Brian and Kileigh finally meet

OK, so they both look terrified but Ki and Brian finally got to meet on June 14th!! Our cousins, Austin and Krista, came for a visit from Arizona and of course they brought their sweet little baby girl, Kileigh. She is about 6 and 1/2 months old now. If you notice from the pictures, Brian is actually bigger than she is and yes he is 2 1/2 months younger. As I've said many times before, this mama has a big boy on her hands. Ki and Brian didn't do much interacting since they are both still so young but it was so much fun for us parents to get our little ones together. And of course it was so nice to finally meet Kileigh. As Becky (our other cousin) said, it's nice to have babies to oogle over instead of just dogs!!!

Krista, Austin, Kileigh, John, me, and Brian


They look like they are holding hands in this picture. Oh, how sweet!! Don't ask me how we got both of them to look at the camera at the same time.

They finally decided to look over to see who was sitting next to the other. This might have been the point where they both freaked out!

In Honor of William Gern Booco

June 11, 2008 is one of the most memorable days of my life. It's the day we lost my grandpa Bill. Tomorrow is the anniversary of his death and I tried to think of a way to honor him the way he deserves to be honored. The only thing I can think of to do is post this message about him. Sometimes it's hard for people to understand how close my family was to my grandpa. He wasn't just a grandpa or father to any of us. He was the heart and sole of the family and the most honorable man I have ever known. He was our home and we have struggled to find that place without him. We have had to find a way to live again and it hasn't been easy, especially for my mom.

Here are some fun memories. We used to spend every Sunday afternoon at his house eating "meatball" hamburgers or roast. Even at the end of his life, he refused to allow us to get his plate for him. He called us all "babe" or "baby" and I miss those names so much. He never missed a softball game of mine or my sisters and I remember getting so mad at him when he would give me instructions on how to hit the ball. I miss those instructions so much and would give anything to have him back. He took us to all of our doctors appointments as children because mom and dad had to work. He taught me how to dance for my wedding.

For anyone who doesn't know, my little Brian is named after this wonderful man. Brian's middle name is William and I can only hope and pray that Brian is as kind, gentle, loving, and honorable as his Great Papa. We found out I was pregnant with Brian 3 days after his death. I feel like maybe a part of grandpa is in Brian....at least I hope.

We miss you, Gramps. We love you so much. I think of you everyday and I can speak for the whole family when I say, we can't wait to see you in heaven.

My sisters Michaelene, Sarah, and Raven along with my mom and grandpa.

Grandpa and Miquela

John and I with grandpa and his sister Pat.

More pictures of "the boy" and first solid foods

Brian is 15 weeks old and is so happy. He just got up from a nap and he is smiling and laughing really big with his dad. This is John's favorite picture of him so far.

This is the first time Brian had solid foods. He was 14 weeks old. He just isn't satisfied with his bottle anymore. Like I said, I have a big boy on my hands!! I'm feeding him rice cereal and he didn't seem to like it at first, but the next couple of days he really started to eat good. He just needed to figure out what to do. John thinks we should have given him steak instead and he would have liked it better.

Look at the big reaction he has after eating real food. He loves his highchair too. I think he likes sitting at the table with mom and dad.

Look how big the boy is getting. He can even sit on dad's shoulders (with a little bit of help, of course).

Lily Bear and Brian. They are best friends already (at least Brian thinks so, Lily is not so sure)!!

The boy is just about to roll over. That dang arm keeps getting in the way!!

This is Brian's favorite place to play. He loves the colors and the toys hanging down. He is really starting to grab onto everything, including Papa Mike's glasses. Papa Mike doesn't mind though because the baby can do no wrong in his eyes.

This is Stacey, Brian's daycare provider. She really loves him already. He has been there for 3 weeks now and seems to be doing well. This was taken on his second day of daycare. John wants to emphasize the shirt. Just so you know, it says "I may be small, but I'm still the man." Very cute!!! We put him in this so that Stacey knows who is in charge!! Ha Ha