Dear Everyone

I am a terrible blogger.

Like you all didn't know.

Ha.

It's been over four months. FOUR MONTHS!

And a lot of stuff happened in those four months.

Will got Baptized in March while we were still in Alaska. And I actually have pictures. Not on me or anywhere near me of course. (Why would I actually USE the pictures that I took the time to snap? That's just crazy talk.) He is huge. Who told him that he could grow up?

In May, we packed two trailers and drove them from south central Alaska to south eastern Idaho. It was supposed to take, at most, 5 days (we were secretly hoping for it to take 4. Stop laughing). It took 9. Or 8 or 10. I don't even know anymore. It was quite an adventure. And because of it, my kids all now love Celtic Thunder (thanks Lays!!! You guys ROCK!). Driving through upper Alaska, the Yukon Territory, and British Columbia is mostly empty of people and radio-station-less. And also full of bears and weird caribou/mountain goat looking animals and porcupines that climb trees. (Shush Ben. I did too see them. And so did Will.) And much of the trip is seriously lacking in bathrooms. SERIOUSLY. DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE LACK OF BATHROOMS, CANADA! Something I discovered on the trip that really surprised me: Canadians really like to talk about public health insurance once they realize that you're an American. They would just bring it up to me while they were ringing up my purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, and hotels. They (at least the ones I talked to) seem to have this idea that a good chunk of the population of our country is forced to spend our time crawling through the streets in agony while our appendix burst and limbs fall off with no hope of medical attention while doctors just stand around and point and laugh. I quickly assured each of them that no, things like that only ever happen with specialists in Alaska and in Communist countries. Ha. They didn't find me funny. Good thing I do. :)

It was a little longer after we moved to Idaho before the house we planned to move into was ready. So we stayed with my sister Amanda and her husband Jed and their kids. The answer to your question is yes. Each of them will be sainted at any moment now. And now all of my children think of Kolby, Max, and Madelynn as their siblings. It's rare for us to go anywhere that they don't ask if "the other Clarks" can come. I love it.

The kids spent the summer running through the sprinklers, playing soccer, building a fort (it is still a work in progress and occupies hours of their time on a weekly basis) camping, and Ella learned to ride her bike without training wheels. Will and Elizabeth both lost most of their teeth. Or at least it felt like they did. Jack, our giant 9 month old "puppy" (he's 85 Lbs), got caught in a Hobo trap. That was fun. If you're looking for a good time, try cutting a sticky glue-y trap out of your overly large, slobbering, jumping dog's fur at 5 a.m. Then you'll know what fun is.


I know that ten zillion other things happened, too. Good things. Funny things. Memorable things even. Do I remember them? Not at the moment. Or maybe ever. At least not on my own. I'm sure that Ben will remind me of them and then I can come back and post them. Around January.

See you then!