Memorial Weekend

We have had a good Memorial day weekend. We didn't have anything specific planned. However, we wanted to go to the zoo. But Kellie had plans and Jerm, Tracy and Bri said it was going to be way to hot to go, so the plan is to go in the fall. We have not been to the zoo in ages. Both Kellie and Jeremy thought it was really strange that we wanted to go to the zoo.
On Saturday, we started our day off making 64 hot dogs to take to the church for "Feed the Homeless" a mission that our church participates in,(the youth actually took part in this activity and fed the homeless even though they were participating in the "30 Hour Famine" ~ way to go youth at CCC!. We then came back home and started cleaning out the garage. We have needed to do this for a long time. Our church is having a yard sale next Saturday to help our youth with a Missions trip this Summer.So we decided this was a great time to clean out the garage. We cleaned and found things that we forgot we had. I did find the boxes of baby blankets and 1 box of speciality clothes that I knew I had for each of the children. I am going to move them into a plastic container once I make sure they are all still okay. After working all morning long we took the items for the yard sale up to the church around 1:00pm and PopPops said he was getting hungry so we went to Snoopy's for lunch...after making hot dogs earlier that morning, they sounded good. Then we headed back home to clean on the garage some more. We took a truck load to the dump in Cary and came back and finished up the garage. Many times I think PopPops would have stopped and finished another time, but I was determined to get it done. It looks so much better. The funny thing is, PopPops has stuff in the garage that I just don't know what to do with. He says he just has to keep it, that "One day he just might need it." Must be a guy thing! So there is still alot of things in the garage but it is an orderly mess now, instead of a jumbled mess.
Once we finished with the garage we were hot and tired and decided to go to Chick-Fil-A to grab a bite to eat...PopPops wanted ice cream and he likes Chick-Fil-A cones. After dinner we came home, cleaned up (we were all dirty from our hard day at work) and enjoyed a quiet evening.
Sunday was a wonderful day of Worship. The praise band (PopPops sings in it) had some really wonderful songs, and Sam's sermon was a good thought provoker. It was a really good day to be in the house of the Lord. We then went to eat at On The Border. It was good. PopPops and I decided that we had not been there in over 6 months. We overate :(. We then went to Sam's Club as PopPops needed to get his tire fixed and rotated on his work truck. It was going to take 3 1/2 hours. We decided not to have that done! We bought a few needed items and called it a day. PopPops needed to rest. His back has been bothering him and Sunday's are a day of rest. He likes to watch the race on Sunday afternoons as well. I like to piddle around the house. With working full time, it is really nice to be able to be at home and just do things around the house, sew or re-arrange or read. Just do things at your home that you cannot do 9-10 hours a day, daily when you are at work.
It has been difficult these past few days not skyping with Stef and Josh and seeing the babies. I have missed them (all of them so much). Josh's Dad and Stepmom (Sam and Becky) have been in Las Vegas visiting with Stef and Josh and seeing the boys. I did not want to infringe on their time at all. This is a special time for Josh to have his family there. However, I did get to see Stef, Josh and the boys late last night. They are so, so precious. Stef indicated that she thinks that Coleman has taken to the new formula. He still has gas and some spitting up, but nothing like before. Carter seems to have taken to it as well. She said they seem much happier and content. They go back to the doctor for their 2 month check up on this coming Friday so she will be able to evaluate until then just how they are doing. Coleman is still having difficulty with his eczema. I hope that it will get better once the formula situation gets better. They are watching movement now, it was so cute, Carter was watching Stefanie as she moved around the room. Oh how Nana and PopPops love You and Miss You!!!

On this Memorial Day, please remember all that have fought for our freedom!

First Month Back in NC ~ Nana & PopPops miss J,S,C,C so much!

I have been in NC and back to my routine for almost a month. Back to normal life in NC. Back to seeing my friends and Worshipping at CCC (Cary Christian Church) and back to my job. After about 1 week back at work, it felt as if I had not been gone for 1 solid month. The demands where the same. People were very nice though. Many came by and said boy, are we glad you are back...we missed you! My boss said, " I am so glad you are back." PopPops was glad that I was back too he missed me as well, he said he was lonely. We have been married for almost 33 years and I don't think that he has been home by himself ever for that period of time alone. He was home alone for 2 weeks. He actually came to Las Vegas to be with us for 11 days. And I missed PopPops so much too. If he could have stayed out in Las Vegas with us the entire time it would have been perfect. Put he is boss man and he had to come back to NC.
All of that being said, that does not help the big hole in my heart that I have and the ache that I have daily that comes from the Trantham Family living all the way in Las Vegas, NV. It is really hard. Coleman and Carter have both developed Cow's Milk allergies and they have had such struggles and it is really hard to listen to all that they have gone through and all that Stefanie goes through daily with them and not be able to physically drop by to help her out or help out on the weekends to give Stefanie and Josh a break, or to just go over to hold and cuddle a fussy baby with a Nana's love. It breaks my heart!
For all the grandparents and parents that live away from their grandchildren and children, you know how hard it is. If you live in the same town as your grandchildren or adult children...please make every effort to see them. Enjoy them and make time for them.

The First Month and Skype

I have just spent the month of April in Las Vegas, Nevada helping with Carter and Coleman. It was such a wonderful month that went by way to fast. I loved and kissed on them as much as I could to try to hold me over until I would get to see them again. I cherished everyday I spent with Stefanie as I knew that our time together would come to an end as well.
I knew that she would be able to handle the babies and everything else once everyone was gone, there would be a transition time, but she is a good Mommy and she is a planner and she would figure out how to handle it all. My wish would be that they did not live so far away from us, but that is how it will be for 3 years so we just have to make the best of what we have been dealt. To help with the distance, Stefanie downloaded Skype (I already had Skype on my home computer). It has been wonderful. It has been great to see the boys and Stefanie almost every day since I have left there. To see Stefanie feeding them or see Josh giving them their baby manicures. :) To watch them sleep or hear them cry! To see Stefanie holding them or see them content just laying in their boppies with their pacifiers. It is just awesome! Just to see them and watch their expressions and have them hear our voices and to eventually see us and recognize our voice, how cool is that! It makes them being so far away not be quite so bad. Until we get to hold and kiss Carter and Coleman and hug Stefanie and Josh again, Skype is making the distance seem not so far.