Clarkamongous Turns Four.

Dear Clarkamongous,

Today you are four. By now we all realize you're made of 50% hockey player and 50% super hero. You are the toughest and most gentle, the kindest and most protective and the sweetest most handsome guy I know. You've been practicing your puck handling, shooting and goalie skills for about 436 days in a row now in the living room and you're running on the ice in those skates. You're gonna be a great hockey player someday little man... you actually already are.

You announced to your entire preschool class that you'd only be inviting the girls to your birthday party because well, "the boys are just too wild mama!". We invited everyone anyway and you had a Blackhawks party with 15 of your wildest friends. Those kids really love you and were the most excited I've ever seen such little people to celebrate your day. Everyone around you is taken by your charm. Your preschool teacher even made you a special Blackhawks birthday crown!

Norah wrote you the best birthday card in the history of sisterly birthday cards. It went like this:

"I love you Clark you are the dest brathr I have ever had. And That is so colle That you are haveing a blackhock brthbay. To: Clark, From: Norah" and on the front she listed the "wild" in first place, the "blackhocks" in second place and the "dacks" in third. Since we dislike the "hungry ducks". Accompanying this was the best drawing of a hockey rink I've ever seen. It was complete with face-off spots, a red penalty box, goal creases and players. She went all out for you!

We've been smitten from the minute we met you and every minute since. Happy 4th Birthday!!!






























Love ~ Momma

Six.

Miss Norah Bean, 

Today you're six. I haven't been posting here lately, but I've been photographing you and your brother just the same almost every single day. We've been filling every daylight hour, and sometimes hours way into the evening, with so.much.FUN. 

Six seems old. I say that every year. Maybe it's because I miss you as a baby. Your chubbiness. Your baby talk. Seeing you discover every little thing for the very first time... but then I remember how much fun you are now and I realize I would never want to give that up. 

You're an amazing little person. You are so sweet and kind and funny and smart. You've given your last dollar to your little brother. You want to give your toys away to all the children who don't have toys. You are even nice to the bully at school. It makes me incredibly sad that there was a bully in your Kindergarten class, but it makes my heart swell to hear you say "I'm still nice to him Mom, because he needs someone to show him how he should treat his friends." even after he was not at all nice to you.

You are a jokester (and an actress too). One fine kindergarten Wednesday, I picked you up from your morning class and you proceeded to inform me in a very upset tone that I had forgotten to come to the class event that day! I argued saying I didn't know about an event and if there was one I hadn't signed up to volunteer. You countered my argument by telling me Ms. Sisler had been expecting me and she was upset that I hadn't shown up! You kept this up through our walk home only revealing the truth when we walked inside the house saying "Just kidding! There was no event today!!" Very funny Miss Bean :)

This week you're going to summer camp. Daddy brings you to the bus in the morning where you get on with two of your best friends who you've known since preschool. You go off to a place where Daddy and I have never been with teacher's we've never met to do dangerous things like swimming, boating, archery, horseback riding and campfires... then in the afternoon I wait at that stop and can't wait to see you come off that bus! I was a nervous wreck. Now I can see you are having the time of your life and I am so excited for you. You're so grown up. I love it and hate it at the same time! (I mostly love it)

Here's to my gorgeous grown-up six year old who's got the world at her feet and a family who loves her to pieces. 

By the way, your current life plan is to marry your best friend Allegra and adopt a baby that doesn't have a family. See... I told you you are sweet!

This Morning wearing very grown up clip-on earrings:



"Do you know that at night, rocks from the Moon fall to the Earth? These are Moon Rocks!"


No training wheels!


Beach Bums

Chocolate Breakfast

Surprise! Your best friend is at the water park!!

Shark Attack

My photog partner



Love you to pieces Bean ~ Mom 

Playdates, Tooth Fairies & Camp - Oh My!

It's a rare occasion these days that posting our current events on this blog trumps sleep (mostly because I usually refuse to post sans photos - so it's never quick). Tonight I will stay up and post. I only have a couple iPhone photos... what is wrong with me!?

Not only did Norah lose her very first tooth this morning before school (the exact tooth that emerged before all the others this same month 5 years ago - weird!), but she had her first after school playdate. Of course we've been on a billion playdates over the years, but this was a go-to-a-house-I've-never-been-to-before-because-I've-only-known-her-mom-for-11-minutes-and-ride-home-in-their-car kind of playdate. She had the time of her life and is already planning the next. When do you not call these "playdates" anymore?

As for her tooth, that came out no big deal. She was super happy about losing it and is now contemplating about how small the tooth fairy is (think Tinkerbell) and how DOES she fly around when it is -35 degrees outside at night and still be OK!? Magic.

While she was out galavanting with her BFF, Clark got a whole day of Momma to himself. We played superheros ALL day and he even let me be his sidekick Robin most of the time. We caught SO many bad guys. Watch out - I learned some bad @$$ moves today!

After a big day like this Colin and I are sitting here deciding to send her off to day camp with her friends this summer. Nobody told me that kids grew up like this. It's like they are their sweet little selves for so long until some "thing" happens and then they've instantly grown up to the next phase in life. No warning. I guess bandaids are better when you just RIP them off!

Oh, and while I'm at it - I snuck in a couple of random photos of stuff we've been doing while I've not been posting :)













Love ~ Renee

Happy Birthday #3 Clarkamungous

Clark, you had a pretty rad Super Hero party my man... you're 3 now. How'd that happen?

Anyway, when you get even older - like all grown up - I want you to remember these things about yourself, and maybe I want to remember them too :)

I want you to remember at bedtime when we kiss you goodnight you call me back up to tell me you've had a bad dream before you've even fallen asleep. Nice try.

That in the wee small hours of each morning you come tiptoeing into our room and crawl under the covers with me to cuddle. You're always oh so careful not to wake up your sister for fear you would have to share those cuddles.

How you've become accustomed to giving me kisses before you ask for something even without even a prompt from momma anymore... it might also be because you get a kick out of my kiss giggle afterwards.

When you talk you speak like an adult and tell us how it is, complete with adult facial expressions of confusion, annoyance and sarcasm.

While Norah is trying to sound out words and learn to read you finally get frustrated enough to yell out what the word is for her! Good thing you make her laugh :)

And I will especially remember when I asked you if you'd a great birthday weekend. You said "Yeah Mom it was great!" and you then went on to tell me "Momma, the best part was the cake" in your little sleepy voice in bed that night. You melted my heart into a huge puddle... I never would have guessed you'd list that as your favorite thing!















Love ~ Renee

Can you play hockey with me now? ...How about now? ...Now?

The Clarkster has taken on a love for hockey. A love so deep that his desire to play is never satisfied. It is the first thing he asks to do when he wakes up in the morning. He begs all of us to play with him all day. He makes plans to play after he wakes up from his nap as he is laying down, and he sneaks the iPad and watches Center Ice behind a chair or under a table thinking we can't hear it :)

This kid is not even 3 yet. Can you believe they don't have hockey programs for 2 year olds!? Who ever made up the rule that you must be 4 to play needs to meet Clark.















Love ~ Renee

The Annual Apple Orchard Outing

Every year we go to the apple orchard, and every year I take a million photos. For me this kicks off the fall season, which kicks off the holiday season, which is so much more fun with kids :) 

It was a perfect day. We had sunshine, crisp fall air and family. Oh, and we only had to use the port-a-potty once. What more could you ask for?

Well, they say a photo speaks a thousand words...




































Love ~ Renee

Let's Go Back to the Cabin

With all the chaos that was this summer I didn't have time to post about our annual trip to Ghost Lake Lodge! I really didn't forget - I swear. Let's see if I can remember all the events of the week...

I spent the first full day at the cabin trying to make Clark feel better. He had a huge fever and basically spent the whole day doing this:




Norah and Nona spent a quite a lot of quality time together making this awesome journal... they documented EVERYTHING with photos! I love this so much.



I don't recall the order of events for the rest of the week, but it involved all of this:

A lot of fishing









Swimming in the pool



Bug Collecting







Picnics on the beach 



A trip to the town candy store, ice cream shop and book store along with our first ever mini golf experience. We LOVE mini golf. Even if we do play it with offense and defense :)









S'mores!







Yet again were treated to an entire week of Nona's gourmet cooking. Who could ask for anything more? We love you guys!!!



At night the cabin is such a peaceful place...





Thank you Nona & Grandpa for a wonderful week!



xoxo ~ Renee