February and March are always such weird months in Memphis. It goes from bitter cold to warm and wonderful in just a day, which in our case means kids that are sweating in turtlenecks by the end of the day or freezing in shorts. The temperature roller coaster also means more of the inevitable crud for the kiddos, which most recently came in the form of the croup for poor Gray. But after spending a good part of our weekend at Walgreens' "Take Care Clinic" and a super dose of prednisone, crazy Gray is back to his crazy old self. Let's just hope it's the last bout of illness for the season because this mommy can't handle much more.
Aside from unpredictable weather, February is also filled with two of our favorite annual occasions: Valentine's Day and Lovie's birthday. I know what you're thinking and no, we haven't been brainwashed by Hallmark or American Greetings. We do, however, love any occasion that calls for a mandatory date night and a free babysitter. This Valentine's Day Adam and I treated ourselves to a dinner at Pasta Italia, a restaurant we had been dying to try since we were pregnant with Gray. We sucked up the fact that it was 30 minutes away and slightly beyond our budget and headed over there with visions of good Italian vino and authentic cannolis and were not disappointed.....although the vino part almost didn't happen thanks to my "baby face". Some day I'm sure I'll be thankful to my mom for these genes, but I have to admit, it's still a little annoying.
Linda's birthday is also a fun occasion because it's a guaranteed Patterson family gathering, which is always such a blessing. A little Coletta's pizza, some good red wine, and some Fresh Market desserts and we were set to celebrate another great year for "Lovie". The cousins played and we watched with big smiles. These are the things that we know we would have missed had we moved and they are even more special as a result.
Lauren and Andrew finally moved into the home that they've been renovating for the last 6-8 months and we are so happy for them. As sad as it is to no longer see them in their kitchen window through the windows in our den, it's so nice knowing they are still just down the street. We have so many wonderful plans and hope for the future, raising our kids just two streets apart, and are looking forward to making so many fun new memories in their new home on Oakley.
We are in the midst of a kitchen renovation, which has left us with no stove for a day and no sink for 2 days. While it's been more than a pain in the rear, it makes me all that more thankful that we aren't undergoing a FULL kitchen renovation. With all of the eating out, I'm not sure my waistline could have afforded much more than what we've endured! Pictures to come soon, but just so you know, we are already kicking ourelves for not doing this 5.5 years ago when we moved in. I mean, we are in our kitchen approximately 42 hours a week, so this is definitely a worthwhile venture.
After several sarcastic comments from others and a threat from Adam to get out the clippers, I finally took Gray to get a much-needed haircut. Here he is shortly after, looking like such a big boy.
I seriously can't believe how old he is, even though this has been the longest 3.5 years of my life.I bought him his first pair of jeans the other day and teared up when I saw him in them. I look at him and can't help but see the chubby-cheeked baby that he was, even though he is rail-skinny these days. He eats nothing but air for the most part and spends half of his days in time out, but I can't help but adore him anyway. He is loving his school, especially his Spanish and computer classes. We continue to be so thankful for the blessing that First Baptist Day School has been.
Hayes is becoming more and more verbal and a mini-me of Gray. She begs to put on the Buzz Lightyear or Spiderman costume, even though she has tutus and princess costumes galore. She is such a good eater and we feel so thankful for that. She has more teeth and hair that any child should have at this age and she continues to keep us in stitches with her sweet and sassy ways.
That's all for now. Stay tuned for more info from the Patterson clan.
Emily, Adam, Gray and Hayes Patterson
