Johnny is (almost) 8 months olds!

Sorry I missed Johnny's 7 month old update. The holidays and year end close at work have left no time for this blog! ; ) We had a great first Christmas with Johnny. We spent about a week in Paxton and visited all of the families. Paul's sister and her husband (Kate & Ken) were able to make it home from San Diego so it was great to spend time with them as well. We also got to go out with them on New Year's Eve for dinner and to a bar which was great to get out!

Johnny is continuing to grow! He is clapping, saying Mama & Dada, babbling and smiling all the time, rocking on all fours but no crawling yet, and LOVING this bouncy seat that he's able to jump in. Little blocks and stackable rings are his favorite toys right now. He's eating 3 or 4 baby food meals a day and loving it. We haven't found one thing that he doesn't like yet. His personality is coming out more and more and he's definitely a little man that knows what he wants and when he wants it! We may have a temper on our hands ; ) He hasn't gotten any more teeth since Thanksgiving but we have a feeling that his top 2 may be coming in soon. He'll be 8 months on Saturday which is hard to believe. January has flown by since I've been working so much. I'm looking foward to a slower month (hopefully) in February!
Pics below are Christmas w/cousin Grayson, Aunt Kate's little McDreamy, all dressed up for Jerry & Bethany Prina's wedding, hanging out wathcing the Illini game w/my future BFF, Jacob Conover (he's 5 1/2 months older than Johnny)

Grandma Schofield

I just wanted to post a little something in remembrance of my Grandma Schofield. She passed quickly and unexpectedly in early January. She was an amazing woman who I adored and a day hasn't passed since then that I haven't thought about her. Most of my childhood memories are with her because Shell & I spent so much of our time with her growing up. We were lucky enough to spend Christmas day with her (the picture of her w/Johnny above) and we have so many memories of her to carry with us. I'm so glad that she got to meet Johnny but wish she could have seen him grow up a little more and he could have gotten to know her. She loved us so much and the feeling was mutual. I received a sympathy card with the following poem on it and I still read it often when I'm thinking of her. (pic below is after my baby shower in March)

Her Journey's Just Begun

Don't think of her as gone away-

her journey's just begun,

life holds so many facets-

this earth is only one.

Just think of her as resting
from the sorrows and the tears
in a place of warmth and comfort
where there are no days and years.

Think how she must be wishing
that we could know today
how nothing but our sadness
can really pass away.

And think of her as living
in the hearts of those she touched...
for nothing loved is ever lost-
and she was loved so much.

E. Brenneman