Light On, Light Off

Clay has discovered our touch lamps (touch them anywhere to turn on/cycle through the brightness levels) and he loves them. At the very end, you can see him emulating his Dad on most weekday mornings . . .

Calling Mr. DeMille . . .

High Energy

Lisa and I have discussed it and we both agree: No more Red Bull for Clay.

On a Mission

Nothing gets Clay moving like a phone cord.

We Love You

It's been a tough month for us as a family. In late December, Clay lost his Great-Grandfather Pizzino and Great-Grandmother Pizzino (Lisa's Maternal Grandparents). Last week, a dear family friend of Scott's, Buck, who was in many ways another grandfather to him, suffered a fatal heart-attack. This morning, Clay's Great-Grandmother Richardson (Scott's Maternal Grandmother) passed away.

We're so thankful that Clay had an opportunity to meet them all, and we're thankful for the blessing that they have been for Scott and Lisa for so many years.

In our loss, we hold fast to our hope in the Resurrection, but we still mourn their passing and they will be dearly missed.

All Aboard

Opa takes Clay for a ride around the couch on his new Christmas train.

More Teeth

Apparently Clay heard all the talk about him falling behind in the dental race with Addy so he put his mind to it and has begun popping out teeth at an alarming rate.

This morning, Lisa noticed that a third tooth had appeared in his upper row overnight. At lunch, she realized that a third tooth had appeared in his bottom row since the morning. It's not yet 3PM as I'm writing this, so we may need braces by the evening. Stay tuned for further details as they "emerge".

Oh yeah, I've been catching up on publishing photos and videos that have been in the queue for some time. Check out all today's uploaded photos here.

Meeting the Extended Family

Clay got a great opportunity to meet The Richardsons (Scott's Uncle Chip, Aunt Jenny, Cousin Betsy, Cousin Chad, and Cousin Lance) this Christmas in Bluefield. They showered him with wonderful gifts and loved all the attention.

Clay The Entertainer

Marvel at the prancing, lithe Clayton while he is accompanied by his beautiful assistant, Martha.

Witness the Staid Richardson

Clay has a way of bringing out the child in everyone, including his Great-Aunt Martha.

Have We No Shame?

Clay loves grabbing onto anything that he can hold in one hand and walk around. His Great-Grandmother Richardson had several canes that Clay put to good use. At some point, probably between bath and bed, he was getting some late night exercise around a cane and his Uncle Matt added the perfect prop to his waistband.

Look At Him Go!

Oma and Opa gave Clay a Thomas-the-Train push toy for Christmas. When he can't find someone to push him while he rides, he pushes it himself. He can attain moderate speeds on our carpeted floors, but nearly reached Mach 1 on Great-Aunt Martha's beautiful hardwood flooring.

Bang the Drum

Clay loves to beat on everything. We captured on film one of the rare moments where he beats on something appropriate.

What Did Santa Bring?

This was Clay's very first rush of the presents under the tree. He doesn't yet have a sibling that he has to jockey with for position. He also doesn't have enough hair to fully achieve "Christmas Morning Bedhead" -- so this will probably be his least embarrasing Christmas Morning recording ever.

Baby Steps

Clay was practicing his walking after church in early December.

Shoot the Wabbit

Ok, so clearly Clay is the headliner of this show, but I wanted to take a moment to brag a little. I went rabbit hunting today with Jimmy and Matt and shot two rabbits -- saw two rabbits, fired two rounds, got two rabbits. This is a vast improvement over my first hunting trip two years ago, where I froze up as the rabbit strolled right past me. It is also an improvement over last year, when I finally pulled the trigger, but failed to lead the rabbit -- possibly grazing the very last hair on it's hare tail. To top it off today, Matt added a monster bunny to my two for a huge haul of three.

I think my skeet training on my birthday (thanks Dad!) improved my shot immensely. The shot felt natural and automatic.

So, this evening, we had the Rothells and Yagers over for a rabbit feast. The menu included Lapin a La Cocotte and Golden Fried Rabbit. Both were a big hit and a great ending to a great day.

Ok, back to more updates on Clay -- soon to follow (I promise!)

Clay's First Christmas

Clay had a great first Christmas, receiving far more toys than I think he even realizes. A couple of bows probably would have sufficed. We also got the opportunity to travel all over the place, visiting friends and family.
You can check out all this year's Christmas photos here.