Projects and Mud. Mostly Mud

Hello

I realize that the purpose of this blog is to share Clark happenings with family and friends that don't get to see his sweet face that often, but LOOK WHAT I DID!

I turned this very boring, very room darkening buffet

Into this beautiful, room brightening focal point.

I made my own chalk paint and got to work.  Thanks Annie Sloan for inventing the miracle paint, but I cannot afford 40 dollars a quart. A little flat paint and a tablespoon of grout worked just the same, but only set me back 14 dollars. The best thing about chalk paint is that you don't have to sand, prime or do anything to the furniture before you paint it. One coat, 30 minutes dry time, some distressing and a little furniture wax and we had a new buffet. Total work time was about an hour and a half. I think I am slightly in love.

More adult Williams news is that we ran in the Indy Mudathlon  today. It was a mucking good time.

3 miles and 40 obstacles all through the mud required some careful preparation. We were well hydrated, fully caffeinated and adequately duct taped (so our shoes didn't fall off).

The girls had Nemo Swim caps, but at 100 degrees, those suckers got hot fast!

The obstacles included, but were not limited to, walls to climb, hay bails to scale, cargo nets to scurry up, lots of mud pits to fall into, streams to trudge, HUGE hills to climb using ropes and a very fast, very rocky tarp slide into a mud pit to give you whiplash. And to think, I was worried about the 3 mile running part. That was by far the easiest part!

Didn't realize I was standing in front of porta pottys. Classy.

Notice my very abused runner's number, my muscles felt the same way.

Matt had sweat, dirt and sun in his eyes, but his runner's number looks great. I am sure his muscles feel fine too.

This picture was taken after we were rinsed off in a pond, we were much much muddier. Not sure if you noticed, but in the before pictures I am wearing yoga pants and in the after pictures I am wearing knee length yoga shorts that were cut off using tin snips (thanks worker guy in the golf cart AROUND THE FIRST CORNER) My pants were instantly filled with thick, cakey mud that dragged my pants past my shoes and made it nearly impossible to run in. I could slide and fall really well though.

We had a lot of fun, it felt good to have adult time, even if it was all covered in mud.

Here is a picture of Clark just in case you felt jipped.

Haircuts and Baboon Butts

Hello

The rat tail has long since been retired.

Reminiscent of October 2011

It grew out into a very luxurious head of hair. Hair so long that the poor guy was constantly fidgeting with his ears because his long locks were tickling them. So we paid Cookie Cutters a visit.

This face should have been our warning signal

Clark was immediately drawn to the fun slide and play area. He talked to all the animals that were painted on the walls and thought the car chair was awesome. Honk Honk. This place was fitted with a TV at every hair station and video game systems galore. With all of that overhead, no wonder it was a $17.00 haircut.

Everyone was enjoying themselves.

Tested up to 180 pounds

Until....the first snip

Instantly the atmosphere changed from fun and serene to full on freak out. The nice lady tried to tell us that this was completely normal. Thanks, Lady, but I doubt that.

After it was all over and his breathing was under control, he got a balloon and we headed home. Why Matt took this picture, I don't know (maybe it is an attempt to be candid??), but it does show Clark with his hand in my hair. Which I absolutely love. He twirls it and it makes me smile.

Sunday afternoon we went to the Zoo. It was the first time Clark interacted with the animals. He pointed at the each animal and smiled when they moved, he really enjoyed himself. He pretty much said everyone was a Woof, with the exception of the Zebra, they were horses. Close enough for me. He also had complete meltdowns when ever we left an exhibit. He would cry until distracted by another animal. Then the process started all over again. People loved us.

After a few end of the world meltdowns because we left the monkeys or the elephants, Clark decided to kick back and relax.

Have a good week,
Colie

Bathtime

Starts out with a little mooning

Followed by a Mohawk

And ends with a rousing game of "Whats That?"



Why is This so Hard

Hello!

I love being the mother of a 1 year old. He has a personality, he understands most of what I am telling him, I can teach him things and I can watch his true enjoyment as he figures things out. He makes jokes and loves to read books. His attention span is increasing and his schedule is solidified. Most importantly, I now have more time for myself and I don't have to schedule my entire day around 3 naps, carry around bottles and deal with gobs of spit up. I can workout every day and I am not so dog tired at the end of the day that I collapse in a heap on the sofa.

All these wonderful things considered, why am I having such a hard time with him turning one? Is this normal to feel sad that your baby is not a baby anymore or am I completely nutso? Perhaps it is the fact that everyday he wakes up bigger and learns more, I feel like time is going too fast and I don't get a second to appreciate the stage he is in until it is gone.

Now that I have made my sappy thoughts known...ON TO UPDATES!

First off, I found this very happy little blueberry the other day. Ignore the fact that it looks like he is throwing up and focus on the smile.

Clark and I have been hitting the pool quit frequently this summer, he keeps trying to push me away and swim solo. I don't think he understands that he will sink like a stone. He also has a hard time understanding the ramifications of not wearing a hat and sunscreen. SUN CANCER. Not on my watch, buddy.

In bigger news Matt and I were alone for the very first time in 1 year. That's right, we haven't even gone out to dinner without the small fry in tow. We are the few people who really enjoy hanging out with our kid and don't feel like we need alone time because we love spending family time together. It helps that Clark goes to bed at 7pm and we get every evening together.

We decided to go to Vegas for a few hours together. Go big or go home. In one year I have gone to a 6 hour class and the grocery store twice without Clark. It seemed natural to go to Vegas for my first time away from him.

The hotels there are beautiful and there is always something to do. We saw the Cirque du Soleil show called Ka and walked around the strip. We had the opportunity to have Women Delivered to Our Room for a Reasonable Rate, but decided to pass on that Vegas experience. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Except the Clap.



 There is a 3 hour time difference between Indy and Las Vegas so ended up being awake for about 24 hours and then only slept 3 hours once we did get to bed. Thank you 5 hour energy.

We missed him a lot, but he didn't even seem to care we were gone. It hurt my feelings and made me happy at the same time. More happy. But not happy enough to leave him again any time soon.

Have a happy week,
Colie

Clark's FINtastic Birthday

Hi

Our little boy is ONE. Yesterday was Clark's first birthday and I had a mixed bag of emotions. I cried all day actually. At first I was so happy he made it to 1. I'm so proud of how much he has grown, what he has leaned and how he shows his love. I know that only Matt and I can take credit for the baby he is right now and that feels mighty good. He is smart and happy, he is healthy and so loving. After the surge of pride, I felt very sad. This past year has flown by at lightening pace and I feel like I didn't fully appreciate each stage before he moved on to the next. Fortunately, we took a lot of video and pictures. Although, looking at them now makes me sad. I might be one of the few people who actually liked waking up at night, bottles and googly eyed babies. I am sure this next year will be full of just as many milestones and developmental wonders, but from now on I am going to savor each day and each phase.

When he was first born he looked so foreign and his cry sounded so strange. I couldn't wrap my brain around the fact that he was just inside my belly and now I was looking at him. He could move, breath and see.

 

Now he is walking (like a drunk), he knows different animals by sight and sound, gives hugs and kisses and wants to know the name of EVERYTHING. The first thing out of his mouth in the morning is "that?" and he starts pointing away. He no longer looks like a foreign being, however some days he wakes up bigger and I can tell he has grown overnight. His favorite things to eat are greek yogurt and bananas. His favorite thing to do is play in the water.

Since he loves the water so much and swims like a little fish (but Clark rhymes with Shark) we had a FINtastic shark themed first birthday party. 

He tore into his cupcake and smeared blue lovelyness all over the place. He was so wired from all the sugar that it was near impossible to get him to fall asleep that night. His pupils were the size of sauces and he kept making this weird humming noise and looking at me like "Mom, please make my heart stop beating out of my chest." He wont be getting a sugar high again anytime soon.

 

His prized birthday possession is his new ride. Its red so the insurance on it is higher, the radio only plays the same 5 songs and he always needs a push, but don't dare separate this boy from his toy. He wont leave a room without it. He climbs aboard and says VROOOOM.

 Thanks to all the family and friends who were able to make it over and celebrate.

Colie