Mamaw

On June 14 we lost a wonderful lady. Matt's Mamaw, Cleo Jane Snider Staton, passed away. We already greatly miss her. Papaw passed away in February, but we thought that we would have at least a few more years with Mamaw and we were very saddened when she had her stroke.

Mamaw was one of the most loving people that we knew. She greatly loved her grandchildren and especially her great grandchildren. But her love also extended to everyone in the community. She volunteered at High Point Regional Hospital for twenty years, becoming the longest tenured volunteer there. She was well known to the local pastors, florists, and doctors who routinely visited the hospital. At her funeral, about thirty of her fellow volunteers attended. That followed a night where we received visitors at the funeral home for two solid hours, at one point the line extended out of the funeral home door.

Mamaw was always full of life and always busy. Besides volunteering, she also knit baby caps for the hospital and babysat occasionally at a local church.

Mamaw was an incredible cook and her desserts were always the best at the event. I will always miss her iced tea and dinner at her house.

I got to visit with Mamaw twice in May and June and will cherish those memories forever. I can remember Christmases at her house where we would always have lime sherbet punch and I remember the times we stayed over at her house. She would have on TNN because she loved country and gospel music. I will always cherish our conversations where she would talk about her life growing up on a farm and her first job making a dime a week. She worked for many long years in a textile factory, but she was able to save up enough money so that she and Papaw lived comfortably.

This picture was some of her last time with Turner on Easter Sunday. I am sad that Turner will not get to know her like we did, but I know that it gave her great joy to visit with him. We will miss our Mamaw and just hope that we can love those around us like she did.

Jockey's Ridge

During the Nags Head visit, the Yangs and Boones climbed Jockey's Ridge. What had been an inviting landscape quickly turned into a nightmare.

At the bottom, things seemed great. The families smiling and posing with the yellow dunes in the background.

See young Turner enjoying himself at the start of the journey with little idea of what lay ahead.

Here's Ty skipping up the dune with his mom.

But as we neared the top, things quickly became more ominous.

Dark thunderheads rolled overhead, threatening the two families.

Wind ripped at our clothes, picking up sand particles and stinging our legs. Flashes of white lightning stabbed into the sound behind us.

Fortunately, Turner had prepared for the worst and carried us all to safety on his hang glider.

If not for Turner's foresight and incredible courage, we might still be on Jockey's Ridge.

Elizabethan Gardens

Continuing on with our exploration of the family vacation in Nags Head, NC that happened over two weeks ago now, we took a day to visit the Elizabethan Gardens in Manteo. They are located near the site of the Lost Colony and are dedicated to the individuals that disappeared from there.

The gardens are named after (can you guess?) Queen Elizabeth I. (pictured above)

Attending on the trip were Poppop (an avid gardener), mommy, Turner, and daddy.

Turner just enjoyed the time outside.

Statue of Virginia Dare, the first English child born in the Western Hemisphere.

Part of the gardens is arranged in an Italian style.

The view of the sound from the gardens. The coastline on Roanoke Island has very little beach and vegetation comes right down to the waterline.

This tree is supposedly old enough to have been alive when the first two colonies were established.

Statuary.

After a morning at the gardens, we went for a big seafood lunch. Turner prefers his oysters with a little hot sauce.

Beach Bums

This was the view from the front porch of our house on Nags Head. Nothing but blue water until you hit Europe.

Turner enjoyed a little time with cousin Bailey. They liked stealing toys from each other and bopping each other on the head. Hopefully Turner picked up a few crawling tips from Bailey.

Aunt Lauren looking glamorous poolside.

Uncle Zach understandably confused.

Uncle Nathan and Bailey going for a swim.

Ty terrorizing the pool goers.

K and Riley posing before their show...

As beautiful mermaids.

Here's Riley and Papa experiencing the frigid mid-Atlantic.

And Poppop and David discussing important matters on the front deck.

Turner's pool party

Turner in the baby pool at Nags Head from Matt Boone on Vimeo.

Turner takes Nags Head

The first week of June, the Boone's crashed Nags Head, NC along with the Vasbinder and Yang families. The house was across the street from the beach and included a pool. Turner loved lounging in the pool...

And falling in.

His time with Grams and Papa were a lot of fun. Turner loves his grandparents.

Turner and Papa at the seashore.

With daddy. The T-man wasnt too keen on the ocean. At first he didn't like the noise and the motion of the waves, but he ended up getting used to that. What he really hated was when we dipped his feet in the cold water!

And with mommy. He discovered the sand immediately although we were happy that he didn't eat any.

He ended up really liking moving the sand around and making sure that plenty of it got on the blanket.

He really had a great time (once he got used to the sleeping arrangements) and we enjoyed having a whole week with just Turner and no work!

Outdoor fun

Turner enjoys being in the backyard. He likes to pull up the grass around him although he doesnt like it touching his feet. And of course the blanket is always fascinating.

After a long day of playing, it's time for some sleep. He is much better sleeping now than he used to be. He can generally get through the night without waking more than once or twice, but he is ready to go at 4:30AM. Mom and dad are still adjusting to that wake up call.