Sick Little Boy (Week 16/52)

Last week was spent mostly at home with my sick baby. Colin came down with a virus on Monday and had a high fever for several days. It was on Friday when a rash showed up that we discovered it was roseola. I had no idea what roseola was before last week, but it's exactly what I described, and it's a virus that only affects children up to 4 years old.

It was by Monday of this week that he was finally feeling back to normal. But that one week with a sick baby meant lots of cuddles, several night of him sleeping with us, feeding Colin an entire bottle of Tylenol, and lots of Curious George.

We are so glad he is feeling better and that he's back to his normal rambunctious self!

Hagen Cousins (Week 15/52)

Colin has now met all 10 of his cousins. It only took 18 months, but he did it.

We spent about 5 days back in Maryland with the Hagens having lots of fun. Colin's cousin Peter is one month younger than him, so it was really fun to watch them interact. Those are two cute boys!

We spent a lot of time playing around the house, but we also visited the National Postal Museum and the National Zoo. We loved visiting them, and it was sad to leave. If only Matt had come along with us, then it would have truly been a perfect weekend.

Ready for the pictures? Here we go!

Peter in the playroom hanging out at the train table.
This table was, by far, Colin's favorite thing while we were there.

Cousins at the postal museum checking out the inside of a semi.
Sophie and Colin are the only ones willing to look at the camera.

Peter, Colin, and Hugh mesmerized by the buttons of the semi.

Another part of the postal museum--which slot does the package belong in?
It became a game of basketball for these three.

The ride home from church. They are so cute!

Enjoying the zoo.

Pete was especially loving this quail.

Trying out the piano.

Hugh and Colin loved playing together.
This picture was taken moments before we left and I told Hugh, "go be in a picture with Colin!"

I didn't manage to get any pictures of Amy or Stuart, but the fact that I took any pictures at all is a small miracle. Thanks for the fun trip!

Mechanic in the Making (Week 14/52)

Now that we are co-owners of Western Auto, Colin and I spend a lot of time over there (either delivering tires, working, or just for a chance to see Dad). 

Colin's absolute favorite spot in right next to Grandpa in the shop.

Priceless :)

iPad love (Week 13/52)

I've had my iPad for a few weeks now, and I have to say that as much as I love it, Colin, by far, loves it the most! In just a few short weeks he has learned how to take the cover off, unlock it, scroll through the different pages, pick his favorite apps, and how to get back to the home screen when he's ready for a new game. 

We've discovered a few fun apps that he really likes thanks to a few internet searches and my good friend Niki, and his favorite place to play with the iPad is Mom and Dad's bed. He will climb up onto it, crawl under the covers and arrange them on his lap nicely before he pulls the iPad onto his lap. Then he is ready to play. What a kid!

Egg Hunt (Week 12/52)

Although we didn't do too much to celebrate the holiday other than attend church and eat ham for dinner, Colin did get to participate in his first Easter egg hunt at a church activity!

He was definitely more concerned about having his bucket on his arm and making sure none of the eggs fell out than he was with what was inside the eggs (thank goodness). And we opted for the Easter Bunny not to bring him any candy this year...just a few little toys instead. All in all, it was a good weekend.

We hope you all had a great day and were able to take at least a few minutes to remember our Savior who died for each of us. The knowledge of the infinite love my Heavenly Father has for me, and all that Christ's resurrection means in my life is a huge blessing to me.

Happy Easter!

Half Birthday! (Week 11/52)

Happy half birthday to our little buddy!

To follow in the footsteps of my awesome sister Amy, who makes a cake for all the half birthdays in their family, we celebrated Colin's big day in style.

At 18-months Colin...

still loves grapes

loves to dig in the dirt

always wants to go to the playground by our house

can go down all the big slides by himself

thinks it's hilarious to walk backwards

loves going to nursery at church!

knows which keys go into which car ignitions and how to get them in there

is a great helper

eats cheese like there's no tomorrow

would watch Curious George all day long if I let him

climbs into his stroller several times a day and demands to go on a walk

is becoming a pretty picky eater, but loves anything sugary

will put on my shoes and try to walk around the house

loves to wrestle and climb all over me

has a great sense of humor and thinks everything is a game

Obviously, I could go on and on.

I can't believe he is a year and a half old already! In honor of our little "cookie monster" I made a giant cookie--this kid loves cookies!

This giant cookie won't be winning any awards as far as the decorating job goes, but it served its purpose. Yum!

George (Week 10/52)

Although this is nothing new, Colin loves Curious George. I might even go as far as saying he's obsessed. It is just about the only show he watches anymore, and "George" is probably the word that you hear coming out of his mouth most often.

Wait...he can say George, but he can't say mommy? This kid needs to rethink his priorities! ;)

Colin is both curious and a little monkey, so it's not all that surprising that George is his favorite.

Last week I had to go to the library to pick up a book I had on hold, so I decided to stop by the kids' section and see if I could find a Curious George book for Colin. And what a hit that book has been!

I was able to snap a picture of him "reading" to himself. He was flipping through the pages pointing at different things and jabbering. Obviously telling his own George adventures.