Smiles

Much better pictures of the true smiles we get!

Happy Birthday Uncle Caleb

Samuel is big into his harmonica that Uncle Caleb and Aunt Angie got for his last year. He is also big into birthdays. So...when the two of these loves collide this is what you get.

Hope you have a great day Uncle Caleb!

Congrats Uncle Mike

Well, it is official...Uncle Mike is a college golfer. He had his first match this past Wednesday and proved that he was meant to play college golf. He spent the first week of practice competing with 14 guys for one of six spots. He got one and was able to play in the schools first match as the 5th man.

Dad was able to go up and watch the round and was a pretty proud papa after Mike shot a 75 placing him not only first on his team but third overall! To say the least he blew the socks of some very good golfers! He impressed the coach enough that at Sienna Heights tournament tomorrow he will be golfing as Indiana Tech's 1st man.

If you can't tell I am a bit proud of my bro! It is so amazing to see him not only doing something he loves but doing it so well. The only bad thing is that we can't see him doing it! Next year...you can bet the boys and I will be following the Indiana Tech golf team around!

Good luck Saturday Mike! Blow 'em away!

Congrats to the Abbott Family

Congrats to the Abbott Family as the welcome their new little one!

Tansy Alice Abbott
09/07/07
7:59am
7 lbs 11oz
20 inches
lots of red hair and blue eyes

First Smiles

Although it has happened many times in his sleep we had yet to see a Liam smile . The race was on to see who would receive the first one. Samuel was the big winner. He was entertaining Liam with a game of peek-a-boo while Liam was relaxing in the bouncy seat. I was folding laundry when I heard the giggle and quickly looked up to see the smile spread across his face. I guess if I can't have the first one this was the best alternative.

Although we have tried to catch another one for the camera he is pretty tricky. Here is the end of one! By the way this one was directed toward mom!

7 Weeks

Honestly...7 weeks! I say this both ways...at times I can't believe it has only been seven weeks and at others I feel like he has been here forever. Liam continues to eat, sleep and poop! He is weighing in at over 11 pounds now and is still really long! Liam is still the miracle sleeper. He usually is in bed around 8 and sleeps until 1 or 2. He is then up for a quick feed and back to sleep until around 5. He also takes a nice long nap in the morning and if I am lucky Samuel joins him! Here are a few pictures of the week.

Watching his first golf match. Papa and Uncle Mike would be proud!

The brothers...

Samuel checking out his ears. Liam not sure about any of this.

Samuel being his cheeky self.
Liam wondering what kind of family he was born into.

Samuel still silly.

Liam responding with "honestly mom!"

Kisses are always good.

Grandma and Grandpa Visit

Grandma and Grandpa Clark were here to visit for a week. They spent time meeting Liam and keeping Samuel occupied.

It was a busy week for Mike and I. I had new student orientation and the Fall Forward for MHGS while Mike was in his first week of teaching. It was so amazing to have them here and able to watch Samuel while we were both going crazy. Not to mention how much money we saved in babysitting costs!

Here we are on the way up to Wallace Falls.

Every once in a while Samuel would stop, sit down or lay down and say "take a break." So funny!

Grandma and Grandpa were the last of the visitors for awhile. Now onto real life with two little boys! HELP!

Aunt Angie

Friday night Aunt Angie flew in for a visit over the long weekend. Samuel was so excited to see her, especially after she told him she had presents in her suitcase. Samuel had to model the shoes and socks she brought for him...along with his "Fireman Sam" hat! What a cheeseball!

We spent most of Saturday just hanging out and relaxing. Saturday evening Mike and I went out to see Mel Brook's Young Frankenstein, while Aunt Angie stayed with both boys. She did amazing. When I called at intermission both boys were sound asleep in their own beds! It was so nice to get out for an evening..thanks Ang! She is defiantly ready for a few kiddos of her own!

Aunt Angie and her favorite nephews!

On Sunday we went on a hike up to Wallace Falls. It was quite a haul with two little ones. Liam rode up in the Moby while Samuel chose to walk all by himself. Samuel is a monster. He made it 1.7 miles before asking to be carried. Keep in mind it was a trail with a pretty good elevation gain. Some steps we went up were up to his waist but he keep hauling! What a trooper!

When we got to the top we all took a break and had a snack. We also snapped a few precious photos before hiking back down.

Sadly, Aunt Angie lives in Minneapolis and had to head home this morning. She will be missed! It is so nice to see Samuel light up when he sees family members. Luckily we will be able to be in Minneapolis over Thanksgiving!

What You're Missing...

This one is especially for all the people out there who are sad that we are so far away and they can't be with us more often (especially the grandparents). Here is a small taste at what you have been missing...

Are you sure you still want us to come back?

Catch Up

Ok, so I was a bit behind on my postings. I have been a bit busy lately with the boys. I guess I conveniently forgot how hard a newborn is and greatly underestimated how busy raising two boys would be. To say the least, I hardly get time in the day to go to the bathroom much less post pictures!

So, this is what you get...five days worth all at once. I guess it is one way to catch up.
Read away...
I may be better in the future, but don't count on it.
Maybe when they are off to school...

Lachlan's Dedication and Celebration

This past Sunday we had the honor to be present at Lachlan's dedication. Over the past year we have become good friends with his parents, David and Jessi, and have enjoyed journeying into parenthood with them. We look forward to continuing life with them and being there to mark the big and precious moments.

The day was a beautiful celebration.

Complete with an Irish blessing.

Samuel also had a ton of fun, collecting and throwing rocks.

Thanks so much for inviting us to be part of your special day.

Five Weeks

Since I missed a posting at 5 weeks I figured I would throw a few pictures we took that week.

Liam continues to grow and is up to 11 pounds now. He continues to be really long and still looks skinny despite his weight gain. Lots of noises lately and the faint beginnings of a smile.
Some of you may recognize the outfit from a certain big brother.
Liam is just as cute in it.

Daddy with his boys.
Yes, both Mike and Samuel have on "Top Pot Doughnut" shirts. Liam would also have one, but they didn't come that small. I guess it is a prerequisite to becoming a member of the Clark family.

As we were heading out the door I had to set Liam down to lock the door and manage the 10 bags I was hauling. Samuel plopped down next to him and was quite cute. The bags got dropped and the camera grabbed. These moments are all to precious.

Samuel has even moved to sharing his beloved "t-t" with Liam. If you know Samuel at all you know that there is few things he is willing to drop his blanket for. He hauls it everywhere and if we ever lose it we will be in deep (I mean really deep) trouble. Lately he has been offering it to Liam to hold. He will lay it on top of him and give us this really big, cute, "hey, aren't I a great big brother" smile. We will see what happens when Liam is old enough to grab it from him!

Our Big Helper

Samuel continues to be amazing with Liam and the whole adjusting to a big brother role. He defiantly is still two and has his fair share of meltdowns, but is being quite the trooper. His new role in the household (one he gave himself) is "Helper." Samuel loves to help do everything. As soon as anyone is in the kitchen moving around he is right there with his stool asking to help.

We made pasta salad the other day. Both boys were helpers. Liam is sound asleep in the Moby wrap (another great addition that came with this pregnancy) and Samuel is putting all the cut vegetables in the bowl. He did try and taste a few as he went. So he hasn't quite learned all the rules of the kitchen yet.

Here Samuel is with a very independent, time consuming role. He is taking washed grapes out of the strainer, separating them from the stem and putting them in a bowl. He has always loved fresh fruits and we found that if we keep some accessible to him in the fridge he is able to help himself and doesn't then snack on junk.

Samuel also leads exercise classes in the house. Nana and Papa bought him a trampoline for his birthday. He loves it. It is also a great way to get all the extra energy out a little more constructively. The first day he got it he jumped 100 times in a row! Made me tired.

Gram Came to Visit

Gram (Mike's mom) came out to visit us for a week. She was able to meet the newest little addition, spend time with Samuel and enjoy some nice weather. Here are a few pictures of her with her favorite grandsons!

Gram and the boys. Liam was not to thrilled in the picture. A while later he cheered up and let us get a few more!

Bath Time

We thought we would be brave and allow the boys to have their first bath together. Samuel was a huge help by continually adding water to Liam's tub. I was having flashbacks of a time in my younger years when I tried to help teach my little sister how to swim! Samuel was also very willing to share his toys and didn't quite understand why Liam couldn't play with them!
Overall the bath went well...I am sure the first of many!


Here is Liam nice and relaxed. Despite how large his stomach actually looks here he is a really skinny little guy. Either a really bad angle or maybe I had just gotten done feeding him!

Samuel enjoying his new loofah. He continues to love the bath and is becoming pretty independent with his personal hygiene!

Let's Celebrate

This past Sunday we were able to gather with good friends to celebrate the birth of Liam John. Jessi and David so graciously hosted the celebration in their awesome carport. It was complete with good friends, great food, generous gifts and unbelievable chocolate cake. Thanks so much to all those who came to celebrate Liam!

Three Weeks

Liam,

It is so hard to believe that you are already three weeks old! Where has our time gone? I know they always say enjoy every moment because before you know it they will head off to kindergarten then off to college...it's true. Slow down...stay little for a bit longer!

You continue to amaze us each day with all the little things that you already do. You have been lifting your head now for a week or so and have repeatedly tried to throw yourself off our shoulders. We are not sure where you are going, but you seem to be trying to escape. I guess Samuel has already filled you in on us as parents. We promise we will try and do better.

This week you took your first family walk. We pulled out the limo, strapped everyone in and headed for one of our favorite placed...Dairy Queen. Samuel was very concerned about you and had to make sure everything was just right. On the way home he wanted to push the stroller and since we figured there would be several times in your life that you will have near death experiences, probably initiated by your big brother, you might as well start now.

Feeding you is finally getting easier for me. You love to eat and are eager to do so that is unless you are in the middle of one of your marathon naps. You have been so patient with mom as we try and figure out this breast feeding thing. I know you would prefer steak, potatoes and a beer, but until you are at least 6 months old the beer is staying in the fridge mister.

This week, you have also started to show us a little bit of your attitude. You sleep beautifully, but when you wake up you are ready to eat and can't seem to understand why you are not being fed immediately. I believe your cry goes something like this..."uh MOM...DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME...I SAID I WANTED TO EAT 10 MINUTES AGO!"

You also get a bit upset at us if you are not changed rather quickly after filling your pants. This is one that we are getting pretty good at since you seemed to have inherited your Papa's, Uncle Mike's and Daddy's loud, deadly and rude noises!

I still have to say that you are one of the most amazing, sweet, patient and loving little boys I know. I am so happy to say that you are mine!

Love,
Mommy