8 months old

Yep, baby B is 8 months old. I can't believe how big he is getting! He's so close to crawling. He gets on his hands and knees and rocks. He finds his way around though. Usually he will roll around and then get on his tummy and use his hands to move himself in a circle. He got really sick for the first time this month and it was really rough.....on B and mommy. For the first time I felt that really helpless feeling and I didn't like it AT ALL!!! John went hunting this month so I was on my own with the little guy for the first time. I was actually nervous. Looking back I have no idea why because Brian and I are on our own a lot and John and Brian are on their own a lot. I think just knowing John couldn't be there if I needed him really freaked me out. Well, John came back safe and with an elk. You should see our freezer. It's so full. Anyway, back to Brian, he is so much fun and we love him so much!

7 month old baby boy!!

My sweet boy is 7 months old now!! Can you believe it???!!! Well, he had a big month. He started sitting up on his own about a week after he turned 6 months but then suddenly about a week ago, he has decided that he doesn't know how to roll anymore! Isn't that so funny? I freaked out at first like I always do and emailed the doctor. She said that its totally normal for babies to forget a skill when they learn a new one. Hopefully he remembers again someday! Rolling seems kind of important! Next on our list is to learn to crawl although it still may be a month or two before that happens. Brian went on his first hike in the mountains this month. I think he loved it....I know I did. We went to Estes Park to see the elk. Brian started drinking out of a sippy cup also. He's still trying to master that but its coming along. I just have to say that we are having so much fun with him these days. He always surprises us with something new like last weekend at my mom's house he started doing this thing where he screams and his whole face turns red. Where that came from I will never know!
Brian and Lily are becoming very good friends. Brian has learned that he can drop food off of his high chair and Lily will come running to pick it up. That's going to be a fun game!! Yeah right!

This is for Colter and Sandy who bought Brian his first flannel. He has monkey arms like his dad so we had to roll the sleeves up. They were too short!

Our hike in Estes Park.

He loves to ride on daddy's chest!

Brian is 6 months old

Brian is officially a half of a year old! I can't believe it. Time flies when you become a parent. So many people have told me that and they are right! Brian is at such a fun age! He is rolling now and just about sitting up on his own. He is a little piggy when he eats (as you can probably tell by his chubbiness. =) He was lucky to spend his 6 month birthday with his good pal Korbin. Colt and Sandy were down from Grand Junction so we all decided to have a slumber party at Brian and Kathie's house. It was a lot of fun and I have to confess something. We were trying to figure out where the babies were going to sleep cause neither Sandy or I wanted to be in the same room with them......it's too hard to sleep that way. Anyway, we ran out of bedrooms so Brian got to sleep in the closet. Yes, the closet. I sound like such a bad mom I know but its a big closet! I promise. Kathie and Brian have a huge walk-in closet so Brian slept in there. It worked out great. Just a fun little story for you. Enjoy the pictures.

Brian and Lily are starting to be best friends. Lily doesn't mind him as long as she initiates the contact. Otherwise she is running the other way!

Daddy and the little guy

Mommy and the sweet boy

Korbin and Brian. It looks like they are fighting but they are actually just posing for pictures.

Brian's First Haircut!!

Anyone who sees Brian on a regular basis knows how out of control his hair always is. We think it adds to his sweet charm but it's was getting to the point where it was really getting in the way and even hanging in his eyes! So we decided to take him for his first hair cut. I have included the before and after picture as well as the in between pictures (so you guys can experience what we did while we trying to get this little guy to cooperate.) He actually did really well and had fun sitting in the chair shaped like a car......at least until she started cutting. Then he wasn't having any more of that!! It was so much fun to be there for his first haircut. I will remember it forever!

Before
Just Before

OK, she's starting to cut!

Can you tell by the blurred picture that he isn't liking it much!


Still not liking it much!

Just about done.

DONE! He looks somewhat traumatized but I think he's gonna make it.

What a handsome little boy!

Brian Rolled!!!

Brian rolled from his back to his tummy for the first time today. We actually didn't see the first roll. He was at daycare so Stacey got to see it for the first time but once we got him home, we wanted to see for ourselves. Sure enough, he's rolling all the time. This is a really huge milestone for him because his physical therapist told us that he may not roll as quickly as other babies cause of his Torticollis. We are so proud of him. I think I almost cried when I saw him do it. Here is a video.

5 months old!!!!!

Brian is 5 months old today. Oh, my little guy is growing up!! He is laughing all the time now at random stuff that isn't even funny. He laughs while he is looking at mommy a lot so maybe I'm more funny looking than I thought. He started eating baby food this month and so far he loves pears the best but he hasn't tried anything he doesn't like. He loves to play with toys and use his hands. He's not rolling over yet but hopefully soon. We have actually had some new developments from the doc. We found out that he has Torticollis which is a disorder that he was born with. Basically, the muscle in the right side of his neck is short and tight and since he loves to suck that right thumb, it hasn't helped the problem any. He is starting physcial therapy and we are working with him by stretching and strengthening his neck. He has a mild form of it but we need to help him now so that he doesn't have problems when he is older. Anyway, the physical therapist thinks this is why he is having trouble rolling over so we are going to help him to figure it out. Other than this minor hiccup, he is growing and developing just perfectly and is so incredibly sweet. I feel so fortunate to have such a content, sweet boy. He just smiles really big at us when we are forcing him to look to his left or stretching his neck. He doesn't seem to mind at all. I love the picture shown above. His lips are just so kissable!!! Now if only I could just figure out what to do with that hair!!

Our first trip away from the boy

John and I went on our first trip away from our sweet boy. We decided to start slow and just go for one night. Grandma Kathie and Grandpa Brian watched Brian while John and I went to Vail for a 4-wheeling trip. It was a blast and surprisingly, I didn't worry about the baby at all while we were gone. We stayed in Vail at the Tivoli Lodge. It was a really nice hotel right in the middle of the little village. We are not skiers so this was our first time staying in Vail right by the mountain slopes. It was pretty cool. We stayed out late talking and hanging out with a couple of old cop buddies of John's that we ran into. We slept in (as much as possible when you're used to getting up between 5:00am and 6:00am with a baby everyday) and had a nice breakfast. I felt like I was in heaven!! Then we went 4-wheeling in the mountains just above Vail. When we were high enough, we were able to see all of Vail and the ski slopes. It was beautiful. It was a great first trip away from the boy but we were both ready to go pick him up. By the way, he did really well and slept through the night with no problems while we were gone. Here are a couple of pictures from our trip.

Our weekend in Grand Junction

Last weekend we went to Grand Junction to visit my sister, Bri, and her family as well as our good friends, Colter, Sandy, Korbin, and Caleb. We were celebrating Colter and Caleb's 30th birthday (they are identical twins). It was very special because my sweet Brian got to meet Korbin for the first time. Korbin is just about 9 months old and is the son of Colter and Sandy. They barely got to see each other because they are on opposite nap schedules but it was fun anyway.

Korbin and Brian

On Saturday, my sister was kind enough to watch Brian while John, Sandy, Colter, Caleb, and I went 4-wheeling. It was so much fun. I haven't been 4-wheeling since last June because I was pregnant all last summer. We went up to the Mesa by powderhorn ski area. It was beautiful and very muddy. We were all covered in mud by the time we got back! We ended up getting back super late because on our way back to the beginning of the trail where we parked we ran into two different SUV's that got stuck on the road. There was a sign stating no vehicles other than ATV's and jeeps but apparently those people missed it. We had to dig out two different cars and one of them ended up getting stuck again so the guys had to tell the owner of the car to just leave it because it was dark. It was a crazy day!!

John and I

Here is where Colter got his ATV stuck in a mud hole. We had to use the winches on two of the ATV's to get him out. It was hilarious and a lot of fun. We can always depend on Colt to add a little excitement to the day!!

This is some of the beautiful scenary we got to see all day.

Me, Caleb, Sandy, and Colter

John, Colter, and Caleb

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.