Turner - One Day Old

I just couldn't help it! I had to return to Raleigh today to see Turner, Kristen and Matt! Kit had to work and couldn't go. I enjoyed going by Matt's house before going to the hospital. We had to get a big blue bow and an "It's a Boy" balloon on the mailbox! Matt was there to shower and take care of Chloe, their dog. I pulled into the driveway and Matt was getting the base for the baby's car seat hooked tightly in the backseat of the car. He succeeded! Then we took some time to play with Chloe before returning to the hospital. I enjoyed the time with my son.

But I also enjoyed the time that Kristen and Matt allowed me to hold Turner. After Pop Pop had his turn, I sat in the rocking chair and enjoyed holding my 3rd grandchild, my 2nd grandson. I am thankful for the moments of blessings when holding this little angel that God has created! I love talking to him and telling him how much Gran loves him! I felt the same way when holding Addi and Maddox when they were infants. All three of our grandchildren are such blessings! Addi is excited about her new cousin. She calls him 'Mr. Turner' and we don't know why! She has already asked to hold him and play with him.

Matt, Kristen, Turner and Pop Pop, Kristen's dear grandfather
Turner is a nursing baby and loves to nurse all the time!
Of course, he cannot do that, so the nurses gave him a
pacifier. That helped with the 'sucking' satisfaction for him.

Matt holding his son. :-) Turner already knows and prefers
the comforting arms of his mother and father! Matt and
Kristen have already accomplished the newborn parenting
skills! It has come naturally for them.

What a sweet boy! He had a busy day today. He had the
right to be cranky if he wanted in that he was circumcised
this morning. He also had one of his immunization shots.
The pediatrician checked him out too. He also did well
with his hearing test. He's a healthy baby boy!

Look at those eyes! Turner is so little, especially when
compared to Matt's big fingers!

Long fingers intertwined. So cute! Comfortable and sleepy!


Asleep at last! Turner loves being in his Dad's arms.
Fingers are together again!

Turner and Dad - "This rubber thing is okay, but it is not my Mom!"
I love how Turner quickly moves his little head side to side to try to latch onto the pacifier!

As I held Turner on Wednesday, I kept looking at his little face. It took me back 30 years ago, when Matt was born. When we compared Matt's baby pictures to Turner, it is amazing! Turner looks so much like his father did! They are going home on Thursday and Chloe will meet Turner for the first time. I know that she will be such a gentle dog, loving Turner just like the rest of us!

Turner Kail Boone's Birth - September 23, 2008

What a very special day for us! Matt called us at 4:30 this morning to say that he was driving Kristen to the hospital. They had been up since 12:30 am dealing with contractions. At 4:30 those contractions were 5 minutes apart. Matt said that he would give us another call later with an update, to make sure that they really were having the baby today. So we waited and got the call a little later. Kit and I were then off to Raleigh for the day. We arrived at Rex Hospital to be greeted by David Vasbinder, Kristen's father, and Zach Vasbinder, Kristen's brother, in the lobby of The Family Birth Center. We then went upstairs to Room 232 to see Kristen and Matt. We met Sally, Kristen's mother, in the hallway. She shared that things were moving along for Kristen. We went into the room, talked with Kristen and Matt briefly. She needed to rest and we didn't want to be in the way. As the day moved along, Sally and I periodically checked on Kristen. The four grandparents waited patiently in the lobby for the news of Turner's birth. Finally, just a few minutes after 3:00 pm, Matt called me to say that they had a healthy baby boy!!! He weighed 6 lbs. 6 oz. and was 19 in. long. I could hear the baby crying in the background, showing off his great lung power! Then we waited and waited to see our new little grandson. The time finally arrived with a phone call from Matt! They had gone through the checklist with the baby and also moved all of them into Room 210. So at last the four grandparents together went to see our newest family member. Matt was videoing us as we came into the room to see Turner Kail Boone in his mother's arms. Oh what a wonderful feeling! Kristen looked so beautiful and Turner was so precious! He's a beautiful, perfect, healthy boy! We had fun taking turns holding this little angel, a miracle of God's creation. He has a head of hair and big eyes! He was so alert and looking around. He wimpered a little, but for the most part, was so quiet and so good! Please enjoy the pictures below of our newest family member!

Kristen and Turner - Love them both!

What a sweet baby boy!

Proud Dad - Matt

Proud Grandad Boone

So sweet and perfect!

Proud Gran!

A big yawn! Turner worked hard today!

"I'm trying to keep my eyes open!"

One eye open, trying to go to sleep!

Long fingers and long feet!

Sally - Proud Grandmother!

David - Proud Grandfather!

Sleeping in Grandad's arms - so precious!

Those cute little hands.

Today was the first day of this little boy's life. He has already brought so much joy, and will bring so much more. Thank you God for a healthy baby boy and that his mother is doing well too. More pictures forthcoming!

Bryson's Birthday - Boone Family

HAPPY 10TH BIRTHDAY BRYSON! We had a great family time on Saturday night as we gathered together to celebrate Bryson's 10th birthday. It was wonderful that our niece, Emily, and our great nephew, Bryson, traveled to High Point from Alabama this past week to see everyone. Bryson has grown so much and is getting so tall! Thanks to Nan and Pop (Marilyn and Ron), we enjoyed hamburgers and hot dogs. Below are some pictures of those who came.

Bryson - 10 years old

Bryson and Katie, our niece

Julie, Kit's sister and Tom, Doug's father

Nan (Marilyn, Kit's sister, Bryson's grandmother)

Emily, our niece, Bryson's mother

Bryson and Emily

Our nieces, Katie and Jodie, Bryson, & Paul

The Isley Girls - Katie White, Jodie and Julie

Melissa, Adam and Kiyah

Melissa Edwards and Kiyah

Ron Preddy and Joel Isley, Julie's husband - deep in conversation!

Kit enjoying his food.

Adam and Mom (Mary Ann)

Bryson and Pop

Katie and Jay White

Sisters and Brother - Marilyn, Julie and Kit

Adam, Melissa, Kiyah, Mary Ann and Kit

Colin and Bryson - Opening birthday presents

STAR WARS!!!!

Reading the birthday cards!

Bryson in his new UNC gear!

God Is Sooooo Good!

As Kit and I are anxiously awaiting our special phone call telling us that Matt is taking Kristen to the hospital...Turner is about to make his appearance! That is at the forefront of our minds, Mamaw and Papaw's minds, Jenny's mind and Adam's mind...

Then today, Jenny and I are chatting via videocall, and Addi shares with me "Mama is having a baby!" Oh, my goodness!!!! I didn't understand her at first, then it hit me what the child said! I cried tears of great joy! How blessed we are!!! Addi and Maddox have brought us great joy. We know that Turner will do the same. And now, we have another little one on the way, due to arrive in May. This little one will be born in Moscow or Istanbul, not here in the States. But you can guarantee that Kit and I will be there! What a great day this has been.

Addi (3 yrs. old) in Antalya, Turkey - Jan. '08

She has grown and changed a lot since then!

Maddox (2 yrs. old) in Antalya, Turkey - Jan. '08

He has grown and changed much more than Addi! He will

soon be 3 yrs. old!

I also had a phone call this morning about a job assignment and I'm very excited about it! After retiring, I knew that I would enjoy helping teachers to be their best. This job assignment will allow me to do that, not here in NC, but in Little Rock, Arkansas. Better yet, my good friend, Betty, will be there also working. This is going to be fun and I look forward to it. I will work 13 days total throughout the next months, two days in late October. Then more days in November, December and February. Coaching teachers at the middle and high school levels, helping them to see how specific learning strategies used with their students, will promote academic success, is my goal. I'm excited!

Life Is Full of Excitement!

First of all, I'd like to give God thanks and praise for helping Penny and I to share our storytelling this morning during worship at First Lutheran Church. Penny is so great and it is obvious that she is using one of the many gifts that God has given her. I am honored to be able to follow her leadership with the wonderful books that she chooses for storytelling. I know that God helped me to prepare for my part and that He was also there putting the words into my mouth during the 8:45 am service this morning. Our Tree Named Steve is a wonderful story with a wonderful message!

Kit and I have two very exciting events in the works! First of all, our third grandchild is due October 7th! Only 3 weeks away! Matt and Kristen are going to be terrific parents. The nursery is ready. Turner Kail Boone, we are ready for your arrival. We cannot wait to see you, to hold you, to love you. Gran and Grandad are ready to spoil you too!!!! Aunt Jenny and Uncle Adam are ready to be proud to call you their nephew! So stay tuned everyone, pictures will be forthcoming!

Now, the 2nd excitement is that our plans are coming together for our visit with Jenny, Matt, Addi and Maddox! We miss them so much. We look forward to our webcam connection with them every Sunday morning after worship. We get to talk with them and see them in their overseas home. Russia is so far away, but thanks to modern communication, we feel a bit closer. We have decided that we will vacation together the month of January 09!!! Kit and I will fly out of the country on January 1st, arriving in Istanbul, Turkey on January 2nd. There we will connect with Jenny and family in order to fly together to Hurghada, Egypt. We hope to be there together for 2 weeks. All of our plans are not in place, but we hope to take in many of the historical sites of this country. Can you imagine Kit riding on a camel? We'll see about that!!! After our stay in Egypt, we will fly back to Istanbul together. We will stay there for 2 weeks, taking in the various historical sites of that large city. We are so excited to be with this part of our family for the month of January!

Addi and Maddox

Istanbul, Turkey

Pyramids near Cairo, Egypt

Family in Boone, NC

It is always so special when we get a phone call from Adam, our youngest son. It is even more special when he can come home for a visit! His job is time-demanding on the weekends, therefore, he doesn't get away very often. I know too that Melissa is very busy with all of her class assignments and projects. She's a senior at AppState! Go Mountaineers! Will we have a 4-Peat this year with another football championship?

Melissa and Adam

When Kit and I attended AppState, things were so different. We were thrilled when Hardee's came to town! They had great milkshakes! Today, I couldn't tell you the last time that I have eaten fast food at Hardee's. Sally, Marcia, Jan, Susan and I got our thrills on the weekends doing what would be considered mundane this day and time. We used our extra lunch book tickets to eat steak in The Gold Room, top of the Student Center, on Friday or Saturday nights. It was such a treat compared to the cafeteria or Bavarian Inn, The BI! then we would make our regular visit to Rose's store! Sometimes we needed things, but usually it was just to browse. I bought many LPs there and I still have them all. AppState students today would be bored visiting Rose's and they certainly wouldn't be buying LPs! Another fun adventure was to walk downtown to King St. and visit some of the stores. Our favorite was the Hallmark store. We didn't have computers, email, cell phones and had never heard of texting! MySpace.com nor Facebook had been heard of in 1971-1975! So we were really into the stationary and cards that the Hallmark store had to offer. Our communication home and to friends far away had to be done by snailmail. Yes, we had telephones, but long distance calls were limited in that we didn't have the money to pay for them. We also loved the store downtown that sold 8-track tapes, LPs and 45s, the format for our kind of music. Marcia and I would take turns hauling our stereos to school each year so that we could listen to our music!

We also enjoyed our weekend rides around the Boone, Blowing Rock, Grandfather Mountain and Linville areas. We loved driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was fun to go to the many ski resorts and watch the skiiers smoothly glide down the mountainside. We didn't have the money to snow ski, so we just watched! The Grandfather Mountain and Linville areas offered incredible views of God's world, His creation. On Sunday mornings, we attended church together and that was special. I remember one January when we had a huge snow storm that created many deep drifts. We were returning from worship, heading to the cafeteria for lunch. As we passed the Student Center, we were crossing a flat, paved area that was iced over. It was so slick and then the powerful Boone winds caught us, pushing us across the ice toward some steps. We grabbed the railing of the steps and hung on until we could steady our feet. We had many great snows during our four years in Boone. Sledding down the hill at Justice Hall on 'borrowed' cafeteria trays was so much fun!

I loved those AppState days. I loved Boone, NC. I loved the many friends that I met through classes. But I really loved Marcia, Sally, Susan and Jan. They were so special to me and God placed them into my life to help guide me, model His love for me, to help me to remember my Christian values. I didn't always remember, but their presence always helped me to get back on track in my special spiritual journey. Thank you Lord for always providing our needs, for your constant presence, and your forgiveness when we ignore or forget your presence. I'm still thankful for these wonderful friends, even though we do not live near one another anymore. We married, had children, got teaching jobs, and some of us have retired from education!

Okay, enough of my Boone memory ramblings! I know why Melissa loves living in Boone. I also know why Adam loves living in Boone, even though he graduated from ASU nearly two years ago. I don't blame them at all! It is a unique place. Although once again I say how different it is today compared to the early 70s. Lots more buildings, more commercial businesses, more chain restaurants. And the Shops at Blowing Rock...I love! We would have been in heaven if those shops had been present in the 70s!

Again I say, "Go Mountaineers!"

Adam and Kiyah - She's growing so fast!

My Mom and Dad

My Mom, Cleo Staton, and my Dad, James Staton are both blessings in my life. Mom is 86 years young and Dad is 90 years young. I know that I am so blessed that they are still so much a part of my earthly life. They are both so alert, live independently in their own home in Trinity, NC. Mom is a feisty little woman who stays so busy! She still drives to church, to the store, to get her hair washed and fixed every Wednesday morning and she drives to High Point Regional Hospital every Wednesday at noon, working until 4:30 pm. Then she returns on Fridays to work from 8-12:30, again on Saturdays, working from 8-2:00, and most Sundays, working from 8-4:30. She has done this for 20 years, adding up lots of volunteer hours. Mom loves working in her yard, but does that now during limited time periods. She's such a sweet and giving woman. All of her nieces, nephews and cousins love her dearly. So do I!

Dad amazes me with his memory of many years ago. There's a lot to remember during 90 years! And can Dad tell a joke! How he remembers all the ones that he knows is amazing also. Dad struggles to be patient sometimes, but he has greatly improved in controlling his anger. But Dad also has a huge heart and cares about others. I know that if I needed help, Dad would give what he could, his last dime to me. Dad has been completely blind now for 15+ years. He is completely dependent upon others to help him. Although, he can still take care of his personal needs. Mom is his caretaker and does a great job in providing his food and other needs.

Mom and Dad have health issues that they have dealt with for numerous years. Mom has to take numerous medicines and Dad has some of his own. There are episodes when neither Mom nor Dad are healthy. But through the love of God, they usually recover. At this time, Mom is feeling pretty good. Dad is dealing with COPD problems and a cancerous lung tumor. He has completed 20 radiation treatments, probably all that he could withstand. Surgery and chemotherapy were ruled out as treatment possibilities due to his age. Dad's doctor stated that we are striving to keep the tumor from growing, hoping that the radiation treatments might reduce its size. Dad's COPD problems cause him more discomfort than this tumor. He is very fatigued from the radiation. He was a weak, fragile man before the treatments. We know that it will be months before he will regain his strength. But we are there to love him and take care of him, doing whatever it takes. The same goes for Mom. I go with her to doctor appointments so that we know what is going on with her health.

Thank you God for Mom and Dad, or as their grandchildren call them, Mamaw and Papaw. We all love you both very much!