MKTC

Boys in Motion

2010-10-16T21:00:00.003-04:00

Life is good at our house. Mason is growing and learning new tricks like laughing and watching his hands.

Mason and Mommy from Matt Boone on Vimeo.

Meanwhile, Turner is being indoctrinated.

Turner chop from Matt Boone on Vimeo.

Mason and Turner Update

2010-09-02T20:32:00.004-04:00

Turner loves holding his little brother. And throwing things at him too.

Mason after a big meal.

Mason loves to watch what is going on around him now.

He is also a much better sleeper than his brother ever was.

The dining room is now Turner's play room since he has left preschool and has a new nanny!

Mason kicks and kicks.

Turner does love his little brother when he's not throwing things at him.

Mason started smiling not long ago.

Both boys are doing great.

And mommy too!

Mason David Boone

2010-06-28T16:47:00.001-04:00

We would like to introduce Mason David Boone. He was born at 3:54 PM on June 27. Both he and mom are doing great. He weighed 6lb 11oz and was 19" long. So far he enjoys sleeping, eating, and long walks on the beach.

One of Mason's first looks at the world.

Happy Mom and Dad.

Happy Grams and PaPa.

Happy Gran and Grandad.

Happy baby!

Our happy news!

2010-03-02T20:40:00.006-05:00

For those of you who haven't heard, K is pregnant with our second baby boy! We have a lot of preparing to do, but we are excited to meet Turner's little brother in July.

A couple of pics of the little peanut.

And Turner's happy response...at least until he figures out what is really going on.

Turner's skills

2010-01-29T20:47:00.002-05:00

Turner's impressions from Matt Boone on Vimeo.

Turner has developed some impressive skills including impressions and reading.

Turner reading 1 from Matt Boone on Vimeo.

Turner reading 2 from Matt Boone on Vimeo.

More Christmas

2010-01-12T20:02:00.004-05:00

We celebrated several different Christmases this year and the first was the weekend before Christmas at the beach. We met the Boones at Carolina Beach and stayed at the same beachhouse that we occupied last January. Meal time around the big table with all of the family was fun.

At least Cyrus thought it was fun.

Turner just wanted to get at his presents.

Uncle Adam was happy to hand them out and happier that one of the largest ones turned out to be his.

Family on the couch. Maddox just opened his gift of fresh mackerel.

Turner studying.

Addi and her dad.

It was very cold but the waves were terrific.

The day after Christmas was spent with the Vasbinders. Bailey was highly mobile.

Nealy loved her stocking.

Mommy hood.

The Yangs and their stockings.

The big hit were the chairs for Turner and Bailey. We were very blessed to spend Christmas with so much family.

Christmas morning

2010-01-03T20:00:00.004-05:00

Here's a bunch of photos from Christmas morning. Starting out with the stocking which contained some small trains, spoons, and sippy cups.

After a nap, Grams and PaPa came over. Turner hasn't noticed the toys under the tree yet.

Now he has.

And the truck was the first one he went for.

The basketball was second.

And then the rest.

Grams and PaPa enjoyed their gifts too.

Christmas with Turner

2009-12-29T19:56:00.002-05:00

Turner got so many great Christmas gifts that he hasn't touched an old toy in days now. Here are some videos from Christmas Day.

Turner's Chrismas truck from Matt Boone on Vimeo.

This is the first thing that Turner ran to on Christmas morning, a new monster truck. He woke up early as usual and went through his stocking but then wanted another nap, which was fine because the larger gifts didn't come out until his grandparents arrived at 8.

Turner's new Christmas ball from Matt Boone on Vimeo.

He has been holding this ball over his head and then letting it hit his noggin. We think that he is trying to shoot the ball but hasn't quite figured it out yet.

Turner rocking on Christmas from Matt Boone on Vimeo.

He likes rocking with his new guitar.

Turner's Christmas puzzle from Matt Boone on Vimeo.

He got a couple of puzzles that he has had fun with.

Untitled from Matt Boone on Vimeo.
Here he is opening one of those puzzles.

Turner's Christmas lawn mower from Matt Boone on Vimeo.

And here's the lawn mower that Gran and Grandad gave him.
We had a great time with him over the course of three family Christmases!

Halloween featuring The Man of Steel

2009-11-11T20:34:00.005-05:00

Turner had a great time on Halloween. Introducting The Man of Steel. The T-man enjoyed his cape many days before Halloween.

Superman and his trusty sidekick, Krypto.

Even Superman needs a snack every now and then.

Superman and his Grams, presumably either somewhere on Krypton or in Durham.

Our visit to the pumpkin patch was entertaining.

Turner was amazed by the Indian corn for sale.

He had a hard time picking out just the right one.

But this is how it turned out. It's a kitty cat!

Here Mommy teaches Superman how to fly.

Superman and family. The Yangs and theVasbinders came over for the big evening.

Superman and his father, Jor-El, well known for his love of the Panthers.

It's Jon and Kate! If anyone could get them back together, it would be Superman.

The Man of Steel on his trike.

These people handed out all of our candy.

Bailey and Turner in the wagon and Riley and Ty behind.

This kryptonite snack necessitated Superman's ride around the neighborhood in a little green wagon.

Birthday videos

2009-10-28T21:24:00.002-04:00

Turner opening presents...

Turner opening presents from Matt Boone on Vimeo.

And eating cupcake.

Happy birthday Turner! from Matt Boone on Vimeo.

Turner's Birthday!

2009-10-21T20:37:00.005-04:00

Our little boy turned one on September 23! We celebrated with friends and family in Apex on September 19.

Turner had the perfect outfit for the occasion.

All in the ballpit!

The T-man really enjoyed all of the wrapping paper and boxes. Much more so than the toys.

Intense concentration was needed for this toy.

We had cupcakes to celebrate.

And Turner plowed through his. It was a very fun day for our special boy!

Haircut

2009-10-19T20:44:00.005-04:00

In early September, the little man was getting a little shaggy and was mistaken for a girl twice. So we decided to do something about it. We took Turner to Daddy's barber shop where Mommy was the only woman that has been in the shop in three years.

Turner didn't really care for the experience but the barber did a good job as Turner swiveled his head back and forth.

The barber only snipped off one ear.

In the end the T-man looked like a little boy again and we were unashamed to take him out in polite company.

Zoo trip

2009-10-19T20:25:00.004-04:00

On September 3, Mom, Dad, and Turner went to the Asheboro zoo where every animal was a dog dog! Here we are entering the park. T-man really liked the view from mom and dad's shoulders.

We enjoyed watching the seals...
And pushing our stroller around the rhino exhibit.
And the giraffes kept us entranced. The monkey cages were all full so Turner B ended up coming home with us.

Daddy's proudest moment

2009-09-14T20:33:00.001-04:00

Turner and daddy share a favorite baseball team. Daddy is so proud! We are working on the chant.

Tomahawk Chop from Matt Boone on Vimeo.

Bath time

2009-09-14T20:32:00.002-04:00

Turner loves bath time. He splashes and plays with tub toys. And tries to drink all of the water. This video is from a month or so ago.

Turner's bathtime from Matt Boone on Vimeo.

Hi Ho Silver!

2009-09-14T20:25:00.002-04:00

A couple of weeks ago Turner's daycare brought in ponies for the kids to ride. As you can see, mommy enjoyed it much more than Turner did.

Rug Rat

2009-08-30T20:30:00.005-04:00

We spend a lot of time playing in the living room with Turner. Here's a chance to see some of the fun things that we do.

We like to play with wrapping paper tubes.

And upside down.

Wrestle with Dad.

Try on some shoes.

Hide out in the exersaucer.

Play with our activity table.

Adjust the blinds.

Lock out mommy and Chloe.

Smoke a pipe.

Read a book.

Ride Dad's shoulders.

Open boxes.

Kiss on Chloe.

And finally vacuum it all up at the end of the day!

It's Alive!

2009-08-25T21:29:00.002-04:00

A little over a week ago, Turner reached a major milestone. He started walking!

Turner walking 090818 from Matt Boone on Vimeo.

He now staggers all over the house and gets better at it every day. We have a great idea for his Halloween costume. It involves green body paint and a flat head.

Turner walking from Matt Boone on Vimeo.

Summer time

2009-07-30T20:42:00.005-04:00

With summer in full swing, Turner always finds fun ways to fill up the time. In order to be like Turner, you have to start by getting up early. Verrrry early. Let's say 4 AM.
Now, after your morning coffee and shower you have lots of options.

You can hang out with Grams at what was apparently a luau.

You can play with Doggie (or at least the animal that you know as "Doggie").

You can invite some buds over and hang out in the pool. This is Turner's friend Owen. You can go for a swing in the park.

And then at the end of the day you have had so much fun that you just collapse on dad. Make sure you collapse by 7PM so you are ready for that 4AM start the next day!

Turner's dance

2009-07-28T20:28:00.001-04:00

Turner has learned how to be really loud and also how to enjoy the rhythm of a song. Here he puts the two together.

Turner's dance from Matt Boone on Vimeo.

Mommy and Daddy's trip

2009-07-28T20:09:00.004-04:00

I know that all you want to see are Turner pictures, but you are going to have to suffer through this one anyway.

In late June, K and M got away from Turner (Chloe turns out to be a great babysitter) and went to Atlanta. K had some work to do but M played the whole time. We also celebrated our anniversary with a couple of expensive dinners, a day at Six Flags, and baseball! We saw Civil War earthworks. These are part of Fort Walker which was the southeastern corner of the ring of trenches around Atlanta.

We saw the Atlanta Cyclorama.
And baseball! M got to see two games but K just the second one. We saw the Yankees and the Red Sox both beat the Braves.
Chipper!
McCann!
Oh, the fun (and sleep) that we had!

Turner Cart Man

2009-07-27T21:05:00.002-04:00

Turner picked up a new trick over the weekend. His Aunt Lauren and cousin Bailey taught it to him while mom and dad's backs were turned (at Ikea).

Turner and Cart 3 from Matt Boone on Vimeo.

He was pulling himself up all over the place but we had not seen him take a step until we got back to Lauren's house on Friday and he was pushing around Bailey's cart.

Turner and Cart 2 from Matt Boone on Vimeo.

One day we are going to get a reverse gear installed on that thing.

Turner and Cart 1 from Matt Boone on Vimeo.

Turner and Chloe and Mommy

2009-07-24T09:43:00.002-04:00

I apologize for not updating in so long. I hope to have several entries up over the course of the next week. Here is a video to start off with.

Turner loves playing on the living room floor with Chloe and his mom.

Turner, Mommy, and Chloe playing from Matt Boone on Vimeo.

Mamaw

2009-06-20T17:20:00.003-04:00

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

2009-06-20T16:53:00.004-04:00

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

2009-06-20T16:29:00.004-04:00

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

2009-06-14T20:24:00.004-04:00

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

2009-06-14T20:16:00.001-04:00

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

Turner takes Nags Head

2009-06-14T19:32:00.005-04:00

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

2009-06-14T19:07:00.002-04:00

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.

Cyrus Robert Depp

2009-05-19T21:31:00.003-04:00

On May 17, Matt's sister Jenny had her third baby, Cyrus Robert DeppHe weighed 9 lb and 1 oz and was 20 in long. As you can see he has lots of dark hair and he and mom are recovering well. Turner is excited to have his sixth cousin!

Big sister Addi with Cyrus.

Big brother Maddox with Cyrus. The kids have been really good with the baby. Addi has been very helpful with getting things for him and Maddox enjoys holding him. Maddox has said that he will help feed Cyrus toast!

Fun with an eight month old

2009-05-19T21:28:00.002-04:00

Turner has started developing a personality as you can see in these videos. The first is his first experience with a graham cracker at our house.

Turner eating graham crackers from Matt Boone on Vimeo.

The next video is Turner after a big meal. Clapping is one of his new favorite activities.

Turner after a meal from Matt Boone on Vimeo.

Mother's Day

2009-05-19T21:20:00.002-04:00

On Mother's Day we went to church and then celebrated with the Vasbinder family for lunch.Grams got some good Turner time.
Mommy really like the Plantstick and hummingbird feeder that she got from little T.

On Wednesday, Gran and Grandad came by to say goodbye to Turner for a little while as they both were heading out that evening to see Jenny and family in Turkey!
Turner was bummed that they were leaving and decided that passive resistance was the way to keep them there.

Easter

2009-04-18T14:08:00.004-04:00

Turner awoke Easter morning to gifts from the Easter bunny!He really liked his sunglasses and his parents really liked the candy that the Easter bunny left that Turner can't eat yet. He also got some bubbles, a sippy cup, and a teething toy. He is really too cool.

We surprised Gran by showing up for church in Greensboro and she carried him right to the front for the children's sermon. After church, we went to Aunt Marilyn's for lunch.

Uncle Adam was also there.

Let's see that again.

Turner became the star of the show.

Katie, Jay, Melissa, and Adam enjoying the show.

Turner especially likes sitting on his Mamaw's lap!

Happy Easter everyone!

Chloe's pasttime

2009-04-18T14:00:00.002-04:00

Chloe has taken on some new pursuits. We hung a birdfeeder this spring that K's sister Lauren gave us.Chloe at first enjoyed just watching the birds flit around. Then she started watching them from hidden positions so that she could then spring out and ambush them.

When she didnt have much success catching the birds, she decided to just eat whatever bird seed fell to the ground from the feeder.

Turner update

2009-04-18T13:26:00.005-04:00

Turner continues to grow and learn new activities to keep K and I entertained.He likes to play peek-a-boo now by pulling a blanket off his head and waiting for us to laugh and act surprised.

He also enjoys taking walks with us. You can see his new Savannah Sand Gnats cap that K's co-worker Sandy gave him. This picture is from before the walk.

And this one from after the walk.

Turner's cousin Bailey came to hang out for a little while.

Turner enjoyed helping Mommy plant her new garden and flower beds.

We are looking forward to lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, dill, basil, cucumbers, and peppers this summer.

Here is what Turner contributes while Mommy works in the garden.

And he still loves mealtime. His latest favorite is peaches.

Turner pics

2009-03-22T10:51:00.003-04:00

Turner keeps growing and learning new tricks. Here are some random pics for your Turner fix.

Kristen's Wildlife

2009-03-22T10:30:00.007-04:00

Kristen has been enjoying the wildlife of the Friendly Farms. This is her hawk.A deer hanging out in the backyard.

Deer in backyard from Matt Boone on Vimeo.

And a rabid wolf

Applesauce

2009-03-22T09:42:00.006-04:00

Turner has been trying new foods all this month. His favorite so far seems to be peas but he also loves sweet potatoes and pears. He also still likes oatmeal, bananas, and squash. He is not too excited about rice or avocado, but applesauce, he absolutely hates. The video was taken of his first bites of applesauce.

Turner's first applesauce from Matt Boone on Vimeo.

Papaw

2009-02-27T21:11:00.005-05:00

Papaw (Matt's grandfather), James Truman Staton, passed away on February 20. He is greatly missed. Papaw had been fighting multiple ailments for a while and the family was able to say goodbye without him suffering for too long a time. K and I were able to see and speak with him about a week before he passed away.

Papaw had a way of telling the most entertaining stories with lots of details and he also told great jokes. He loved his grandchildren and great grandchildren very much.

The last time we spoke to him, he was in the hospital and had lost lots of weight. He was moved into a hospice home in High Point shortly thereafter, but was only there for three days. On our last visit we really enjoyed listening to him tell us about his baseball playing days including the time he had his bat loaded with lead!

I can remember staying at Papaw's when I was little and how much he enjoyed giving us hugs and kisses ("sugar"). I can remember him sitting out on the front porch and watching us play. I also remember him working in the yard and gardens that they had. He always loved to make us laugh.

Papaw lost his sight in his later years and I always felt like I had an important job when I was leading him around. He also took up the harmonica again and was very good at playing songs he remembered from his youth. He always wanted to know more about my bass playing.

Turner didn't get much time with Papaw, but I will always think that Papaw hung on as long as he did in part to get to hold Turner. I hope these pictures will convey to Turner one day the love that Papaw had for him.

Papaw will be missed but we believe that he can now breathe with clear lungs, walk without help, throw a baseball again, and see the glory of God with new eyes.

February Turner Report

2009-02-27T20:45:00.004-05:00

February went by too quickly. Here are the Turner highlights.
The most exciting development was Turner's baptism on February 22. I dont have the pictures from the church yet, but will post them when I do. He got sprinkled with water by Pastor Yount (who also baptized K and married us too) and only started yelling when it was about over. We had lots of family at the church and then lots more at the house afterward. Turner and Bailey hanging out at the invitation only baptism after party. Turner has learned how to sit up...
For about five seconds at a time. Cousin Riley on the left is amused.

Aunt Deon holds the newest saint.

Ty had a lot of fun with his Papa and our front door.

This is one of K's favorite Turner activities.

Turner ready for the elements and any random typhoons.

Turner has really gotten the hang of eating the solid food that we have been feeding him and seems to especially enjoy sweet potatoes.

Silly Turner Tricks

2009-02-27T20:31:00.002-05:00

Turner napping

2009-01-25T18:03:00.002-05:00

This is Turner taking a nap. This is typical.

Turner Picture Show

2009-01-25T17:21:00.003-05:00

Turner laughs more and more now. He especially likes to be sneezed at or surprised.

Turner sightings

2009-01-25T14:05:00.004-05:00

Since it's been a while since the last update, here are some pictures of Turner to enjoy. Take a look at the next three posts too for more Turner updates (some Chloe one's too!).
In his swing.

With mommy.

Turner in his new jump around. He has a little growing to do before fulling enjoying this one.

With Gran. Gran likes to visit while daddy and Grandad suffer through NC State games together.

Turner enjoying his exersaucer.

He seems to like being read to. Dr Seuss is his favorite.

Turner says good night and good luck.

Turner tries oatmeal for the first time in this video shot yesterday (1/24/09). He really seemed to like it. We had tried rice cereal with him earlier in the week and he didn't want much more after the first serving.

This was the end result of the oatmeal experiment.

The Great Apex Blizzard of '09

2009-01-25T13:47:00.006-05:00

Apex was remade into a winter wonderland a few days ago.

The same day of the snow, the Depps were scheduled to fly out of Raleigh to start the treck back home. They stopped by in Apex for dinner and to say goodbye.

Addi and Maddox thought that Turner's toys were more entertaining than anything, but K and I had a good time wrestling and playing with them later on.

Addi loving her Grandad. The Depps made it safely back overseas. K and I did not go to the airport which made it a little easier to say goodbye.

Chloe consoled herself by eating up all of the snow and by the second day the backyard was cleared. She really enjoyed romping around in it.

Beach trip

2009-01-25T13:16:00.006-05:00

In mid January we visited Carolina Beach. It was a request made by the Depps since they had been away for so long.The usual suspects attended. Maddox, Addi, and Matt... Adam and Melissa...

Kristen and Grandad (Gran was somewhere too!)...

And Jenny, five months pregnant by now.

One of the highlights was visiting the NC Aquarium with the kids.

Addi decided to watch us instead of the fish feeding demonstration.

Maddox becoming a fan of calimari.

Addi as a hermit crab.

Even Turner had a big time.

The Russian kids enjoyed the mid January ocean. Actually none of us, including their parents could believe how they took their shoes off and hopped right in.

Maddox eventually had to remove his pants.

Addi has really turned into a beautiful little girl and had a ball playing with Turner.

Turner's first stroll on the beach.

We wished that we could have spent more time, but it was fun just seeing each other and having nothing to do!

A boy and his play mat

2009-01-25T12:51:00.003-05:00

Turner continues to enjoy his playmat and has learned how to manipulate a lot of the toys that hang from it.

Chloe decided it was time that she got some use out of it as well.

Merry Vasbinder Christmas

2009-01-04T11:39:00.006-05:00

Due to disease, the Vasbinders delayed the family Christmas until New Year's Day. Turner had some bonding time with his cousin Bailey.

Bailey is a month older and a little bigger than Turner at this point. She also enjoys sleeping which is another key difference.

Of course Grams loaded up all of the grandchildren with presents. Riley's favorite was a jewelry armoire.

Ty's favorite was this guitar.

Aunt Kristen and Uncle Matt got Ty a golf set.

But you see who ended up playing with it.

Turner with Aunt Lauren.

Pop pop, Nealy, and Zach all participated in the revelry.
Mealtimes at the Vasbinder's always involve some kind of paper crowns. Trips to Burger King are highly anticipated events.
Bailey is still wondering what's going on.

Everybody had a great time.

Christmas Day

2008-12-31T14:18:00.006-05:00

Christmas Day was spent at Gran's house and at Uncle Sherman's. Addi, Maddox, and Turner all had to rent trucks to get their presents home.

Addi and Turner.

Addi practicing her long jump skills.
At Sherman's, Turner got to see his Mamaw and Gladys Ann.

Maddox and Grandad.

Jenny and Turner.

Kristen and Sherri.

Addi enjoyed helping Mamaw open her presents.

Maddox just enjoyed showing his presents to Mamaw and Papaw.

Sherman and Gran with Addi.

Christmas Morning

2008-12-31T10:24:00.004-05:00

We were all up bright and early on Christmas morning. More because Turner was hungry than for any anticipation of opening gifts.

Santa was good. And he liked the cookies that Turner left for him.

Turner's big gift from Santa was a Bumbo seat that he hasn't fully enjoyed so far.

Chloe's Christmas treat.

Daddy's Christmas treat.

Chloe enjoyed opening Mom and Dad's presents.

Christmas Eve

2008-12-31T10:09:00.002-05:00

Turner was pretty torqued about Santa's eminent arrival on Christmas Eve.

Russian Invasion

2008-12-31T09:39:00.005-05:00

On December 23, Turner greeted his two cousins from Russia, Addi and Maddox, and met his Aunt Jenny and Uncle Matt for the first time! The Russians are in the States through the end of January and will be touring the east coast during that time visiting friends and family.

Turner and family greeted the Depp family at the airport in Raleigh. Gran, Grandad, Mom, Dad, and Uncle Adam were all there. It was fun to see the kids instantly recognize their grandparents even though they are so young and don't get to see them very much. Watching Addi immediately run into her Gran's arms was really great.

We went from the airport to the Boone homestead for American style pizza (requested by the Depps) and brownies. Matt and Jenny got their first chance to hold Turner and fed him a bottle.

Addi and Maddox had a lot of energy to burn even though they had just been on a six hour airplane ride.

Addi enjoyed pretending to be Chloe.

Maddox doing the twist.

Maddox playing on Turner's mat.

Addi also enjoyed the stairs. We cant wait to spend some more time with them over the next few weeks.

Turner's starring role

2008-12-19T17:14:00.004-05:00

For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:11
Below you see the Holy family as they appeared in Raleigh in 2008. Note the Holy Baby Seat that bore Jesus on donkey back from Bethlehem to Nazareth and Ye Holy Pacifier in the babe's mouth.
We were asked to help in a church production for Christmas, and since we had a young baby, guess who we were asked to play. Turner played his part perfectly. Actually the young children that were in attendance really had a good time as several church members took part in acting out the story of the first Christmas.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2008-12-19T16:41:00.004-05:00

Christmas has arrived in Apex.

Behold our festive greenery.

Welcome to the Boone estate.

The holly bushes with their red berries create a holiday atmosphere. Oh bring us some figgy pudding.

Visions of sugar plums.

We have a little elf infestation at our house.

Think Santa will visit this year? We arent too sure yet!

Chloe's troubles

2008-12-19T16:15:00.005-05:00

We recently had a big scare with poor little Chloe. As many of you know, she has severe epilepsy and will have major seizures every two to three weeks that will last several days. Typically we have been able to medicate her and pull her out of the seizure cycle. This past Friday she began to have a grand mal seizure which for her normally consists of two large seizures and a recovery time. Except this time, she kept having the larger seizures. We finally administered some valium to her that stopped the immediate seizures but over the next few days she kept having them and we couldnt break the cycle. We finally ran out of valium and didnt want to give her any more phenobarbitol and on Sunday she had seizure after seizure to the point where we needed to take her to the emergency room. By that time the seizures and the medicine had affected her so badly that she could barely move. But we got her in the car and to the emergency room where they took some blood samples and administered more medicine by IV. She stayed there overnight and only had one more seizure. We brought her home Monday morning and for two days she didnt move very much but on Tuesday afternoon we got her outside and she was able to walk around which always seems to be the best medicine for her. We were very frightened that once the medicine wore off she would start the grand mal seizures again, but we have been fortunate in that she has gotten back to her old self. She is feeling so well in fact that she is once again on the prowl for squirrels, strangers, and young boys. We don't know how much longer Chloe will be with us but we are happy for all the extra time we can get!

Some of Turner's favorite things

2008-12-19T15:55:00.004-05:00

Turner has several items that he loves to look and smile at and to play with.

Turner really loves his magic swing. It helps him sleep multiple times a day.

Turner entertains himself for long periods of time with his playmat.
This is Mister Fan, Turner's best friend. Turner likes to flirt with Mister Fan.
And Turner's favorite thing in the whole world is his beautiful mom!

A Very Turner Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T20:04:00.006-05:00

Turner and his Mom and Dad enjoyed time with family over the Thanksgiving weekend. On Thursday, Turner got all dressed up to celebrate.

Lunch was in Gibsonville with the Boone side of the family. On the couch are cousins Jodie and Katie with Mom keeping a watchful eye in the background.

Uncle Adam even made an appearance, coming down off the mountain for a couple of days.

Turner likes to pretend he's flying sometimes at family events.

Later that evening, the Morris family gathered at Grams and Papa's house. Turner wasn't in the best of moods and declined to have his picture taken.

On Friday evening, we returned to the Vasbinder house for hotdogs and s'mores over the fire pit. The Yangs were in town for the weekend and Turner enjoyed in depth conversations with his cousins.
Riley and Turner exploring the philosophical underpinnings of High School Musical 3.
Ty zipping by.
Ty thinks his Papa is number 1.
Saturday night it was the Staton family's turn to get together for Thanksgiving. Turner spent time with his Mamaw, his Gran, and his Gladys Ann.

He also enjoyed seeing his Granpa, Aunt Sandy, Cousin Sherri, Uncle Sherman, and Rick.
And even though he didn't cooperate for long, he did spend some time with his Papaw!

Thanksgiving is always a fun time with the family even with Mister Turner in a bad mood.

Turner Reload

2008-11-30T19:22:00.004-05:00

Just to catch you up on some recent Turner activity.

Here's Turner and Dad watching some football together. Turner was thrilled with the Pack's big wins over UNC and Miami!

Turner got to spend some time with his Gran and Granpa who came by for dinner and then went on to a ballgame.

Turner and Grandpa.

Gran got to feed Turner a bottle.

And last Sunday, Mom and Dad left Turner with Grams and Papa (for the first time) and went to see the new James Bond movie. A good time was had by all.

And it's true that Mom and Dad like to show off the Z whenever possible.

Buddies

2008-11-16T19:40:00.001-05:00

Turner's New Trick

2008-11-16T19:30:00.002-05:00

Turner's Excellent Week

2008-11-09T19:30:00.006-05:00

Lots going on in Turner World this week. It started with lots of candy on Halloween...none of which he could eat.

Turner invited over his good friend Caleb (along with his mom Sabrina) for the evening.

Unfortunately the scary decorations didn't actual scare away any kids, so we had to give away most of our candy.

On Saturday, Turner attended the Cary Band Day parade with his parents. The banging drums, clashing cymbals, and Elvis impersonators didn't phase him as he slept through most of the parade, until he was hungry.

Gran and Granpa came by on Wednesday for a visit and dinner at the Longhorn. For full coverage, see http://maboone.blogspot.com/ .

Thursday, mom's friend Kelly arrived to help out over the weekend. Kelly has two young ones of her own (see them here: http://brookswildkingdom.blogspot.com/) and she had lots of great ideas including the instant sleep swing.

Finally on Sunday, Grams came by to say hello.

Turner decided to show off a little bit by actually picking up his stuffed monkey unassisted. Even Chloe was impressed.

Beat that Chloe!

It's starting to get a little spooky...

2008-10-29T20:59:00.006-04:00

From the depths of the Boone family graveyard...

The dead shall arise in their grave clothes...

Flocked by carrion fowl...

Accompanied by the baying of the Hounds of Hades...
And on All Hallows' Eve, the feared Great Pumpkin shall arise!

Dont get scared!Happy Halloween!

Fun in Concord

2008-10-29T20:38:00.004-04:00

Turner and his mother visited her sister Lauren and Turner's cousins this past Monday in Concord. Turner has three cousins in Concord, Riley, Ty, and Bailey. Bailey, on the left, was born almost exactly one month before Turner. He is starting to catch up with her in size although she still is a little longer.

Turner has caught her in hat size though.Riley and Ty like to participate in Concord's most popular sport!

Turner's Big Adventure

2008-10-19T21:14:00.007-04:00

Turner has had a week of firsts. He took his first bottle and sucked it down like a champ. Then he went on his first roadtrip where he met several relatives for the first time and even attended his first wedding (congratulations to Della and Buddy!).

Here's Turner getting all shined up for his road trip.
Turner took his first bottle in stride but gave some strange looks to the person feeding him.
The first road trip was to, appropriately enough, Boone, NC. On Friday night, Turner got to meet his Uncle Adam for the first time.

And he met Adam's girlfriend Melissa.

Here's Melissa holding her dog Kiya, who also attended the Turner soiree.

Here's Turner enjoying some Japanese food on Friday night. He loves teriyaki steak.
On Saturday we attended a wedding at a small church in the mountains. Kristen's friend Della got married that morning and then had a great reception complete with a bluegrass band and barbecue. Turner showed up dressed to the nines. He was really good during the ceremony and reception, barely making a peep.

These are Turner's boogie shoes.

On Saturday evening, we stopped in Trinity to see some family. This is Great Aunt Sandy holding the boy.

Gladys Ann also attended and participated.

But all Turner really wanted to do was see his Papaw...

And his Mamaw...And his Gran and Grandad (not pictured).
When it was all over, Matt and Kristen were exhausted but glad to have had the experience. Kristen was especially glad to have seen her friend Della happily married (and on her way to Belize)! Turner just wanted to kick back with a plate of his favorite baked good.

Turner at three weeks

2008-10-12T12:51:00.004-04:00

This coming Tuesday, Turner turns three weeks old. These weeks have gone by very fast and very slow at the same time. Everyone is still healthy. Turner is still trying to establish a schedule of when he wants to eat and when he wants to sleep. He is putting on weight quickly now and it shows in these pictures.

Turner sleeping and Kristen trying to. It doesnt happen often lately.

Turner's favorite outfit.
Turner lounging in his version of the barcalounger.

Turner taking it easy after a tough day.

Turner doing his running man imitation.Our perfect little boy.

Turner Live

2008-10-02T14:22:00.000-04:00

Some recent video of Turner wide awake.

Kristen's sister Lauren came to visit us with her one month old Bailey. Here she is holding her new nephew!

Turner Time

2008-10-02T13:32:00.000-04:00

We celebrated Turner's one week old birthday this week by having over some friends and eating apple pie. Turner opted out of the pie and still insists on maintaining his liquid diet.

Turner seems to have overcome some early jaundice and is putting on weight quickly now. We can see his face starting to fill out. K is recovering well and we both are trying to get a little sleep here and there.

With that said, it's now time for another round of "Who is holding Turner?"

If you guessed Uncle Zach, you were right! Also pictured are Aunt Deahn and Nealy.
That's right! Now holding Turner is his Gran and Granpa (Matt's parents)!
This one is a favorite. That's Mamaw holding Turner (Matt's grandmother).

Another long time contestant, pictured here is Poppop (Kristen's grandfather) with Gran in the background.

Here we see the Boone/Staton family with Papaw taking the lead!

And finally the bonus round. Here we have Grams holding Turner and Papa holding Turner's cousin, Bailey. Bailey is a month older and two pounds heavier than Turner. Grams and Papa moonlight as Kristen's parents.

Introducing Turner Kail Boone

2008-09-26T19:38:00.000-04:00

Cornbread has finally arrived!

Turner was born on September 23 at 2:38 in the afternoon. He weighed 6 lbs and 6 oz and was 19" long. Both he and his mother came through the labor process very well and are happy and healthy.

We spent a couple of days in the hospital and of course had lots of family come by.

Turner in the arms of Poppop. Turner really likes his pacifier.

Turner at three days old.

Mom and baby recovering the day after delivery.

We were all able to return home on Thursday and have been resting and staying up nights since!

The nursery

2008-09-17T18:01:00.003-04:00

This is the big unveiling of our newly finished nursery. We are only three weeks away from the big event and now his room is ready. K's doctor visit this week was again encouraging. Everybody is healthy, but there is no activity to indicate that the baby is coming yet. My guess is that we will have to wait at least the full three weeks. (K doesnt want to hear that!)

The house exterior

2008-09-17T18:01:00.002-04:00

Continuing on with our new-ish house:

Here's the front

This is the garage. I am proud of the fact that I built the workbench, pegboard, and shelving that you see.And finally, here's the backyard.

The house

2008-09-17T18:01:00.001-04:00

I had a request to put up some pictures of the house that we moved into in June.

The living room

The dining room

The kitchen Heading upstairs, the master bedroomThe master bath

The spare bedroom

And the bonus room

Another crazy Wednesday night

2008-09-03T20:06:00.000-04:00

Yep, real crazy. Our major activities were walking the dog and eating some fake chicken.

We only have five weeks left and K's doctor visit went well this week. She starts going every week now. They think that the baby's head is in the down position and all of the moving that he is doing is a good sign. For Turner. It's pretty annoying for K.

You may have noticed the new site banner. That is courtesy of H. Scott Hoffman from the Greensboro News & Record. No copyright violations on this site.

Chloe says hello. Please come out and play.

Why Cornbread Nation?

2008-08-25T19:09:00.001-04:00

We have been asked why the blog is labeled Cornbread Nation. The best answer is that we really like cornbread. The reality is that "Cornbread" is the name that my dad gave to our baby many months ago (it was going to be "Cornmuffin" if he was a girl). So at this point Cornbread and Turner are pretty much interchangeable in the Boone household.

If you look up "Cornbread Nation" in a search engine you will find that there is a book by that name and a CD. We like those products too and recommend them to all of our friends.

Welcome once again to Cornbread Nation.

Turner's newest cousin, Bailey

2008-08-24T21:25:00.001-04:00

THIS IS NOT OUR BABY.

With that out of the way, here are pictures of our newest niece, Bailey Kathryn Yang. She was born on August 22 to Kristen's sister, Lauren, and her husband, Nathan. We were excited to go to Concord and meet the newest addition to the family this past Saturday.

Kristen getting some practice.

Poppop, the proud new great grandfather. This makes ten great grandkids for him, with Turner on the way!

Chloe T. Dog

2008-08-17T21:28:00.000-04:00

This is Chloe. Chloe is a labrador and collie mix. We consider her a collidor.

Chloe's many activities include sleeping, eating, walking, chewing, and chasing squirrels.

Chloe is severely epileptic and typically will have a round of seizures every two weeks. She is on two types of medicines that she gets twice a day. Even with the challenge that Chloe presents us with, she is a wonderful dog and provides us with a at least one reason to laugh everyday.

How all of this got started

2008-08-17T21:08:00.000-04:00

In November of 2006, I proposed to my now wife, Kristen, setting off this whole chain of events. We had a wonderful wedding that included scared toddlers, wedding pies, and kazoos and then we ended up here:

It wasnt long after that Hawaii trip (about six months) that my wife entered the kitchen where I was studying one afternoon with very stunned expression. She was pregnant.

With that knowledge in hand and our world about to be thoroughly altered in seven weeks, we started this blog to chronicle our child's escapades.

Welcome to Cornbread Nation.