara & Emma turn 1 year old! Both sets of grandparents made the trek out for the big event. Things are kind of quiet, with no children’s theatre to run, and no boards to sit on, yet. But we love it! We are grateful for our full year, our three beautiful daughters, and our roof over our heads. We are grateful for our 10 amazing years together. We are grateful for the peace that the Christmas season brings and for the trials and triumphs we have been blessed with. Most of all we are grateful for the neighbors, friends, and family that have shared this truly memorable year with us.

May the humble peace that Jesus Christ brought so many years ago be with you this year and always!
The Clark Family
Nathan·Melissa·Hannah·Sara·Emma
Check out family photos and current events at http://theclarkcorner.blogspot.com/ or email us at Nathan_melissaclark@hotmail.com

Everything in twos!

Everything is different with twins and my girls have always have a buddy. They play together and get into trouble together. The other day I was hanging laundry in our walk-in closet, so I couldn't see them, but they were right in my toddler-proofed bedroom, so I figured I was OK. All of a sudden I hear this roaring giggling and I looked out to see that they had both crawled into the bathroom. They thought they were so funny because they had sneaked away into the bathroom. They both crawl now, Sara started on Oct 30th and Emma on Nov 1st. They have gotten so big that they can no longer sleep in the same crib. It turns out that Emma really likes to play with a.k.a pull Sara's little pony tails so we have them separated now. I thought that they would never be able to sleep apart because they have slept together since we brought them home from the NICU. I was wrong, they slept great. That was it my little babies are now going to be toddlers!

This is the girls catching a ride downstairs with Daddy. (Sara is on the left and Emma on the right.) They are almost too big for me to carry them together.

Happy Thanksgiving!

These are the pies I baked with Hannah this year with her cousins, Abby & Harrison.

This year especially, I am grateful for many blessings...

• Grateful for my faith and for the atonement of Jesus Christ, and forgiveness.
• Grateful for my husband , who loves me
• Grateful for our three girls, who light up our life, sometimes at 3am!
• Grateful for my parents, past and present, and for the things that they have taught me
• Grateful for siblings
• Grateful for nieces and nephews
• Grateful for a home to live in
• Grateful for wonderful friends, new and old
• Grateful for Thanksgiving dinner to cook
• Grateful for talents
• Grateful for trials and challenges

I grateful for so many things, too many to list everything. I am grateful!

Bath Time!

You will notice that this tub is white without the mold that grew under the shower panels in our old house! I feel a lot better giving the girls a bath in this bath!

Happy Birthday!

As you can see from the pictures, it is not easy getting two little busy bodies to both look in the same direction and be cute at the same time, so take your pick!

Yes, that is Sara on the left, she is giving Emma a run for her money.

Totally identical in this pic...

Sara is cracking up, it must have been something that Emma said.

Happy Birthday to my beautiful little girls! I cannot believe it has been 11 months already! Next month we are having a 1st birthday party on Saturday December 13th, if you have any extra frequent flier miles, or happen to work for an airline, or are planning on being in town you are totally invited to a Twinerific 1st Birthday!

More moving details...

We left quite late on that Sunday, ugh, it just seemed like no matter how hard we pushed there was more to pack, clean, load, etc. Rod & Hannah left in the big rig 10:30ish and Nathan, the babies, Dojo, and I left I want to say 2ish. We fit everything we could possibly fit into the big rig, the cab and back of the truck, and in our van, and on top of the van. We cleaned the floors and fridge, made little piles in the garage for my dad and Jamie to help us take care of (Goodwill, Garbage, Boxes, Stuff we couldn't fit, etc.)--super big thanks by the way, and locked the doors and left! It was snowing, the weather and roads were horrible. I drove and Nathan said the prayers. The girls were great travelers. We made it to Lincoln, NE the first night. We stayed at a hotel thanks to Rod's travelers points. We even got to see our long time friends Adam & Ahnah & Family. We had breakfast with them on Monday morning, got to see their new house quick and hit the road. We got to Cheyenne, WY that night and relaxed in a super-seedy motel. I found a tin of tobacco under the covers-um, yuk! But it was again free, thanks to Rod's points. We left early that Tuesday morning, like 7:00 and drove pretty much straight to Eagle Mountain, UT--stopping only for gas and a quick bite once. We made great time. As soon as the big rig arrived at our new house about 10 guys were there to help unload it. Everything was in the house, basement, or garage within an hour. We had gas, power, and water set-up, but the phone, internet, DSL were another story!! We are still working on our cells that don't work in our house or on our block but, we have internet and directv, so we are doing ok. Hannah went to her new school on Thursday and loved it! We are getting everything unpacked and making it feel more like "home".

We made it! Home Sweet Home

It is beautiful here! I love my new house. We finally have internet and will soon have phone and TV too. Our stupid Qwest cell phones don't work here in this city so we are switching to Verizon. Our phone numbers will stay the same. I will post pics of the new house and our trip out as soon as I get a free moment. Thanks again to all of you who helped us pack and move. We love you!

We are heading out!

We are leaving today, later than we had planned I'm sure, for our new home in Utah. Email us if you would like our new address. We would love to hear from you! We will miss Minnesota and most of the people in it! A very special thank you to those of you who came to help at our time of need. It is official-I hate moving and packing. We are sore and exhausted and we are less than halfway done with the whole process--we still have the drive and the unload and the unpacking!

Love,

The Clarks

Now accepting help!

If you know me at all, I don't usually ask for help or even say "why sure" when help is offered, but I am in need of help and I am not too proud to ask. I still need help packing dishes and some other kitchen stuff. We also need help putting all of the furniture and boxes on the truck. The truck will be here on Thursday afternoon and my dad is chief truck packer, but we need lots of back power! I also need help cleaning the deep recesses of my house and patching/painting over holes in the walls. So if you are available anytime Thursday or Friday please come over and lend a hand. We have been working so hard every day but with two little ladies under toe we feel like we are falling short. And yes, we could still use some more boxes.

Thanks from the bottom of our hearts!

What am I supposed to get out of all of this?

If you know me at all you know that I am constantly thinking either about what happened and what my effect was on something or what is going to happen and what I am supposed to do about it. I have done this for as long as a remember. One of the questions that I have been asking myself during the last two months is "What am I supposed to be getting out of all of this?" I talk to friends about this and many have asked themselves the same question while facing a trial in life such as a loss of a loved one, loss of a job, premature birth of a child, illness, etc. I have been lucky in my life because during most of my trials I have been able to quickly assess the situation and know what I was supposed to get out of a situation. But this job loss, new career, moving to Las Vegas, then moving to Utah, etc. has really stumped me. Until this morning. Many people have said "I don't know how you do it." Meaning mom to twins and a 9 year old, and probably all of the other stuff I get involved in. I have quoted scripture in the past and just said "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me." Frankly, I have muttered that under my breath at 3 in the morning, not neccessarily as an acknowledgement of it actually being the case but more as a pleading for help. Today at 5 am when Emma decided she didn't want to sleep anymore, I stumbled to the nursery to pick her up and comfort her. Soon after Sara awoke and I before I could feel sorry for myself that I am here by myself taking care of two great babies, wondering why God would send three amazing children to my self-proclaimed woefully inadiquate care, a thought came to me: I can do this, I am doing this.
We are taught that God will never give us a greater trial or burden or lesson than we can bare. I have been thinking a great deal about that and wondering just how much I can take, how much much more could possibly happen. (I do not want to find out. I will just leave that to Job from the Old Testament) But I am also comforted knowing that whatever I will face, I can know that it wouldn't be given to me unless I could handle it. I am capable of making it through this. I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. That is what I am supposed to get out of all of this.

Settled on a location...

Nathan has been out west all week--ugh, it has been hard being in charge of packing and the three kids--looking into the Alternate Route to Licensure teaching programs and he found that Utah's program is probably going to be the best fit. While Las Vegas does offer a little more in the pay department, Utah has a lower cost of living and is not as HOT! He checked out living situations in both places and found we could have more for the money and in a "safer" area in Utah. So we are excited to announce that we will be moving to Utah and he found us a house to live in and everything. One of the bonus aspects to this house is that is on the same street as Nathan's brother Trevor and Rebekah and their 6 kids. It is at the end of a cul de sac and Hannah will be able to ride her bike to school if she wants. We can see mountains out of every window of the house. We don't know what the future holds beyond that, but we are grateful to have such kind friends and family here and there to help us and to love us.

"Last night I had a strangest dream.."

I thought I would give an update... everyone is doing well at our house. Nathan is out west interviewing for jobs and looking for a place for us to live. Hannah and I are holding down the fort. The girls are getting bigger and into so many neat things. Emma likes to dance whenever she hears anything remotely like music and Sara loves fabric and little details in things. I will post some photos or a slide show soon. Friday they will be 10 months old and I cannot tell you where the time has gone. Someone told us when were pregnant with the twins that this first year will be the fastest year of our lives yet the days will be the longest and that is exactly right.
I have to tell everyone about my brilliant and witty 9 year old. Tomorrow in class she is going to do a reader's theatre-a play script written to be read aloud in class. Her part is a reporter/scientist and she has created a costume and a prop. I guess the show has something to do with frogs and she took a drawing of a frog and some construction paper and a few other art supplies and created a full blown realistic frog habitat in a plastic shoe box container. I sent her down to take a shower and when she came up to say "goodnight" she showed me what she had done in just a few minutes. I was blown away. We are all "hanging in there". There are times when I am driving or working around the house and I am thinking to myself is this a weird dream. Am I going to wake up and none of this will have happened? You know like those weird dreams where you wake up and say "I had the craziest dream last night, we had twins, and then I quit my job to stay home with them, and then you lost your job, and to top it off we moved across the country. Weird!" That's my life right now, one crazy dream.

Rumors...

Just so this doesn't come to a complete shock to everyone when we start telling people, it looks like we might be moving. Of course we are sad to leave friends and family in Minnesota. We have built so many wonderful associations and friendships here. I cannot imagine not living here the last 6 1/2 years. I think I will use this post to tell you the story of how we came to return to Minnesota after college. We had many places we could move, Las Vegas, California, Utah, Nebraska and other states where jobs were biting, but we chose Minnesota to be close to family and, truth be told, so I could make and decorate Terry and Ellen's wedding cake, (It was the best cake I ever decorated!).
When we moved Nathan was supposed to start work with a large insurance and financial company but once we got here the recruiter that had interviewed him and offered him a job starting jerking us around and not calling back and finally when he did get a hold of her she said "um, I am very sorry but we are under a hiring freeze." Crazy! So we had to make some decisions and we decided to stay, we had great landlords, Randy and Sony. Nathan went to Prostaff and was hired to work for Carlson and until 3 weeks ago worked there ever since. It was actually a good thing that it all worked out the way it did because just a few weeks after moving to Minnesota my mom died, fortunately we were here to be able to handle all of the arrangements and we even got to see her one last time on Mother's Day that year.
During his time at Carlson, Nathan started working on a Master's of Education degree, hoping to be a elementary teacher. Eventually Nathan started making more at Carlson than he would have starting out as a teacher and with the teaching market so competitive here, he decided to discontinue the Master's knowing that it would be hard to walk away from Carlson to ??? and student teach with a family to support not knowing if he could get a teaching job when he was done anyway. Well, God works in His own way and sometimes He sends a big change your way even when you are not wanting it. Nathan will finish his Master's of Education and will do so through an Alternative Route to Licensure program. It is a pretty cool set up that allows him to student teach for a year under a mentor teacher in his own classroom yet still receive a teaching salary. Before starting he has to complete courses that are offered through the school district and the university. Upon the completion he has a license and a Master's of Education. He has an interview to do long-term subbing and will probably do that until he gets into a classroom. It is ironic that it took all of this to get my stubborn, very-comfortable husband decide to finally chase his dreams. I am happy for him and excited for what life holds for us. To answer the big question on everyone's mind--MN does not have ARL program as far as we know, but if you know about one please forward any information to us. Nathan has applied for a few of these programs and is in the process of doing informational meetings and orientation stuff, we will end up where ever he can find a job in the mean time and where ever there is an offer. As of right now that place is Las Vegas. Nathan's parents live there and we are looking for an apartment there. We will be having a going away/pack up the truck party at the end of October. I plan on cooking up sloppy joes and a bunch of other great stuff from our freezer before we have to go. We are having a moving sale on Friday, October 10th. There will be a ton of great stuff for sale because we will be majorly down-sizing.

Who could ask for anything more?

I looked out the window today and all I could see was a beautiful world that God created for you and for me. It isn't too hot and it isn't too cold. The trees are swaying in the breeze and there are birds chirpping. The sky is the most beautiful blue with gentle whisps of white clouds. My children, (just getting to say that is a miracle), are safe and happy and healthy. As I type this my husband is playing with the babies. I am even thankful that I have a window to look out. I am truly blessed. Things aren't so bad, who could ask for anything more? Thank thee Heavenly Father!

Apples to Apples!

We made the annual trek to the apple orchard. I like going to the Emma Krumbee Orchard because there are a ton of fun things to do down there and we get a fall leaves scenic route on the way down. The girls all had fun and we could not have asked for a better day. It was beautiful! Now I need ot get busy making and canning applesauce and other apple things. Nummmm....

Hannah really got into picking "prized" apples, as she called them; while Sara and Emma were just interested in the grass and leaves. It was a fun trip, we might need to go again to another orchard, hopefully there will be a few good weekends left.

Palin Power!

We all went as a family to the McCain-Palin Rally and it was super fun. There was a guy who had an Obama sign and bunch of ladies with Hockey Moms went and stood in front of him to block him, then he would move and they would move too. He finally gave up and fold up his sign and put it in his pocket. I can only hope that is what the election will be like--all of the hockey moms and women decide we are not going to be pushed around by fringe elements stand up and vote in a unified voice--then the fringe take their signs and fold them up and put them away in their pockets. I don't know about anyone else but I am sick of being told that I am not a real woman just because I support life.

I was even quoted in the Star Tribune:

http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/28676954.html?page=3&c=y

I said pretty much what most of the other women there were saying, I was luke warm about McCain, but I like the addition of Palin to the ticket because she is one of us, just her kids' mom working together with her husband to make the world a better place for her kids and for all of our kids.

Peace, Be Still

OK so it is 4:30 in the morning and I should probably resist the urge to write in the blog. It doesn't seem very sensible, but I have a lot on my mind, I am warning you now, you can still leave the blog and come back in a few days and something else will be up and you can just skip this entry all-together. Nonetheless, I am writing this to sort some stuff out.

1. So my husband was laid-off, part of me is scared and worried and part of me is hopeful and reassured that something amazing will come of this.

2. This weekend at church, the bishop (for those of you who are not Mormon-that is our head pastor) made an announcement about a guy in our ward (our congregation) who was very ill and in the hospital. He has had health problems throughout his life--heart issues, I think. He is married, both he and his wife are about the same age as Nathan and me. I have been thinking about them both and with technology being what it is, I have been keeping tabs on them on Facebook. Yesterday, he passed away. My heart goes out to Marla and Rob. I can't even imagine what she must be going through.

3. The girls have not been sleeping well(babies-teething, Hannah-allergies/cold). Which means I haven't been sleeping well (at all).

1+2+3=I am up because the girls were up and now I can't go back to sleep. I am just thinking about everything. I want to be worried about Nathan and the whole not-having-a-job thing and what to do with our life, but all I can think about is what is must be like to have to crawl into bed alone without my husband ever again. I am so grateful for his snoring and drooling; I am grateful for how positive he always is about everything, saying "it will all work out". I am grateful that I have three beautiful girls that need their mommy in the middle of the night. I am grateful for the knowledge that I have about God and the peace that we can find with Him. Right now I am thinking about the hymn "Master the tempest is raging..."

Master, the tempest is raging! The billows are tossing high!

The sky is o’ershadowed with blackness.

No shelter or help is nigh.

Carest thou not that we perish?

How canst thou lie asleep

When each moment so madly is threat’ning

A grave in the angry deep?
The winds and the waves shall obey thy will:Peace, be still.

Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea

Or demons or men or whatever it be,

No waters can swallow the ship where lies

The Master of ocean and earth and skies.

They all shall sweetly obey thy will: Peace, be still; peace, be still.

They all shall sweetly obey thy will: Peace, peace, be still.

and the Bible verses that it is based on in Matthew Chapter 8 Verses 23-28

23 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.
24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.
26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

As I sit here typing I am moved by the incredible courage that so many around me have, I am grateful for this trial and think that I have a choice, we all have a choice really. Do I fear or do I have faith? Will I allow this horrible storm and tempest overcome me? Or will I have faith that our Lord is over all things and can calm this storm? Thank you for your thoughts and prayers, we need them, I need them. I have faith in Him who can calm even the greatest storm. Peace, be still. It will all work out.

Every time a door closes, God opens a window..

Nathan lost his job at Carlson today after being there for nearly 7 years and two promotions. Over the last three years Carlson has laid off a huge part of their workforce and the ax finally swung Nathan's way. We don't know yet what we are doing. That company is interesting in how it lays people off, it calls you into a office, sits you down and then tells you that you are done, then they walk you to your desk and stands there while you get your stuff and then you are escorted out of the building. (they have called security in case someone gets out of hand.) See ya! Last day, say goodbye to your co-workers as you walk by. So that was it, then Nathan called me and told me the news.

We have felt prompted to look for a new job, new place, new plan for the last year but needed to stay put with the babies coming and then being so new, but maybe this is our time to make a change. We are praying for guidance as to where to look, and what to do about insurance, housing, etc.

Hopefully if you get a call wondering about Nathan's character you will give him a raving reference.

Where have you been? A Monthly Update???

My apologies to all of my readers-NOT!-I have been so busy getting ready for the school year and the big wrap up of summer that I have not updated in a month!!! I will be posting vacation photos, along with a State Fair update, and Back-to-School when I get the chance. I am busy enjoying my time with this beautiful fall weather and being home with Sara & Emma. Hannah started 3rd Grade yesterday at Kaleidoscope Charter School. She loves it, but as she said, does not like the stinkin' bus trip. I have asked her to give it a week and then we will see.

My friend Ellen, who has a newborn and is consequently very tired and busy, has often resorted to just writing weekly updates so I guess you could say this is my monthly update. Too Funny!
Hannah has now mastered riding a bike so well that she is allowed to ride to the library and park around the corner. It is neat to see the sense of freedom she has while riding. She is really an incredible person. I just love her and the person she is becoming. I was grateful that it was sprinkling yesterday morning at her school. I think most parents were, it served as a cover-up to the tears that we all shed as we handed our kids off to a almost complete stranger to teach our babies. "Are you crying? Oh me? No. It is raining!" It really is crazy how I turn into a big pile of mush when it comes to my kids.

The little girls are doing great--almost nine months old! They are rolling and scooting all over the place. Their favorite thing to do right now is to be outside on a blanket. They love the feel of grass and leaves. I can see a bunch of beautiful fall pictures in our future! :) Last night after our walk, they both played on the blanket and tried to eat the grass and leaves. They are really starting to be aware of one another and giggle when they see each other's face. It is a cute time.

I will try to be more regular about keeping you posted with the happening at The Clark Corner.

On the Road Again....

This week we are taking a road trip through the midwest. Some of the places we will be going are:
SPAM Mueseum, Historic Nauvoo Illinois(where we went on our honeymoon), President Lincoln's birthplace in Springfield, Illinois and we will see where else we can get to... I don't think that I will be able to make updates to the blog until we get back but I can assure you that I will have plenty to say when we return. Make sure you keep checking because I might find someplace great to post a little trip update! Please send prayers our way that we will be safe and that all three of our girls will be healthy and the van runs well, oh, and cheap gas would be nice too. :)

Thanks to my dad for watering our garden and Nathan's roses, and keeping DoJo fed!

My Husband!

I just want to tell you a bit about my husband today instead of an update on me or the girls.

• He is 33 today!
• He is a great father.
• He loves God, his family, and his country.
• He loves music from the 80's especially Erasure.
• He is a freek for all things Disney.
• He snores really loudly!
• His favorite foods are lasagna & yogurt, not neccesarily together!
• He is an Eagle Scout and as you can see from the picture above, he is also a Den Leader.
• He loves his children, when we were dating in college, I once asked him what he wanted to major in and do when he grew up, his answer: a dad.
• He loves me.
• He can be a total turd sometimes, but I love him.
• He loves Red Vines licorice.
• He honors his parents.
• He is patient and kind.
• He listens to talk radio and KS95
• He is really good at mowing the lawn.
• He grows beautiful roses.
• He takes good care of us.
• He is loved by me more than words could ever say!

Happy Birthday Nathan!

Happy 10th Anniversary!

Today Nathan & I celebrate our 10th anniversary. It is hard to believe how fast these ten years have gone by. I love him more than ever. I have learned a few things over the years:

• Sometimes things don't happen when you want them to, you have to wait 8 1/2 years.


• Marriages can work even when you get married young.


• I can't imagine my life without Nathan.


• I can't imagine our life without our girls.


• I don't ever want to be a single parent.


• Nathan really does love me!


• I really love him!


• You can teach yourself to cook.


• He can teach himself how to do laundry.


• We can make it through anything.


• God won't give us more than we can handle.


• Nathan is a great father.


• ...and a great husband.


• It is good to go out on a date once in a while.


• I appreciate my parents and his parents even more.


• You should write each other notes.


• You should call each other during the day for no reason at all.


• A messy house isn't that big of a deal for a day or two as long as it is filled with love.


• Don't start a fight over email.


• It is okay to say how you are feeling about something, get it out and get it over with.


• Nathan is the perfect man for me.


• Two is always better than one!

I love you Nathan!

Cheap Family Outing!

Just wanted to let you all know about Elk River Community Theatre's production of Oliver! The Elk River Rotary has donated 100 tickets for children so if you come this opening weekend, kids get in free with a paid adult. There is a lot of lively music, adorable children, and a beautiful set! This show is appropriate for probably 1st Grade and up, maybe younger if you have a die-hard theatre fan in the family. But a free ticket opening weekend, you can't beat that. Please see www.ERCT.org for more information about tickets.

P-touch Crazy!

In an effort to get things organized in our kitchen I use labels on our Tupperware containers, today we were being silly and put labels on each of the girls. It was pretty fun, and just an example of how to get a little out of control when it comes to organization.

The Buzz Cut Kid

The craziest part about this video is when I ask her if she will do it again and she has to think about it and almost says yes! Do you see what I am dealing with here? True confession time, when I was her age, I thought that it would be very pretty if I trimmed my eyebrows, it probably would have been except I trimmed them completely off. I look funny enough with eyebrows, I will just let you imagine me without them!

What was the last thing the man said before the turtle bit him?

Everybody loves a parade!

Are you ready? Mommy is ready on the float!
Here is part of our line-up of double strollers.
The whole parade crew.

It is county fair time and the Mothers of Multiples club that I belong to had a float in the Sherburne County Fair Parade. It was the girls first parade and they loved it, except for the big semi-trucks air horn. Everyone kept asking if they were dolls...I don't get it either. Hannah walked along and gave out double bubble gum! It was a blast.

Papa & Great Uncle Tom come to our rescue!

Thanks to my Dad and my Uncle Tom our mailbox has been repaired. It was cool to see those two old guys, who mean so much to me, holding the girls. THANK YOU!!
Emma with my dad's brother, Uncle Tom.
Sara with Papa!

What has Melissa been up to?

Besides doing the impossible everyday, sometimes more than once I manage to get a few other things done around here. I may not be a body builder, and there may be clothes that need to be folded but I manage to get a few things done.
Here is a day in the life of Melissa:

• Wake at 3am--Emma doesn't like to sleep in yet. Feed Emma, put her back to sleep. Try to fall back to sleep or just give in, wake up and start the day.
• 6am both girls are up. Nurse. Change 2 diapers, go for a quick walk around the neighborhood, change 2 diapers again.
• 8am Feed them homemade baby food, yes, I actually find time to do that, keep reading. Change 2 diapers again.
• 9am girls lay down for morning nap--I get to work, I have to make labels for my Mothers of Multiples Club and I have a theatre program that I am working on for Elk River Community Theatre's production of Oliver! Take 6 phones calls either from parents of children in the show, other board members, or artistic staff. Read an email from the stroller company explaining that it is not their fault that they were misrepresented on the walmart website and that I should contact Walmart again. I do, I send off a very carefully worded email expressing my disapointment.
• 10:30am Hannah finally wakes up, she has been really enjoying the relaxed summer schedule. Sit down with Hannah while she eats breakfast to talk and read scriptures.
• About 10:50am the girls wake up, feed baby cereal, green beans, and bananas. Wipe girls down, and give them some toys to play with while Hannah and I make baby food. Take the vegetables and fruits out of the fridge that I had cooked yesterday during nap time. Puree peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, peaches, pears, carrots, and bananas in the Smoothie maker blender and pour each into ice cube trays to freeze. Girls are ready to nurse, so I sit down for a little bit to do that.
• After eating, playing while I made baby food, the girls are ready for a nap at about 1:30pm. I get to work again. Hannah goes out to play with some neighbor kids and run through the sprinkler. The Oliver! program is still very pressing, it is 20 pages long. I answer a few email about ads and biographies in the program, then type like crazy! Hannah wants to work on her blog so I stop for a little bit and pop the frozen baby food cubes out of the trays and into bags that I label & date. The phone rings and the tickets are ready for the show and I need to get them picked up and delivered to the bank, and also the Lions representative.
• 3:15 The girls wake up, nurse and we hit the road at about 4pm. It takes a while to load the diaper bag. The babies are carried to the car one at a time, buckled in, and away we go. We make it to the printers. I call to drop off the tickets and I also stop to pick up some names from the director of the show to be included in the program.
• 5:00 Hannah wants to learn how to make fajitas so she helps me get things going and we set the table. Where is Daddy??!!!
• 5:45 The girls get hungry so I nurse them. They get to eat their babyfood with us at dinner.
• 6:15 Nathan gets home late, so dinner is getting over cooked. I ask him to stir it, he comes in after deadheading his roses and a bunch of other things outside. It is the girls' 7th month birthday so I get them all dressed up in cute outfits, make the sign on the computer, and take pictures.
• 6:30 Dinner finally can be eaten now, urgh!
• 6:45 I leave for Mothers of Multiples meeting. Lots of crazy drama there. Us moms put so much pressure on ourselves.
• 10:00 arrive home to feed the girls and help Nathan get them put to sleep.
• 11:30 Finally done, now I check my email to see if there are any messages related to work, volunteering, etc. Check my friends' blogs to see how they are doing.
• 12:00 Read my scriptures, say prayers, then try to go to sleep, lots of stuff rolling around in my head--tomorrow is going to be a busy day, I need sleep.
• 3:00am start all over again!

Happy Birthday Babies!

7 months already!! I cannot believe it! This month you have both mastered eating lots of new foods, and drinking from a cup with help. You both roll and scoot all over the place and sit up without any supports for a few minutes. Sara sleeps through the night almost every night and Emma still likes to wake up at 3am to eat. We love you and cherish having you in our lives!

Storms, Storms and More Storms!

Recently there have been thunderstorms, tornado activity, and all sorts of craziness with the weather. Our mailbox was one of the latest casualties. Nathan tried rigging up with bungee cords but that lasted about 2 hours.

Como Zoo

Nathan took the day off of work and we all took a trip to the Como Zoo. We walked all through the Conservatory and saw lots of neat plants and flowers. Nathan was very excited about each kind of flower because his work has a little photo club, and he fancies himself as a photographer. A slide show will be posted of Como Zoo pictures, watch for in the margin.

Then we got to see where the polar bears are going be living in their new digs. Hannah got to see Sparky the seal on the seal island exhibit. It was a fun day. The traffic coming home was not!

Here is some video of Emma basically saying "are we there yet?" and then they both conked out!

Kelley Farm

I took all three girls to the Kelley Farm and we could not have asked for a more beautiful day yesterday. Hannah loved seeing all of the animals and helping in the pioneer kitchen. The little girls really enjoyed the new scents and sounds of the farm, but weren't really into seeing the animals yet. They enjoyed it all so much that they fell asleep. If you haven't ever been, you must pack a lunch and go. It is so neat, there is lots to do and it is close so you don't have to spend a fortune on gas.

Chipmunks, argh!

Scary chipmunk, terrifying!

Yesterday morning somehow a chipmunk got into our house. It consequently scared the living daylight out of Hannah who screamed bloody murder, which scared the living daylight out of me and I ran to see what the matter was, I was talking on the phone with Jamie and just yelled hold on into the phone, threw it down and ran to see what the matter was. Jamie sat there on the phone wondering if there was an intruder or if Hannah was hurt. She said "I was thinking I am only 10 minutes away!" basically running scenarios in her head. It was a whole ordeal, I had to shew it out with a broom, setting up little barricades so that he would not go into the rest of the house. All the while that I our giant cat Dojo, just laid around like nothing was going on. Seriously do you think I could our money back from a free kitten?

LAZY, FIERCE CAT!