The Bomsta's visit

Our good friends, the Bomstas, visited us this weekend from Ohio. Brandon graduated from med school (the reason behind the visit). We met this family while living in the town homes in Johnston. At the time, they had the little girls, Evelyn and Brielle, who were the very best of friends with little Olivia and Sophie. Tanya and I became fast friends too. She taught me how to stamp (card making) and introduced me into embracing my stay at home motherhood, part time anyway. :) Brandon and Steve were two peas in a pod. We'd lose them for hours at a time. They'd be in the garage, building bunk beds, or fixing whatever might be broken, rigging up a swing somewhere, talking about and looking at guns/tools, or taking the girls on long, dangerous, off road bike rides. We also loved to camp together. We grilled out together a few nights each week and I met Tanya and our friend Tasha once a week for Desperate Housewives hour. So, when they moved, we were...sigh....sad. But we're so happy for them as a family, and very proud of Brandon (and the support Tanya has given him).


Tanya

From left to right: Olivia, Evelyn, Sophie, & Brielle

And a new little Clark baby...that's his name: Clark!

Brandon's motor bike that Steve wants now. Answer: NO.

Clark

Tanya and I wanted to throw Brandon a graduation party at a park nearby where we used to play. So I put together the food and we invited some friends and we were all set to go with beautiful weather! Wait. The clouds rolled in big and black on our way to the park. Then they dropped big fat drops slowly. Then the thunder and lightning. It'll pass.....

Or it might just pour for the entire time. Which it did. But our kids thought it was the best thing ever! They were running and jumping in puddles and laughing and screaming. They had a blast. And we...stayed in the comforts of the shelter. The rain made it difficult for the burgers and brats to cook. So we ate cake, pasta salad, and chips. But even so, the point of this party was to celebrate his Dr. hood. And we were successful in that; despite our weather and despite a minor/major injury of our dear little friend Matt, who somehow managed to break his jaw in 3 places and fracture a tooth on the play equipment. Poor little man. But I hear he is recovering well.

Steve took the girls for motor bike rides. I got one too. The guys talked about guns. Tanya and I caught up too. The girls played like old times. And we sent them off yesterday back to Ohio.

Olivia summed it up for us 5 minutes after they drove away. "Mom? I miss them already."

Me too. :)

Graduation? Beach?

A lot has been going on in just a few short days in the Clark household. For starters, little miss Sophie graduated from her 3's class to the 4's preschool class. Not sure that this is your standard graduation, but I suspect that since the 4's were graduating to the big K, they invited the younger ones to participate too. Even with validity of the event in question, we love to celebrate our children and so we dressed up, invited Grandma Jan and Uncle Dan, Aunt Amy, and Hannah baby, and we celebrated! Sophie sang several songs about what they'd do in the 4's room and was definitely the cutest kid up there. Congrats Sophie! One year closer to the Big K!




Sophie's 3's teachers. We'll miss them a lot!


Grandma Jan & Sophie in the thinking chair...thinking about their behavior. Don't they look innocent?

We've also been busy enjoying the nice Spring weather that has finally graced us with its presence. Here are a few photos of our too-cold-to-swim-sandcastle/mom-wants-a-tan expeditions. We love having Big Creek and Saylorville all within a miles radius. Polk City rocks!







Notice there are no pictures of me in my swimsuit. You're welcome.

Time

Today I haven't cried. Today I smiled more. Today I hoped more. Today I played more. Today I aspired for more. Today I believed more.

Time really is on our side. ;) Yes it is.