Twenty Months Old!

(Cole wanted to flip the script and give Guido the spotlight this month.)

This month, we kicked off the Holidays by hosting Thanksgiving. We were happy to have Cole's cousin Colin over as well as Cole's new friend Phoebe. Oh, and their parents, too, but we're trying to keep the focus on Cole here. The kids had a blast playing together, though the ladylike Miss Phoebe may have been taken a bit aback by the cousins' rough play, but she hung tough.

Cole continues to love sports, trucks, and trains more than seems appropriate, but it keeps him off the streets, I guess. He's getting much better with his alphabet and his numbers, and we practice most nights in the tub with the foam letters and numbers that we got from Grandma Lily. Speaking of letters, Cole's word letters at his daycare (the teachers put all of his new words on a big C, and when that fills up, another C, and another C, etc.) are filling up! His teacher Lisa tells us everyday how smart he is and how fast he is picking up words. This pleases us.

Nana came to visit in early December, and we had a wonderful time at an Indian restaurant. Cole dropped his truck, and Nana said, "Oh, dear!" And that, apparently, is the funniest thing that anyone has ever said. Like ever. Cole just flat-out lost it. There's just nothing like hearing a toddler laugh uncontrollably.

Cole also got to visit Minneapolis this month and see his good friends Amelia, Jack, Emma, John, and Colin. Their parents are such great friends of ours, and it warms our hearts to see Cole have fun playing with such great kids.

Cole also loves seeing snow (or "sonows," as he calls it) when it falls, but it never sticks! (Note: we do not object to this. Keep up the good work, Denver weather.)

There's a dark side, of course. Cole can be pretty ornery and contrary, and we're getting into the habit of at least a few timeouts a day. He's pretty good about staying in his timeout spot for the full minute we put him there, though, and he knows that he has to give us hugs and say "sorry" when he's done. Sometimes he says "sorry" with a huge I-learned-nothing-from-this-timeout-and-I-can't-wait-to-misbehave-again grin on his face, but you take what you can get, right? Eh, we'll get there. 12/21/2012.

Video Catch-Up: Cup Construction

12/02/2012.

Video Catch-Up: Big Bouncy Ball

Bouncy bouncy bouncy with Auntie Chelsey.  11/19/2012.

Video Catch-Up: Daddy Dog

Cole loves feeding and cuddling with Daddy Dog.  And Daddy Dog loves treats and snuggles!  11/18/2012.

Video Catch-Up: Cole Votes

Cole casts a ballot in his first presidential election.  Way to vote, buddy.  11/06/2012.

Video Catch-Up: Somersaults

Cole demonstrates some of his new gymnastic moves.  10/27/2012.

Video Catch-Up: Simon Says

Simon says, "Be super cute!"  10/25/2012.

Video Catch-Up: Standing On Daddy Vol. II

Oh yes, more of this. 10/25/2012.

Video Catch-Up: Standing on Daddy!

One of Cole's favorite things! 10/24/2012.

Video Catch-Up: More Stair Practice

More stair practice!  10/21/2012.

Video Catch-Up: Stair Practice

Cole practicing his stair walking.  9/27/2012.

Video Catch-Up: Touchdown Dance

Touchdown Dance!  9/9/2012.

Video Catch-Up: Silly Snack

We've fallen a bit behind on uploading videos, so welcome to a little fun called "Video-Catch-Up."  This oldie-but-goodie is from way back in August 2012.  Silly snack!  8/12/2012.

Cooking tips from Chef Cole

"OK, fellow toddlers. So by now we've all mastered cooking with a spoon and one bowl, right? Well, it's time to kick it up a notch. That's right, two bowls. You can make two meals at once! I know, it pretty much blew my mind when I thought of it, too." 12/21/2012.

Reading with Nana

Nana loves reading to her grandsons, and Cole sure loves having Nana read to him! This book is one of Cole's favorites: Wheels on the Bus. It's got all kinds of fun stuff--spinning wheels, pop-up buses, open-and-shut doors, wipers that move, crying babies whose mouths move, and passengers that bounce up and down. Cole gives it two enthusiastic thumbs up. 12/20/2012.

Mmmmmm.... Delicious!

One of Cole's favorite things to do is cook delicious meals for Mommy and Daddy. OK, so they're not real meals, but that doesn't make them any less delicious! Here, Cole is whipping up a gourmet soup (water). What do you think, Cole? Needs more salt? 12/15/2012.

The Funniest Chair

"Have you guys even seen the underside of this chair? It . . . is . . . awesome!" 12/4/2012.

Late November Christmas Sweater Photo Shoot Vol. II

"Would you guys like to see my teeth? You do? Oh, good." 11/25/2012.

Late November Christmas Sweater Photo Shoot Vol. I

Leaning on that rail like he was born to be a toddler Christmas sweater model. And the smile? He's a natural. 11/25/2012. 

Nineteen Months Old!

It's been a big month, folks. Cole started parent-toddler gymnastics this month, which has proven to be a bit of a trial. The other kids are at least several months older than Cole, so while they're dutifully walking on the balance beam, Cole is . . . shall we say . . . a bit less focused. OK, he's all over the place. It is exhausting. Keeping the kid going from task to task is an exercise in futility, but we signed up for it, so by Jove, we will do it. It's a little over his head right now, but it's still fun to run around with him on a mat for an hour each week.  And every so often, he cooperates.  (Oh, and he has mastered somersault position, so there's that.)

His awareness of letters and words just keeps growing. He's getting better and better at picking out particular letters without prompting. F and S are his favorites, and he gets a big grin every time he sees them on Daddy's sweatshirt. The best part is that each time he sees them, it's like the first time he's ever seen that letter. So excited. So adorable.

One benefit--really the only benefit--of living in an active construction area is that there are loads of construction trucks around all the time. From loaders to backhoes to excavators to dump trucks--we've got them all here, and Cole just flat-out loves them all. It actually gives us a moment's peace in the morning to get ready, as we can just set him up next to the window on top of an upside-down laundry basket, and he'll just stare intently at the construction trucks.

But the best part is watching his personality continue to develop. He doesn't always like to give us hugs or kisses, but he's always good for a "nuzzle," which is where he leans in and we rub our foreheads together. When he gets that coy look on his face and he asks (shyly, and with a smile on his face) "nuzzle?" Melts your heart. But beyond the heart-melting, there is also a music aficionado. He's started requesting specific songs on the drive home to keep him entertained. No, not songs on the radio or a CD--songs we sing to him. He has two favorites: "Baseball Song," which is actually "We're Gonna Win, Twins," and "Football Song," which is "Skol Vikings." By golly, we're raising this boy right. 11/21/2012.

I think I'll just sit right here, thank you very much.

Cole's really good at walking down the stairs while holding onto the rails, but he just figured out that he can sit down on a particular step when he's on the way down. This is apparently hilarious. We don't totally see the appeal, but whatever keeps him off the smack, I guess. 11/18/2012.

Funny Hair Day at School!

It was Funny Hair Day at Cole's daycare, so we helped him rock this mohawk. Because mohawks are funny. Cole doesn't seem to think it's as awesome as we do, though. Whatever, he'll learn. 11/1/2012.

Aunts are also pretty cool.

Cole loved having his Auntie Chelsey come celebrate Halloween with him! We all enjoyed our first Stapleton Halloween, which apparently consists of parents sipping cocktails while trailing their children from house to house. Oh, and with no snow on the ground, either. I think we might like it here. 10/31/2012.

Cousins are pretty cool.

That's Cole's cousin Colin playing the role of Elmo in this production of Go Get The Spider! Go Get it! 10/31/2012.

Halloween!

It turns out Lindsey's a master pumpkin carver. It sure was fun to celebrate Cole's first real Halloween! (Sure, it's his second Halloween, but this is the first one where he comprehends what's going on. Just go with it.) 10/27/2012.

Eeyore? Or the littlest Democrat?

Or both? (It's both.) 10/27/2012.