Merry Christmas!  Colten had a wonderful first Christmas.  He enjoyed unwrapping his gifts, rolling around in the wrapping paper, and playing with the boxes.  He received a lot of fun gifts, which he started playing with once the wrapping paper and boxes were thrown out.  :)  And, he chose Christmas Eve for another milestone....he fed himself Cheerios for the first time!  He has also been cutting his first tooth...a busy 11th month for the little guy!

Rolling around in the tissue paper from his first gift.

He loves to stick his butt out when he stands!

Reading a book with Daddy.

Colten just finished lunch - veggies and a few Cheerios.

Must still be hungry...trying to grab Bentley's sweet potato snack.

Opening gifts!

Colten's first car.  Thanks Aunt Hailey and Uncle Jason!

First Bentley's sweet pototo, now Uncle Jason's Makers Mark.  We can't take our eyes off him!

Colten started crawling this week!  Right now it's a slow process for him, but we have a feeling that any day he'll pick up the speed.  You can also see in the video that he can identify his book...among many other things (a cup, his butterfly rattle, and his ball).

A few more pics of Colten...

Colten with my dad after deer hunting season.

Exhausted after an afternoon with the Grandparents!

We've been trying to show Colten how to use a sippy cup.

Rolling around...his favorite mode of transportation.

We took advantage of the mild weekend and went to the park!

Happy Thanksgiving!  Enjoy some pictures from over the long holiday weekend.

Sitting proud in his crib.

Bath time is always a favorite!

Colten loves being silly with Mama and Dada!

Trying on Paul's hat.  Such a big boy!

Heading out to our first date in 8 months or so...long overdue.

A few recent pics of Colten...

Sitting in the wagon Jessica had as a child.

Eating some yummy finger food!

I can stand...with some spotting!

Sunday at the Gard's house.

Here's Colten getting ready for the Packer game!

Colten hanging out with Daddy before he heads to work.

Colten loves his Packer overalls!

Happy Halloween!  Colten was a Sock Monkey for his first Halloween!  We went trick-or-treating and then he helped hand out candy to all the other little munchkins.

Trying on Paul's hat.  Such a little man!

Colten playing with his Sock Monkey Halloween gift.  :)

Family photo as we were handing out candy.

Last weekend we took Colten to pick out his first pumpkin! Here are some photos from the day.

Colten as a Scarecrow!

 

This face just says..."Mom I'm not impressed". 

Probably won't be the last time he gives me this look!

Colten size pumpkin.

Later in the day we went to my parent's for dinner and got this family picture.

Hmm...maybe Colten was bored with us.  As you can see he is finally smiling in this picture! 

Must be the necklace my mom lets him play with!

Here are a few updated pictures of Colten. We are headed to a pumpkin patch today so Colten can pick out a pumpkin for his first Halloween!

 

At the Homecoming Parade.

Enjoying a warm weekend...playing outside while Mom rakes leaves!

  

I love my feet!

Trying oh so hard to sit up on his own!

Sitting with the assistance of the Bumbo.

I just love this...he looks so innocent.

Trying to crawl toward his rattle, but not really grasping the concept yet.

 

 

It's been a busy few weeks.  We spent some much needed time away relaxing up north and my sister got married!  All the excitement had Colten off schedule for a while, but he's back to sleeping through the night...he even rolled over from his back to his belly for the first time today.  We are proud!

Colten's first dinner at Fiesta Cancun.

Colten loves it when Paul makes him fly!

We wanted to take Colten out on the boat, but all we had was a girly life jacket.

 

Much better...found a boy life jacket, which belonged to Blake (pictured below) when he was a baby.  Thanks Nicole!

Colten and Blake before dinner at Hillcrest.

 

Getting ready for a walk to Surprise Lake!

 

Enjoying our family time.

Colten's first stay in a hotel!

Hailey and Jason's rehearsal dinner.

 

Just before dinner tonight...Colten had a sweet potato/green bean combination with oatmeal.

 

Last weekend we had Colten's dedication.  His Great Grandpa Gephart performed the ceremony on a beautiful Sunday morning in our backyard.  It was a very special day for our little guy.  A BIG thank you to Colten's Great Grandpa!

Last Wednesday we introduced Colten to green beans!  He had the most sour look on his face when he first tasted the new food, but we're being persistent and hopefully soon he'll grow to like them.  We're making all of his food, which actually has been a lot of fun!  Sweet potatoes are next on the menu!

Yesterday we found out that Colten has his first ear infection. He had a low grade fever for three days...so tough seeing him so uncomfortable!  However, now that he has medicine for it he's been doing much better.

Colten's Dedication Picture -

Great Grandpa Gephart and Aunt Hailey (Colten's Sponsor) pictured with our family!