I love being Nana......

What a great time I had last Thursday through Saturday!!! I drove to Mt. Airy, North Carolina, to visit Jessie, Ammon and Noah for a few days. The weather was perfect and every hill I drove over and every curve I came around gave me another view of this amazing corner of the world. I turned up some old not-so-well-known James Taylor and Jimmy Buffett tunes and truly enjoyed my ride. But, when I got there, Noah was sitting in his high chair, eating Goldfish, and gave me a big toothy grin. Now THAT'S something to get excited about! I brought Jessie some belated birthday presents and Noah had such a great time with the ribbons and paper. He is a smart, lovable little boy. He loves to stay on his routine and goes to bed so easily...just like his mama did. Friday, Jess and Ammon went to the Raleigh temple with Ammon's folks, so it was just Nana and Noah for most the day. We had so much fun! He loves watching the cars and trucks go by, so we sat out on the lawn for awhile. He also loves my cell phone, as you can see. The best part of the day was when I got down on all fours and he crawled all around the apartment and I followed him. He kept looking back to make sure I was there, then he'd chuckle and keep going. He'd stop and pick something up and hand it to me to show me. Then...we'd be off again. Under the table, around a chair, under the computer desk, wherever he wanted to show me. It was his favorite game....showing Nana his world. His knees seemed fine, but mine were a little sore when we got finished! Jessie and I got to sew a little, we finished a couple of pillows to match the quilt she and I made last fall. We also cooked together, which is always fun. And...I got to watch "So you think you can Dance", which I'd never seen before. Saturday, we drove into Winston-Salem to show the house they are trying to sell. It was Noah's first ride in his big new car seat and the first time he faced forward. He thought it was all pretty darn cool.
I drove home Saturday evening. Josh got home Saturday from a week of Boy Scout camp. By the time I got home, he had all his laundry done. He was so anxious to go visit Michelle and Andrew in Georgia. So....after church on Sunday, and after our home teachers came, and the Goodman's brought an early birthday present for Josh (Harry Potter's new book!) and after Drew stopped by just to say hi and show Josh and Megan something on the guitar, it was back in the car for another drive. Josh and I had a fun ride. We talked for a long time, then he began to read. He's trying to finish Harry Potter #5 & 6 so he can get into the new book soon. We listened to Trace Bundy and it was so peaceful.
We got to Jessie's about 10 pm and Michelle, Toby, and her neice Rudi were already there. I was SO excited to see Toby. He has grown just since graduation. He stands up from a sitting position in the middle of the floor now....not holding on to anything. He loves to give kisses and snuggle. We found out he loves lemonade. I mean loves it. I was so glad he was still awake, and I enjoyed just watching him. He is babbling away...trying so hard to talk. And I got to hold him awhile as he was sleeping. He is so tall now. And to think how small he was when he came into the world three weeks early. I wish I would have taken a picture of him while he was there. I ended up spending the night, and left about 7:45 am on Monday. All the way home, I thought about my wonderful grandkids.....Kimmi, Alli, Toby and Noah....and thanked Heavenly Father for this time in my life when I can be Nana and watch my children as they are parents. Good stuff....definitely good stuff.