Picture blog 3/4

She really loved playing at this place!

 Another cute video.... she said Love you for the first time on the phone with my mom and then started yakking to Paw Paw

Fay and Evalyn decide to play in the water hose while watering the plants. I think she had a good time and learned to drink from the hose..... very important if your parents lock you out of the house... not that you ever did that MOM and DAD.... I found a way in.

Handsome Daddy in his suit.

Dogs went to go potty and it was raining so bad they jumped in the golf cart.

Our small group went to a mystery theater show and had a great time.

My favorite shot of the week. I think that Poppa is at the top of her LOVE  list. She whispers his name so sweet sometimes. A couple times a week we go over for breakfast and they get to watch some cartoon's together. 

 It is amazing to watch how fast a tot grows, learns, and changes. Just last week, she was saying only one word at at time. The first of this week was two, and on 3/2, she said her first sentence, " where you go?". She was sitting in her bed talking to herself and Judy heard her say it. We had a lot of fun this week , especially her with her baby sitters. The lastest thing we did was go got to Emilie's 2nd birthday party at a jumpy place, it was so much fun and then hung out at Aunt Lisa's and Uncle John's for a while. The party was small so it was nice and calm.

Nanny Diane and her husband Wayne work for my grandparents and sometimes help me out with Evalyn and work I'm not suppose to do. 

She just had to go show Poppa her tutu and ate a great  breakfast with  it.

Enjoying a walk with Grandma Judy... then she wanted to keep walking after she told me whole story about the stick fish.

This was our, the doc told mommy to lay off the veggies and milk for a couple of days.... so we went to Five Guys.

Having fun at Hippo, this was her third time at a jumpy place so she had a blast.

Aunt Lisa got into help Evalyn, of course.

Silly, Silly, Daddy.

Of course she found a phone and had to tell someone what she was up too.

Mommy got in also, of course we all had a total change of clothes when we got back. Trying to be careful without being a hermit. g

Evalyn and Emilie played so well together. And Even Evalyn had a gift  to open.

The cars and the blocks were a big hit!

We have four Johns on this side of the family. This is the serious  pose . From top  left, I call them these names.... Jonathan, the hubby, Johnny my cousin (but goes by John), Cuz Jonathan, or Shannna's Jon, and Uncle John. 

Great pic of Shanna and John.... with no Tot.

Action shot but will be replace  when I get the pics from Uncle John. 

Timmy, what more can you say.

Helen and first sprouts

Check out these video's, they are so cute. Video one, video two, video three, video four!

We had a great time in Helen and some friends of ours hooked us up with a sweet hotel room. Never stayed in a room with TWO flat screen T.V. ! We played putt putt, which was one of our first dates when we were 18. I was really bad, it didn't help that every time I looked down, my nose or eyes were running. Good excuse anyway. We also went to a winery and bought a few bottles after the taste testing. One is a peach, and it is so good. We also flipped through the channels to remind ourselves, again, why we do not need cable. I really wanted to go sing karaoke, but they smoke in the bars there and I almost lost a lung just being in there 5 minutes, so we left and the world of Helen missed me singing "I feel the earth move." It was sad. After Emory on Sunday, we were all coming down with a cold or sinus issues and have been laying low ever since.
         I pulled up Evalyn's hair for the first time, in what my ex-husband calls, a sprout. It is so cute and she doesn't want to do anything in the morning before her hair is fixed. She is trying to say all kinds of words and names. She loves to say I, Fay, Papa, and even said rain today. I can't remember all the words she is saying right now. No real interested in potty training anymore, but she loves her big girl pull ups and directing me what I should do in the bathroom. It's so sad to hear her cough and sniffle. It's even sadder that I can't sleep between the three of us hacking. I'm so tired. I hope to have a great visit with my sister and brother this weekend when she comes up. We are suppose to try a new church on Sunday, but I never make any promises... Sunday mornings are hard! We are happy with our small group but know that we want Evalyn to grow up in church, we just have to find the right one.

Happy New Year!

  Happy to New Year to everyone! I hope you brought in the new year with someone to you care for and woke up feeling great the next day. We went to our favorite restaurant, which we found out was closed forever, and then settle for the next best in Athens. Then we waited for the new year to come in with one eye open. It's been great having Jonathan home more over the holidays, I'm afraid that it spoiled me. Luckily my mom is coming for two days this week, go Grandma. Evalyn said a new word.... once.... "Chloe" ... and that was it. Oh, over the last few weeks she is really practicing her sounds and loves to sing. She has a little bit of a runny nose now, but who doesn't. We were treated with a short visit from Jonathan's sister and family and there was a lot of kissing going on.... you'll see what I mean. I having a lot of side effects but will harp on that more after my appt. at Emory on Wed. Maybe I'll have some answers.

See kisses here..... and more here.

The other two men in my life.

TuTu and Tuffy

going on visit all dressed up!

Christmas update

      Well we forgot to write on the blog that I had to go into the hospital Friday for fever and such.... and I'm back on steriods for the moment. Luckily, and with lots of prayers, I was released on Christmas Eve. Our family is not together yet, because Michael and the girls have Chloe dog, but I know she is having a good time. I'm feeling a lot better, but they never figured out what was wrong... they think I might have had a reaction.... to something. Nuf bout that. Except I lost 4 lbs this week... just to find out today that I weigh the same as my 6'2" brother.
         Evalyn was in awe this morning and just pointed at her Santa presents, then wanted all the plastic off each one so she could play with her tutu's, teapot set, and wooden food. I didn't see her leap for the kid broom, but she does so a knack for picking up lint and putting it in the trash. Daneil got a workout machine, Dad got his second pair of Coca Cola pj's, I got an awesome sisters ring that made me cry, Jen got a kick ass earring holder from yours truly, Jonathan got beer mugs, dogs got bones and toys and Mom got just what she wanted.... all of us together. We caught Evalyn kissing Santa Claus.

Thank you so much for your prayers.

Love, Heather

        
      

Our Beloved Nanny on Mother’s Day

In honor of Nanny, I  wore one of her dresses, In honor of my Granny, I wore a wig. 

                                                         

Today is difficult for most in our family, especially the children of my late Nanny. I wanted to share a special blog that I have said I would do for a while.  A lot of it I said at the funeral but wanted to share it today.

                     Nanny, called Wayna Mae by some, was born in the mountains of North Carolina. I think that it is important to note what it was like when she grew up and what her life was like because there are so few people that we personally know left from this generation. As we all know, Nanny’s mother, Coleta passed away when she was three years old, and Nanny only met her father a few times in her life. Nanny was raised by her grandparents, Inez and Hector Jenkins.  I always admired Nanny for her attitude of forgiveness towards her father and her gratefulness for the family that she had. Nanny wrote in a journal that we worked on that she grew up with no electricity and had no running water, most of us have forgotten what it’s like to really go  camping let alone turn off our cellphones. She said that it was really cold in their house in the winter but she shared a bed with all her sisters so they managed to stay warm.

                    I can’t count how many times we have all heard Nanny say “ it doesn't matter who gives birth to you, a mother is someone who raises you and takes care of you.”  She knew that better than anyone. Family has always been very important to Nanny and this is how she was raised. I love hearing the stories of all the kids cleaning up after dinner. Nanny said that some would be washing dishes, someone would play the guitar, and everyone would be singing. Nanny and her siblings, who are mostly her aunts and uncles but considers her a sister, worked very hard along side their parents, tending to the garden and taking care of the animals. The only thing they had to buy was flour and sugar, and the occasional treat from the general store across the street. They didn’t just work though, they had a lot of fun.

              Nanny wrote about sledding down the hills on tobacco sleds, you’ll have to google that one, playing football, playing music, and visiting with friends. Nanny’s favorite sport to play was basketball and she was on the team throughout her school years. Church and God were an important part to Nanny’s family growing up as well as hard work, discipline, and self control. Something I love about Nanny is how much she loves everyone and wants to help anyone in need. Nanny remembered birthdays, but wouldn’t wait till then to give you a call and tell you that she loved you and that she was proud of you. Nanny always seemed to see the best in people and always hoped for the best.  I feel that if Nanny was able to tell us a few things right now they would include these things: don’t be afraid of hard work, most things worthwhile do not come easy, don’t start smoking and if you do, quit before what happened to me, happens to you, stay away from too much alcohol, you know that runs in our family and can ruin your life, be thankful for your life and where you are at in it, look for the good in every situation, love your family, hold them close, forgive,  pick up the phone, go out of your way to stay connected to extended family because family is important. Family is more important than a T.V. program, a job we are too busy with, or the little things that keep us so busy. At the end of our lives we will never say  “ I should have caught that episode, or been a better employee."  And most of all, Love the Lord and seek after him.  These last few years have been rough for Nanny and for those of us or watched her slowly become less herself. I think that the whole family agrees with me in thanking my mom and dad for everything they have done for Nanny these past few years.

                   Lets try to remember Nanny’s laugh, her banana pudding, her singing “hit the road jack”, and smiling and saying “Whew” when a grandchild did something cute, the trips to North Carolina, the crazy loud Christmas’s,  us grandchildren always being able to visit at anytime and have a bed, love, and  be able to be ourselves. I think that Nanny loves all of us very much and although she will be missed, I’m glad that she is no longer in pain. Nanny and I talked about this before, and she said that she believed that Jesus was her savior and that she would be joining him in heaven one day.  I believe that her and Papa Jack are together with Jesus now and they are pain free and happy. I know that I will see them again, and I hope to see you there also.

WE LOVE YOU NANNY AND MISS YOU. TIME IS NOTHING, WE WILL BE TOGETHER SOON.

1.    
     Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

o    Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.

2.    Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels, descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

3.    Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

Nov. 28th Happy Anniversary Granny and Poppa

Today, my little, 6'3", brother Daniel is 20 years old. 20!! I love his dearly and he is one of my favorite people to be around in the whole world. I will have to tell you more about Daniel later. Todays Blog is going to be focused on my grandparents, Bill and Doris, who is having their 66th wedding anniversary today.

Bill and Doris…. The Love Story   Part 1: The Drugstore, then Marriage

It was March, 1944 on the University of Georgia north campus in Athens, GA. Bill Warren, my Poppa Bill, and Doris Wheeler, my Granny, were to cross paths on a warm spring day.  Pop, originally from South Carolina, was in Athens for war training school in the Navy and was 18 years old, about to turn 19 in June.  Doris was living in Athens with her family, after her parents settled down from the carnival and gallivanting in hot air balloons (those are good stories too) and was currently attending the business school located at Lumpkin and Clayton Street. They only had 11 grades then and she had already graduated from high school.  

                Doris was on campus with some of her girlfriends thinking about going down to the drug store for a soda.  Bill was on his way across campus on what he calls a “hot date”.  He had already thought he had fallen in love with a girl in Miami during the first part of his training. Being pretty full of himself, he decided he would approach this pretty group of ladies, eyeing the prettiest one, Doris Wheeler. Now Pop said that you should never talk to girl you like most first, and that you should always talk to one of her friends to get her attention. Sly, I say.

Doris acted like she didn’t give a hill of beans and talked about her fiancé and that they were going to the drug store. Doris was engaged to Howard, a boy she grew up next door to.  I’m sure my Bill took this as a challenge.  Doris has witty attitude that is very endearing, to this day, and is very beautiful.  Bill went to see this other girl for a while and then decided to do something that would change his life and countless others … forever.

 Bill waited till this group of girls were settled at the drug store counter, drinking sodas. The phone rang at the store, and the employee asked if there was a Doris Wheeler at the counter. Doris, surprised, got on the phone and was told that it was her fiancé, Howard, from the Army. I’m not sure how long my Bill had her going, 5 minutes maybe, but when she figured it out, she was perturbed, and curious. Bill asked her if she wanted to go to the movies, and she said yes.

                Now in 1944 there were a lot of rules for cadets. It’s amazing these men ever snagged a woman.  My pop couldn’t have a beer, couldn’t ride in a vehicle at all, and could only be out Saturdays and Sundays after chapel, which they were expected to attend.  One of the few restaurants in Athens was the Varsity. It was at the corner of College Avenue and Broad Street, and women were not allowed inside, due to the roughness and “men talk”. The Georgia Theater, at the time, had movies for only the cadets and their dates, a history fact the paper missed this passed year after the fire.  Maybe that was why Doris said yes, so that she could see a movie, or maybe it was because Bill was, and is, handsome and clever. My great grandfather, Fred Wheeler, didn’t know what to think about his handsome older boy that couldn’t even pick up his only child. Bill recalls that her father sat like a lump the day he had to drop her off at the movies.

Doris and Bill became “good buddies” and often discussed her fiancé and his “hot dates”. They then fell in love…  Bill proposed in the fall of 1944 at Fred and Eula’s home, in the yard. Doris said “I’m not sure.” with her mystic blue eyes starring him down. Then, she said yes, and that they were best friends meant for each other.  They were married on November 28, 1944 at the ages of 16 and 19, at their pastor’s home in the presence of a couple friends and family. Doris hummed the “ Chattanooga Choo Choo” as she walked across the room to her groom.

              There are many more beautiful stories to tell about these lovebirds.

          Happy 66^th Anniversary, my beloved Grandparents, you are an inspiration to everyone that has ever known you and you have a hand in shaping who I am today. The following “Thank you” is a fraction of what you mean to me.

        

 Dear Poppa Bill and Granny,

            There is so much I am thankful for and you two are at the top of the list! Thank you for taking time to come and get me after my parents divorced. Thank you for the time that my mom’s car that my mom’s car kept breaking down and you traded with her. You gave her a car so that I would have a safe way around. Thank you for turning my bed down and turning on the night light to make my visit even more special. Pop, thank you for praying with me at night, I still remember that. Thank you for taking me to Bear hallow to see the dear and that you let me roll down the hill and get dirty.  I used to wet the bed and have bad dreams. You two never made me feel bad for that. You took me and taught me about fishing, and a little catching, and encouraged my love of nature.  Finding this wonderful place that we live in, I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.  Thank you for the pets that that you had that I loved dearly: Ginger, Hannah from Savannah, Prince, Sheba from Geneva, Brandy, and Tuffy.  Granny, I thankful for your voice that I inherited. Thank you for the potatoes salad, hot sausage, YOUR spaghetti, boiled peanuts, and picked beets I may have never enjoyed otherwise. “Don’t knock it till you have tried it” you always say.  I still need to learn how to make your biscuits. Pop, from you, I get my inability to spell but also my knack for understanding and interpreting people. It astounds me what you have done for the mental health field in this State and that I’m able to follow in your footsteps to make a difference in someone’s live. I must get my heart for those with mental and developmental disabilities from you.

            

 Thank for you taking me on trips in the camper as a kid and taking me to New York as a teenager. Pop, it always stuck with me that you said “If you don’t enjoy your job, it’s time to find a new one. Life is too short. “I have already made one career change and who knows where life will take me now! We are still working on that list of all the different jobs you have had! Every month, it seems like you tell me of a new one.  I’m thankful that you went to medical school in your 30’s to pursue the next goal that you had. Granny, the mother of 3 boys, no washer and dryer, no microwave, no frozen steamable veggies…. You are some women.  I love how you say that without your mother, Eula May, you would have been lost raising Fred because he just seemed like a little doll. I guess you two are just as thankful to your parents for everything they did for your family that it was natural for you to keep on giving. When our house was hit by lighting again and we needed help and I was being prideful, you said, “What do you think we have been working for all these years if not to help our family?” I will remember that and hope that we will be able to do the same for our grand and great grand children.

             

Together, you have always supported me, encouraged me, provided for me, taught me, and loved me for who I am. You accepted and loved my step children from my first marriage and have forever touched their lives. You helped Michael and I make this place livable and safe. Pop, you have taught me to trouble shoot to save money and save things to save money. I have a “hell box” too. You two are the reason that we have been able to keep our head above water with some of our pride intact.  You have supported me through a marriage, divorce, a remarriage, a foreclose, Jonathan going back to school, a pregnancy, motherhood and now cancer. Knowing the trials that you have been through from wreaks, to plane crashes, lost daughter in laws, Altimers, being broke during the early years and medical school, the work that you too put into your lives to make it a great story, encourages me keep moving even when I feel like giving up. Your positive attitude, cleverness, ability to listen, to laugh at yourself, and watching you help those in need, whether human or animal, continues to make me want to grow as a person.  I know that you have steadfast faith in God and that he has never forsaken you.

           

Together, you have shown me that marriage is hard work but that if you are friends, it shouldn’t be like pulling teeth. Pop, I see you take care of Granny and Granny I see you take care of Pop. Now that one of you can’t hear and the other is low talker, I get to be the interpreter. I title I carry with me from house to house around this Farm with a smile.  I like to think that I’m helping take care of you by checking in, getting you not to over do it, and bugging you to talk to the doctors about something, but then I walk into to a healthy lunch of spinach, beets, and beans and get to sit in your peaceful home and talk about wonderful stories and watch you hold your sweet great grand daughter like she is the most precious treasure on earth.  I’m a pretty lucky girl.

              The wisdom that you two have could fill many books. I hope that I retain enough of it to get me through this life and pass it down through the generations. Your stories will not be forgotten… I’m going to write them down J I look forward to you telling me them….. at least 50 more times.

 I love you with all my heart! Happy Anniversary my dear sweet grandparents!

Love,

Heather WARREN Cape