Baby A is here!

On June 4, Baby A arrives! Anselm Hosea Cole was born at 7:38 p.m. weighing 6lbs 5 ounces! I can’t believe my baby girl (and her hubby) have a baby! I am one proud mama and Granna  

I took home a blanket to Glorf that Anselm was swaddled in at the hospital. He was so gentle with this blanket and snuggly. He is a great big brother. 

Anselm is flexing his muscles. 

Dylan is one happy uncle. He has been waiting for the day. While is now waiting for him to grow up and telling us all the things Anselm will do, I am telling him to slow down time and that will come. Can’t wait until he wear his uncle short. (He and Chris forgot to pack)

Alert little guy!

Where there is Anselm, there is Glorf. He is such a good brother! 

Chris and Anselm- deciding is he going to be called Papa or Pops. We shall see…

Baby snuggles with me. Look at that precious face. 

 

Girl time before Baby A

 

I was able to visit Ashleigh (and Sam too). I drove up to her house. The next day, she and I had a girls’ day complete with manicure for her (she had a pedi a couple weeks before), a pedicure for me, lunch a a local tea place, and a massage for Ashleigh. Such a fun time! I love spending time with her. Got to catch an eye on the nursery too. She has also prepped meals, snacks, and smoothies for postpartum. Her freezers are filled! At that time, she was ready for baby

Dylan’s Last School Day and Graduation

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Dylan graduated high school. We are so proud of him. He has been in school since he was 3 years old. He loved riding the bus to and from school! He was lucky his freshman year of high school because Ashleigh was a senior and they attended the same school. Over the years, Dylan attended several schools (and one of them schools was where Banessa and I taught) , had several teachers and teacher assistants, and gained many friends. His last two years he attended a special class learning life skills, going places in the community - grocery stores, retail stores, restaurants, library, gym volunteering (Helping Hands, a Senior Center) , learning job skills, cooking, cleaning, and managing time.

His last ride to work (which was a celebration day instead).

His last senior walk through the hallways of his school. The seniors had a dress rehearsals for graduation and before they walked the hallways of the high 

Graduation - Banessa and Thomas came celebrate too. She took a picture of every step he took on the stage. He proudly walked in with a tall stature. He kept looking around for us and finally spotted us. We actually sat directly across from him. He knew all the steps and celebrated. He even threw his cap! We love this guy so much. Now he will train over the next couple months at a local vocational center. I want to keep him involved - working after training for about 10-12 hours each week, volunteering, going to the gym and library, active activities and helping out at home with meals and household responsibilities of cleaning and such. 

Austin and soccer

 Austin had a great soccer season. This year there was even an All Star team/game which Austin was selected. I am very proud of his accomplishments and performance this season. He was a go getter. He actually played offense more than defense  this season. We also found out that he can play one more season so he has signed up for the

Lots of time passed; many things

 I will make a short post to show a simple Pandora bracelet I made for myself for Mother’s Day. Each charm depicts my kid’s birthstone. I love the simplicity and I am hopeful to add other charms. 

Little Prince baby shower= first grand baby

 

Mommy and Daddy to be 

Last weekend was the baby shower for Ashleigh and Sam’s Little Prince. There was much laughter and fun from friends, family, and the parents to be. They received many wonderful gifts including crocheted items from friends and relatives (me) and lots of items from her baby registry. I am so grateful so many love and care for her and Sam and are ready to welcome baby A.  

These cookies were just as the ones Ashleigh chose for the  party.  I found someone local to me and not only did they look pretty; they also tasted good! 

 

Maria and Ashleigh

The yummy cake was made by Sam’s sister. She also made their wedding cake. It was yummy! 

Beach (at home), First Visit of the Season

 On Friday of Spring Break, Chris and I had our first day of the season at the beach. It was a beautiful day. I can’t wait for more. 

Nags Head (OBX) Spring Break

Spring Break was nice and relaxing. We enjoyed beach and family time in Nags Head. Ashleigh, Sam, and Glorf were able to join us there too. Helen and Jim were able to come and too. We stayed in a relaxing Airbnb home that was a 5 minute walk to the beach. We enjoyed breakfast at the house one morning with Chris making breakfast and another morning I made breakfast. We also enjoyed yummy biscuits from a place called Biscuit Porn. The biscuits were great! Everyone had a sausage cheese biscuit. The place was a gas station with a kitchen. It was one of the must try places. We walked Glorf several times. One day we had a fun day at the beach. The water was cold and the Naso tent kept falling, but we had a great time playing bocce ball, listening to music, throwing the football, and playing with Glorf. This was Glorf’s first visit to the beach. He couldn’t figure out the tides and waves. Ashleigh was so cute in her maternity swim suit. 

At the house, Ashleigh found a puzzle and she was great at putting the pieces together. I’d help and fill in, and to Helen’s surprise we finished the puzzle. 

Another day we played mini golf. We had to split up into two teams and each team played different courses. It was a beautiful day. The boys and I also rode go carts 

We ate yummy dinners of seafood, Japanese bowls, and blacked fish tacos. We also had ice cream several times. We took a drive to Cape Hatteras and also had colored Jockey Ridge Park. The dunes were so high. The park looked like a desert of sand. People were flying kites and sledding down the dunes on boogie boards. Our drive was absolutely gorgeous. The lighthouse was closed because they were doing repairs and was not very recognizable ,but we were able to see another lighthouse, Bodie lighthouse in the distance in our drive. 

Chris and I went on a beach walk and on the return we walked along the path of the street. We saw so many shells. Lots of steps but it was nice—just me and Chris.