Steve, Matt, Page, Christopher, Andrew, Courtney, Jesse, Stephanie, Lucy

Last month all 9 of my siblings got together for pictures.

It was quite an ordeal having us all together with our varying schedules, 

busy work and family life, 

it certainly was harder than we imagined to coordinate.

Our intentions were to surprise mom 

with a photo of all her children for Mothers Day, 

but like mentioned above, schedules were hard to coordinate, 

so it was a few weeks late.

(L-R top row: Topher, Courtney, Andrew, Page, Jesse

bottom row: me, Steve, Lucy & Matt)

Enjoy some Clark Family Stats:

-Between all of us, we have 44 1/2 children, and 1 great-grand cub on the way.

-We all live in Utah.

-We are all happily married.

-7/9 of my siblings served Mormon missions (except me and Page) in Peru,

 Chile, Finland, Spain, Canada, Puerto Rico, and England.

-Right now, 4 of my siblings have dogs and no one has cats.

Steve, Topher, Andrew, and Courtney have blue eyes, Matt, Page,

 and Lucy has brown eyes while Jesse and I have green eyes.

-7 of us have graduated from college.

-1 of us has a Ph.D. (Topher).

-I am the tallest of the girls and Andrew is the tallest of the boys.

We come from good pioneer stock and are blessed beyond comprehension.

Of course, we have our ups and downs, hardships, and trials but we love

 each other and have married wonderful spouses who are equally wonderful.

I believe and know that nothing is as important in my family 

(the one I was born into and the one I am raising), 

as honoring marriage and family. 

 Family relationships can be tricky, frustrating, and hard but they are so important.  

I am learning each day that I have a lot to learn and relationships take effort. 

These people are my blood, they are my eternal brothers and sisters and friends.

We don't all agree on everything but have genuine love and 

desire for each other to succeed and progress.

Special thanks to Justin Hackworth for the amazing photos! 

 Speaking of families...have you hugged yours today? 

Spiritual Enlightenment: Families under covenant.

Our Triumph.

The father of my children, Christian aka Mr. Nielson can still 

make my heart burst when I think about him.

Even after almost 15 years of marriage.

Last weekend Mr. Nielson and I went to

 Park City, Utah where I spoke at a retreat.  

The room mostly consisted of women, 

with a few men sprinkled about the tables.  

There in the front row was my Mr. Nielson.  His eyes beamed at me as I spoke.  

I don't really get nervous sharing my story to crowds, but having 

Mr. Nielson there on the front row is always so comforting and reassuring as I share

our life and our story, and our tragedy, and our triumph.

He is the first person I see when I wake up, 

and the last person I see when the day is over.

  He is my best friend and my other half.  

We share everything in full confidence and love.  

We are genuinely concerned for one another every minute of every day, 

and when anything happens to me good or bad, 

he is the first person I want to talk to about it.

I want to tell him everything that is happening in my life,

even the very ordinary things like, when I had my first

delicious peach of the season, or when I stubbed my toe and it hurt and

I said a bad word.

Or when I get a nice e-mail or letter from a stranger, or when I get a very mean

e-mail or letter from a stranger.  I want to tell him everything.

He is so respectful and good to me.  

He wants for my happiness and to see me succeed, 

so he does everything he can to help me achieve my dreams 

He is gentle and kind, soft and masculine.

If I could wish for anything for my girls, 

it would be to find a companion and husband

who "gives them wings to fly" and helps them grow and develop their talents.

 I want them to have a husband who will respect them, support their dreams

and support them as the mother of their children.

A husband who will never belittle, abuse, and tear them down.

A spouse who will honor and love her as a beautiful capable daughter of God.

Just as Mr. Nielson does for me.

Because family is there, come rain or shine.

Every year at the end of June, we usually
have a nice formal family photo shot.

Blue Lily photography has been so amazing each year to work with.
They are ideal photographers because

I dream up something fun, dramatic, exciting, or normal,
and they make it happen. 

 It's really quite amazing on all accounts.

We have been brainstorming for something fun and equally beautiful 

for our 2015 photo...

Did you catch the Nielson family in the Huffington Post recently?

"16 family Portraits That Don't Even Try To Be Perfect"

This is the photo that was used with the title:
"Because family is there, come rain or shine."

You can read about the shoot-in-the-rain-experience here.

And stay tuned for the 2015 Family photo!

6th grade Graduation

I realized I never wrote about when Jane graduated from elementary school.

It's a big deal and will mean she will join Claire in middle school next year.

It also means that she will have class "periods"--

except she doesn't want me to call it that.  Instead, She'd call it

something else because period totally embarrasses her

(for obvious reasons...duh).

Then I realized I didn't post about Claire graduating from 7th grade

 (last year) either.  Better late than never!

 I photographed the girls dancing in the traditional

 "maypole," which they performed after the graduation ceremony.

I am so proud of my girls; they are growing right up. 

They are unique and have such dear friends.  I am so grateful for the good

influences in their little lives.

These girls are unique.  I mean, really, really special.  

They are so good and so kind.

They are bright and happy, and they know who they are

and where they are going, and most importantly, they know of

 their beautiful worth.

The photos are almost identical, just a year apart.  It's cute.

Mr. Nielson and I presented both Claire and Jane with a gold watch.

Engraved on the watch is a love note with the date.

I hope they treasure it forever.

After the ceremony and the dance, Umi joined us for lunch 

honoring the girls.  

It's been a joy to have these little girlies 15 months apart.  

They are practically twins.  Irish twins, anyway.

Summer in Arizona

When we come to Arizona and stay at GrandMary and Boss Nielson's house,

all the Little Nies sleep in one bed (minus Lottie).

Nicholas is hiding under the blankets next to Ollie.

It's really hot outside but comfortable and cool inside.  

I woke up around 6:00 a.m. to snap this photo because I

 wanted to remember it always.

This is childhood.

This is summer.

This is Arizona.