Fireworks

Fireworks were great tonight. Lots of people and lots of fun. The kids had some cotton candy and shone the way to and from our viewing spot with flashlights. Andrew was deathly afraid of the fireworks; he held his ears the entire time curled up on my lap refusing to look at them. Poor little guy! He liked being out with the family though. I was kind of surprised at how much pot people were smoking though. It's not like this is a Pink Floyd concert people!

Cute Video

Here's a cute short video that was posted on one of my favorite sites:

Seafair!!

The Seafair parade was a spectacle to be seen this morning. The floats were great, the people were friendly and some new features that happened this year made it even more special. The Gideons made it out and were handing out free bibles. I'm not sure what group these ladies were from, but they were giving out free hugs! Much to the kid's disappointment though, none of the horses pooped on the street.

Andrew has sensitive ears and was a little scared of the police sirens, shouting and bagpipes, but once we left Papa's house for the parade he seemed to calm down.

Looking forward to the fireworks tonight, should be a great show. Hope to see you there!

Summer Days in the Backyard

Here's a little video I put together of the kids, hope you like it. I was experimenting with some of the software on my computer. The quality is a little poor as Blogger would only let me upload a very small version of it.

Uncle Rob's Catch

No this post is not about my sister, recently my bro Rob, went up to the Queen Charlotte Islands for a job that they're doing there. Well that was his excuse anyway. Turns out he got some fishing in and check out what he caught. The salmon was 40lbs and the halibut that Rob is holding was 50lbs!!

Way to go Rob, thanks for the picture since it was only yesterday that you caught it. Looking forward to the family BBQ. Hint hint

Drug Bust on Joyce

Andrew and I were getting out of the car, just back from picking up some coffees when out of no-where 3 police cars came wailing to a hault in front of the house surrounding another vehicle. As I unbuckle Andrew I hear, “GET DOWN, GET DOWN ON YOUR FACE!” No they were not talking to me but to the people in the car. As I got Andrew out of the car I saw that the officers had their weapons drawn and pointed at the passengers.

Talk about exciting! Once Andrew was safe I was able to start snapping some pictures and made this little montage. I was up till 2:30 this morning making it! I had to blur out all of the officer’s faces, and that is no easy process when all you have is Windows Paint.

I believe all vehicles were called to the scene including the truck that tows the police boat! I was sad to see that there was a baby in the back of the alleged drug car. Two guys came to pick the baby up. It was a pile of excitement around here as you can imagine.

So crank up your speakers and sit back and enjoy because this is probably the most action you will ever see coming from our humble little house!!!!

Amazing Earth

Here's an amazing video that really show the magnificence of the earth. A great one to watch at work with the sound off as it has subtitles. Sorry for the length, but if you have 6 minutes to have a break I would say it is a nice little treat.

I was thinking of you Nan, when I first saw this one. I think you'll like it.

Shaun

Crunch time

Well here I am in the last week and a half before my exam. A little period I like to call crunch time. I just love leaving things till the last minute and then feeling that wave of panic overwhelm you. It's so motivating isn't it?

Mer and some of the kids have been battling a little stomach bug, which doesn't make life to pleasant for them. I have been fairly secluded, just locking myself in the den and reading/working away (with the occasional break for blogging of course).

Hugh is continuing to do well and maintain a very pleasant disposition towards life. This is all despite his gooey eyes, rash on his face and now a little hernia that we are waiting to see a specialist about. Ya, Mer discovered it when changing his diaper the other day, apparently fairly common in baby boys, but still what a little trooper he is.

The other kids are being kept extremely busy by Nana and Grampa who are taking them to swimming lessons and then alternating pairs of them camping down at Willingdon beach. We haven't made it down for a visit yet, and probably won't be able to, but I'm glad that the kids have such a fun outlet during a time when Mer and I are so busy.

So I hope your summer is going well, and I really hope that we will hear from you soon. After these last few days of panic are over I anticipate/hope there will be a lot more time for fun, family, achieving goals, and relaxing.

Take care and God bless!

Shaun

No Worries

Here's a pretty amazing story about someone who is hope incarnate. My father in law sent this to me, and after watching it I think that I may have seen it before as may some of you as it has over 4 million views. If any of you are aware of inspiring videos like this one, please send them to me and I'll post them.

Have a great day; God loves you!

Shaun

Welcome Visitors

I would just like to welcome all of the new visitors to the blog. No I don't have a tracking system or anything like that in place, but I do look at the visitor map every once and a while and see that there are some new locations on the map. Including two from New Zealand!! Welcome all!

Recently I have created a facebook account with the intention of attracting more attention to the blog. I see it has been working somewhat and that's encouraging for me.

Our goal with this blog is to keep family and friends entertained by the goings on of our growing family. A secondary perk is to see that the blog is well read and visited from around the world. So if you know of anyone who would enjoy reading our little commentary, please don't be afraid to pass them along a link through email. It would be greatly appreciated!

Again, welcome to all readers, may you have a happy blogging day!

Shaun

Yvonne's Crazy Party

Had a blast with the family last night as we marked the occasion of our sister, Yvonne's 14th birthday. There was a water balloon fight, running through the sprinklers and then Mer made me come and eat my dinner.

Couldn't ask for better weather. Here's a cool little collage that I made with the pictures I took, you'll have to click on it to see it a little better:

Cool pics of the Kids

Took these down by Willingdon. I blew up a few of them at Walmart, its crazy how cheap it is to blow up pictures. It cost less than $10 for a 11x14 and 2 8x10s.

Kindling Stand

Blaise and his friend Jonah, out of a little summertime boredom decided to head out and try to sell some kindling. I told them about Dean and I selling kindling to our neighbors and making some quick cash. They were inspired, but apparently the expectation of pay to labour has gone up quite a bit. The boys worked for about an hour chopping up some of the wood on the pile into viable product for sale. Because of this great deal of effort they starting with an asking price of $20 for the bag.

They ripped a few cereal boxes up and made some signs. Then with a couple of lawn chairs and a Safeway bag full of fresh kindling, they had entered the world of sales.

They began waving their arms and dancing around with boundless energy. The enthusiasm didn't really pay off though as they didn't get a single car to stop. They did receive some pointers from some people walking by. The boys ran in and decided that they should drop the price a little, but it was too late. I think the word had spread that they Clark boys were selling overpriced kindling.

I think next time they will try the old door to door strategy. Till next time...Shaun

Sticker Man

Andrew thought it would be nice to give Gemma some stickers. Gemma, in turn, decided to 'pay it forward' and adorn Hugh with some bling.

Drive Thru

This is not your average drive-thru! Wouldn't it be great to have something like this in your own town. Maybe God is calling you to use your free time for this? I just love this idea, and is there anything that people love more than a drive-thru? I would definitely stop and start my day this way.

The Search for the Shipwreck

Blaise and I followed a hot tip on a shipwrecked barge last night. Apparently (I smile because this is Joey's favorite word and begins most of his sentences) the wind storm on Sunday night shook a barge loose off of one of the spar buoys in front of the sea-walk. So in our hunt for interesting and unique blog posts we headed down to the beach to observe this event.

Much to our disappointment, we found that the barge had since been removed from the beach. We were able to get some great shots of the sunset though. It was so peaceful and serene down by the water, a very large contrast from the wind that was here for the past couple of days. So thank you Auntie Allie for getting us down to the beach!

Magic Box

I have to admit, sometimes I wish I had one of these boxes!

Return of the Jellyfish

Check out this mother of a jellyfish that Joey found in the ocean today. We were out at Donkersly Beach this evening and found some treasures worth writing about. The ocean was so nice and warm it was great. The swimming was exciting in the waves and surf.

If you are reading this Dean, we are all praying for you, hope that tomorrow goes really well. I told all of the kids that the doctors are going to fix your aicky breaky heart! I'm sure that all will be great after tomorrow.

Some friends that we haven't seen in some time happened to visit the beach while we were there. It was great to seen them and somewhat ironic as the last time that we saw them was last summer at Palm Beach. It was a nice time at the to sit and relax by the crashing waves. Just what Mer and I needed before another busy week of studying and house work.

Till next time...Shaun

Backyard Baseball

Nothing like a afternoon game of baseball over at Nana's house.

Another Summer Day

Had a nice afternoon walk at Willingdon today. Mom and Dad had us over for BBQ burgers for lunch to meet their Kathaumixw billets from Slovenia. Had a nice visit and learned a little bit about the other side of the world. As they are a young couple, I think they were a little overwhelmed with our family as the energy level runs a little high when we are around. They are a really nice set of kids though and their English was incredible.

So after our lunch we headed down for a walk by the ocean. The beach was packed as this was the last day of Kathaumixw. There were several choirs who all enjoying the mid afternoon heat. One of the choirs was up on the stage and they were singing some praise and worship music. It was incredible, the one choir leader was directing the two groups as sort of a back and forth choral session.

Following our walk, it was ice cream time at the Hut. Some managed to keep relatively clean while others, as seen in this picture, were covered in it. The other thing I wanted to mention is the fact that Andrew insisted on wearing his sunglasses the entire time, but as the visibility was so poor from the fingerprints on the lenses he had to continuously look over-top of them! It looked so hilarious; what a card my boy is!

Day Three - Splinter Lives!

Still no action on the rat front. The kids and I think that maybe Splinter has joined back up with the Ninja Turtles in the sewer. I am thinking that maybe instead of ribs we should be alluring the beast with pizza. Then perhaps we would catch a turtle instead and that would not be good. I am thinking maybe it is too hot for a midnight snack, but we will remain vigilant.

Beach Bums

Hugh, Mer and I headed down to the beach for a nice little picnic this evening. Such a beautiful night and sunset. I feel blessed that my sister and cousin in law were kind enough to babysit, while we headed out for our little excursion. Little bit cooler tonight as the cloud cover over took the blue sky. Mer was brave enough to take a dip in the ocean, while I played chicken on the beach with Hugh.

Hugh has really been enjoying the snuggly and going on walks. He fusses a little when we first start walking then he settles in then either falls into a deep sleep or drifts off into peaceful contemplation of the sun (combined with a large amount of drool). He and I have been going on a few walks in the morning.

I put this last picture up for you Dean. I was thinking of you when I took it, I was reminded of your pictures from Hawaii. I guess that baby Jack and Hugh have a lot in common!

Rat Patrol

Day 2 of rat patrol, nothing to report. The peanut butter is getting pretty liquidy in that trap. I hope our rat's appetite hasn't been spoiled by the glorious bounty of our BBQ drippings. I was so hoping that the rat would be in the trap this morning. It is just killing me that the trap is killing the rat!

Hopefully we'll have better news tomorrow!

Our Family's Uninvited Guest

It appears that our family has adopted a wanna-be family member. He is of the rodent genus and seems to have a liking for our BBQ. I think it may have been the wafting fragrance of the Luau ribs that allured the little devil, but his presence is definitely not welcome. I have devised a simplistic plan to seek and destroy the varment.

Following a brief tutorial with the kids on why not to touch a rat trap, I was ready to load'er up with peanut butter and set it up in a strategic spot (I didn't have any ribs leftover). So in my tireless efforts to keep you informed or our family's goings on, I thought I would keep you up to date on this latest event.

I will keep you posted on any happenings.

Dad Life

Okay Dads out there here is our theme song!

Kathaumixw

For those who are not familiar with the goings on of our little town, I would like to let you know about a concert that is going on right now. Literally Kathaumixw is a Coast Salish term for a gathering together of people. The concert lasts a few days but features first class choirs from all over the world.

The choral event began with an opening ceremony Tuesday, then some of the choirs will compete all week at various venues around town. The concert happens every 2 years and is something that really brings the town together as the many choirs require to be billeted out to various households.

So I thought I would post a link to the Kathaumixw website so that you can see what the event is all about. And for those of you in town, this site might be a useful resource for whatever purpose. Here's the link, enjoy!

http://www.kathaumixw.org/

Hugh's First Dip

To escape the wonderful heat wave that happened tonight we headed down to Mowat Bay for a little cool off in the lake. After a full day of me studying and Mer cleaning and organizing the house, the kids and us needed a little time to unwind. The cool water was about the only thing we could think of as the heat kind of zaps all of the energy from you.

I have been plowing through my investments course. I write the exam for the course on July 30 so my studying is kind of frantic. I am finding that this course is one of the most challenging courses I have ever taken as it goes into the nitty gritty of investing and various securities as well as risk calculations and all the other things that don't seem to work for anyone. So I will do my best and hopefully complete the course with a C+ so that I will not have to complete any other courses and I will be done my degree.

The picture is of Hugh taking his first little dip in the lake. He didn't really like it too much and I took him out quickly. After his swim he had a little suck on his soother and then fell asleep for a good half an hour. What a cutie! The kids all did really well swimming, including Blaise who I had to force into the water. lol

Hope the weather is not to hot for any of you! Soak up this sunshine while we can. Till next time...Shaun

Hawaiian Luau

Okay folks, well the first thing I would like to report is that one of the items on the resolution list has been completed! No its not my course being done, its the Hawaiian Luau. For Trevor and Katy's b-day we had a little party over at our place. We had coconut, baby back ribs, ukelele, tiki torches, hot tubbing and music baby! The party went well into the night and into the next morning. The party was so crazy the cops came and had coffee for breakfast with us, okay just kidding, but it was wild no doubt.

Meridith really did her research on this one and prepared a huge spread of authentic dishes to the Hawaiian island. There was Luau chicken that had coconut milk and fried onions, chicken long rice, pineapple slow-glazed baby back ribs, and Maui grilled fish salad with a tropical ginger salsa. We also had some Blue Hawaiians, Mai Thais, and pina coladas.

The night was a fun send off for Katy, who is headed back to Vancouver to begin her paramedics course. She felt the bite of reality as she had to move to the city amidst all of the fun and activity of the kids just getting off of school and the nice weather coming in. Best of luck Katy, you will do great!

A strange face some might not recognize is Gemma Allen. She is snuck into John and Annemarie's luggage a few weeks ago, when they were departing from their visit to Calgary.

So anyway, as you can see in the pictures we had a great time. I wish all of you readers could have come too. It is sure fun just to do something different every once and a while. It may be a little bit of extra work to prepare, but in the process we learned about Hawaiian culture and a little more about each of us.

Summer resolutions

Without further ado, here are our family's resolutions for a successful summer. The completion of these acts below will establish this as one of the best summers ever:

1. Complete my course by July 30

2. Camp at Haywire Bay

3. Play baseball and picnic at Palm Beach

4. Go golfing

5. Camp with kids in the backyard once

6. Acheive our weight goals by the end of the summer

7. Bike around Inland Lake

8. Swim to the chair at Mowat with Blaise, Joey and Gemma

9. Teach Owen to ride his bike

10. Go for a quick camp trip with the older kids and Dad

11. Have a Hawaiian Luau

12. Play Bocce

13. Get the canoe in the water just once

Okay, there you have it, maybe there will be more added later so keep checking in frequently.

Love Shaun

Pictures in the Sun

Went out to the beach trail again today. Mer's not feeling too well with a cold, so the kids and I headed out for a walk. Took the camera along to catch some of the moments as they happened. Mom and Dad came over for a nice visit this morning. They caught us up on all of the news on Dean and Rachelle's deck that was just completed over the weekend.

So after we did some laundry and got the house all tidied up, we packed into the van and headed to Willingdon. Lots of people down at the beach today just soaking up the rays. With the Symphony of the Pacific on right now and Kathaumiux right around the corner, there are pleanty of visitors enjoying the beautiful scenery of our town.

Our walk proceeded down the beach trail to play on the various logging equipment that was around. We then headed down to the beach where the kids swang on the zunga and searched for treasures on the shoreline. It was a great day and I'm happy I got some cool shots of the kids and things.

Ice Cream Maker

We were cleaning out the freezer and fridge today and decided to improvise with some juice and old mango ice cream. The picture illustrates the kids supervising the ice cream maker as it transforms the ingredients from one state to another.

I'm beginning to realize that normal household appliances can provide kids with great amounts of enjoyment. They have such curious minds that things like this are so ideal for them to observe.

We're in the process of getting those resolutions for the summer. Please just keep posted on the results. Hope you had a great Canada day yesterday. Here's to an awesome weekend!

Bocelli interview

Pretty inspiring story of what can come about from chosing life.

Walk on the beach

Mer, Hugh and I got out for a walk on the beach tonight. Looks like they are preparing for a big bonfire for Canada Day tomorrow. So nice to get out there and just have a nice walk. The weather was so nice, and after this week at work, it feels good to have some free time again. All I have to say is that the full tax season is finally over and I couldn't be happier. Let the summer begin!