Clark's First Christmas

We hope you and your family had a Merry Christmas! Christmas was extra special for us this year with a little one running around. Having Clark as a part of our family this past year has been such a blessing and the best gift we could ever ask for. Celebrating the birth of Jesus and the gift of life this Christmas was so incredibly wonderful.

Christmas Eve 2011

Thanks Mimi and Pops for my new Rocking Chair!

All is calm...All is bright

Santa came!

Checking out the stocking

Storytime with Kaki

New wheels! (his little hands crack me up on the wheel)

Now it's on to a NEW YEAR, time to set goals, make resolutions and look forward to another great year with our family of three!

Ho Ho Ho

We've been teaching Clark to say "Ho Ho Ho", it comes out more like "Hmm Hmm Hmm" - but we get a kick out of it. I'd say he's got the Christmas spirit right along with the rest of us! It sure is fun experiencing our "Baby's First Christmas" and we look forward to him learning the true meaning of Christmas in years to come.

For now...he's all into the tree, the bottom half of our tree slowly but surely became "undecorated" this year....

He's given Santa quite a few "stare downs", there were no tears, but he wasn't to sure of the man in red....

We visited Hunter Farms last weekend, had some hot chocolate and took a wagon ride to the barn to see Santa...

Another "stare down"...see what I mean? Not to sure about Mr. Claus

Beautiful garland at Hunter Farm

He loved the Singing Christmas Bears at Founders Hall - what a treat for the little ones during the holiday season!

May your days be MERRY and BRIGHT throughout this Christmas season and into the New Year!

Clark Morrison Monthly (11)

How have 11 months gone by already?! I can remember coming home from the hospital with our 9.0lb baby boy in our arms like it was yesterday, oh how he has grown. Happy 11 months to you, sweet Clark. You are so full of energy and keep us on our toes. We love your giggle and smile! We love your "baby babbles" - don't have a clue what you are saying, but you sound so certain you are making sense. We love how you are enjoying reading now, grabbing books from your bookshelf and bringing them to us to read is so sweet! We are enjoying every bit of this "First Christmas" with you. What a joyous time to celebrate 11 months of age!

In Clark's Words:

-I'm WALKING everywhere, I walk with my arms out to my sides to help with balance.

-Besides the mama/dada sounds, my first few words have been "Da-ddy" and "Pu-ppy"

-I have 2 bottom teeth finally!

-I love to have mama and dada read to me, my favorite books are "Goodnight Moon", "Pat the Bunny" and "Brown Bear Brown Bear"

-I love to shake my head from side to side and clap my hands

-My favorite foods are strawberries, mac/cheese, waffles, corn/carrots and a new favorite - banana muffins!

xoxo, mama and dada

Christmas Card Photo Shoot

I thought I would share a few of the holiday photos that didn't make the cut for our Christmas card this year. We took Clark over to a park near our house to snap some pictures and while we tried to get the perfect photo, he enjoyed being outside and being free!

This one makes my heart melt, he was so excited to see the ducks!

"what?...can't I check out this tree without being photographed"

Sweet little feet, perfectly aligned!

Clap Clap!

Tis the season...

....for being thankful, counting blessings, enjoying traditions with family and friends and celebrating the birth of Jesus! It truly is the "most wonderful time of year". We kicked off the holiday season with the annual Turkey Trot on Thursday morning and after that it was a busy busy weekend gathering with family/friends, eating lots of delicious food, picking out our Christmas Tree and attending both Brian and I's 10 year high school reunions!

A few of Clark's FIRSTS

Clark finally has his FIRST tooth coming through (and another one right beside it)! I'm particularly thankful for this because I've spent so long guessing as to whether he was teething or not. In other news, his FIRST steps have turned into walking now - he is still very much a crawler but I know he is going to be running around before I can even blink! All these FIRSTS are so much fun! It is just unbelievable to see how quickly little ones grow and develop.

Enjoy the video!

And lastly, as Thanksgiving grows near we are reminded of all the wonderful things we have to be thankful for. This year especially, we are so thankful to have Clark as a part of our family and the gift of parenthood. We are also thankful for the amazing parents, grandparents, sisters, brother-in-laws, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends that surround us.

Clark Morrison Monthly (10)

Here we are, 10 months old today! These past 10 months have definitely gone by so fast, much faster than any other time in my life...oh how I wish I could freeze time! Clark is full of life, very vocal and continues to be "always on the go". He keeps us on our toes without a doubt - we are so in love with our little boy.

In Clark's Words:

-I took my very first step just after my 9 month birthday on 10/23/11, since then I've been taking lots of steps, but not I'm not quite a "walker" yet.

-I still have NO TEETH!

-I'm eating lots of table food now, veggies, mac/cheese, toast, deli meat, etc.

-I'm babbling up a storm, if only mama and dada could understand what I'm saying.

Don't let this first photo fool you, he sat still for about .5 seconds!

Happy 10 Months sweet baby!

Getting Dressed

Getting Clark dressed these days is nearly impossible! I face a challenge each morning as we dress for the day and each evening as we prepare for bedtime. Last night, after he was all clean, I let him "run free" for a while....as frustrating as I was to not be able to clothe him, seeing his sweet little bum crawl all around was the cutest thing! He was so happy and silly!

ok...now its time for those PJ's!

Clark's 1st...NC State's 5th

It was a big day yesterday - Clark attended his very first State game and the pack beat Carolina for the 5th straight year in a row. We were so excited to bring Clark back to our old stomping grounds and introduce him to the wolfpack. I have to admit I was a little hesitant as to how he would act with hardly any naps and a new environment, but boy did he prove me wrong - he must enjoy Wolfpack Country just as much as we do! It was a great day in Raleigh - we had the best time tailgating with our pack buddies, mom/dad and jordan and of course the W at the end of the day was icing on the cake!

Remember this post, oh how times have changed! (we are missing a few friends in this pic and sweet little Leighton Roberson)

Mom and Jordy

Jordy and Dad

Clark with his Kaki and Stevie T/Grandpa/?

Best Buds

Clark and Aunt Jordy

Clark pushed his new toy around the tailgate - it was a riot!

Power nap during 2nd Quarter

Daddy and his boy