Happy Birthday Beau!

Today was Beau's 3rd birthday (although he has told everyone that he is three for quite some time now). We started the day off by running to the store for some forgotten cupcake wrappers, then to Burger King for breakfast. Beau helped me make cupcakes with blue frosting which we took to the park and played with all the kids in the ward. After we came home from the park I slaved 2 hours making his Spider Man Cake that he has been taking about for months. We had all the grandma and grandpa's and the neighbors (Clay's cousin) over for dinner. Clay cooked up some awesome hamburgers with all the works. We finished off by destroying the cake I worked so hard on and homemade strawberry ice cream. It was a great birthday party and Beau got more presents than he knows what to do with. I love to make a big deal out of their birthday's each year and make it their special day.

Boating with my family

While we were in town for Grandma's funeral, Jeremy took his family, Amy's family, and my family boating. It was a perfect day out on the Lake, no wind and plenty of sunshine. My kids LOVE the water and are not a bit scared. Every time we would stop to get someone out or in, Clay would throw both kids overboard. Beau is getting pretty good at doggy paddling back to the boat. Bailey and Beau both had their first experience riding on the tube. They thought that was great, Bailey would have stayed on all day. Clay is getting really good at both wake boarding and slalom skiing. I am sometimes a whimp and play it safe in the boat, but I decided to put some skiis on and give it a go. I did good, but man am I getting old! After about 5 minutes of going in and out of the wake, I was exhausted and my legs gave out. We stayed on the Lake until dusk, then went in and ordered Cafe Rio to go. It was great spending the day with my sisters and their cute kids.

Happy Birthday Grandma Clark

To celebrate Grandma Clark's 86th birthday, we paid her our final respects. Grandma died on July 18th, just a few days before her birthday. What a better present than to be reunited with her Eternal companion and loving daughter. The funeral was nice and simple. Amy was asked to talk, she gave some nice memories from all the grandkids, and somehow managed her nerves. I was asked to give the closing prayer, which was a little emotional after the closing song "How Great Thou Art." The services at the cemetary were nice, all the great-grandchildren were given birthday balloons to release in the air. After her grave was dedicated, all of my immediate family made a short trip to Mom's headstone. It was good to be there, in that peaceful spot, as a family. The whole day was a celebration of Grandma, her life, and posterity - we even had birthay cake.

Mom

As most of you know, I lost my mom to cancer 2 years ago. Not a day goes by that I don't wish I could call her up and talk, I miss her dearly. She was the most Christ-like person I know and my best friend. I don't think my mom had a selfish bone in her. She was only able to spend a brief time with my children, so I make sure they know her through my memories and pictures. I know she has a special purpose and watches out for us when she can. This year I was a team captain for a Relay for Life team. What a wonderful event! It was such a great way for me to remember my mom and fight back. Thank you to everyone for their support and especialy your donations. I plan on participating in the Relay every year. I love you mom.

Beau

Life was pretty calm before my "Little Clay" came along. Just this weekend I had one of Clay's cousins ask me "Do you ever wake up and think what in the hell did I do?". Beau has been a fun addition to our family. He is happy, loving, and has personality that just doesn't seem to end. His uncles love to tease him because he takes it in and comes back for more. Beau also has quite the imagination. One day he told me that a creature with a green shirt and long sleeves cut his hair (the creature happened to be me). He is very smart for his age, he counts in english and spanish, knows his ABC's, spells his name, knows his colors and shapes, and has a bigger vocabulary than I really want him to have. My little guy is tough, but definately has a soft spot for his mommy.

Bailey

Bailey is my "special" angel. When she was a baby we noticed that she had low muscle tone and didn't reach physical milestones at the expected time. By 10 months, I knew something was wrong. I took her to the pediatrician and he couldn't seem to find much wrong, she looked and behaved so normal. A month later she still wasn't even sitting up, so we began the long process of testing. We have ran every test you could think of over the last 4 years, and all of them have come back normal. To this day she is still undiagnosed. Bailey has come a long way though, she sat up at 1, bunny hopped at 2, crawled at 3 and walked at 4. Bailey was on a bottle until she was 2 and now can eat anything with my help. She is now starting to talk and has quite a few words. She will be going to kindergarten this fall and I am thrilled. She thrives around her peers and seems to make great progress when she in a learning environment with others her age. The school system is amazing and will see to her every need. I expect great things from my sweet little girl.

Skinner Family

My dear friend Chase has been bugging me about this blogging thing forever, so I finally have given in. I don't think my life is that eventful to really blog anything, but I will give it my best attempt. I have been married to my sweetie for almost 8 years now. After living in Lehi for a few years, we decided we wanted a little more simple life, so we moved to Star Valley, Wyoming. We have been blessed with two beautiful children, Bailey 5, and Beau who will be 3 this month. Clay works as a lineman for the power company and loves his job. I retired from teaching when I had Bailey and love staying home with the kids. We bought a "fixer upper" house almost 4 years ago and have spent a lot of time together making it our home. We love Star Valley, it is such a beautiful place to raise a family, yet close enough that I can visit home whenever I want.