10 Month Update

Every month I think to myself, "This is the best age yet!"  As Colin turns ten months old today, I've been thinking about how much fun we've been having with him...watching him grow and develop right before our eyes.  His little personality is really taking shape, and we can imagine what he'll be like as a toddler, child, and maybe even as an adult!  Our little boy has such a sweet and gentle soul.  He definitely has a sense of humor, and loves to be silly.  He'll even try to make me laugh as I'm putting him down for a nap...his way of telling me he'd much rather play :)  We've also learned that Colin really is quite adventuresome.  He's fully on the move now - crawling almost fast enough to catch the cats, pulling up and sitting down with ease, and cruising around the furniture as he perfects the skill of one foot then another.  And if you read the last post, then you already know how much he LOVES to swing...my little daredevil!  We even took a walk to our neighborhood playground and discovered some baby swings there too.  A nice change of scenery for Colin's new favorite activity!  He's also learned how to wave bye-bye (or hello, although we're not entirely sure he knows what it means yet!).  We've had fun practicing this gesture everywhere we go...and people seem to get a kick out of it.  Well, at least we do!  Colin is such a little social butterfly.  He loves to exercise his voice when out in public, probably aware that it gets him some attention.  He loves to yell all over the grocery store, in restaurants, and at baby storytime.  Guess he hasn't learned the quiet rule for the library yet.  He's also very intrigued by other kids and babies, and is eager to interact with them as much as possible.  Everyone always comments what a happy baby Colin is, and it's certainly very true!  He smiles and giggles at everyone, and I swear he poses when someone gets out their camera.  But my most favorite new accomplishment  this month has been hearing my baby say "MAMA!"  (And sometimes "mamamamamama" and "mom-mom").  It melts my heart every time.  And you know what?  I think he does know what it means! Each month has brought oodles of new surprises...I'm treasuring each passing day, and hoping our baby doesn't grow up too fast!!!

Here's the newest chalkboard photo!

Swinging Into Fall

Fall in the Carolinas brings about cooler temperatures, bright blue skies, and beautifully changing leaves.  We've been spending quite a bit of time outside lately, just taking it all in.  Colin and I enjoyed all of the autumn splendor in the mountains this past week, and it was wonderful to be able to be outdoors (without the threat of rain, finally!).  We stayed with Grandpa Lee and Grandma Mary while Marshall was on a business trip in Chicago, and then Marshall drove up after he returned on Friday.  We got to do some nice long walks, visit some playgrounds, feed the ducks, and sit by the fire.  We also watched a lot of football and celebrated Grandma Mary's birthday on Saturday.  Colin even got to check out a golf course for his very first time after Marshall and Grandpa finished a round on Sunday.  We think Colin will be a pro someday for sure :)  He even got to ride in a golf cart!

But Colin's most favorite thing to do in the fall is to SWING!  Grandma and Grandpa gave us a Little Tykes swing which we hung from the top deck at our house.  The first time we put Colin in it, we knew it was a winner!  Colin giggled and smiled the whole time, and we could barely get him out of it!  He also loved the baby swing at the Seven Devils park and the Valle Crucis park in the mountains.  We've been using the swing at home a lot, and it seems like the perfect way to enjoy the season.

Here are some "swingin" photos and videos for you to enjoy :)