Gray chose a Minecraft theme and I really enjoyed doing all of the little extra things to make it special since I know it could be his last "real" party.
Now that he's 8, we finally let him have his first sleepover too! I was convinced it would be an all-nighter, but the boys actually fell asleep a little before 9:00. What? Kinda thinking maybe we won't be known as "the fun house". Oh well....
Speaking of birthdays, my parents came in town on the way back from an Ole Miss game and we did an early celebration for Aunt Mal's 40th birthday. Dad cooked shrimp au gratin and we had some yummy desserts from Gigi's in her honor. I can't believe my big sis is about to be 40! That also means I'm not too far behind....eek!
The forecast for Halloween looked like a complete rain-out, but fortunately our neighborhood rescheduled for the Friday night before. We went to the annual cove party to see everyone's costumes and then headed out with some friends for a little door-to-door action. After about an hour and a half, the kids were begging to come home, which I was not about to deny. But doing it a day early meant we got to spend the real Halloween making chili, watching semi-scary movies, and handing out candy. Best Halloween ever!
Hayes's first season of cheerleading ended with a cheer-off competition, which panicked this perfectionist parent beyond words. But after working so hard for so many weeks on perfecting a routine that included tumbling, dance, cheer, sideline, jumps, and a pyramid, they not only pulled it off but took home the award for "Best Cheer"! It's amazing what they can do at this age and I am looking forward to watching her learn to love it as I did in the years to come.
Gray had his last soccer game and Papa came to cheer him on!
Hayes' girl scout troop had group pictures and I loved seeing them in their cute little uniforms....
We celebrated Aunt Lala's birthday at Lovie's and I tried my hand at a flourless cake....not bad for a non-baker, right?
Farmington's annual Falcon Fest took place a couple of weeks ago and we had a great time showing our support for our awesome school, as always. I absolutely love that we see so many neighborhood friends when we go to school events and I couldn't be more thankful for this sweet treasure that is just down the street and completely free! What a blessing!
It has been uncommonly warm for November and it's tough to believe the holidays are just weeks away. My tennis is winding down and Staxtacular is gearing up. It seems like I was just in this same spot a few months ago, not a whole year ago already. Where does the time go? Sigh....
Until next time,
The Pattersons
