It's been a busy summer.  Cole is in that phase where it seems like he does something new every week if not every day.   We have tried to capture some of it on film, but Cole's camera-acquisition mode makes it difficult.  So, this entry is going to be words and stills (sorry grandparents).

Here's a cute picture of Cole sticking out his tongue and looking happy (he had just eaten a tomato from our neighbor's garden which is pretty evident in the photo):

So here's me beaming at Cole in response to some crazy, mama-killing act of cuteness:

Cole has done several things these past few months that make me crazy with love.   Just after his first birthday when Cole picked up a book, I said to him, "Cole, do you want to sit in mama's lap so I can read to you?"  He thought for a minute, turned around, stuck out his little baby butt, and started to back up towards me.  I'm not sure why that made me so happy.  The fact that he understood what I was saying?  His tremendous coordination as he walked backwards with his little tush sticking out?  But it was definitely heart-warming.  Now he will do that to anyone who sits still long enough in our house.  And he doesn't just take random books off the shelf.  He already has his favorites. 

Another sweet development is how Cole now calls us "mama?" and "daddy?"  He is very deliberate and and refers to us with a rising tone that makes it sound like a question.  Like he wants to make sure we know who we are.  So far, he's getting a pretty positive response.

Another mama-pleaser is Cole's habit of walking around around on his tippy toes.  Not really sure where he learned that, but it's clear he likes all the ways his feet work (walking, running, dancing, and tippy toes).  As far as dancing goes, he has two modes: (a) drumming his feet on the ground really quickly like Flash Dance and (b) doing the fairly common baby bounce where he bends his knees in time with the music.  I've also been trying to teach him to jump, which brings huge smiles and more tippy toes.  He has yet to leave terra firma on his own, but we're working on it.

Oh, and Cole will climb anything.  We are trying to encourage his climbing instincts since he is the child of rock/mountain climbers.  But we're also trying to set some limits.  No climbing on tables.  He's not yet convinced. 

While my dad and Yvonne were visiting, we went for a walk in Tilden.  Cole surprised us by hiking for a quarter mile on his own.  Here's a picture of him enjoying his mobility.

The last super-sweet Cole thing came from our nanny who reported that Cole was being pushed around by a sullen loaner on the playground who wouldn't let any other kids near him and was generally boorish.  Apparently, after one shove, Cole looked sad...like he might cry.  But then Cole got an idea.  He picked up his sippy-cup and handed it to the mean kid.  The mean kid took a sip, smiled, and handed it back.  Then Cole took a sip.  After that, the nanny said that "mean kid" turned into a total sweetheart.  He gave Cole a hug and kiss and then started following him all around the playground laughing and playing.  She said the "mean" kid was completely transformed.   The Obama Administration has already called to see if he'll lend his services in their continuing efforts with Iran.  We said we'd consider it once Cole learns to keep the bowl of the spoon right-side-up while eating.

Since David is the photographer in the family, there aren't that many pictures that include him.  Here is a recent family portrait taken by Myron in July:

And, speaking of David's photography skills, here are two of my recent favorites: