Once every 3 years . . .

Once every 3 years, this appears in the front of our house - doesn't Collin look thrilled -

A few months ago I was really trying to make our yard look decent, weeding and planting flowers. Then I gave up, and things happened to bloom. If our dog-dominated backyard was included in the "yard of the month" contest, we'd never win!

And just in case you think this is at all an impressive award, we only have 80 homes in our neighborhood, and probably half of them put forth any effort on their lawns. So being awarded yard of the month once every 3 years signifies that our address came up in the rotation, not that our yard is anything special this month.

While Collin could care less about an award, he cares a lot about food.

We call him our little bird because if he spots the spoon, he'll just sit there with his mouth open -

Sweet potatoes got his grin of approval -

The teething process isn't one of Collin's favorite experiences so far - shown by the intensity of his chewing on anything he can get his hands on -

Collin's day on the town

Saturday was a full day for Collin, and it made me realize what an insanely sheltered life he leads. After his second round of avocado, he went with me on his first shopping trip. We just went to Carters to get a shirt, but we were there long enough for my bicep to be fatigued from carrying him.

After shopping, we ran by the library. I look forward to library trips with him in another year or so, but seeing as how most of our books end up in his mouth, I think we're going to hold off on library books for the time being.

This boy just doesn't get out much in public. Mostly because it's infinitely easier for me to run to the grocery store without him, and also because we're probably too overprotective and try not to expose him to germs when possible. But it was fun to see strangers' reactions to my son, to overhear them say he's cute or just watch them grin at him because he's a baby.

In the late afternoon, we made a photo stop at a nearby park and made Collin pose for and with us. Get ready for a LOT of photos . . .

He's still perfecting the skill of sitting without falling flat on his face, so I was nearby to grab him if he started leaning. I'll title this shot, "Grinning at Mommy."

And now facing the camera -

Oh, the sacrifices the photographer makes to get "the" shot. Cas thought being at his level would make a better photo . . . and ended up in a huge ant bed. Cas must have been bitten 20+ times, so we quickly scooped Collin up and headed for higher ground.

Since I'm the blog editor and because I'm normally behind the camera, I'm taking advantage of the fact that we finally have some mother & son pictures. Here they come . . .

He's growing so fast- we can't believe we've had him in our lives for six months already!

Dancing in the gazebo . . . not sure who taught him this move, but he's been watching me practice a step aerobics routine all week, so perhaps that was his inspiration.
Flying with Dad -

Father & son with a tongue out

I'm the biased photographer, but I love this photo of my sweet boys. If you put me in this picture and asked which one of these is not like the other, it definitely would be me! We continually hear that he looks just like Cas.

Welcome to the jungle . . . play yard

I was in a photographic mood this weekend. Collin luckily obliged. Friday night, it was pictures in the living room, under the blinking lights of the play yard.

Collin's Great Uncle Juan, Great Aunt Rosalyn and their family passed down a play yard to Collin, and he's enjoyed it since he was an infant. I've been surprised that something that entertained him at 2 months is still interesting to him at almost 6 months, but we're thankful to have it, as we stick Collin underneath its arches as we scarf down meals.

One sock down, one to go -

He is mesmerized by the blinking lights.

And now can reach all of the toys.

Our long-legged boy - we think he's going to be tall like his Daddy.

Taking a Bite out of Crime

Cas grew up a Spiderman fan, so he came home with a "Future Crime Fighter" spiderman onesie for his son. After an avocado-cereal lunch, Collin was in a good mood just hanging out -

What's up guys?

Talking & showing off my TWO teeth -

Decisions, decisions, which foot to put in my mouth -

Left one is tasty -

New flavors and smells

Branching out from infant rice cereal, we moved on to an avocado. I had high hopes for the avocado since I love them. My baby food book recommends freezing the leftover avocado since "adults don't want a whole avocado minus one tablespoon." But I could eat a whole avocado a night. I put them in salads, on tacos, on sandwiches I take to work, etc. However, Collin had his own opinion . . .

I'm hungry parents, I'll eat my bib if you don't give me real food -

Hmm, this is a new flavor. I'm not sure what I think about this -

Okay, I've determined I'm not a fan. What is this green gook and why do you keep putting it in my mouth?

Round one of avocado was not a hit. But we realized it was a brand new flavor for Collin. For the first 6 months of his life, the only flavor he's ever tasted is my milk. Round two - mixed with cereal and mom's milk, was much more successful. A half grin -

A real (messy) grin -

As for new smells, there was a new odor awaiting us after Collin's morning nap. There is now no more questioning whether Collin has a dirty diaper. Food diapers stink! How wild to think this new fragrance will be a part of our lives for the next few years.

Cabbage Patch Kids

Just as Cas is macho enough to wear pink, Collin is tough enough to play with dolls. When we sit up Eric (yes, I still remember the names of all of my old Cabbage Patch Kids), he just grins. He can stare him down for a few minutes of easy entertainment:

He's quite intense!

I wanted to get a picture of them sitting in a staring contest, but we've turned Collin into a photogenic baby, and now he quite often turns to face the camera.

Weee - swinging with Grammy

Our little daredevil loves to fly, and swinging with Grammy drew lots of smiles and squeals of delight -

In one of my no-common-sense moments, Collin was rolling off the couch and I grabbed him as he fell and swung him. So of course the moment I laid him back on the couch, he rolled himself off into my arms for more swinging. Not the smartest game to encourage a baby to roll off objects - I'm praying there will always be arms there to catch him!