The Clark Family - This is Us

Sunday, October 16, 2011

The big day!!! (a day early)

Knowing that Caleb was going to get a ton of presents on his actual birthday (since his party was on his birthday this year) we opted to let him open one that would be fun to have for a couple hours before bed, his own Star Wars lego set. He loved it and spent patient time with Potter, putting it all together.

Apple picking

Spur of the moment, it ended up being a gorgeous sunny Sunday afternoon, we high tailed it out to Green Brothers for some apple picking. With all the water (rain, rain, rain) this fall, we might not make it back out before apple season is kaput, so this was dire!!! The view from up there is fabulous, high up in elevation for a perfect view of the valley. We wasted no time in picking and also eating some while we are there. Still wondering why they don't weigh you on the way in and on the way out.

Kiddos and Dave

Blemish free apples

Molly and Caleb can pick the lower apples that others miss!!

One happy guy, with 40 pounds of apples to carry

Eating with one hand, picking with the other. The apple (ha ha) doesn't fall far from the tree :)

Each fall, the kids make their own unique batch of applesauce with Dave. They each come up with one secret ingredient they want to add, and almost always, their choices are delectable! After all the cooking was done, I (the artsy one) made sampler plates for each of the kids to try. Notice the huge difference in colors, they all used the same variety of apple. I love it!!!!

My contribution - the apple pie!!! I wish that either the Google people or the Apple folks would invent smell-o-vision.

Art: by Caleb

My child, the one who never does art projects, did this incredible one on the life cycle of butterflies. It still is hanging on the fridge, I can't put it away.

Caleb's field trip to the library

The UPK classes all go to the library as their first field trip. I am always surprised by how many children have NEVER been to a library before this trip. They have a library at school that they go to once a week and check out a book; this trip gets them into the idea of what you do at a library and that they'll be doing this as part of a normal routine. Caleb loved picking out a book to take back to school (one of the teacher's checked out 24 books, one for each kid, on her own card; crazy, they may not all get returned!) but he loved going downstairs with Miss Sue even more. She reads them stories, plays some games, and then they bust out the big parachute - enormous fun!!!

Caleb and friends getting a tour of the children's section

Downstairs listening to stories

Parachute time!

I mean, look at the grin on that boy's face!!!!

Kids under the parachute, adults lifting it up and down on their heads = joyous giggling!!!!

Molly's gymnastics demo at the mall

Molly's gymnastics demo came just 10 days after the flood, so with very little in the way of mats, beams and props, the girls still put on 2 really excellent shows!! Molly had a part in a dance routine with all of the girls, then she had a part in a routine with just her level 5 friends. It was a lot of fun that day!!

Molly in her demo outfit, after the first performance

Lindsey and Cameron spent the day with us at the mall too!

Getting her face painted to help support the booster club

Molly is in the middle of the photo, she was practicing for the handstand competition

All of the team girls at Aero Gymnastics. Molly is in the second to last row on the left end.

Days after the flood

In the days following the flood, many changes and accommodations had to be made in people's lives. I was lucky enough to have little baby Cameron with me several days a week for 2 weeks while his daycare found a new location. Caleb, Molly and I had a lot of fun with him when he was dropped off in the morning and in the afternoon when Caleb was home from school. I love that little guy!!

Caleb takes Cameron for a spin in the stroller

Molly loves to snuggle with Cameron before school

Molly also loves to read to him; it must have been a joke book!!!

Three gorgeous kids!!!!

Caleb's first day of school as a Bee

Caleb was resistant to letting me take his picture for the first day of school (so there isn't one at home in front of the flowers) so I snapped a quick one when I dropped him off.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

FLOODED AGAIN - 2011

Sadly, our area in Broome County has been hit by yet another 100 year flood, the second devastating flood in the last 5 years. The river reached higher levels than it did in 2006, making this flood record-breaking in many horrible ways. After receiving tons of rain from the remnants of Hurricane Irene a week earlier, we started getting rain from Tropical Storm Lee on Tuesday and Wednesday. Our poor water soaked region couldn't handle it, so the waters started rising. The kids had their first day of school Wednesday, which was cut short by a couple hours, everyone racing to get home before that was no longer an option. School was closed on Thursday and Friday; at this point, we are unsure if school will be back in session on Monday or not. We went walking around our neighborhood on Thursday morning, before the rivers crested, and were able to get these shots.

Walking along Valley Road in Endicott, a view of the swollen river

The flood wall on Valley Road, just inches below an overflow

Flood wall from the street view, scary

Down on Grippen Avenue, many of our friends live there. The water was so much higher up than in 2006. During that flood, luckily, the water didn't cross Marcella; 2011, the water came an additional football field length. All the houses that you can see had basements that were filled with water. Everything in them a total loss.