Every once in a while, a kid gets lucky enough to have many, many people who love him...

Aunt Brianne, and her infectious enthusiasm...

That guy that holds me weird ... what's his name?

Oh, yeah. Uncle Bryan.

And, of course, the one who teaches me all my new expressions.

Aunt Zoolander, er, Lauren!

Together, they're either setting me up for unbelievable personal success,

or for a lifetime of quirky habits and embarrassing moments.

Probably both.

Nolan's first Valentines Day card.

There he was, minding his own business...

... when what should arrive but his first Valentines day card!

As the emotionally in-touch young male that he is, Nolan was unafraid to return the sentiments with a nice long-distance smooch!

"That's right. I'm the man."

Grandma Nae and Papa Steppie visit!

When boredom strikes...

... and the paci' just isn't doing it ...

... there's nothing quite like a little entertainment ...

... and all the better when the hand-behind-the-toy ...

... is Grandma Nae!!!

Of course, it probably doesn't hurt her odds

of garnering a smile to feed the kid candy...

But everyone's got their own tactics.

For Papa Steppie, it happens to be head-butting...

Of course, after a WWF-style head-butt, every kid loves to feel big ...

... it just so happens that Nolan's got the cheeks to fill this hat out...

... aren't grandparents great?!

The truth...

Sometimes it just takes a little backlighting...

...to reveal the honest truth...

...he's got those Mueller ears...

The good news is, that's where all our secret powers reside!

Technology and water...

After handily capturing and subduing the mighty mouse...

...Nolan set to work mastering any other piece of technology he could get his hands on. The cell phone was next...

This was a personal favorite with friends and family, who were starting to wonder about the frequent phone calls from Ross & Kendra filled with long pauses and heavy breathing. Thankfully, there was an explanation...

But then, as all children do, Nolan began missing appointments, and forgetting his favorite shows. "What time is it? What time is it" he would constantly ask, "I seem to have forgotten my watch"...

So, to unburden ourselves from the labor of constant chronography, we just tossed a timepiece at him ... hoping it would pacify his seemingly insatiable appetite for timeliness...

Thankfully, he was satisfied ... at least for now.

However, at one point, when he noticed that his bathtime was running exceptionally late, Nolan tossed us a wry Rip Van Winkle reference...

"Yeah, OK. We get it. We're late sometimes ... smart-aleck." Thankfully, we escaped the embarrassment of missing a 12-month-old's literary references, and distracted him in the only way we know how...

...by getting him to pose for cliche baby pictures...

That'll show him.

A day in the life of Nolan consists of ...

A little sporting...

See him here, stalking an innocent mouse...

Eating. Lots and lots of eating.

Tigers...

Feet...

they're all fair game... How do you think I keep these ridiculously Gerber-like cheeks?

And of course, MOM TIME!

Does it get any better than this? ...

California Christmas 2008

The single advantage to having two families in different places is lots, and lots of Christmas celebrations!!! Clock this one as the fourth in three weeks!

Needless to say, initially the rookie was in disbelief...

However, his Uncle Kevin and Mia were there to help him navigate a Christmas celebration that wasn't immediately preceded by sub-zero temperatures.

Great Grandma Sharon and Great Grandpa Ross were in attendance, as well.

"And now," whispers Mom, "let the present opening commence."

He got the hang of it pretty quickly...

And even managed to score some precious quality time with Uncle Kevin...

This is how Nolan would look should he decide to inherit the Oakes Boys' tradition of spectacular hair...