A Quick Update Over The Past Few Months!!

How do you like the new page...this is courtesy of my artistic daughter Stefanie.   Thank you sweetie You did a wonderful job, it looks GREAT!  I love you!!

APRIL
~We traveled to Las Vegas the first of the month for Carter and Coleman's 1st Birthday.  It is hard to believe that they are already 1 year old.  The boys were so cute and they did very well considering they had alot going on.  Nana and PopPops are so blessed to have those little guys in our lives and we want to spend as much time with them as possible. Steve's brother Jim, and his wife Paula were also in Vegas and we got to visit with them too.  My cousin Wayne and his daugter Amanda and granddaughter, Taylan came for the boys birthday and we were able to visit with them.  The boy's GiGi (Steve's Mom) came for their birthday, so we had a great visit with many that we do not get to see very often.  It was a wonderful time!
Everyone left by Wednesday and I stayed until Saturday to spend  more time with Josh, Stef and the boys.  Stefanie had a birthday that week too, and I wanted to spend her birthday with her.
~We traveled to Southern Pines a couple of times to visit with my cousin Wayne's son Ryan.  Ryan is in the Marines and he was in Southern Pines learning to be a dog handler for the military.  He was there for the month of April from CA, so we went and had dinner with him a couple of weekends.  We wanted to bring him to our home over Easter, but he was not allowed to leave the town of Southern Pines. 
~We enjoyed Easter with the family.  We normally have Ham and all the fixins, but this year I made a BBQ Brisket and all the fixins.  Jerm, Tracy and Kellie all came to church (we had a great service) and then we came home and had dinner.  It was a glorious and beautiful day.  It will be fun when we have little ones close to hide the easter eggs for...we always had a fun time hiding easter eggs for the kids when they were young.

MAY
May was a full month
~We had our Celebration Sunday at CCC  the 1st Sunday of May...we have a big brunch at 9:00am and then we have a wonderful Worship service from 9:45am to 12:00pm.  We have this 4 times a year at church...it is a wonderful time of worhsip and praise.
~For Mother's Day, Kellie's friend Kendall was getting married at Lake Gaston on the Saturday before Mother's Day.  Kellie was in the wedding so, Steve and I went to the wedding which was beautiful...it was outside of Ben's (Kendalls husband's parents home) by the lake.  After the wedding we followed Kellie and Shane (Kellie's boyfirend) to Shane's parent's lake home.  They have a lovely place.  We had hoped to go out on the boat for Mother's Day but it turned rather cold...It was a pleasant day just getting away and spending it by the lake with nice company.  Thank you Larry and Burnita for a wonderful time. 
~We received a call from a long time friend ~ Steve Sims.  He said that he was going to be in Raleigh for a class and would stay over to visit if we would be around...we were so happy to hear from him.  We called him back invited him to stay with us Friday and Saturday night (he was flying out on Sunday Morning).   About 4 days after we talked with Steve, Stefanie called and said that Josh had a class in Boston for one week and a class in Atlanta the following week and that she and boys were  thinking about coming to visit for those 2 weeks would that be okay?   OF COURSE THAT WOULD BE WAY OKAY!!!  So we had to call Steve back and let him know we still wanted to visit with him, but he was not goimg to want to stay with us, as we would have a full house.  He understood.  We went to dinner with him on Friday night and so enjoyed catching up with him after so many years.  Then he came over on Saturday and enjoyed the afternoon and evening with us.  He was able to visit with our whole family...I am sure he left thinking we are a crazy bunch...but that is us!!
~Stefanie, Carter and Coleman came for a two week visit.  We had a blast.  It was so much fun watching them daily for those two weeks in their normal routine.  Peeking in on them in the morning as they were in their pack-n-play after they had woken up and they were ready to get out of bed and have them smile at you, that was so sweet. Watching them play and play and play.  Giving them snacks and just playing with them all evening day after day...it was wonderful. We got 2 pack-n-plays, 2 booster seats, toys and lots of food for the boys.  Stefanie was worried about everything we had out on the end tables so we put it all away, (Nana and PopPops wanted the boys and Mama to enjoy their time here).  PopPops put up a blockade to keep the boys in the safety of the living room.  It worked really well to keep the boys in, but Nana was clumsy and fell over it.  I was thankful that I did not break anything, but I was bruised up and looked awful.  We got to visit with Josh too as he came to visit inbetween his 2 classes over the weekend.  It was fun having them all here for the weekend.  We also got to have Aunt Kellie spend alot of time at Nana and PopPops house.  She wanted to be around Stefanie and the boys as much as possible so she spent most of the nights here...it was fun having her here all the time too.  The two weeks that Stef and the boys where here gave Nana and PopPops a taste of how it would be if Josh and Stef lived closer. That time will come...we just need to be patient and look forward to and be thankful for these special times as they come.
Josh and Stef, thank you for your willingness to come to Nana and PopPops for the two weeks...we know you did not have to and we thank you for making the sacrifice to come and spend this time with us...we will cherish this time forever.  We love you all very much.

~Yellow Jackets!!!!! While Stef and the boys were here I had some flowers to plant and so we took the boys out to the front yard to play while I planted the flowers as it was a really pretty evening.  I have a large cement basket that Stef got me a few years ago that I plant flowers in each year.  There had been some weeds that had grown in it and I needed to get those out before I could plant the flowers.  I had my hand hoe and I started digging out the weeds and all of a sudden something came up and stung my hand...and I said ouch something stung me and I brushed it away, then something stung me again on my hand...I thought well that was crazy...all of a sudden Stef yelled Mom, you are swarmed by bees...I yelled at her to grab the boys and get in the house...I was worred about them finding those little guys and stinging them.  Stefanie said Mom they are all over your shirt, I was trying to brush them off and move away all at the same time...another one got up under my sleeve and stung me, so by this time I had been stung 3 times.  Stef got the boys in the garage and I came in the garage and I still had 1 on me, but I got it off and we came on inside.  Come to find out they were Yellow Jackets that had made a nest in the dirt...I did not know that is what they do...So when Steve came home later that night, we had him put gasoline on it and burn it...I waited until just a few days ago to attempt to take out all the dirt in the basket and add new soil...I wanted to make sure that there was no more Yellow Jackets around.  Yellow Jackeet stings are quite painful...luckily I was not allergic to them.  Stefanie looked online for all the symptions of an allergic reaction and we were all prepared, but I evidently are not allergic to Yellow Jacket stings.

~This memorial day weekend we have worked around the house and ate out with dear friends...Steve and Cindy Barrett...watched a movie and just enjoyed each other. We have been looking for new cushions for our white wicker couch out in the sunroom...we cannot find any that are the same size of our couch...we think we are going to have to have some custom made.  We are also looking for a table and chairs to go out in the sunroom.  We find chairs and do not like the table or we find the table and do not like the chairs. It is still early in the season...I am sure we will find what we want...even if we have to paint it.   May will be ending soon and the month of June, the beginning of Summer will be here. 
I love the Summer months.  I love the warm weather and the carefree times that the Summer brings. Nana and PopPops still have to work as usual, but its different in the Summer. 
Enjoy your Memorial Day!!