Winnie Mae Janis

Our 5th(!) grandchild was born Sept 30. Taylor and Baylie invested a lot of time and money and effort and energy into bringing this sweet child into the world.

There were some scares along the way that Baylie and Taylor worked through. Mitzi and I were worried along with them but there is nothing we can do except show love and care. That's a hard part of being a parent and grandparent, when you are mostly a spectator to the challenges your children face.

After hearing the news that Winnie was born and everyone was doing well Mitzi and I have felt very excited to meet her.

Day 1

We arrived in Mesa on the evening of Oct 14. We checked into our hotel then picked up some dinner and headed over to their house.

In the elevator on our way out of the hotel Mitzi took on the super-grandma pose, so excited to meet this new soul.

We arrived at their house and were immediately swept away with Winnie's sweetness. It was a joyous moment, so hard to describe in words. Hopefully these pictures convey how precious it was. Winnie is well well loved.

Emily and Nechemia arrived about 15 minutes later. It was another joyous moment. Mitzi transferred Winnie to Emily's waiting arms. Emily was completely smitten and I was ready with the camera to capture it :)

Emily transferred Winnie to Nechemia who cradled her gently in his arms.

Grandpa is smitten too :)

Day 2

We are staying in Queen Creek. It's amazing how many fun restaurants there are around us. We have a long list of places we want to visit in the few days we are here, and since we weren't getting together again until dinner we decided to catch a couple.

For lunch we went to Pita Jungle for a salad and hummus.

Then we went over to In-N-Out for a hamburger, shake, and fries. Lizzie worked at In-N-Out in St. George and we have fun memories of going there on occasion. We don't have any nearby in Panama City Beach.

I worked at Novell in the 1990's. When I wanted a break from work and people, I would go to Burger King and buy a small order of fries. Money was tight and they were inexpensive.

I would sit peacefully alone in the quiet of the car and recharge. I loved tearing a small opening in the ketchup packet and spreading a slow thin line of ketchup on each individual fry. Then eating it. Truly a delightful experience!

I continue to do this and feel joy in the simple act. Mitzi captured it perfectly today :)

There is a TJ Maxx nearby the hotel. One of Mitzi's favorite stores to shop. She found a pillow, back massager, and some ice/hot adhesives for her back. Her back has gone out three times in the last 6 weeks and she's working to keep it functioning.

Yes, as I mentioned she loves shopping at TJ Maxx!

In the evening we met everyone at the Queen Creek Olive Mill for dinner. The sun was just starting to go down and the lighting was perfect for pictures.

Mitzi offered to take Winnie so Taylor and Baylie could enjoy their meal. Mitzi is the grandchild whisperer. She knows just how to calm babies and make them feel safe and comfortable. Winnie was a little fussy. In about 2 minutes she was sound asleep in Mitzi's arms and stayed that way for about 30 minutes.

I ordered a delicious Linguine and meatball entreé. Yum!

Mitzi ordered a salad. Also yum!

It was so fun to watch Emily love on Winnie. It's quite beautiful to see.

I love Mitzi's interpretation of this picture. When holding a tiny newborn time seems to stand still. The world keeps moving but when that child is asleep in your arms, time stops still.

Day 3

Emily, Mitzi, and Baylie got pedicures together. They came back with big smiles :)

We all got together afterwards and enjoyed holding Winnie and visiting.

Winnie has this habit of sticking her feet straight out. So cute!

Taylor and Baylie take a break from the demands of parenting. Sleeping babies are so peaceful.

Mitzi enjoys the conversation.

Portrait of a mom with a two week old.

Nechemia has this fun little car modeled after Little Tikes. I've seen pictures of it, this is the first time I've seen it in person and it just screamed, "TAKE MY PICTURE!"

We all went to Wildflower for lunch.

We sat on the patio and enjoyed the October temperatures in Phoenix.

I got an Asian salad with salmon.

Mitzi got avocado toast. Those are red peppers on top and yes it made our mouths sizzle in a delightful way.

The city of Queen Creek had a community Trunk or Treat on the streets right next to our hotel. We headed out to see what was going on. We found it so funny that these outhouses were right next to the stage. While the performer was playing and singing people were in and out of the outhouse. Mitzi sent a text to her girls with this picture and said, "Anyone want to sit on the toilet and listen to live music? I'll include squatty potty."

Just sitting on the bleachers laughing at the outhouse location. I was feeling a little uncomfortable because, well, sometimes live music causes me to feel that way. Mitzi captured it with this selfie haha.

She's beautiful and so is the light.

This man & woman & dog rode by while we listened to the music. Caution haha.

Our hotel!

Mitzi isn't into science fiction but she knows a good costume when she sees it. The Mandalorian caught her attention and she asked me to grab a picture.

Taylor asked us if we could come over in the evening and watch Winnie so he could take Baylie on a date. We were so glad he accepted our invitation to do this. One of the super fun parts of being grandparents is giving our children a little break and then getting to spend time with the grandchildren.

We were in grandparent heaven with this sweet child.

As they got ready to leave Taylor helped Piper calm down, she was so excited for us to be there.

After they left I held Winnie and scavenged their pantry and found some of my favorite things. Chipotle (B)itchin' Sauce, Avocado dip, and a variety of chips and crackers to dip in them!

Precious child!

This may be one of Grandma Mitzi's baby whisperer secrets :)

When Taylor and Baylie returned home they were happy to have had a little break. Baylie nestled in happily with Winnie.

Piper really wanted attention. She kept popping up in front of Mitzi while Mitzi had the camera so this cute shot was the outcome.

Winnie is so alert when awake. She just looks around taking it all in. A beautiful child. We enjoyed our grandparenting time tonight!

Day 4

Sadly our last day here. Tomorrow morning we leave the hotel at 4a to catch our flight back home.

We arrived at Taylor & Baylie's house in the morning. Me, Taylor, and Nechemia were going golfing. Mitzi stayed at the house to help Baylie with Winnie.

Baylie was trying out a new wrap and Taylor as you can see is very excited to golf as he ties his shoe.

While the boys were out golfing Mitzi was loving on Winnie and teaching her all about selfies.

We went to Desert Sands near Taylor's house. It's a huge golfing mobile home community. Most of the golf courses are closed right now because they are reseeding. This was one of two that is open in the area at the moment.

I visited the restroom at the Pro Shop. After washing my hands, and seeing nobody else was in there, it was an opportunity for a selfie. I wore my bathing suit golfing haha

We had to wait about 20 minutes past our tee time because the course was so crowded. We chilled on our golf carts and had a great conversation about marketing, sales, technology, and passive real estate investing.

As we got golfing Taylor gave Nechemia a one minute crash course in the golf swing.

This is Nechemia's second time golfing and he did great!

Nechemia captures a picture of me capturing a picture of Taylor! It looks like I'm deep in thought watching Taylor – however it's actually my index finger on the shutter button of the Leica waiting for that perfect instant to capture Taylor's swing :)

This is the picture I captured. Nice form, Taylor!

A happy Taylor and satisfied Nechemia head to the Pro Shop at the end of nine holes. A great time!

When we arrived back at the house where Mitzi was happy happy happy with sweet  sleeping Winnie in her arms.

Winnie loves to stretch out her arms and legs. Here she is sleeping with those arms up :)

Nechemia purchased a Chipotle lunch for us. It's been a while since I've had it, and it was the first time for Mitzi. Satisfying and tasty!

Eating Chipotle can be an intense experience.

Mitzi and Baylie are enjoying their meal as Taylor and Nechemia entertain us.

Winnie gets a diaper change. She was releasing a lot of gas and Baylie was very happy about it.

Taylor relaxes with Winnie. Arms up father and daughter!

I liked both edits of this picture. So here is a closer crop and rotation.

Our last act of grand-parenting today was grocery shopping. We had so much fun filling up the cart. Being a new parent takes a lot of work and sometimes those basic supplies run low and need replenishing. That's where we step in :)

Mitzi and I had a wonderful time these last few days.

Meeting Winnie was a treasure. We love being grandparents. It's a wonderful role and we are grateful to have it.

Welcome to the world, Winnie Mae! You are well loved ❤️