Another School Year Comes to an End!

Along with the end of the school year comes lots of celebrations and awards. I am always so proud of my children for their achievements each year. We had an ice cream party in Zach's class after the teacher presented lots of awards and certificates. Zach managed to receive an award for each category. Letter grades aren't given in the 1st grade. We are always in awe of his reading skills and he even received a ribbon for having the second highest accelerated reading points in the first grade. He is now working on the Harry Potter series in hopes of getting a jump start on AR points when he returns to school in the Fall. Zach also received a "Three Musketeers" award along with his two buddies, Jason and Jeff. They are definitely quite the trio.
Zachary posing with Mrs. Schlanger, his first grade teacher. We LOVE Mrs. Schlanger. She has taught 3 of our children so far and pray that she doesn't retire before Ellary enters the first grade.

Zachary posing with Jason and Jeff after Mrs. Schlanger awarded them the "Three Musketeers" award!

As you can see, they are quite the trio!!

Sara's class also had a celebration with lots of awards. She finished 3rd grade with straight A's every quarter and ACED the EOG's (end of grade state tests)!! Although, she would probably say that her most proud achievement this year was earning the National Physical Fitness Award. She takes great pride in the fact that she is a fast runner and has a lot of physical strength and endurance. We are so proud of Sara!Sara posing with Mrs. Brewer, her 3rd grade teacher

Jace has finished 6th grade, his first year in Middle School, with straight A's every quarter! He has really worked hard and developed some great study habits and organizational skills that hopefully will carry on with him throughout the remainder of middle school and high school. He also ACED his end of grade state tests!! Today, we received a letter from the school letting us know that Jace will be receiving an academic award at the end of year assembly on the last day of school. Richard and I are looking forward to attending the assembly so that we can congratulate Jace and let him know how proud we are of him!!

AND AFTER ALL OF THAT....WE ARE READY FOR SUMMER BREAK...MYRTLE BEACH HERE WE COME!!

No More Diapers....a New Scooter....and One Less Tooth!!!

We are so proud of our Baby Girl for deciding recently (at 2 1/2) that she would like to wear "big girl panties". She woke up one morning and told me that she is now a big girl and big girls wear Dora panties! She then pulled her Dora panties out of her dresser drawer and put them on. I went along with her plan fully expecting that I would be cleaning up a lot of messes. I guess I didn't give her enough credit because she went straight to the potty and did her "business" and has only had a few accidents ever since. And....it has been nearly 6 weeks!! As a reward, I took Ellary to the toy store and told her to pick out a "potty training prize". She picked out a Barbie camera and a pink Radio Flyer scooter. She loves the scooter and especially loves trying to keep up with her big sister, Sara as they ride together.


After reading the title, you might be thinking that the "one less tooth" has something to do with the new scooter...Actually, I think that would be a better story. Along with the potty trained child, comes the excitement of a two year old who loves the freedom of going to the potty and washing hands "ALL BY MYSELF"!! There are just some things that Ellary insists she does not need help with. Today, Ellary yelled to me in the next room that she had just gone potty and was now washing her hands. I might add, that she takes a little long to wash those hands and there are usually more than the normal amount of bubbles in the sink AND on the bathroom counter. During the middle of her hand washing I heard a crash and went running to see what had happened. Ellary was laying in the bathroom floor with her wooden stool on top of her and one of her front teeth sitting on her chin. The amazing thing was... she wasn't even crying much. I, on the other hand, wanted to cry after I talked with our dentist (my brother-in-law) and came to grips with the fact that the tooth CANNOT be put back in because it could cause problems for the permanent tooth underneath. So, we will see the dentist in two weeks about having a bridge put in or she may sport this sweet smile for a few years to come. Either way, we think she is ADORABLE!!!!

The Love of a Two Year Old

So, Richard surprised me last weekend with a spa getaway for the two of us! It was so nice!! I sure love that man!! When Ellary heard that we were leaving for the weekend she broke down in tears and said "Oh, Mommy! Please take me with you! I need to go with you because I Love You!" I picked her up and gave her hugs and kisses. While consoling her I asked "Oh Ellary, is Mommy your best friend?" Her reply was, "No, Sara is!!" You have to love the honesty of a child!!

Ellary and Alana in Utah for a week of Fun,Food, Family and Friends!!

What a great trip Ellary and I had visiting in Utah! There is just never enough time to see everyone and do everything we would like while we are there. We've decided that we need to start staying for 2 weeks instead of 1!! We had so much fun with my sister Shay and her awesome kids. Those kids always make me smile! I hate that we live so far away. Shay and I especially enjoyed our two day BYU Women's Conference! It was an amazing experience to be among the 18,000 women who attended. I can't wait to go back next year!

The Clark Family...Hannah, Mallory, Scott, Shay, Morgan, Lindsay and Evan


Shay and I at our first day of BYU Women's Conference

Our great friends Emily and Grant Pohlsander visited us! We had a great time playing at the park!

I Love my Dear Friend, Leslie Jane!!


Ellary and her cousin Harrison had a great time at Kangaroo Zoo! Ellary sure wishes Harrison lived closer by!

Hannah,Ellary, Evan and I were waiting in line at Snowasis for the second time of the day!! Love those snowcones!!

Mallory, Lindsay and Shay

Waiting to be seated at Los Hermanos! I had to have my fajitas and Diablo Verde.
I Love my Morgan!! Those girls are growing up way too fast! They will always be my baby girls!!
Ellary is proud of her BYU shirt!!
On our way home, we had a stop in Minneapolis. The pilot just loved Ellary and invited her to visit the cockpit and take pictures with him! She was thrilled!!!

What on earth have we been doing lately?

Life is so busy. Our four children are always on the go and keep us constantly running. Sports are a major ingredient in our household. During the spring Jace plays lacrosse and Sara plays softball. Zachary has tried a little bit of everything and is now working on earning his belts in TaeKwonDo! Ellary, for now, is just the all around good sport. She doesn't complain as she gets toted from one event to the other. Sometimes it can get really tricky when we have two games starting at the same time on opposite ends of town and both parents want to be with both children!! Cheering for the kids on the sidelines is one of our greatest enjoyments!!


Zachary with one of his instuctors right after earning his yellow belt!

Jace has become quite the lacrosse player. He just playd in four games on Saturday during a tournament. His team won 3 games and lost one!

Sara with Coach Tina! We were so proud of Sara as she earned the game ball during the first game of the season!!

Aaron David Lee 11/24/77 - 4/9/09

Last month we experienced one of the toughest moments of life. On April 9th we were extremely devastated by the sudden death of our 31 year old brother in law, Aaron Lee. Aaron was married to Richard's sister, Katherine. What a great example he was to all of our family members. He will be terribly missed by so many. We traveled to Indiana and Idaho for Aaron's memorials and had the opportunity to bond together as a family during a most difficult time in life. Our lives are changed forever after our experiences. I am so grateful that I know that Families are Forever! Life is such a precious gift that we should enjoy everyday! Aaron will definitely leave a big hole in the Yeoman family, but we are so grateful that we will all be united together again one day! WE LOVE YOU, Aaron!



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Jace is Turning Twelve!!!

It seems that it was just yesterday when I finally had one of my biggest dreams fulfilled....I became a mother on April 2, 1997! Richard and I had been wanting a baby for a few years and were so excited to finally welcome our first son into the world!! My pregnancy was wonderful from beginning to end. We were living in Utah and I was working for Franklin Covey and Richard was finishing his last year of BYU Law School. Jace was not due until April 22nd. On April 1st, my friends at work tried to coax me into calling Richard and telling him that I was in labor as an April Fools Joke. I just laughed at them and told them that there was no way Richard would fall for it bacause my due date was 3 weeks away!! Little did I know that my water would break just hours later. He was almost born on April Fools Day!! Needless to say, we were delighted at our early surprise. Jace has been a great source of joy in our lives every day since. I am so grateful to be a mother. I can't even begin to describe what it means to me in my life!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JACE! YOUR FAMILY LOVES YOU SO MUCH!!! We are so proud of you!!



Jace Loves Playing Lacrosse!




Jace Experienced NCAA March Madness This Year Like Never Before!!

Spring is in the Air!!

One of our favorite things about springtime is playing at the park! If you asked Ellary to describe her perfect day, it would definitely include a playground, plenty of sunshine and of course, her friends!

It REALLY Snowed in N.C. Today!!!

We were so excited to finally get some REAL snow here in N.C!! We got about 5" and the kids were so excited to have school cancelled so that they could play in all of the white stuff. Ellary has wanted to build a snowman every time she has heard that it might snow. Finally, she got the opportunity today!! This is the most snow we have had since 2004!! I took so many pictures that I couldn't possibly choose which to post. Instead, I created a slideshow of some of our favorites. I hope you enjoy!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Are We Ever Going to Get Rid of that "Pappy"?

Now that Ellary is two, we have decided that she really needs to get rid of her "pappy". A few months ago Ellary decided that she would leave them in her bed, because that is what "big girls" do. That actually lasted for a couple of months and then she decided it would be okay if she took them out of her bed, but didn't take them out of the house. That lasted for a while, then she decided she would take them out of the house, but not take them out of the car. Well, we just want you to see how our progress is going...Do you think she will be totally rid of all "pappies" soon?

Valentines Party 1st Grade Style!

I am the class parent in Zachary's 1st grade class. So, I get to be in charge of the all of the parties and treat days. We had a fun Valentine's Party on the Friday before Valentine's Day. The kids all decorated picture frames with each of their pictures inside as a gift for their parents. They also enjoyed their Valentine's Krispy Kreme doughnuts. I am just glad that I am not the janitor that had to clean up all of the red, pink and white sprinkles that covered the room when we were done. Ellary went with me and always seems to be the center of attention every time we enter the school. She has now started asking when she will be able to go to Kindergarten. That question nearly causes my heart to skip a beat. I am soooo not ready to even think about that. Thank goodness, we have a few years!!

Zachary working hard on his picture frame


Boys just don't complete a craft the way that girls do!


Ellary is all dressed for the occasion and happy to hang with big brother Zach. I just hope that she doesn't still have that "pappy" in her mouth when she does go to Kindergarten

Ellary and Ella Grace

Ellary is such a social butterfly. Her favorite thing is having playdates with her friends. One of her very favorite friends is Ella Grace. They are only a few weeks apart in age and she is the only other girl in the church nursery with Ellary now! They have a lot of fun together. She always wants to know when she is going to play with Ella Grace again!!

Follow the Prophet...according to Ellary!

We had a yummy dinner last night. I marinated and grilled some chicken. We had steamed broccoli and baked potatoes with all the yummy toppings. Apparently Ellary decided that she was stuffed halfway through her dinner. Rather than being forced to eat anymore, she decided to toss her plate onto the floor. The five of us were all startled at her actions and asked her why she would do such a thing. She paused for a second and then proceeded to wave her arms and sing "Follow the Prophet, Follow the Prophet, He knows the way!" At that point, we were not sure if she really thought that is something the prophet would encourage her to do or if she was trying the think of the quickest way out of the trouble she was in! We all pretty well decided that it was the latter.

Sara Had Her First Birthday Sleepover.....AND I SURVIVED!!

I love planning my children's birthday parties!! There are so many great places to have kid's parties these days!! We have tried out just about everything and have always had a great time with the kid's and their friends. It seems that Sara is feeling like she has outgrown all of the birthday venues and for the past 2 years has opted to have her party at home. Last year for her 8th birthday we had an OVER-THE-TOP princess celebration where 10 girls came to our house and had dinner, got makeovers, hair up-dos, manicures, decorated tiara sugar cookies and learned some line dancing all the while they fashioned tutus, "pearl necklaces", tiaras and pink boas. Needless to say, that party about sent me over the edge. Anyone who knows me,knows that I like things done right! Thanks to so many great friends (it nearly took an army) it was a sensational good time for all. Although, the night ended with me in the Jacuzzi tub for a very long time!!
Well, this year I thought it would be a great idea to take some of Sara's friends out to a fun dinner and movie. I presented the idea to Sara and she quickly turned me down and told me it was time that I allowed her to have her first sleepover! I told her that if she chose my alternative she could invite 10 friends and if she chose the sleepover, I would only allow her to invite 5 friends. I thought that would definitely change her mind. How could she narrow her list to 5? Well, we had our first sleepover this past Friday night....and it too was a wonderful success! The girls all wore t-shirts that I made and High School Musical Slippers. Sara chose for me to make a yummy oreo ice cream dessert instead of a cake (note the very unprofessional decorating job) and it was yummy! The girls had a fun night playing Wii High School Musical dance and sing-a-long, RockBand and watching a movie! We also decorated tote bags that I made with the same logo as the t-shirts. Ellary had the best time of all hanging with the big girls and said "This is the best party in the whole world." The best part for me is that after midnight I didn't hear anything else from them. I actually got some sleep! They are a great group of girls!!


Emily gave Sara a subscription to Tiger Beat Magazine. What a great idea!


Sara still loves those Webkins! I think she has about 45 now!!



As you can see, Ellary loved hanging with the big girls!!


Here you can see the logo on the front of the shirts and the name on the back! The girls also decorated tote bags with the same logo!