Parker's First Birthday

Parker's first birthday was a huge success! We had a small tailgate party, and asked everyone to dress in their favorite team's colors. Parker hardly napped or ate lunch because he was so excited about his party. The cake was interesting. He didn't know quite what to do at first, but daddy helped him out. Once he got the hang of things, icing was flying EVERYWHERE! His facial expressions were priceless. As most babies, he enjoyed playing with boxes and tissue paper rather than opening his gifts, so mommy and daddy made sure to thank everyone for their thoughtfulness. It was a great day, with a LONG afternoon nap!

Halloween

We had a great Halloween. We celebrated first with a small group party, and then went to Gi-Gi and Pop's on Halloween night. As you can tell, Parker loved his costume, and looked adorable in it! What he doesn't realize is that these pictures will probably make another appearance when he brings a girlfriend home!

Not even the threat of rain could keep us away to see the tigers play!

We've made it through September tailgating! We've had a great time, but are looking forward to a slight break before Clemson hosts Georgia Tech, and Pop and Gi-Gi come to tailgate with us. Today, Parker's Grandpa (my dad) came to tailgate and watch the Clemson vs. Maryland game. We began the day not quite sure if we would go because of the threat of rain, but decided to try to tough it out anyway. After an hour of tailgating, we went to Cubbie's birthday "Paw"ty, where Parker had his picture taken with Cubbie and a few of the Rally Cats...I'll let y'all decide for which picture he enjoyed posing the most! Once we made it to the game, the weather was over-cast, but we had great seats, so we weren't too worried...until the Tigers started the second half....what a heart-breaker! Luckily Parker made it through the end of the third quarter, and then decided to take a nap. He also napped all the way back home...oh, the life of a little one!

And...He's MOBILE!

It's been a few weeks now that Parker has been creeping (crawling on his belly "commando style"). Now, he's up on his hands and knees, and trying to pull up on EVERYTHING...regardless if it's stable or not. Yesterday (Monday) I was working around the house, and heard him start to stir in his crib. Pretty quickly, I heard him laughing, and talking, and thought, "hmmm...this may be interesting...". So, I walked into his room to find him standing up in his crib! He flashed me his big beautiful smile, and laughed, as if to say, "Hey mom! Come join my party!" Todd and I are so excited, but know how much things have just changed...yet again!

Clemson is HOT, HOT, HOT!

We had another successful day of tailgating and football in Clemson, SC this weekend. My mom joined us this weekend to celebrate her birthday. Despite how UNBELIEVEABLY HOT it was, everyone had a great time! Parker even learned a few tricks (how to give a new friend a wet willie, and to pull up in his pack n' play) while we were there. We'll be adding another game to our list next week!

Tiger Territory...Clemson vs. Citadel

This weekend we took Parker to Clemson for his first official home Clemson football game. He was an amazing trooper the entire day, despite the heat. He played a game of, "Ball," with his new friend Gaines, ran on the field, scored a "touchdown," held down the cooler with his booster seat, and rolled around in his Pack n' Play. He also enjoyed all the sights and sounds of the game (or at least until just after the running down the hill), and then was so exhausted he decided to take a nap until half time, after which we left. We can't to do it all over again next week!

Beach Bums

We took our first trip as a family to St. Simons Island over Labor Day weekend. The weather was WONDERFUL, and everyone had a great time! We went to the beach, and Parker LOVED playing in the sand. He crawled in it, played with it, and even ate it. He also enjoyed walking into the water and splashing mommy and daddy! He even made some funny noises when the waves crashed on his belly, like, "Wooo!" and "Whoa!" While in St. Simons, Parker enjoyed his first Clemson game with daddy. He cheered on the Tigers in his jersey, but unfortunately, we all didn't cheer hard enough...better luck next week! We can't wait to go back to the beach!

Chef Boyar Parker

Who knew my metal nesting bowls would finally be put to good use?! Parker has had so much fun this week making all kinds of "music" with these bowls, a spatula, and some balls from a more expensive, developmentally correct toy. Todd and I are glad to see it does not take much to entertain Parker! Until next week....

Oh, Canada!

Well, we survived! We managed to navigate the Atlanta airport, and successfully fly with Parker to NY so he could visit, "The River." We visited both my dad and mom's sides of the family, and even managed to go across the border into Canada for lunch....yes, Parker has gone out of the country. Once back on US soil, Parker could not wait to go swimming in the St. Lawrence River, and of course, as all babies do, EAT SAND....Yummy! We had a wonderful time, and could not believe how quickly our vacation time went by, before it was time to pack everything up and come home. We will miss the river, but it's good to be home.

Highchair Art...Take Two

So we tried the highchair art again yesterday, and as you can tell, Parker was a lot more excited! I wrapped some saran wrap around his highchair tray (which he loved the sound of), and once he started playing with the ketchup, he quickly figured out that he could eat it! He loved spreading it around, and tasting it. We'll have to try mustard soon!

Highchair Art

Today, after lunch, Parker tried "highchair art." I read about it on http://www.babycenter.com/, and apparently it helps babies to develop their fine motor skills while drawing in ketchup on their highchair tray. Parker, however, enjoyed the ewey, gooey feeling of the ketchup in his hands and in between his fingers. We can't wait to try it again this week!

Okay, We've jumped on the bandwagon!

Okay, so the Williams family has jumped on the bandwagon! We've decided to begin blogging about all the exciting things going on in the "wilderness" and craziness that is our lives. Hopefully we will be able to blog weekly about fun family events and trips.