Stylish

Over the weekend we took the family to Arundel Mills to go to the Disney store. We wanted to go ahead and get some stuff for our upcoming Disney trip. We got Abbi a bunch of new shirts, and a cup. This way we won't have to overpay for it once we're in the park. While at the mall we also decided to do some Easter shopping, which turned into clearance shopping for the future, which turned into Abbi getting this hat.

All that said, she looks super cute in this hat. What's amazing to me as her father, and me knowing my wife very well, Abbi has personality traits that are ALL her own. They don't come from me, and they aren't coming from Jenn either. Its so awesome to see my little girl growing up, and becoming her own amazing little girl.

Big Smile

This was one of those pictures that as soon as I took it, I knew it was going to be a good one. I really like how Cole looks in this picture, especially the expression on his face. He had just finished opening up round one of his presents and was on the floor headed toward one of them. He had stopped and looked up in my direction and I snapped this picture. The little guy moves quick so I'm glad I was able to get it.

Birthday Cousins

Just like I tend to do when all the cousins get together, I took a picture of Cole and Abbi and their cousins to mark the birthday event. I like being to look back at these pictures and see the kids growing up bit by bit.

Relaxing

One of the gifts that Cole got was a "Cars" chair, much like Abbi's princess chair. Abbi wanted to get her chair out and sit next to Cole in his chair, so thats what you see here. She was super excited that Cole had a chair "just like her".

Cole's Birthday Party

Last Saturday we got friends and family together and had a great time celebrating Cole's first birthday. Things went really well from the party planning and execution perspective. Just like I think most families do at this point, we had a cake just for Cole to eat and destroy as he saw fit. We made him a little mickey mouse cake, and let him have at it. He was quite timid at first, but then eventually dug in and devoured a good bit of it. As you can see here, he was wearing a good bit of it too.

Disney On Ice

Over the weekend we took Abbi to see Disney on Ice with friends of ours and hers, and took Cole with us. Abbi had a great time and she really seemed to enjoy the production. I think she was hoping for more princesses, and this was more of a "Disney" as a whole show, not just princesses on ice. It was good, and like I said, Abbi really liked it.

One Year

This past year has flown by. I can't believe our little guy is a year old today. People say "it seems like yesterday" when referring to past events. I feel that I can honestly say, it really does feel like only a month ago or so that Cole was born. I can't believe an entire year has gone by already.

Cole isn't going to the doctor until next week, so it'll be another week before we get updated yearly stats. But I don't really need him to go to the doctor to know that he's bigger and stronger than he was 3 months ago. Just last week Cole finally started to have a desire to stand up on his own. Over the past week, he's been working on standing more independently and working on pulling himself up even more. He's not walking anywhere on his own, but he is definitely starting to move in that direction.

Teeth, this boy has teeth. Its probably why he eats so furiously. He's got 4 front teeth on both the top and the bottom. And he's got 3 of his molars in, and its just a matter of time before the last one pops through. So Cole hits his first birthday sporting 11 teeth to help chew up all that cake!

Cole talks a lot, but not necessarily a lot of works. He's got dada down solid. But dada also seems to refer to A LOT of different things. He definitely looks at me and says it, but then he looks at a balloon and says it, so....his interpretation of dada still needs some work. Sometimes he'll say ba, and he hasn't really been saying pahhhh to much recently, probably because we've been trying to keep him away from the pots and pans.

Having a son is an incredibly blessing and has been a very eye opening experience. I thought having a daughter was going to a huge challenge, and I'd like to think that I've done reasonably well with Abbi. When Abbi was born she changed me. She made me much softer, much smoother around the edges. With Cole, things are different again. Because he is such a sweet little boy, and so different from Abbi I've had to rethink some of my parenting strategies (if there is a strategy). Cole has forced me to rethink how I do somethings, and how I interact with our kids. All for the better.

Cole is a blessing in our lives for so many reasons. There are so many families that hope for "one of each", and we are one of the lucky families that will get to experience the fun of raising both a boy and girl. Cole has the best big sister ever. Abbi loves him to death, and really and truly cares about him. She's like a second mother (which is ok for now). Cole brings a new dynamic to our lives, that can only come with the juggling of two children at once, and trying to live life that way. He's an amazing little guy, and I truly can't wait to see what kind of man he grows up to be. No matter what, I know Jenn and I will be proud of him.

Happy Birthday Cole. We love you!

Park Day

A couple of weeks back when it was real warm we took the kids to Downs Park to play at the playground. They seemed to have a really good time. It was Cole's first time at the playground (at an age where he could actually play, and slide). He really seemed to love the slide, as you can see here.

The Girls

I'm very thankful that our best friend families both have little girls similar in age to Abbi. It has given her the awesome experience of friends just happening into her life. Because as parents we're friends with one another, we've pushed these kids together to enjoy time with one another, and it seems that they do enjoy one another company. This is from early December when we all got together to watch the Redskins beat the Ravens!

Laid Out

Saturday Abbi went to a birthday party at Chuke-E-Cheese, and during it Cole and I played down in the basement. One thing we did was I tossed him into this bean bag chair over and over and he loved it each time, smiling from ear to ear each time! I was a little nervous about watching him, especially since it was during any "easy" times, like naps or meal times. This was all play-time. But I think Cole and I did well, and we had a good time with one another.

Shades

Saturday afternoon we went to Party City to check out decorations and such in preparation for Cole's upcoming birthday party. While Jenn went to look at balloons, Abbi got side tracked by the sun-glasses choices. She wanted me to take pictures of all the different options, and here is a collection of four of my favorite. My top favorite is the top left, where she's striking a disco pose.