Party Time!!!

We had the big first birthday party on January 16th at our home. It was a Mickey Mouse theme, which as I have said in earlier posts I swore I would never do, but my baby loves Mickey, so Mickey it was! Lots of family and friends came to celebrate our little man's big day. We had pizza, cake and ice cream. Clayton was a little overwhelmed at first with all of the people at our house, clinging to mommy, but it didn't take long for him to warm up. We did gifts first, and let's just say he was not deprived ;) He got lots of clothes, toys, and money. He didn't quite understand that you have to open one up, put it to the side, and then open another. When he opened the gift, he wanted to play with it of course, and was not too happy when it got taken away. He absolutely LOVED the Mickey Mouse plan that Abbie, Brian, and Macie got him. Daddy drives him around the house on it and he screams when Daddy gets too tired to push anymore. Daddy drives him just a little too fast for mommy's taste, but Clayton loves it, the faster the better. I hope that is not a glimpse into the future...I am going to have to make sure he gets a slow car when he is 16!

He did great with his cake. He started out slow taking a little bite here and there, and then he demolished it. He played more than he ate, but he did put on a great show. He didn't mind at all being the center of attention! He got a bath right after cake, and unbelievably, he even had cake inside his diaper...how did that happen???

All in all it was a wonderful day celebrating this beautiful little boy that we have been given, and we are so thankful for the family and friends we have surrounding us.

What a year! A look at month 11...

Loving on Daddy

Big Boy eating his graham cracker

After he turned his ball pit over

A good shot of those teeth and those beautiful baby blues!

In his new robe...what a little man :)

Loves to explore and get into everything...look how proud he is...little turkey

Walking behind Leo the Lion

Today was Clayton's 12 month check up! He is a happy, healthy baby boy :) Dr. Cochran always talks about his smile...can't blame him, it will melt any heart and light up any room! He is such a joy and growing and hitting all the important milestones.
The 12 month stats:
Height is 30 1/2 inches...above average...must take after my dad :)
Weight is 20 lbs 9 ounces...25 percentile, but moving right up the growth chart

Some Highlights from this month:

Says Ho Ho Ho (at Christmas time we taught him this)
Says NaNa for banana...LOVES them, eats almost a whole one by himself now!
Had whole milk for the first time
Began eating mostly table foods instead of baby food, using sippy cup more than bottle
1st Christmas...got LOTS of toys and money
Traveled to Fulton, TN for The Mullins' Christmas
Walked on his own behind his Leo the Lion
Both top front teeth came in
1st New Years
Played in the snow for the first time
Had his first birthday :)
Very good at "cruising" the furniture...really fast at it too!

Things he likes to do/play:

Loves to drop things and say "Uh Oh"
Throws the ball to Penelope
Rolls the ball back and forth
Will hand things to you when requested
Points to everything and wants you to take him to it if he can't reach it
Loves to put things in something and then take them out or put lids on and take them off
Has become quite attached to his blanky and burp cloth...carries them around with him
Can stand on his own for a few seconds, but once he realizes it, he sits down

Unbelievable how time flies...what a blessed year this has been. So thankful that he is happy and healthy!

Dear Clayton...

My sweet Clayton,
We waited 9 months for you, wondering what you would be like and look like...you far exceeded anything we could have ever imagined. One year ago at 9:03 PM, our lives were changed forever. Who could have known the love and joy you would bring into our lives. We look forward to each and every day with you, watching you explore and learn. Our hearts are filled with love for you and we are so thankful that God chose us to be your parents. I dreamed of being a mommy for so long, and I feel so lucky that I get to be yours. We have watched you learn to smile, laugh, coo, crawl, play with toys, stand, talk, eat big boy food, see the Easter Bunny and Santa for the first time, and much much more. We thank you for making us smile, laugh, and making our lives so much fun. We look forward to the future and will always be here to love and support you each and every step of the way!
Loving you always and forever,
Mommy and Daddy

Happy Birthday Clayton...

Picking out his animal

Stuffing his puppy

Pushing the button to get a heart
Whoa!
Putting the heart insideGiving his puppy a bath
The whole family, with the new addition "Spot"

Today is Clayton's first birthday! When he woke up this morning, we sang Happy Birthday to him and he just smiled and danced. It is hard to believe someone so small could make your heart swell so big with love. What a blessed year this has been, so full of love and joy, each day bringing something new and exciting!
Daddy and I both took the day off today to celebrate this important day. We went out for lunch and then made a trip to build a bear. Clayton picked out a cute little Dalmatian puppy and was just amazed at the sounds the stuffing machine made. We had such a great day celebrating!

Daddy's Birthday

Ella, Clayton, and Daddy

Daddy being silly, Mommy, and Clayton

Daddy and Ella...Daddy that is my hat!

Clayton and Owen...buddies

Little did we know last year on Daddy's birthday that Clayton would be born just one week later! We went to Turoni's with some friends for Daddy's birthday just like we do pretty much every year. This year we had a few extra guests...Clayton and Owen. We had a great time celebrating with friends! Happy 34th birthday Daddy!!!

First Time Playing in the Snow...well sort of

A few weeks after Clayton was born we had the big ice storm and several inches of snow, but being just 2 weeks old he wasn't able to experience it. Thursday was our first snow day that he could actually experience. He loved watching the snow fall through the windows, he would ooh and ahh. We didn't really have the proper snow attire for him, so instead of going out to play in the snow, we brought the snow inside! He wasn't too sure of it...but soon he had dumped the bowl of snow and made a big fun mess of it.

Still celebrating...

We finally celebrated Christmas with my mom's side of the family on Jan. 2nd. We usually have these events at my Aunt Alice's house, but we love to entertain and last year bought a house perfect for entertaining, so we hosted Christmas at our home this year. I always love getting together with my family and love that we are all so close. I am so glad that Clayton has such a great support system of family and friends. Everyone brought finger foods, and we laughed, talked and did gift exchanges. Clayton had a big time with his cousins. He and his cousin Macie (who is just a few months older than he is) were definitely the stars of the show! They both ran around all evening...way past their bedtime and both were angels the whole evening. At one point, Clayton was so worn out he crawled over to the dog bed and laid down. Poor little guy. He finally went to bed at 12:30...yes that is right...12:30! It was a great evening filled with family and fun.

Great Grammy with Clayton and Macie...she loves these babies

Great Grammy got a blanket with all 6 great grand kids on it...this picture was from her birthday

Great Grammy opening our gift to her photos of Clayton...she loves photos

Clayton opening up his gift from Macie...he LOVED it...played with it the whole night

Opening gifts...so spoiled :)