New Year's Day @ Multnomah Falls

Yes, we love Multnomah Falls. We drove out to see it on New Year's Day hoping it was frozen a bit like last year. And although it was surprisingly unfrozen, it was just as beautiful to see. :)

My handsome husband. :) And my handsome son.Maddie is so silly.
Lookin' for fish.
There isn't a single fish to be found! Says Maddie.

A snug little Emma-bean. ;)

Happy 2010, to all our friends & family (and anyone else who happens across this). :)

end of the year snow

Here's proof that the weatherman doesn't always know what he's talking about... Ha. Especially when there are Clarkes praying for some snow. ;)

Hooray for snow!

This was just the beginning.
By nightfall there was about 1/2 an inch... enough for the kids and Dame to enjoy and pelt each other with dirty snowballs.
I don't know who was happier to see the snow, Damian or the kids. I'm leaning towards Damian, though.

What a wonderful way to end 2009. :)

our little artist

Maddie's new favorite thing to do --finger paint!

Christmas @ my folk's

And now, pictures from Christmas at my parent's house. :)

Here's Dame with Maddie and Noel (and Teagan in the background) getting seated to start opening presents. See how excited Maddie is?? Ha. She's eager to open gifts, but not so happy that I'm taking her picture.

As is custom, Damian carving the meat: And for fun, here's a picture of him from Thanksgiving... oh yeah, he's that good at cutting meat whether it's lamb, beef, or turkey... ;)
Okay, back to Christmas... here's a picture of my sister, Jenna, with her hubby, Shane. Of course, she closed her eyes and my brother John stuck his head in...

...So we tried again, this time with Teagan. :)
Here's Trevin and Raylee. They got along so well. Ray loved playing "mother" with all the little cousins and siblings. And my sister and I loved getting a break! ;)
(As you see, Trevin has his mom's talent at closing his eyes at just the right moment.)
Here's a pic of the cool kids. Sorry Jenna, we don't make the cut.
Here's Zoolander, Mom, Joanna, Teagan, and "Cat."
Here's my Dadio:
Jenna with Emma. Soon she'll have another one of her own! In the meantime she's testing out mine. ;)
Beautiful Raylee:

My Dad, really getting into a 3D puzzle he got from Jenna. After he conquered it, I was next to solve it although he figured it out quicker than me.

And lastly, I leave you with a picture of Dame cutting the pie. Did I mention he does desserts too? Hehe.

Up on Mt. Hood

While the girls were here we took a day trip up to Mt. Hood. It was fun to go play in the snow. The kids had a really good time sledding. Maddie even tried it out and liked it (but not enough to go more than one time). :)

Here are some pictures:

5 kids!

Merry Christmas!

Here are some pictures of the kids. It was wonderful to have the girls here and have all five siblings together under one roof. Damian and I are blessed parents.

Alright you two, I'm trying to take a serious picture! Ha. Maddie and Noel are quite the little comedians.
Much better. Although I do like the silly one. :)

Maddie and Shelby. <3

..*..Noel's 2nd Birthday..*..

Here are a couple pictures of Noel on his birthday. He turned two on the 11th, the day after Emma and I were released from the hospital. I'm so glad I got to celebrate with him on his special day. Let me tell you, though, the past two years have flown by. He's getting so big!

Here he is opening his gifts:

Figuring things out...

Looking to us for help...

Maddie was more than happy to help open his gifts for him. :)

And help him eat his candy... ha.

Happy Birthday, Noel. You are loved.