New Hampshire was Super Sonic!

After Jonathan finished up his week long General Exam, we packed up our camping gear and headed for the White Mountains of New Hampshire. We arrived on Wednesday and set up camp, which was pretty easy since Jonathan wanted to rent a cabin instead of roughing it in a tent. The cabin was really nice. We rolled our sleeping bags out on the beds and unloaded the rest of our gear into the cabin. Then we drove into North Conway to grab a few things at Wal-Mart.

The next morning we headed out to Story Land! This was the first time we had been, but I have been hearing great things about it for years. It lived up to all of the hype! The boys had such a great time running from one ride to the next. Isaac was tall enough to ride every single ride in the park, there were only a few that Owen wasn't tall enough to ride. Owen's favorite ride was the family water raft, we sat in a huge inter tube with seats and rode on a lazy river while water was sprayed on us. Owen kept saying "Mom that was awesome." Isaac's favorite ride was the Polar Coaster. After his first time on the ride he got off and said; "Mom, that ride is Super Sonic. Can I go again?" He was cracking me up. Jonathan's favorite ride was the Flume ride. It gave Isaac really bad butterflies so he wouldn't go on it again, which made Jonathan a bit sad, but the Polar Coaster made up for it a bit. The boys got there faces painted like the "Incredible Hulk" and we went to the circus. They got to meet Cinderella in her castle and we got some really yummy fried dough and ice cream. After we got back to our camp site we roasted hot dogs and made s'mores. It was a fun day.

On Friday we headed over to Attitash where we rode on the alpine slides, the water slides, jumped on the euro-trampoline, and played in the toddler water park. Isaac's exclamations were; "Mom, this place is RECORD". When I asked Owen what he thought of the rides, he said; "Yeah, sure mom this place is Awesome". Jonathan and I had a great time as well. The only annoying part of the day was when we were going down the alpine slides and the people in front of us didn't understand the meaning of "Alpine Slide", they thought that it meant go as slow as you can so that 25 people get backed up behind you and it takes 15 minutes to get down instead of the 4 minutes that it is suppose to.

Saturday we hiked up to Arethusa Falls, which is the tallest water fall in New Hampshire. It was a 1.4 mile hike each way and Jonathan ended up hauling Owen most of the way. I back packed him for a while, but the credit must go to Jonathan. When we got there it was well worth the hike. The falls were so beautiful. It was a perfect day to hike, we had over cast skies and a bit of drizzle, which helped cool us off while we were climbing the mountain. After we made our way back down we decided to reward ourselves with a movie. We had promised the boys that we would take them to a movie theatre to watch "Wall-e", so we climbed in to the car, got some lunch and then made our way over to the theatre. The movie was really cute and the boys loved it. The day had been a success.

Sunday morning we started to pack up, but the weather made it difficult because it was raining so hard. We had so much lightening and thunder. It was so amazing. We just sat on our front porch and watched for about an hour and a half before we could start loading up the car. It was such a great vacation. A much needed and long anticipated one as well.

Happy Father's Day!

This one goes out to the one I love. The most amazing husband and father that I will ever know. Jonathan and I were recently having a conversation and I asked him what he has sacrificed for me and the boys. He thought for a while and then said that he guessed that he hadn't sacrificed much for us. Since then I have been thinking about our conversation and ALL of the things that he has sacrificed. Here are a few of them. Every day for the past eleven years he has sacrificed his time and energies by working towards his Ph.D. so that we can have a better life. He sacrifices his time and talents by serving in our church and teaching the boys that it is better to give than receive. Every day when he gets home from school no matter how tired he is, he will wrestle, play baseball, super hero's and many other games with the boys. He takes on extra work so that we can have a little extra money to enjoy a little family fun. He has always made sure that we are taken care of before his needs are met. Jonathan is the most wonderful person that I will ever know. He is kind, generous, funny, full of integrity, compassionate, extremely talented, an amazing father and the list goes on and on. I am grateful to have him in my life. He is always anchored and steadfast in the gospel. He has this calmness that radiates to whom ever he is around. When ever I am in his arms all of my cares melt away and I know that I am safe and nothing can hurt me while he is there. The boys adore him as their father and can't wait to grow up and "be just like their daddy". We are grateful that he is ALL ours. We love you babe.

Relaxation in Phoenix!

I flew out to Sunny Phoenix a few weeks back. It was a very fun, relaxing and eventful trip. I actually killed three birds with one stone. I was able to meet my new nephew Reagan for the first time. He is such an adorable little tike. We got to have some real bonding time while Bekah and Scott had some alone time. I have convinced him that I am the coolest and most favorite Auntie. He agreed whole heartedly because I wouldn't give him his bottle until he did agree. I know I can be mean, but very persuasive. No really, I just showered him with kisses and that reeled him right in. He really is a very sweet boy and loves to snuggle the way my boys do. You did done real good Bekah and Scott. Also thanks for introducing me to "Guitar Hero". I am now "Pink Ranger, Rock Princess". I have Owen to thank for the name. Every time I play Super Hero's with he and Isaac I am the Pink Ranger Princess, so hence the name "Pink Ranger, Rock Princess". I even have a t-shirt, it is pretty awesome!

The second bird I killed was watching my stepbrother Greg get married to his fiancee. He looked very handsome and she looked really beautiful. They were so happy, a bit nervous, but very happy. It made me think about when Jonathan and I got married. We were both very calm and ready to be together, but I was also worried about weather or not Jonathan would really want to stay with me forever. I guess the glue they used at our ceremony was pretty good, because we are still together and we love each other more now than then. I also got to meet the rest of my step siblings which was so much fun. They are awesome people. I just wish we could have had more time to visit. Greg was the last of the bunch to get married so I guess we will have to make up reasons to get together. Congratulations Greg and Kristen.

The third bird I killed was getting some rest and relaxation since Jonathan will be traveling this summer to do research for his dissertation. Also to give the boys some time with their dad. They have missed him so much lately because he has been studying for his General exam which will be over in the next two weeks. Monday he has his "written part", Tuesday he has his "take home part" and next Monday he has his "oral part" of the exam. I have to say that Jonathan is truly my HERO! The man is a machine. He just keeps going and going. Every time he gets shot down he gets back up and goes. The Ph.D programs at Harvard are like firing squads, they blast you with so much force that you are not sure if you can get back up, it is brutal, but if you can clean and patch your wounds and let them heal. You emerge on the top of your field. I guess that is how the "Best Minds" are born and Jonathan has an amazing mind and perspective. It will be nice to have the General Exam over so we can move on to the next mountain in the Doctoral world.

Isaac Turns 6!

I can't believe that my little boy is no more a little boy.

As you can tell my boys are obsessed with Super Hero's. Isaac wanted a Power Ranger Birthday Party, so that is what he got. We had 17 wild and crazy boys running all over for 2 hours fighting off the evil of the world and saving everything around them including themselves. It was quite comical and a lot of fun. I made balloon swords, super dogs and a number of other configurations that I am not sure what exactly they were.

Jonathan made up a few games for them to play. He had them play the quiet game, it actually worked for about 15 minutes. Kids crack me up, they are so funny. After the games and fun we sang "Happy Birthday" and had cake. The cake was really good, it was chocolate cake with strawberry moose in the middle. I wouldn't mind having a piece right now. The most important part though is that Isaac had a great birthday with his family and friends.

Euphoria!

Jonathan has had his last class as a Student, the next time he steps into a classroom, he will be the PROFESSOR!! It is pretty crazy to think about. I personally soaked in the nostalgia of it. I don't think that Jonathan was quite as excited because he still has his General Exam, Special Fields Exam, Dissertation Proposal, The Dissertation, and Defending still to do. We'll have to take it one day at a time and over celebrate the small accomplishments. I love this picture that Isaac took of Jonathan, he was so relaxed on the hammock just enjoying the peace of the moment, that doesn't happen very often. I still have to ask him what he was thinking about, if you notice he has a bit of a smile . . . . :)

HBS 1/2 Marathon and Closing Social

We had the HBS 1/2 Marathon a few weeks ago. This is one of my favorite events that the LDSSA does. I love the feel of the pavment under my feet and the rythum that my body gets into when I run. It feels so good the feel all of the stress just melt away. I was bummbed this year because I wasn't able to run on account of my shinsplints, I have never had shinspints before, but one of my girlfriends that is finishing up her Ph.D. in sports medicine said that because I have had two babies my body has shifted and my muscles need to become realigned. So insdead of running this year, I helped out with the goodies at the finish line and cheered everyone on. I plan on being there next year. I am actually running a 10K in a couple of weeks, so I will blog about that later.

We also had the LDSSA Closing Social. We had good food and great company. It was fun to see all of the MBA's, we were the only Ph.D's that came. It will be sad to see all of the second year's leave, because we have made some good friends. I guess that is the nature of education, though. The positive is that we will have friends all over the country so when we travel we will be able to see them.

11 Years Baby!

Time flies when you are having fun! It seems like yesterday that we were walking out of the Salt Lake Temple greeting all of our family and friends for the first time as Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan R. Clark, but the fact that Jonathan has been in school for 10 years and has a few more grey hairs and I have given birth to Isaac and Owen and have gained a few pounds keeps my mind from playing tricks on me.

Our wedding day was so perfect it was a beautiful April morning; the sky was Utah blue and the sun kept us nice and warm. I was with the man I loved and we finally belonged to one another. I couldn't have asked for a better day.

The best part is the fact that I love Jonathan more now than I did then. Oh, sure he has fallen off his trusty stead and his knightly armor has been tarnished a bit and I am not the perfect princess that he thought I was. But I prefer the rugged tarnished knight as appose to the shiny one, there is more wisdom and depth and love with the tarnish. Besides the real test is looking past our faults and failings and just loving ALL of the good that each of us posses. And Jonathan truly posses all that is good. He is my comfort, my strength, my lover and friend. He will always be my everything!

My Baby Turns 3!

I promised that I would post after we had Owen's Birthday Party, so here goes. Where do I start? We had 14 three year olds over to our house to celebrate Owen's coming of age. He wanted a Batman Party, so everything was batman except the cupcakes. Owen loves pink because he thinks that I am a princess and I like the color pink, so he wanted his cupcakes to be pink. An extremely sweet gesture coming from an amazingly adorable little boy. And yes, I did give birth to him.

Ok, back to the party. I had a whole plan for a Batman boot camp in our back yard. The weather was suppose to be 65 and sunny, but we got 40 and rainy, (go New England weather) so much for the weather man. We had to rethink our strategy a bit. I brought a bunch of toys down from the playroom and we played pin the bat sign on Batman. The kids didn't really get the concept of keeping the blind fold on, so pretty much everyone got it in the right place, which was a new take on the game. Jonathan had asked Owen what he wanted for his birthday and he said that the only thing he wanted was a Batman and Buzz Lightyear costume, so that is what we got him. He was completely beside himself with joy when he opened the box up. He stated that now he could be a real super hero and kill the bad guys. Do you have any idea how devastating it is to hear the word "kill" come out the mouth of your three year old. I have to keep telling myself that he is a sweet innocent boy that doesn't understand the real meaning of kill. He did look outrageously scrumptious in his little costumes. I couldn't stop laughing as he posed with the most manly look that he could muster. What a crack up he is. I asked him if he had a good party and he said: "yah, sure mom, it was great!". So there you have it all wrapped up in the words of Owen.

M.I.A.

I guess I have been missing in action for a few months, so this entry is going to be a small novel that is if my brain can remember back to December!! The last entry ended with our escapades at Thanksgiving.

As soon as Jonathan was finished up with classes, we boarded a plane and flew out to Utah and Idaho for the Christmas Holidays. We started our vacation out with Jonathan getting a root canal after his tooth ache had gotten so bad he couldn't stand the pain anymore. Then that weekend we headed up to West Yellow Stone. We took a tour in one of those big "CAT" like tractors, but instead of a cab it had a van attached to the treads. The boys had a great time, because they were able to move around inside the van and look out all of the different windows. We saw so many buffalo, moose and eagles, it really was amazing and I got some great pictures. The landscape was very peaceful and beautiful. The van could only go about 35 miles an hour so it took us all day to make the trip, but it was worth it. I think that the boys favorite part was watching Ol' Faithful blow. It was a bit cold waiting, but once she started to erupt all of the cold thoughts left and all there was, was excitement. It was a good day.

Christmas Eve was a fun and relaxing day as was Christmas Day. We kept it low key and let all of the cousins run around and play. I was in charge of Kim and Sue's gift this year so I spent most of my days leading up to Christmas finishing it off. I have to say that they ended up looking really nice. Isaac and Owen had a "Spiderman" theme Christmas this year, they have both really gotten into super hero's and saving the world from "ALL" danger. We also had a large family dinner with us, the Gilbert's, the Eyering's and a few other people. It was quite delicious and fun to catch up with friends.


The day after Christmas we were able to take a tour through the Rexburg Temple. It reminded me a lot of the Boston Temple. All of the rooms were so beautiful and well built. It was a real treat to be able to have our own personal tour.

Later that week we had a baby shower for my sister Rebekah down in Utah. We had a good time, we all helped out with the spread, which was very yummy. Bekah looked really cute, much better than I ever looked pregnant. She got some cute clothes and baby things, so all in all I would say it was a success. It was also fun to hang out with some of my sisters. That night we made our way up to Salt Lake City to meet up with Jonathan, Isaac and the others for the Celtic vs. Jazz game. We had so much fun, it was such a good game. Winning, I am sure made it that much more fun, but the best part was flying home in Ian Cummings private jet. This jet was so "POSH"!! Isaac turned and said: "little boys like me don't get to do this do they daddy!?" It was so cute and insightful that Isaac understood what an awesome experience that he was having. The pilot even let him sit up in the cock-pit in the jump seat. I am sure it is an experience that he will never forget.

We also go to go skiing up at Grand Targhe. Isaac took ski lessons, I took snowboard lessons and Jonathan just got to go wild on the slopes. Poor Owen was too sick to go with us so he got to stay home with Nana and Papa and play with them. Isaac took to skiing like a duck to water, he had such a great time and he really liked his teacher. He was flying down the bunny hill by the afternoon. As for me, I have to say that for only skiing twice before in my life, I did pretty good on the snow board. It took me a bit to get used to having a board stuck to my feet, but after a couple of hours I was staying up and I made it down the mountain about 5 times before my body said "OK, I have had enough"! I did had a few face plants when the lip of the board got to close to the snow, but all in all I had a good time and now I know the fundamentals of snow boarding.

New Year's Eve was pretty laied back and relaxing and then the next day we drove down to Utah for Will and Jessica's wedding celebrations. We staying in Nephi with Eve and Scott in there new house. We had a good time. Isaac and Owen loved playing with Jessica and Joey. It was fun to hang out like we did when they lived in Philie. Scott was also generous enough to fit us into his busy work schedule, which ended up being a bit embarrassing. You think that you brush and floss well enough and then you come out with Isaac having 6 cavities and Jonathan having 4 cavities. What am I going to do with them?? The good news was that Owen and I were cavity free.

Will and Jessica's wedding was very beautiful. It was nice to meet Jessica even though it was for only a few minutes. The sealing was really nice and full of good advice. I hope that the sealer sends them a letter with everything he said in it. Everyone on the Tanner side is officially married, how crazy is that. We wish them all the best luck as they settle into married life and all of the twists and turns that it takes you on. It was also good to be in St. George were it was warm. We stayed in the condo and was able to visit with family for a couple of days before we headed back home to school and real life. I am sad that we didn't have more time to visit, but the boys were so ready to be back home. With the time change they were going to bed at 10 or 11pm and they usually go to bed at 7:30pm, so they were fried.

January was pretty cold and slow, it basically consisted of us getting insulation blown into the walls of our 1893 home and put in a new heating system as well as an AC unit. We had forgotten what is was like to have warmth.

The first weekend of February took Jonathan and I to Camden, ME where we celebrated Valentine's Day and our 11th Wedding Anniversary (early). We went with a couple of friends from our church congregation. It was filled with great food, relaxation and a lot of laughter. When we arrived home, I became a single mom as Jonathan threw himself into school. He is working on becoming (A.B.D.) "All but dissertation", so we don't see him as much as we would like because of the study groups that he has for his "General Exam" and "Specialized Exam" as well as all of the work he is doing with the cases that he is writing, plus his dissertation writing not to mention the classes that he is taking. Needless to say we will be happy when August rolls around, the tests will be over and we might all go to California to watch Jonathan present one of his papers at a conference there.

In the midst of all of life we packed our bags once again and flew out to Salt Lake City for Julia and Dave's wedding. Elder Scott sealed them, so it was nice to hear his advice to them and the wisdom that has gained through out his life. Julia looked beautiful and all of the events were timeless. We even got to get pedicures and manicures. It was a great time. We also celebrated Sam's 2nd birthday, which was fun. He is such a funny kid. It cracks me up how much he, Isaac and Owen look alike.

March brought us the Butler Elementary P.T.A. International Fair Fundraiser. I was in charge of concessions, which meant that I got to plan, prepair and feed all of the people that showed up. It was fun, but also stressful. I became the only Modbe Fashion Consultant in the state of Massachusetts. Jonathan got sick with a bi-lateral ear infection which left him partially deaf for about two weeks. Then I got sick with a sinus infection, then Isaac came home with a fever, then Owen got the fever, then I got the fever and everything that went along with it and then Jonathan got the fever so we spent the last part of February and the month of March on our sick beds. It has not been much fun.

April 1st brought us Owen's 3rd birthday. He will get his own blog when we have his party. And that pretty much brings us up to date.

Happy Thanksgiving!?

Where do I begin with the month of November. It was just one crazy episode after another. It started out with me slicing into my middle finger at work and having to spend the rest of the evening in the ER waiting to get stitched up, then there was my birthday which I spent 8 hours of it singing with my a ccapella group the "She-E-O's", then Owen was diagnosed with phenomena and had to take antibiotics as well as use a nebulizer, (which he hated and kicked and screamed the whole time) and all of this is happening while I am trying to make 750 wedding announcements for my brother and his fiance and planning the meals and shopping list for 10 people for Thanksgiving.

Ahh, now that brings us to Thanksgiving. Our friends the Baird's were kind enough to let us borrow there house on Loon Mountain up in New Hampshire, and how do we repay them, you ask? By blowing up their stove while making Thanksgiving dinner. Yes, you read right, I had everything made except the mashed potatoes and gravy. The ham and stuffing were warming in the oven when a huge pop and a giant flash flew out from behind the stove and that was the end of that. Dinner was quite good despite the loss. (I made my first real Turkey) I am sure she will be missed, she was an old, but rare beauty, may she rest in peace. After dinner, Andrew & Rebekah, Alex, Janea and the girls, Jonathan and the boys and I joined in on a family talent show. What a great time that was, we saw sides of us we never knew we had!! Janea got it on film so we have it for posterity. The best part of the vacation was no one really wanted to get dressed and made up so we all stayed in our pajamas the whole time. (hence, no pictures). Everyone left on Friday, but we stayed until Saturday. It was fun to just hang out with ourselves for a day. We took the boys on the Hobo Railroad and got to see Santa Clause. Owen was so proud of himself for not being scared of the over weight, white bearded man and Isaac got to give Santa his list in person. What more could you ask for?!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween was quite the party time and sugar high for us. Owen went as "Mr. Incredible" and Isaac was non other than "Spider Man". They were the two cutest "Super Hero's" that I have ever seen. Everywhere we went people kept stopping us so they could look at and talk with them. It was incredibly funny because in Isaac and Owen's minds they were "Mr. Incredible" and "Spider Man". They were ready to defend any passer by that needed their assistance. What a couple of crack-up's. We started out our festivities on Friday night with our Church Halloween Party which was full of food, fun games and an amazing amount of sugar; way too much sugar if you ask me. The next night on Saturday we had the Crimson Kids Halloween Party on the HBS Campus, which was also a lot of fun. We had pizza and spooky punch as well as a fishing pond and "Party Pictures". After the party we headed out to the SFP Garage and "Trunk or Treated" which was a good time, more sugar, but it was fun to see all of the kids excited to show off their costumes for a little treat. Then came the actual day of Halloween. The boys and I hopped onto the bus and then the "T" and made our way down to Charles Street. Jonathan met us and we headed up Beacon Hill to do some ghoulish hunting for candy on our way we ran into "Dash's" parents, so we took a family picture and then we were all on our way. The houses were all decorated really well, it was fun to see how much effort they put into the Holiday. The best part for Jonathan and I was after walking up and down about 5 different streets the boys buckets were full and it only took about 45 minutes. We were hungry for real food by then, so we walked around the corner and found some pizza and grinders, as Rachel Ray would say "delish". The night ended for Owen on the bus ride home, the poor little tike was so tired that he fell asleep in his stroller, but Isaac got to go with Jonathan over to our friends the Anderson's house for some fresh donuts. It was a long, but fun Holiday! We hope you had a frightening one as well.

Duck Tour!

Isaac and I went on a Duck Tour date. We had a good time driving and quacking around the city of Boston. Our driver was full of a bunch of useless information and some useful information, he was pretty funny though. Isaac was very patient while we were driving in the city because he REALLY wanted to drive on the water. After the city tour we made our way to the water. Our vehicle turned into an amphibian boat. We toured around the bay and saw some sites from the water and then Isaac's day got pretty exciting. He got to drive the boat/truck and had a great time doing it. He did a great job keeping us a float. After the tour we had lunch at the Science Museum cafeteria. I was a great day with one of my favorite boys!

Whale Watching!

Ever since we moved here I have wanted to go Whale Watching and this fall we got to go with with the HBS Partner's Club on campus. It was so much fun. Isaac and I went out on the front of the boat as it made its way to the feeding grounds. The water was pretty choppy so we had people pucking all around us, but if you stood out on the front of the boat, it felt like you were on a roller coaster ride going up and then catching air and free falling. It was pretty fun. We also got to see quite a few whales, it was pretty cool watching them come up with their mouths open catching all the fish and then going back down and slapping the water with their tails. Both of the boys were pretty entertained by it as well and Jonathan and I. The experience was very educational. On the way back a couple of marine biologists came around the boat to answer any questions that we might have. It was a fun and educational day for the Clark family. Some interesting facts: After a whale has died the only way to tell how old he was is by cutting open his ear drum and counting how many layers of wax that it had in its ear, because every year a whale lays down a layer of wax. They also use to think that whales only lived to be about 100 years old, but just recently a whale was hit and killed by an oil tanker and as it was being harvested they found a harpooning spear that was dated to be 150 years to 200 years old, so now they are looking at the age of whales a whole different way. The world around us is pretty cool!

Apple Picking!

This year we went to Tougas Family Farms to go apple picking. We normally go to HoneyPot Hills, but since we had such good luck with our blueberries and peaches we decided to try out the apples, and we were not disappointed. The boys wanted to pick eating apples instead of baking apples, so we headed over to the Honey Crisps. They were so big, some of them took both of my hands to hold them and those of you that know me know that I have big hands. The apples were so good, crisp, juicy and sweet. Isaac did most of the picking and Owen of course did most of the eating. The boys ran around and in and out of the trees chasing each other and laughing the whole time. I love my boys, they are the best, some days I have to remind myself of that when the living room is a fort, the dinning room is a super hero's cave, the kitchen is the war zone, the bathroom is the hospital and the bedrooms have become the pirate ships, but one day they will be all grown up and gone, so I guess I should enjoy it. It was fun to watch them having such a good time. The day was so beautiful, the air had the crisp fall feeling, but the sun was beating down to keep us warm. It was the perfect day. The best part was when we were on our way back to the country store for apple cider and donuts when Isaac turned around and there was blood dripping down his chin. At first I was baffled as to why he had blood on his face, he hadn't fallen or gotten hurt then I saw the big gap in between his teeth and realized that he had lost his first tooth. I told him not to swallow so he spit everything out in my hand and sure enough sticking out of the piece of apple was his little tooth. He was so proud of himself for not swallowing it and Owen was pretty excited because there was blood and wanted in on the action. The people around us congratulated Isaac on his success. It was a fun and eventful day.