September

The biggest change you'll notice in the above picture is Cole's new haircut. We went ahead and buzzed it. It was not easy to keep a screaming one year old still to do it but we did.We think it looks pretty cute, but we're biased.

We went camping over Labor Day as usual. In the above picture Cole is actually hooked up to Allie's rope. He didn't like it at all. It only lasted for about a minute. It was difficult trying to keep him in one place while camping. Here he is playing a game with Daddy.

We played a big group game of kickball and Cole was so excited to try and play with the big kids. He liked running around in the field.

Here's another picture of Cole at the zoo. He really likes the fish. I think it's all the bright colors.


Here he is with Daddy trying to touch a shark.


We went camping at the end of September with Brian and Rebecca and Harrison. These two were quite a handful. Here they are playing with our bike trailer. Definitely two boys to keep your eye on.


Cole passed some time while camping playing with the van tires. What can I say? He's a boy.

August

In August Cole and I went to Gatlinburg, Tennessee for a week with Papa, Grandma, Uncle Trey, Riley, Uncle Clint and Aunt Kristy. We had a fun time but we missed Daddy. Cole even liked going to all the shows at Dollywood. He also rode all the way to a look out point on a ski lift with Mommy and Papa. Mommy was a little scared but he liked it.

We took a scenic mountain motor tour through the smokies one evening. Here's Cole walking out of an old homestead we stopped to see.

The Indiana State Fair was in August and Cole went two times. Here he is the first time, checking out the sheep.

Here he is making a break for it.

The second time he went, Nana and Papa and Kaitlyn were with us. He really like this calf. It licked his whole arm.

The biggest accomplishment of the month of August for me was that Cole stopped drooling constantly. His outfits are so much cuter when there isn't a bib covering them up!

July

We spent the 4th of July at Brian and Rebecca's house. The boys were dressed almost identically with plaid pants/shorts and red shirts. Very cute. We went and watched some rainy and cold fireworks. Cole couldn't take his eyes off of them but he wouldn't let go of my hand either.


We have a membership to the Indianapolis Zoo so we're frequent visitors. Here are Cole and Philip on the bridge in the forest section. This summer Cole wanted to be on his feet a lot more than in the stroller.

One Saturday Cole and I went to the Indianapolis Art Museum and then went outside and ran around on the grounds. He really enjoyed being able to go as far as he wanted.


The month of July wouldn't have been complete without a visit to the Elkhart County 4H Fair. Cole and I went up and checked out all the animals and the food along with Grandma and Riley. It was a fun time.


Here he is getting ready to pet a horse. He wasn't afraid of anything.

June

Seeing as how we've been very bad in keeping you all regularly updated about what we've been up to, I've decided to recap the past 4 months for you. I hope you enjoy seeing all the things that Cole's been doing and how he's been growing and changing. He's definitely led a busy and active summer.

Cole loves his books. He'll sit and read all alone but he loves when we read to him.


We were able to go out to Albany, NY for Philip's grandfather's 90th birthday. Cole got to meet his Aunt Alyssa and Grandma Lisa for the first time.


On the way home from Albany we stopped at Papa and Nana's house. Cole got to play with his cousins, Kaitlyn and Sawyer. He enjoyed getting out of the car for a little bit and playing.


Cole loves to swing. Here he is with his cousin, Riley on the swings at Papa and Grandma's house.


Cole was quite the little camper this summer. Here he is enjoying the first camping trip of the year.


Stay tuned for the July installment...

Been a long time...

My apologies to those who check this blog on a regular basis. We've been lax in updating. In order to remedy that I am going to post a photo rundown of what Cole's been up to since the last post... Here goes... in 3...2...1

Opening his Easter basket before church. (The candy is for Mom and Dad.) :-)

Easter Outfit... Awwwww!!!

Just Looking Cute out in the back yard... (04/16/09)

Cole playing with legos. He LOVES legos and will sit and play with them for hours. (04/29/09)

First pony ride... (Indianapolis Zoo - 05/02/09)

Cole's been saying a lot more words lately, duck, da-da, ma-ma, dog and banana among them. He also knows a lot of sounds. He can moo like a cow, quack like a duck and make tractor noises. He also says Allie, which sounds like "Ah-yee". He likes "swimming" in the kiddy pool at our friend's house. It's about a foot and a half deep. He just likes to walk around and doesn't like help, which means when he reaches for a toy (that's on the bottom of the pool) he plunges face first into the water. It doesn't seem to phase him though. Just stand him back up and he's off again.

Stuff we have in common: Love of cheerios

So, what do best friends that are a year or under do together? Well, let me show you...

We eat cheerios together.

We hang out at the zoo.

And more cheerios. Man do these boys like to eat!

All I wanna do is... Bicycle!

Philip and I got bikes for each other for Christmas which, of course, meant that we needed some sort of apparatus to put Cole in so we could ride together. We got a little trailer to pull behind us and also a helmet for Cole to wear. He likes riding (and usually falls asleep) when we're moving. When we stop, he is not happy. Here he is in his helmet with Philip. The trailer is behind them.


On our first bike ride we went to the park, where Cole tried out the swings. He LOVED swinging!

(Notice the white knuckled grip he has on that swing!) I foresee many-a-trip to the park in our future.

And we're back... (Radio Flyer)

Our computer has been down for the past several weeks and now we have it back up and running. This means that you will now be inundated with Sheward Family (a/k/a Cole) updates.

Cole got a red radio flyer wagon for his birthday from Grandpa and Grandma and a while ago it was warm enough to take it out for a spin. He loved it.

Allie only sat in the wagon for the photo op. According to the vet, she needs to loose her winter weight so she walked, plus the wagon would have freaked her out and she would have jumped ship anyway.

Then and Now

It's about 8:40 p.m. on the night of February 16 and Crystal and I were just talking about how it was exactly one year ago that Cole was born. He was born at 8:20 p.m. last year, and I just thought I would post a picture of him in the hospital, and one taken this past weekend for comparison.

First, just after he was born a year ago:



And then, just this past weekend:

With all the talk lately about, "Change you can believe in", this is change that for me is hard to grasp. And I love it.

They Say It's Your Birthday

Tomorrow Cole officially becomes a one year old, but we celebrated his birthday a couple of days early, and had a party for him on Saturday. Cole wanted to invite all of his friends and family and many of them were able to come. Here are some of the highlights.

Cole & Friends (from left to right): Lyla, Philip, Harrison, Cousin Riley, Cousin Sawyer, and Cole


Cole & Friends, Take 2 (from left to right): Philip, Lyla (being blocked by [Ben] her Dad's head), Cousin Riley, Cole, Cousin Sawyer, and Gracelyn

Cole was so happy that his friends could come to his party to help him celebrate turning one. He was disappointed that his friend Ellie couldn't make it, but her Dad, Scott, came and let Cole know that Ellie just didn't want to get him and all of his other friends sick, as she was feeling under the weather.

Cole was also so excited that his Grandma and Grandpa Cripe from Nappannee, (Crazy) Uncle Clint and Aunt Kristy, Uncle Trey (Cousin Riley's Dad), Aunt Danielle and Uncle Jim (Cousin Sawyer's parents) from Pennsylvania, and the Tierney family (especially Cousin Bradley) from Wakarusa came in too.

Cole received lots of very nice gifts, all of which he is thankful for. He is a little boy, so of course he loved getting presents.

Cole and his Mom, opening up a box of Legos (with the eager help of Cousin Riley)

And of course, what is a birthday party without cake? Cole told his Mom that he would rather have cupcakes than a big cake because he hasn't learned to use silverware yet, and you can eat cupcakes with your hands.

At first, Cole wasn't sure what to think about his cupcake, but it sure didn't take him long to warm up to the idea...

After cake, all of the kids were a little wired. The ones who could walk (read: run) were running all over the house, and the crawlers were doing everything they could to keep up. Let's just say that our dog, Allie, got a lot of exercise.

(From the top, clockwise): Cole, Philip, Cousin Riley, and Cousin Sawyer

So, after all the friends, all the presents, all the cake and all of the playing, I'm sure you can imagine how much fun Cole was having.

Uncle Brian, my Mommy and Daddy sure do know how to throw a party! I'm having SO MUCH FUN!!!

All in all, Cole seemed to enjoy the evening. It was a good way to end his first year, which to us, has been a year filled with joy. We can't believe how much he's grown. Thanks to you all for being part of our lives.

The Sheward family, happy and blessed.

Off to the Races!

I spent this past weekend in New Orleans with my firm, so Crystal and Cole got a break from me for a couple of days. As it turns out, Cole decided to make the best of my time away. As my plane landed at the Memphis airport from New Orleans, my phone buzzed, letting me know that I had a voicemail. While I was in the air, Crystal called to tell me that Cole had taken his first steps.

I got home Sunday night at about 10:00 p.m., so Cole was already in bed when I got home, and I didn't get to see his new trick. Before I left for work, I asked him if he'd take a stroll for me, and he put on his walking boots. I didn't have time to video tape it all before I went into the office, so Crystal and I decided that we would record the milestone for you all this evening.

So, now that I've built up your anticipation, here he is, in all his walking glory. I have a feeling our lives are about to get a lot more...active.

My Eyes Are Really Blue

As I was sitting in my office today, dutifully doing what lawyers do, my cell phone made that chimey noise indicating a text message had just arrived. I checked the incoming message to find out that Crystal had just seen Cole stand on his own for the very first time. She said that she was holding him up and let go of him and that, though he didn't realize it at first, he was standing without anything to support him for approximately 10 seconds.

So, this evening, after I got home, we decided to try and get him to do it on video. As you'll soon see, it didn't go so well. But he's cute anyway, so I thought I'd still post the effort. Enjoy.