Lots of firsts and plenty of thanks

Since my last post, we've been busy as always. First, there was Halloween. While Gray had known for quite some time that an astronaut was all he wanted to be for Halloween, Hayes, on the other hand, couldn't quite make up her mind and wore something different to each of the functions we attended. The threat of rain couldn't keep us from trick or treating on Halloween, but Hayes' high heel shoes cut our trip shorter than we'd hoped and by the time we got about two streets from home, Adam was carrying her and Gray had sweat rings around his neck and was pleading to go home. But it still didn't stop them from doing this once we got there.... In other news, we had lots of "firsts"! Gray (as promised) tried pizza and thought he's still not sold on the sauce, he loves cheezy bread, so we're making progress! It's the little things..... Hayes finished her first season of soccer and got her first medal. Lovie and Papa were so proud and came to cheer her on! Gray lost his first tooth after letting it dangle by a thread for weeks. He was so excited when it flew out after biting into a hunk of cheese! We took the kids to their first football game and it was a Millsaps one against Rhodes in Memphis. The kids loved "Major Millsaps" and Hayes was over the moon for the cheerleaders. They even let her get on the field with them! Maybe she'll be the next "Major Impression" dancer in the fam! Gray had his first school field trip and it was to the Harvest Festival at the Botanic Gardens. I loved being able to tag along! And Gray also started karate and got his first belt! He says his creed with so much pride and it's just absolutely precious. My mom came in town and babysat so we could go see Justin Timberlake in concert downtown. We met Mal and Big at Local for dinner before and had a great time "bringing our sexy back"! We went to the Coast for Thanksgiving and the kids harvested citrus from my parents fruit trees visited the new space museum at the Stennis Space Center watched some magic from Harry the Magician and as always, we ate good food and good fun with the fam. With thankful hearts, The Pattersons

Fall Fun!

My yard is covered in leaves, our sweaters are on, and we have made the first batches of chili and butternut squash soup of the season.....it's officially Fall y'all! And boy have we been taking advantage of all the fun festivities that come with my favorite season. The corn maze....

Priddy Farms....

Falcon Fest at Farmington (Gray's school)....

and 5 birthday parties already in October (and we're only halfway through the month)!

But of course, one of those birthday parties was for Gray, who turned 6 on the 16th of October! We celebrated with a "G.I. Joe" party at Crossfire Commando and Gray was in hog heaven with all that camo, zip lining, and foam block throwing fun!

P and Pop came in town for the party and Gray had a blast opening all of his new toys....plasma car, Beyblades, a Bat Cave, and so much more! 6 is already bringing so many changes for our sweet Gray and we are having a ball watching him grow and learn so many new things. He has 2 wiggly teeth (bottom center), he is busting out of his clothes at almost 50 pounds, has learned to ride a bike without training wheels and tie his shoelaces, has tried (and liked) several new foods (corn dogs, mac n cheese, grapes, and pizza!!), is reading and even starting to spell. He loves all things camo/army, is obsessed with Beyblades (still trying to figure out what these things do!), and loves to hunt for bugs, ride his bike, and wrestle with his friends. He's a boy's boy through and through, but has such a tender, sweet heart. He is compassionate, loving, smart, witty, has a memory like an elephant, and loves kindergarten and his new school and teacher. We couldn't be more proud of our little bug who is growing up so fast and so well. Happy 6th birthday, Gray-Gray!

For our first official Fall Break, we took a trip to the Little Red River and stayed at the beautiful home of our good friends, The Coles. We went on early morning rides to look for animals and afternoon hikes through the woods, roasted marshmallows for s'mores, played in the tent and on power wheels, people watched at "The Wal-Mart", had lunch at the Red Apple Inn, enjoyed the porch swing, and taught the kids to fish. It was peaceful and relaxing and we made some great memories.

Until next time, The Pattersons

Kindergarten, here we come!

Brace yourself.....it's been a while since we posted. Where to start? What a summer! The kids kept busy with summer camps, playdates, and trips, and before I knew it, it was August and we were back-to-school shopping. Say what? But let me back up a bit and recap some very important events for the Pattersons. First off, Gray graduated from St. George's Episcopal Preschool and we were all so proud of him! He belted out the words to every song, proudly declared that he wanted to be an "Army guy" when he grew up, and snatched his diploma out of Ms. Cheryl's hand without any hesitation. The next day, we packed up and headed to the beach where we soaked up the sun, played in the sand, and swam until we were wrinkly prunes. Another wonderful week full of memories and we are so grateful to Adam's aunt and uncle, The Griesbecks, for sharing their amazing home with us again this year. I even got to spend some time with one of my oldest friends, Beverly, and her sweet family! When we got back to Germantown, Gray had his first soccer camp with Soccer Ole and did great! He sweated like crazy and played his heart out and it was an all-around great experience. Meanwhile, Hayes and I spent the week at the church getting ready for Bible School. This year's theme was "Everywhere Fun Fair" and yours truly was in charge of the decorations. That's what you get when people find out you're crafty....eek! VBS went great and Hayes was so proud to get to go with Gray this year. What a big girl she's growing into! Gray had a few other camps throughout the summer that kept him busy and focused....tennis, baseball, basketball, and Safety City, and I was so proud of how well he did with all of them. He was so great about being independent, following through, playing hard, and being a good sport, and that made me one proud momma! Hayes also had a big ole time this summer, mostly hanging out with me, but also at a few camps. She did a summer art/dance camp, a gymnastics camp with Gray, and a theatre camp where she made her stage debut as "Cottontail". And she also turned 4 with a ballerina birthday party at the clubhouse. All of her friends came and participated in a ballet class and rehearsal, then dressed up and performed for the parents. What a bunch of hams! We spent the 4th of July in town, but stayed busy! The kids rode their bikes in the Kimbrough Woods parade, which ended at the clubhouse for a pool party. Hayes won her first swim race and Gray was so proud, he made sure everyone knew that was his sister! Next we headed to the country club for some water fun and then over to a friend's house for a cookout and fireworks. 6 adults + 6 kids = tons of fun! We took one last trip down to the coast to see P and Pop and the kids had a blast going to their first waterpark, playing outside, visiting the beach, and eating at The Whitecap (one of our faves!). Next, we headed down to Louisiana to help celebrate my grandmother's 91st birthday, and then to my Godfather's house, who just turned 86. I'm so glad we had the chance to spend some time with family we hadn't seen in a while. As soon as we got back, it was time for Gray to start kindergarten. And even though I've had all summer, well all year really, to get used to the idea of him going, it was still tough. But meeting his sweet teacher, Mrs. Brasfield, and learning all about his new school, Farmington, really put me at ease. We are so lucky to live in such a great community with such sweet schools and I am super excited about Gray's first year as a Farmington Falcon. We've already joined the PTA and have met lots of new friends that make this process not-quite-as-scary. I am so proud of Gray and the big boy he is turning into. He was so brave that first day of school, showing no hesitation, and coming home with one story after another about all he is learning and doing. He must have felt it too because he came home after the first week and decided to ride his bike without training wheels....and he did! After only a couple of tries and a few falls, he was riding on two wheels! I know this is going to be a big, big year for my not-so-baby-boy, and I can't wait for all we have ahead of us! Hayes, too, is growing up right before our eyes. Even though she is 20 months younger than Gray, she is only one class below him, so she started 4k this week with Ms. Cheryl, Gray's amazing teacher from last year. It's hard to remind myself that they were almost a year apart when they each started her class, but I have already found myself surprised at what Hayes can do. She is loving her new class at SGEP already, and learning something new every day! She also started soccer and she is just as fast as her big brother on the field! Go birdie, go, with your long legs! Well that was a lot, so that's all for now. Hopefully it won't be so long before I post next time, but with the days as packed as they are, it's hard to stay on top of it. Until next time, The Pattersons