Colin's Latest Obsession

Hello, friends and family!  The last few weeks have been really wonderful at Casa Rothwell.  Everyone has been healthy and happy, and we've had a lot of fun hanging out with family and friends.  Colin and I have gotten back into our regular routine at the gym, and he seems to love the child care at the YMCA.  We've also had a few play dates with friends and neighbors, and visits with grandparents as well.  And as an added bonus, it seems that spring is just around the corner!  The weather is getting warmer, and days are getting longer, and all the kiddos are starting to congregate in the cul-de-sac to enjoy it all.  We are ready to enjoy the new season!

Along with the budding flowers and trees, Colin's personality is also starting to really bloom.  He constantly cracks us up, and he even makes himself laugh quite often.  He is so tickled by anything silly and out of the ordinary, especially funny noises :)  He gets such a kick out of rough-housing with  his daddy, and loves to be chased and tickled.  He can be mischievous at times, but just can't get past his desire to explore and experiment.  He's also got an incredible appetite to help fuel all the busy-ness!  But the latest craze is anything sports related.  His new favorite word is "ball."  He says it anytime he sees one or plays with one, and he's really becoming quite obsessed (which Marshall is totally excited about!).  If he sees sports on TV, he says "BA!" (his version of "ball"), if he sees the cat toy, he says "BA!" and even at Target yesterday, he saw the big red round spheres outside the entrance and eagerly exclaimed "BA!!!"  It's pretty adorable.  He loves to play with the talking sports center that Grandpa and Grammy Metzger got him, and even crouches before shooting the basketball in the hoop.  Then he throws his hands in the air, whether he makes the basket or not :)  This is probably something he picked up from his daddy while playing basketball at our neighborhood park.  We were amazed that he could pick up the adult-sized basketball and carry it around, and couldn't wait for Marshall to pick him up to put it in the hoop.  I even found a kid-sized outdoor basketball hoop at our church's consignment sale, which I think will be a big hit for both Colin and Daddy now that the weather is getting nicer!  We're having a blast lately watching our toddler grow and play.  Here's a few photos and some video so you can see for yourself :)

We enjoyed a warm day outside at our neighborhood park!

...and again on another not-so-warm day, when Grammy and Grandpa visited.

But even on the colder days, Colin could keep right on shooting hoops inside!