Brooke's Grandpas

Since it's Father's Day weekend, I thought it'd be a good time to reflect on the amazing grandpas that Brooke has. Growing up, I don't think that either Matt or I would have changed a thing. They've both been incredibly supportive, loving and generous, and this has only continued with their grandchild(ren).


It's been so much fun to see how quickly Brooke has wrapped each of them around her little fingers. She really couldn't ask for better grandpas. We love you!

"Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers." Proverbs 17:6

"GREAT" Grandparents

We're so lucky that Brooke not only has both sets of grandparents in her life, but she also has two sets of great-grandparents in her life. Here she is with my Grandpa Williams.


This was supposed to be a photo op with all the baby great-grandchildren - this was the 5th shot I took and was as good as it was going to get.


One of my favorite lines ever came from Matt's Grandpa Johnson when we told him that he was going to be a great-grandpa. He said, "Haven't I always been a pretty great grandpa?"

(Brooke was ready to open presents.)


This is Brooke with Grandma Johnson on Easter, feeling a little more happy.

We're excited to celebrate Father's Day with all of them in the coming week!

A Whole New World

Now that Brooke is a sitting pro, life has gotten a bit easier for us. We can now utilize a high chair in restaurants and she can sit in the carts at stores. She probably could have done this about a month ago, but I'm not good with change and pushing boundaries, so it took me awhile to work up the nerve to try it.



The first time I had her sit in one at Target, I felt like she was looking around thinking, "So THIS is the place you've brought me to at least once a week for every week of my life?"



I got a cheap cushioned liner not because I'm a germ-freak, but because I feel like it will cushion her ever-so-slightly if she ever loses her balance. The one that I bought also has some toys attached that keep her busy.

Half of Nothing?

In January, I mentioned to Matt that I'd always been interested in running a half-marathon and that this might be a good year for it. Being the go-getter that he is, he hopped online that week and found a list of half-marathons in our area. The one with the best timing and proximity seemed to be the North Shore Half-Marathon taking place June 13. So, in February, we signed ourselves up.

The training itself was pretty time-consuming. Basically, three nights a week, I would hand Brooke off to Matt as soon as he got home and head off to run. Then, when I got back, he'd hand her off to me. One of our weekend mornings would also be pretty much gone due to the long runs. It made for some late dinners and busy weekends, but we're both really glad we did it. We got very lucky that we did most of our training in mild weather. And the weather on the day of the race? PERFECT. Cloudy in the mid to upper 60's. I probably wouldn't have been smiling had it been much warmer.

I did discover through training for this that I legitimately enjoy running. Maybe not crazy-long distances all the time, but I really enjoy getting out by myself and being able to clear my head.

I did find it interesting that at the race, there were multiple people wearing a t-shirt stating "13.1 is Half of Nothing." Sorry, but it's actually HALF of a MARATHON, hence the title. Don't be ashamed. Own it or buck up and train for the full 26.2!

Because Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Here are the aforementioned "enhanced" shots from Wednesday. If you want to order them, they're still available (for a limited time, of course). Just let me know.

A Picture is Worth...

Overheard at our house recently:

Me: I think I'd like to get some photos of Brooke.

Matt: You have. Our computer is full of photos of Brooke.

Me: I know, but it'd be nice to have some pictures of her by someone who knows what they're doing. To really capture her personality.

Matt: Okay, sure.

Me: I was thinking of going to (name of photographer). It'd probably cost about (not cheap), but their photos are AMAZING. And they get some great out-of-the-box and candid shots.

Matt: Are you kidding?!? I guess I don't get it. So we're supposed to spend THAT much to really "capture her personality" every six months? Can't we go somewhere that will take decent pictures for much less money? I mean, they may not be the best pictures in the world, but we're bound to get a couple of good ones. We can save the expensive photo shoots for bigger milestones.

Me: Fine.

This conversation is a perfect example of why I don't win many debates around our house. It's also an explanation of how we ended up at JcPenney yesterday with our coupon for a free sitting fee and free 8 x 10.

I explained to the photographer that we weren't really interested in any gimmicky photos. All I wanted was a plain white background. That didn't stop her from showing us how we could make Brooke's face the "O" in a "LOVE" picture or how we could add "vignettes" (colored edges) to some of the shots to show us how "fun" they could look. The best one was a digitally added cartoon fairy sitting on Brooke's nose. Um...no thanks. No offense if you like pictures like this, but I was just looking for some simple shots of my Little Lady at 7+ months.



I was actually pretty happy with how they turned out. Despite waiting for 30 minutes, Brooke was a little ham. We probably just caught her at a good time on a good day, but it's like she knew what to do as soon as she got in front of the camera. And, for not much money at all, we got some photos that are much better than any I could take. I also like that we got a couple with Brooke's signature tongue-action.



I did concede to a couple of baby bathtub shots, which I actually thought turned out kind of cute.




Maybe Matt will let me spring for the cool, expensive photos when she graduates college.

Go Hawks!

Remember this post? Turns out the bandwagon was a good place to be last night!


That's Jonathon Toews in the background, celebrating with the guys. Unfortunately, Brooke missed all the scoring due to bedtime, but we filled her in on what she missed this morning.