31 flavors

THIRTY ONE reasons why I love Aaron...

1. He's tall, dark and handsome.

2. He dresses nice and always matches.

3. He has a wonderful smile.

4. He adapts well to change.

5. He dances like a maniac.

6. He loved his mission and keeps in touch with most of his companions. Now some of their wives are my close friends.

7. His voice is calming. When I hear him talk, I feel safe inside.

8. He is excellent at picking out presents for me.. he puts a lot of thought into each gift and I am always pleasantly surprised.

9. He's the BEST dad to our little boys.

10. He's very easy to talk to.

11. He always puts the toilet seat down.

12. He's level-headed and logical. He doesn't make decisions based on his emotions. This is why he will make a superb judge someday.

13. He looks SO nice in a suit and tie... when he was a little boy, he always pictured himself wearing one to work everyday.. Isn’t that interesting?

14. He's the best person to take a road trip with... and believe me, we have had our fair share. He insists on driving the whole time (which I love) and we always have the best 4-5 hour conversations (which I love even more.)

15. He really cares about others. People are very important to him, especially his family. He is a great brother and son.

16. He loves his in-laws even though there are MANY of us and sometimes we get crazy.

17. He's a worthy Priesthood holder and always wears a white shirt on Sunday.

18. He is a faithful hometeacher and takes his callings seriously.

19. He is a champion ping-pong player.

20. He ALWAYS knows exactly how I am feeling. He can read me like a book.

21. He stands up for what he believes in.

22. He tells entertaining, captivating bedtime stories. They begin with 3 brave, loyal and courageous princes out to save the world… they also include many real (or made up) animals—and he does incredible sound effects!

23. He takes very good care of his personal possessions… (for example, he cleans his shoes with a toothbrush!)

24. He NEVER yells.. ever. Not at me or our kids.

25. He rarely gets mad (or frustrated) about anything.

26. He makes pretend pancakes and scrambled eggs with the little girls in nursery. (All the kids prefer him to me and some of them even cry when he leaves the room.)

27. He irons his own clothes.

28. He makes me laugh out loud everyday.. (refer to #5)

29. He’s the most humble person I know.

30. He always puts his family first… no matter what.

31. He picked ME to be his wife!

Happy 31st Birthday, Aaron! I love you.

Our Utah Excursion

The boys and I left a few days before Aaron so we could be there for
The Grandkids Photoshoot

My parents have 23 grandkids with two more on the way! And get this--the oldest just turned TEN. Yes, in a few months, it will be 25 kids ten and under.. This picture may look like it was somewhat under control, but it was totally and completely INSANE. All of the parents were behind the camera hysterically laughing (and some felt like crying!) because our kids were out of control. The poor photographer will probably not allow the Clawson Clan back into her studio. But the picture turned out-- and the photo really is timeless. These kids are all growing so fast and it's important to get an official photo every once in a while.

Ben was pulling this toothless grin for an hour or so. He didn't move-- and I love Zack's face in this shot because he was in shock.. just kept looking at me like, "What is going on and why do I have to stand here with all these screaming kids?" I LOVE all my nieces and nephews so much and wish my kids were able to live closer to ALL their cousins. For those of you who don't know.. my parents have ten children and ALL of their children live within a 20 mile radius of their home.. except for yours truly. They are excellent grandparents and are able to handle all the chaos very well. It's such a blessing to have all these people in our lives! On one of our road trips, I challenged Aaron to name all the cousins in order-- not only did he do it, but he knew almost all of their middle names! We love these kids and my boys are very lucky to have so many cousins!

After the photo shoot, we headed to Kristy's home to exchange presents, act out the Nativity, and have a delicious soup dinner!

The next day, I went with two of my sisters and their kids to the Gateway children's museum. It was a lot of fun-- but I couldn't help but feel jealous that they get to hang out everyday! How fun that they live down the street from each other and can play all the time. But we enjoyed the day we had together. We hung out, ate lunch at the mall and let the kids go wild!

That night, I had dinner with my high school friends @ Karlin's beautiful home. It was so much fun to catch up, exchange gifts and just be together! We've had a Christmas dinner party every year... going on 8 + years..

I think our husbands are mad that we never include them in the gift exchange, but that's tough luck. This year, Francine gave me Brilliance Plump gloss that is supposed to enhance your lips. I will let you know how that goes! Hillary snapped this shot just after I put it on..

Aaron flew in that night around midnight and we stayed up with Karlin talking until 3 am or so... the next day was busy wedding preparation. Jade received her endowment in the morning and we were so glad we could be there, even though I was coughing throughout the entire session. That night, a big snow storm hit Salt Lake and it was terrible timing. Our family was flying in and Brett and Kate and to be rerouted to Boise.. We were all supposed to be at a dinner party done by Jade's in-laws, and sadly, we were all terribly late. It took Aaron and I about 2 hours to drive 15 miles. It sucked. The whole time we were in the car, I kept saying, "I'm so glad we live in Vegas! We were so smart to move there!" The dinner was a lot of fun when we arrived and the food was excellent. Jade married into a family of 11 children, so I really felt at home with them, and so did our kids! It was so great to have Bronmin and Kirk come! But we missed Cody and Jake far away on Korean plains. That night we stayed in a basement condo next to the Mt Timp temple.. it was a little ghetto, but it was fun to all be in one place. We stayed up late laughing with Brett, Kate and the Chicagoans. The next morning, the people living upstairs brought us down a big tray of hot breakfast. French toast, sausage, little flower-cut cheeses, fruits, etc. It was so nice of them, but kind of creepy at the same time. We didn't even know them, but obviously they think they were running a bed and breakfast.. Every time we came back to the place to change our clothes, or whatever, there would be a new tray of Christmas goodies or treats. Nice, yet really weird.

The next day was the WEDDING! and it was FREEZING! I wish I had more pictures of outside the temple, but my kids were so cold and I was worried that my fingers were going to freeze and fall off. Jade was absolutely stunning (and John didn't look so bad either.)

I was so grateful to Bronmin and Kirk for watching the boys during the ceremony.
Even though Zack went a little crazy with the markers (see his hands)

Zack LOVED the skittles on the tables!! and thanks to KT for keeping him busy with the chalk!

The next day was the Annual Clawson Adult family party. And boy was it entertaining! Our white elephant gift exchange got a little crazy when my dad opened a humongous brazier and panties. I took a shot of him with the underwear on his head, but it must have been with someone else's camera. And these are my aunts Nancy and Julie..

The dinner was delicious and the company was fabulous! My family is the best!

Christmas Card 2007

Christmas Highlights

Christmas 2007 will go down in the book (or the blog) as a GREAT one.
Ben and Luke played all day, but poor little Z was super sick and slept Christmas away.

Zack threw up several times during the present opening process, but that didn't damper our party!
We had a nice relaxing time and Aaron and I were able to take a 3 hour nap. Boo-ya.
Here are our favorite things about Christmas:

Our kids singing Christmas songs in the morning to wake us up.
Aaron just kept saying, "That wasn't loud enough, I am still sleeping!" And then would YELL another song.
I think we got a bit of Jingle Bells on video as well as a few short clips of the kids opening presents..
(if you want to watch, check out our homevideo page..)
Gooey warm cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate after we woke up--
and cheesy, veggie omelets later for a late breakfast (around noon)
YUM!
Ben was SO excited about Transformer EVERYTHING.. toothbrushes, blankets, movie, pj's and of course, toys.
Luke's fav present was his remote control car. It's wheels are neon and when they get stuck and spin in the air, Luke squeals, "It's a DISCO party!" How does he even know what that is? Those days are in my past..
Zack got a little tykes power four wheeler. After his 5 hour nap, he cruised around our house saying, "Beep Beep, I coming!"
I surprised Aaron with a Guitar! We are going to have fun with it--
He's wanted one for a while, but even more after seeing Dan in Real Life. If you haven't seen that movie already, go!
And as usual, Aaron bought me many thoughtful presents.
It amazes me how he always seems to buy me exactly what I want/need.
One of my favorite gifts is the Anne of Green Gables movies...Can't wait to watch them later this week!
Gilbert reminds me of Aaron.. and I always like to think that I have as much spunk and enthusiasm as Anne.
Is there anyone out there who hasn't seen these movies?
I usually check them out from the library every 6 months or so, and I am so glad I own them now!

Christmas morning

It was a "Transformer Christmas" according to Ben and Luke.

They squealed after opening every present!

Aaron bought this life sized (almost) animal book for the kids..
We will have some good homeschooling lessons with this sucker.
After opening all the presents, Zack spent his morning putting the M&M's back in their container. very exciting.
Just cuddling with new blankets, watching the kids run wild with their new toys.
This was some of the destruction.. (in fact, it's AFTER two bags full of garbage went out.)
I have no idea WHERE we are going to put all this stuff! But if you ask our kids, it was
"The BEST Christmas EVER!"