Babies!!!

Last month, my brother and sister-in-law had their 3rd baby boy within 3 years. There is an awful lot of cuteness going on at their house!!! My sister decided an "Auntie" visit was in order and we headed up to visit them, leaving our husbands, kids and critters at home.

Here is P (19 months) and I (3 years).

Daddy (aka my brother) playing a matching game with P.

My sister and I working on a sticker book.

Daddy giving tummy raspberries. I love the way P is holding onto his daddy's shirt.

He's ready for some raspberries on his belly!

High Energy are two words that we used often to describe the activity in their house!

And "Adorable."

Here is the newest one...just adding to the adorableness and energy of the household!

Admiration!

My brother has an odd hobby; he runs marathons. He pushes his body to run solidly for 26.2 miles. And he does this roughly once a year. In order to run a marathon, he trains for months and probably runs 1000's of miles in that training process.


I just don't get it, but I'll do my best to cheer him on.


Even at the crack of dawn on a cold rainy morning.

I think my sister-in-law Merry is the only one looking happy in this picture. I don't think it's the thought of cheering on her hubby that is causing the smile, I think it has more to do with the fact that grandma and grandpa are watching her kids all.morning.long!

I didn't bring my good camera because I didn't want to trash it in the weather. Hey, I'll support my brother but not at the expense of ruining my "good" camera! I marked him above so you tell which one is him.

Note the spectators with their rain gear and umbrellas. We were all soaked to the skin by the end.

Finally, a dry spot in an underpass to wait for Eric. This is the first time he's run the St. Louis marathon and we were still figuring out the best spots to cheer him on (and how to get to those spots before he would pass!) Eric has run the Chicago marathon several times and we have a good route mapped out to see him several times during that course. We were unsure how it would work in St. Louis, but we all agree that we enjoyed this one.

At this point (about half way), I'd have been thinking "boy, this was a really stupid idea and I'm tired of running in wet shoes and wet clothes." Not Eric, he ran by with a smile (which I didn't capture because I had my crappy camera.)

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And while I don't GET the whole marathon addiction, I'm so proud of my brother for running 26.2 miles in 3 hours and 9 minutes. A time that qualifies him to run in the Boston marathon.

It took forever to warm up my bones after standing in the rain all 3 hours and 9 minutes of his race, but it was all worth it to have these 2 little boys in town for the weekend!

Wow, I got to spend time with my nephews TWO times in a month and I loved every second.

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Congratulations, Eric, on a race well run! Now, can we offer to babysit these boys while you are in Boston?!? I think you and your wife need a good couples weekend; albeit a year from now.

Happy Birthday Eric!

Bear with me as I brag on my little brother...today is his birthday.


When I was 9 years old (just a month shy of turning 10), our big Christmas gift was a baby brother. He was born on December 20 and arrived home on December 24. My sister and I had prayed and prayed for a baby brother...my parents were SHOCKED when our prayers were answered! :)
We jokingly refer to my brother as the Golden Child. He was the first boy born to my parents and the first grandson for my grandparents. With two much older sisters, there was no doubt he was spoiled beyond belief!

And he did turn out to be a pretty terrific kid. In many ways he grew up as an only child since Kristin and I had both left for college by the time he was 10 and both married the year he turned 14.
Always a serious athlete, I've lost track of how many times he's run the Chicago Marathon. He pushes his body to do things most normal people would think nuts. And he encourages high school kids to do the same.

And he married the most amazing woman! Eric, TAKE GOOD CARE OF MERRY, she's the best thing that could have ever happened to you!!! Seriously! :) Get a sitter and treat her to a night on the town!!!

While he can be very serious...he's a science teacher after all...he is still a big kid at heart and the kids all look forward to Uncle Eric's visits.

And you are a great Dad. I'm so going to miss you guys at Christmas. Isaiah is at a great age to enjoy Christmas! And to hold that sweet sleeping Peter just melts away the worries of the world!

Happy Birthday, Eric!

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And I'll take pleasure in the fact that you now officially have more grey hair than me.

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And I'll confess that I don't get ANY of your science jokes. Probably never will, either! But I'll still laugh at the fact that you find them so funny! :)