A Daily Dose of Roark

Movin' and Shakin'

We're making a move and shaking things up a bit. I've turned into a cautious mom and have started a new blog that is "private." It can be accessed simply by emailing me, so for you regular readers, it shouldn't be a big deal at all. We started our blog for our parents, who live out of state, so that they could see Elijah each day from afar, and we're returning to those roots. It's not to be snooty, it's just to be more careful. If you'd like to be added as someone who can view the new blog, please email me at allisonroark@g mail.com. Even if we might not know you personally, and you are a friend of a friend, you are welcome to view it. We'd just like to make the circle a little smaller; for those who actually know who we are or who know of us through a mutual friend. A Daily Dose of Roark is moving to www.nickandallison.blogspot.com. Come on over and visit! (I am going to save this blog and have it printed into a book, so it will eventually be deleted from Blogger.)

Robert and Courtney Poore

Mr. and Mrs. Courtney and Robert Poore

We just returned from a week-long trip to St. John, USVI, where Courtney and Robert had their destination wedding. We had an incredible time, and their wedding was gorgeous. Congratulations, Court and Bob! Thanks for getting married in the Virgin Islands!

Mmm! Fresh mango cake!

I had fun being Court's matron of honor, and Nick shared some biblical challenges as an "unofficial pastor."

We snorkeled out to this island with Chris, Nick's brother. We saw all kinds of neat fish. On another bay we saw giant starfish and a big sting ray (I started swimming fast in the other direction!).

Can you tell we spent some time in the sun?

Here's our version of the picture below. This is the beach where they got married, Trunk Bay. As you can imagine, we have a million more pictures. I am going to make a Flicker photo album and will post a link to more pictures soon.

:)

The Hintons

These are two of the incredible pictures that Pete Artemenko took at Josh and Sarah's wedding. He was their official wedding photographer, and you can see more of his work here and here.

First Date

Elijah and Bennett Renstrom went on their first date on New Years Eve. Elijah tried to impress Little B with his pea-throwing skillz, but she seemed unphased by his intensity. Bennett Roark has a nice ring to it...

Happy New Year!

We went to Josh and Sarah Hinton's wedding today, and Elijah and Daddy started out the new year in their matching bow ties that they got for Christmas. (Elijah was 3 hours overdue for his afternoon nap, so I didn't even try to get a smile.) Don't they look handsome?

Happy 10 Months!

Elijah is 10 months old today! He is a pro at crawling. He can pull himself up to his knees, and sometimes to his feet. He takes two naps a day, and prefers to eat finger food rather than pureed food. He has a lovely new smile, scrunching up his nose and showing his big ol' teeth, as you can see in the picture. He likes to bang things together and shake objects to hear the noises it makes. P.S. I am having alot of problems with Blogger in Firefox, so use Internet Explorer to view our blog if it is jumbled up in Firefox.

Elijah's First Christmas

On Christmas Morning, Elijah was all smiles.

My first present! Mommy and Daddy helped me open all of my presents. I liked the ribbon and the paper alot.

I like opening presents, especially the ones that talk and sing through the wrapping paper.

Daddy and I got matching bowties!

What is thiiiiiiis?

Some Robeez! Papa and Nana C gave me some snazzy new shoes.

I got a shape sorter block set, and I've played with it more than most of my other toys.

Of course, the tags were my favorite part of all of my gifts.

I liked it when Uncle Chris would hold me like a little bear cub.

What's that word again, Chris? (I also got some Carharts so I can be just like Uncle Chris!)

I like to "dance" to the music of this puppy. I bob up and down when I hear him singing.

I love this doggie!

I'm pooped.

Everyone Else's Christmas

Well....Elijah's first Christmas was great. The rest of us spent it with a nasty stomach bug. This picture pretty much sums up the holiday weekend.

Thankfully, Tom and Nick never got it, but the rest of us did. We were all feeling better by Christmas day, so we were able to enjoy being in the same room together! We got a digital video camera from my parents that also takes pictures, and we're learning how to use it. We are so excited to have it!

Our Roommate

Pri is living with us right now, as his roommate, Josh is getting married. We are practicing Romans 12:13 "Offer hospitality to those in need." And 1 Peter 4:9 "Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling." We sure don't grumble, for he is such a great helper around the house. Pri loves Elijah, and entertains him while I get work done or make dinner. Pri has been a dear friend for several years. We have had a lot of fun eating meals together, laughing together, emptying the dishwasher together, and reading scripture together. This week, we drew names and filled each other's stockings (I drew two names). Last night, we each read a passage from the Old Testament and then opened our stockings. (Psalm 72, Isaiah 53, and a collection of verses from Genesis.) Then, we read passages from the New Testament (Revelation 19, Luke 2 and Hebrews 4).

The Many Faces of Pri: A Tribute

I think this was a memorable ride for Chip.

Elijah's First Stocking

We opened Elijah's stocking this morning, since he was already in bed when we opened ours last night.

Even though this picture is blurry, I thought it captured his intense personality well. Look at those eyes!

Spoons! It says it's for babies 9 months and up on the package, but I think that's for VERY advanced 9 month old babies. Elijah just wants to grab the food off of the spoons. I tried to let him feed himself this morning and his arms were really tense and his fists were clamped shut...we'll try another day!