We had a holly jolly Christmas

We drove back from Thanksgiving in Gulfport and dove head first into the Christmas season, putting up our decorations the very next day. We got our largest, and most beautiful tree ever and had a great time hanging ornaments, stockings and lights, and pulling out all of our favorite Christmas movies and books for the kiddos. We took advantage of several of our favorite seasonal activities, starting with Sweet Treats with Santa..... Next, Adam and Lovie took the kids to the Alpine Village..... Hayes attended her first Daddy-Daughter Snowflake Ball at Farmington, complete with lip gloss and sparkly shoes... we walked up the street and caught the Germantown Christmas parade with some friends... Hayes had a fun time at a friend's Christmas pajama party.... Gray wished for his two front teeth for Christmas.... and our favorite annual neighborhood tradition, the luminaries and carriage rides. As garden club president, I can now truly appreciate all of the hard work so many people do to pull this off every year. But, it is so, so worth it! Adam and I had several Christmas parties in the weeks before Christmas and really maxed out our babysitting budget. But it was great to have some kid-free conversations and fun and we are so grateful for the friendships we've made since we moved to Germantown three years ago this month. We also got a visit from our Elf, "Bill".... baked and decorated our favorite gingerbread cookies... and made a gingerbread house! My parents came into town on the 23rd and we had two parties to attend that night as well. We spent Christmas Eve in the kitchen, making preparations for that night and the next. P and Pop even let them open their gifts to them, which really made their day! The kids participated in their second church Christmas pageant and it was as sweet as ever. Hayes was a sheep and Gray was a shepherd, who by the way, was not at all happy with the behavior of the rowdy sheep he was tending (notice his face!). After the pageant, we hosted our second annual Christmas Eve supper at our house and enjoyed some of Pop's delicious duck gumbo. After we put the kids to bed, we had our Olivier gift exchange. I might be bragging, but I'd like to think Adam and I won the award for best gift..... The next morning, the kids rushed down the stairs at 6:30 on the dot and tore through their gifts in mere minutes. Gray was thrilled about his Disney Infinity starter pack, the new game table, and his Pokemon cards. Hayes loved her Gabby the Chatster doll, Monster High girls, and dress-up costumes and accessories. Next, we headed over to Lauren and Andrew's to do our annual Patterson gift exchange. The cousins loved seeing each other and we finally got some cute pictures of them in their matching Christmas pajamas. That night, we hosted everyone at our house for Christmas dinner. It was a lot of work, and I couldn't have done it without my parents' help, but it was also a very nice evening overall....yummy food, good conversation, and even a performance by the kids! We were plum worn out after all that merriment and are planning to spend the next week recovering and keeping it low-key. Another Merry Christmas is in the books! Until next time, The Pattersons

Having a ball this Fall

My favorite time of the year is always Fall when my favorite little boy was born. This year, Gray turned 7 and begged for a Wii game console. Now, I don't know much about gaming, seeing as Mal and I only ever had the original Nintendo and the original Mario Brothers game that came with it. But, I do know that they are expensive, addictive, and complicated. So, we told him he would have to pick between that and a big birthday party this year. Shocker, he picked the Wii! As a consolation, I still let him invite 4 other boys to grab some fro yo from Gracie Bleu and then play a couple of games of laser tag at FunQuest. They had a blast and any uncertainty I had about having more than two kids was put to rest. We invited the fam over for a fun birthday dinner, including a homemade ice-cream cake, and I think that and the Wii U made for a pretty happy birthday boy! As always, we stayed pretty busy this Fall trying to fit in all the fun activities we like to do during the season. We went to our second Falcon Fest at Farmington.... Hayes had her first field trip, and they visited the Harvest Festival at the Botanic Gardens in Memphis. It was a ridiculously cold day in Memphis and even our friend from New Jersey was miserable. But in true kid fashion, they didn't let it stop their fun. Since last Halloween got partially rained out, we were really excited about this year's neighborhood cove party, followed by trick or treating on a trailer with friends. Gray was a ninja and Hayes was Little Red Riding Hood. And we spent Thanksgiving in Gulfport, where we also celebrated Aunt Mal's 39th birthday, visited the Orr Museum of Pottery, reminded ourselves how old we were with a trip to hear a band at The Chimney's, and visited with P and Pop. Also in November, Hayes participated in her first pom clinic.... we celebrated Billy P's birthday.... had a fun tailgate at church.... and enjoyed our first school play, Alice in Wonderland! Until next time, The Pattersons

Back to school (again!)

As soon as we came back from our beach trip, it was time for school to start. Gray entered 1st grade and Hayes began kindergarten at Farmington Elementary School, just about a mile from our house. I just know that Hayes will love it as much as Gray has! And with back to school, comes Fall sports! Both kids signed up for soccer and Gray even played in his first tournament! Gray also became a tiger scout and has had a blast earning belt loops and badges, participating in a fishing rodeo, and competing in the regatta race. Hayes started ballet AND tap at a new studio, Studio B Dance, and is also learning to read! But after all of that hard work, we were excited to have some fun during the Fall Break. We went to Cedar Hills Farm with friends.... Picked apples at Jones Orchard.... Saw the scarecrows at Lichterman.... and visited St. Louis! We packed the City Museum, Grants Farm, Magic House, and the Science Center all into one weekend and still had time to enjoy some awesome food too! Until next time, The Patterson