It is been a tough month around the Patterson household with Hayes fighting constant ear infections, which finally resulted in tubes.  Gray, too, had tubes put in at just 6 months and even though it's a familiar routine for us, it's no less traumatic. Her ears still seem to be bothering her, but we're hoping it's due to the procedure and not any remaining infection. She has also had her first tooth come in over the last month and her second is close behind, so she's having fun trying all sorts of new foods and enjoying them all so far. Hopefully she'll be a better eater than Gray was/is.  She is also sitting up all on her own and it has made all the difference in the world in her life AND mine! She is so much more content to be alone and LOVES playing right along next to her big brother (even though he never shares and usually ends up taking one of her toys and barreling over her). I am already feeling like their proximity in age is a blessing and am looking forward to all that is to come as a result.

Gray, too, has been busy, busy like always. He had a terrible cold a few weeks back and had to stay holed up in the house for 5 days, which was no fun for any of us. But he's feeling great now and getting into everything once again. I attempted to get his hair cut when we were at the mall two weeks ago, but he misbehaved so badly that the poor lady finally gave up and asked us to go somewhere else. Thankfully she didn't charge us, but I felt terribly sorry for her and so angry at Gray for doing that. Someone recently told us about the "hair whisperer", a woman that specializes in children's haircuts, and we will try her out this Tuesday in an attempt to even out Gray's jagged bowl cut. Wish us luck!

The cold weather has kept us pretty locked down for the past month, but we've had some fun here and there. Our godson, Airey, turned 3 last week and we had a great time painting pottery at his birthday party. Gray has really enjoyed toting his ceramic cupcake around and showing off its unique paint job, which is a combination of all of the colors he was given as well as a few crayons for good measure. Hayes made a little tea cup and saucer that I know she will love playing with soon enough. This past Saturday, we joined our friends Brent, Shelley, and Carter at Buckman Performing Arts Center to watch the Mariachi Band's performance for kids. We took the kids on the stage and clapped and danced as they serenaded us. What a fun day! Last night, Linda offered to babysit so Adam and I could go on a long overdue date and we headed out to a new Mexican restaurant called Las Delicias. It was so good and fresh and we can't wait to go back and try everything else on the menu! Great suggestion Linda! They went twice last week because they liked it so much!

It seems like time is flying by these days and every time I turn around, Gray's vocabulary has expanded tenfold and Hayes has hit even more milestones. Adam stays busy with work and travel during the week, and I with my big event and keeping the kids in check. We are so busy, in fact, that sometimes I think we forget to take a step back and cherish the memories we are making. This blog helps me do that and for that, I am so thankful. Thank you Sarah Ella for inspiring me to do it and reminding me to keep up with it. I know we'll be glad we did!

Until next time,
The Pattersons

A Merry Little Christmas...

What a wonderful Christmas we had this year staying in town, enjoying the festivities with the kids, and spending time with our family and friends. The long weekend started off badly with Hayes having ANOTHER ear infection and us missing the Anderson's annual open house, but got a lot better once P and Pop came into town. They gave Gray a toy instrument set as soon as they got there and we had so much fun watching him "parade" around the house all night. We got an even bigger kick out of watching him play with Mal and Big's gift, which was a lifelike dinosaur with moving sensors. He about jumped out of his skin every time the dinosaur moved! Unfortunately, my parents had to head on to Birmingham the next day, as it was Christmas Eve.  We spent the day cozied up in our house cooking, watching Christmas movies, and putting together the kid's toys. Late that afternoon, we braved the rain and cold and went to church so Gray could see "Big Jesus", as he calls him, and then hurried home to bake some cookies for Santa and get snug in our beds for the night. Adam and I had so much fun laying out all of their gifts, eating the cookies Gray left for Santa, and then watching The Family Stone (one of our favorite Christmas movies) after the kids were asleep.Christmas morning was so much fun and it made me even more anxious for next year when the kids will be that much more into the Santa thing. Gray loved his easel chalkboard, guitar, and other gifts, but was just as interested in Hayes' ball popper and babydoll! Uh oh....Santa did good this year!

The Pattersons came over mid-morning and we enjoyed my homemade peppermint hot chocolate and Adam's annual sausage and cheese balls as we exchanged gifts. Again, we spent most of the time laughing at Gray and enjoying his reaction to the gifts he received. Lauren and Andrew gave him "Mater", the tow truck from Cars, and they are now best friends. It is the first thing he talks about in the morning and the last thing he sees at night. He even talks on the phone to him! The best part of it is that we finally have something he cares enough about to take away (or threaten at least) when he's misbehaving. Thanks Uncle Andrew and Aunt Lala!  What a gift!

We wrapped up Christmas by going over to Billy and Linda's for a big dinner with all of the Garrety side of the family. Dinner was sooo yummy (Beef tenderloin, twice baked potato casserole, and more) and it was awesome having so many people who wanted to "take the kids off our hands for a sec". You didn't hear me complain! After dinner, I found Gray in Papa's leather recliner with his shoes off, a blanket pulled up to his chin, making fake snoring sounds. What a comedian! We spent the next 2 days in our pajamas, recovering from all the fun and festivities, but it was so nice not to have anything we HAD to do.

I'm looking forward to having Adam home again this week. It's so much fun to do stuff as a family and I'm already sad about when he and the kids go back and the daily grind begins. The kids are growing up so fast and I just want to stop the clock sometimes. Hayes has discovered her feet and could watch them for 20 minutes! She loves to listen to us singing and watch us dancing and she is just such a happy baby. Thank you Jesus! She loves her solids even more than her bottles and the reflux is FINALLY getting better, poor thing. She's already almost 17 pounds and growing! She's sleeping great, 7-7, and has even stopped fussing on car rides. Now if we can just keep these ear infections away, we'll be good as gold! Gray continues to be a feisty, funny, stubborn, independent little man with so much personality. He can count to 15, say all of his ABC's, knows all of his shapes, and is saying full-fledged sentences. My favorite is "What you doing in there, Mommy?".  Obviously, he hears that question A LOT from us because we never know what he's up to! His teacher says he is smart....too smart, in fact. She says he manipulates all of the other kids until he gets what he wants. I can't imagine where he got that from. He is still unbelievably picky when it comes to food and pretty much likes to control everything. (Again, no idea where that comes from). It just gets better and better and I am looking forward to every second we have ahead of us!

Merry Christmas,
The Pattersons

He knows if you've been bad or good so be good for goodness sake!

It is December and it's officially winter here in Memphis. The temps are in the 20's, people are buzzing about rumors of snow, and Christmas decorations are in full effect.  Since we were in Gulfport for Thanksgiving to visit with my parents, we weren't able to put our tree and decorations up until last weekend. Even though this is Gray's 3rd Christmas, I think it's his 1st "real" Christmas because he is starting to really understand how it works. And by this, I mean that he knows only good boys get toys from Santa. I think we'll have to wait a few years before the whole Baby Jesus thing gets absorbed. So for now we are milking the Santa threat for all that it's worth. The Elf-on-the-shelf has been a HUGE help with this and Gray has started saying "watching you" and looking at the elf whenever he's misbehaved. I only wish the Elf could be here year-round but I have a feeling he loses his effect after awhile. For now, we'll continue to enjoy making Santa the bad guy for a change.

Speaking of Christmas, I absolutely MUST get my Christmas cards out. It gets later and later every year! I am so far behind, I haven't even take a picture of them yet! Last weekend, I took the kids to get their picture taken with Santa in the hope of using it on our card, but as you can see, it's a no-go. Gray was surprisingly keen on Santa and didn't seem frightened by him at all. Maybe we skipped that phase all together or perhaps he is just way too nice to strangers. Note to self.....

Now that the tree is up and we've seen Santa, we're really in the Christmas spirit. Last Sunday when I came home from the grocery store, I found Adam in a sleeping bag with all three kids, listening to Christmas music and admiring the tree. I'm pretty sure they drank the eggnog and have acquired his love for the season. I bought one of those gingerbread train kits for Gray and I to make together but it was difficult to do since every time I put a piece of candy on it, he ate it off and said "mmmmm!".  In the end, he had fun, and that was what counted.

The last month has been frantically busy with Hayes' christening, the appliances giving out, and traveling to the coast for the holidays.  We were also plagued with the ultra-difficult decision to find new homes for the dogs now that the kids have become more mobile and Jackson even more tempermental.  Sweet Pea is now living with her new friend, Prissy, on a farm in Canton, MS and Jackson is in rehab with a foster Mom who is a vet up in Indiana. We will miss them terribly and will have lots of pictures and stories to share with the kids someday, but we know for now that we did the right thing.....for everyone. We will miss you, diggidy dogs!

We're really anticipating some downtime over the holidays, which is why I'm especially happy that we are staying in Memphis. Christmas in Mexico last year was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I will never forget, but it sure is nice to have Christmas at home. Can't wait!

Merry Christmas,
The Pattersons

Halloween and other Fall festivities

Fall is officially here! The leaves are falling down, the weather is turning cooler, and the smell of cozy fires is filling the air. I love this time of year.....homemade chili, lazy days with nowhere to go, and warm scarves around my  neck. I used to love Daylight Savings time too, another sign of the season, but with kids, it's hard to appreciate.  Their complete disregard of the "fall backwards" mentality has resulted in a LONG day and lots of crankiness and all-around disarray. They are finally both asleep and I'm rushing around like a madwoman trying to whittle down my to-do list.  So far, I'm hitting roadblocks.

Since my last post we have been busy, busy with the daily grind....Hayes has started Mothers Day Out at Christ Methodist and so far, so good.  It gives me a little bit of time each week to dedicate to the event I'm planning and teaches her flexibility, trust, and social skills that I know will take her far. I completely contribute Gray's demeanor to his early exposure to childcare and hope that it provides Hayes with the same benefits.  She will be 4 months tomorrow and is growing like a weed. At her appointment last Friday, she was 13.5 lbs (55th percentile) and 25.5" long (95th percentile).  She's going to be tall and skinny like her Daddy I suppose. She has started teething, although no teeth are actually visible yet and the doctor says it could be months before they show. She's getting up at night (sometimes 4 and 5 times) due to her discomfort which is making for really long days for all of us. I had forgotten how tough the teething phase was. Hopefully, as with Gray, she'll learn to cope and her teeth will come in back to back and she'll be done quickly. Wishful thinking is key. We attempted to give her rice cereal for the first time about a week ago without much success. Whether it was just bad timing or sheer disgust, she was extremely unhappy about the experience all together. We'll try again this week and see how it goes, but I'm in no rush. She is learning to grab at things and laughing out loud in response to our laughter. I am enjoying every milestone so much and trying to make them last, though I know there are so many more ahead.

As for Gray, he has changed so much over the last few months. This time last year when we first found out that we were pregnant again, it terrified me to think about having two "babies" to care for. Everyone promised that around the age of two, things would get easier with him. The difference from when Hayes was born to now is amazing. At his two year checkup two weeks ago, he was 28 lbs (50th percentile) and 35" tall (75th percentile) and had hit all of the other benchmarks for his age. He's talking so much and doing so many things on his own. He can count to 10, say some of his ABC's, he knows his colors and shapes, and even tries to help with Hayes now. I think I'm starting to actually believe that it might be easier with two so close in age someday.....someday soon even. For now, it's still busy and constant and nearly exhausting, but fun. Oh so fun. And wonderful. Quite wonderful. I am in love with my family.

Two Sundays ago we made a long overdue trip out to Collierville to visit with Gray's Godparents and their kids, Airey and Campbell. It was so much fun to see the boys together and to sneak some adult conversation in and catch up. We had a delicious dinner and so did the kids! 

Last Sunday we met Lauren, Andrew and baby Greer out at the River Arts Fest. It was the most beautiful day here in Memphis and the kids did great in their Double Bob (that thing is a lifesaver!) while we shopped, visited, ate, and listened to some music. Have I said I loved this time of year yet? If not, I do.....especially the festivals!

Friday, the kids and I met Adam at his office's annual Halloween party. It was a blast to see everyone's kids all dressed up, trick or treating from desk to desk, and high on sugar. Gray looked precious in his frog costume, but kept insisting that he was actually a dinosaur. I guess I confused him when I had him try on a dinosaur costume that ended up being too small....hence the frog costume. Whatever he was, he was darn cute! He dressed up again on Saturday to go trick or treating with our friends the Coles and the Thomas'.  This was the second year in a row that we headed over to the Thomas' for Halloween and it has become such a fun tradition that I know the kids will enjoy more and more as they get older.  Even Hayes dressed up as a little ladybug and was a good sport watching her big brother and his friends run from door to door. Gray had really gotten the hang of it by the end of the night and was the first to run up to the door, grabbing handfuls of candy at a time! You would think that after all of that excitement, he would have slept soundly last night. But he was still up at 6:00, or rather 5:00 thanks to Daylight Savings. Someday we'll be able to reap the benefits of it again. But not anytime soon I'm guessing.

Until next time,
The Pattersons

Our little bug is turning two!

Flies and crickets and beetles too, our little bug is turning two! I can't believe it will be two years since I gave birth to our beautiful baby boy this Friday. He has turned into such a handsome, funny, smart, and loving child and we couldn't be more proud of him. He is running everywhere he goes, dancing to every tune he hears, learning his numbers, shapes and colors, and calling everyone by name! I woke up one day and a boy stood before me. I don't know where he came from but it makes me both proud and sad at the same time. And even though I swore I'd keep him in smocked jon-jons until he was four, I am slowly agreeing with Adam on the need to dress him in more "Big Boy" attire (sob!). It's a good thing they make smocked t-shirts and matching shorts because I'm still a Mississippi girl after all.

He is at such a fun stage where he adores playing whether it's by himself or with friends. He has started saying "Hand!" and grabbing us by the hand to lead us to a particular toy he wants to play with (can you say bossy?). He loves to color, play with dinosaurs, build with Megabloks, race cars/trucks, and make up stories as he "reads" his books to himself aloud.

One of his favorite things to play with are bugs so it was an easy choice for the theme for his birthday party last weekend. It was the most beautiful October day here in Memphis and we had about 40 of his friends and family come to help us celebrate his 2nd birthday. After jumping in the bouncer and playing with all of the toys outside (bubbles, sidewalk chalk, the lawnmower, basketball, etc), we went inside to eat cake and ice-cream and sing "Happy Birthday" to Gray. But it wasn't just any old cake....a bug birthday called for a dirt cake and it turned out so cute! I just wish I didn't use such a big pot to make it because we barely put a dent in it and had to throw away two thirds of it! Fortunately for those that weren't brave enough to try the dirt cake, we also had dirt cupcakes. But Gray's favorite was still the ice-cream (just like last year). He is his father's son after all! After the party we had a fun time opening presents with just the family and I have to say that was my favorite part. Watching his expression as he opened each new gift was absolutely priceless. I love this age! His favorite toys have to be the Megabloks firetruck and table and Mr. Potato Head. Who knew an old classic could be such a hit? Gray slept hard after all that excitement and woke up the next morning ready to play hard with his new toys again.

I can't believe that Hayes is already 14 weeks old! She is such a sweet baby, so smiley all the time and she just LOVES to talk, whether to us or to herself. I think with all the noise Gray makes, she feels like she has to try and compete sometimes, but it is so cute I can't take it! She is napping so much better these days, even though the 45 minute nap monster still gets her from time to time. And I am scared to say it out loud in case I'm jinxing myself, but i think she is finally sleeping through the night once and for all. She has been doing it off and on for the past month but has done it 4 nights in a row now, so we're hoping this is it. Woo hoo! Our little Hazey is such a doll and I am enjoying every second of her!

Today has been such a dreary weekend weather-wise but nevertheless, we headed down to Cedar Hills Farm with Lovie to have our first full Fall experience. Gray rode a pony but wasn't nearly as excited about it as he was when we went 6 months ago. I think he's learning to be scared (trust me, this is a good thing for him) of things and got a little spooked. We visited the petting zoo, rode the train around the track, and took a hayride out to the pumpkin patch where Gray chose a little pie pumpkin to take home with him. Both Hayes and Gray were great sports as we tried to fit everything in and get pictures of them at every interval and they are both napping hard right now, tired from all the excitement of the day.

As for me, I am just trying to figure out what is next on my path. I have decided to take a contract position for the next 6 months and am really excited about who I'm working with and what I'll be doing. Plus, it buys me some time to decide what I really want to do whether it's staying at home, going back full-time, or just working part-time. We'll see!



Love,
The Pattersons

A new day

Today is a new day and it's better than yesterday, which is better than the day before and the day before that. But it's been a hard week all together. After seven fun, hardworking, exciting years at my job, the time has come to move on. I am so sad to leave the people that had become like family to me and so scared about the uncertainty I face. But, I am holding on to my faith and hoping that it will all become clear to me. If not today, then someday. For now, I am continuing to stay home with Hayes, who just turned 12 weeks old yesterday, and we are sending Gray to school, which he adores. Until we know if I will go back to work and when, we are going to try and keep his routine as unchanged as possible. Hopefully we will have a new plan by the first of the year. A small, but growing, part of me is excited about whatever the future holds for me....a new full-time job? a part-time job? a special project? Or perhaps this is God's way of telling me that this is my time to be at home with the kids. I am continuing to pray so that these answers will become clear and I can make the right decision for our family. I am thankful for my friends and family who have been so supportive during such a difficult time in my life. I am blessed to have them, if nothing else.

Into the swing of things

Goodness, it has been WAY too long since I posted. Having two under two has been so much crazier than I ever even expected, but so much better too! Since my last post, things have definitely improved and we are getting into a routine and feeling like our old selves again. We've tried really hard to keep doing the things that we always did, mostly so that Gray still gets to do fun things and his life doesn't change....much. Since the last post, we've been busy, busy, busy with the end of summer wrapping up and the Fall season kicking off. We had birthday parties every weekend from July 25th through August 15th and Gray had a big ole time at each one! Here's a pic of him at Campbell's 1st birthday driving Airey's golf cart.

The only one he missed was the most fun of all....ours! Our parents threw us a combined birthday party (or fiesta I should say) to celebrate our big 3-0.

We had so much fun catching up with all of our friends and it was so nice to know that the little ones were in good hands with their favorite babysitter, Ryan. My parents were in town all weekend and we had a great time visiting with them. Gray was super excited when they gave him an early 2nd birthday present...his first tricycle! He can't quite steer it or pedal yet so it's a good thing it has a push handle in back....something to grow into for sure!

We are also thrilled to finally be an aunt and uncle! Miriam Greer Patterson was born on August 28th (just one day before my birthday) to Uncle Andrew and Aunt Lauren and we were so excited to meet Gray and Hayes' baby cousin! I know that Hayes and Greer will have so much fun together and Gray will enjoy terrorizing them I'm sure. She is so sweet and looks just like Andrew. Here is a picture that was taken by Linda's good friend, Susan, as a gift to Lauren. She also took some of Gray and Hayes and they turned out great...can't wait to get them framed and hung! I'm so glad to find out that my good friend Sarah Ella has recently acquired a miter saw....I'm going to have to get her to put it to good use and make me some frames for all of these fabulous pictures with these little cuties! Gray is going to kill me one day with the boots picture but I'm going to see how long I can get away with it in his room...surely it will resurface at his rehearsal dinner if not sooner!



We have been trying to take advantage of these last few weeks of warm, sunny weather by going to the zoo, My Big Backyard, Shelby Farms, and the pool. Before we know it, it will be too cold and cloudy to do anything but hole up in the house with a warm blanket, a hot fire, and some good T.V. I can't wait to enjoy the Fall, my favorite time of the year, but we had to send the summer off with a bang.

I think Elmo Live had to be Gray's favorite. If you had told me that a 23 month old would sit/stand and watch big furry characters dance and sing on stage for an hour and a half, I would have laughed. But it was as if he was in a trance! He loved them....especially the beetle rap guys and their song about "Moving Trash". He still sings it two weeks later!

I can't believe our little baby girl is already almost 11 weeks old and I'm more than halfway through my maternity leave (yikes!)! Where has the time gone? She seems to get bigger and prettier every day. She looks so much like Gray did at that age, yet there is something unique about her....something that makes her our little Hazy! She has blue eyes and light brown/blonde hair but I'm still holding out hope that she'll look like her Daddy. Since about 6 1/2 weeks, she has been getting up only once in the night for a feeding and for that, I'm so thankful. Hopefully it will be an easier road than it was with Gray towards sleeping through the night. She struggles with the 45 minute nap monster, but I just keep hoping that one day she'll push through that cycle and put herself back to sleep on her own. Here's to hoping! At her 8 weeks appointment she weighed almost 11 lbs and she's growing out of her 3 month clothing and size 1 diapers already! She might even beat Gray on the chunk factor, but we'll see. We are so happy that her reflux is finally under control thanks to the Prevacid and Reglan. It makes for a much happier baby, although she still hates the carseat and prefers to be in someone's arms at all times (wouldn't we all?). She is cooing and smiling and her little personality is starting to shine through. I can't wait to see what kind of a little lady she becomes!

Adam has started traveling again (boo!) and I am getting the swing of this "single mom" thing while he's gone. We all miss him terribly while he's gone but it goes by so fast since we are so busy! Yesterday on the way home from picking Gray up, we stopped at Sonic for a wacky pack. I always like to get a treat for Gray when his Daddy is away and anything that comes with french fries does the trick! Then Lovie and Papa surprised us with a visit, which helped with all the chaos and multi-tasking that comes with dinnertime/bathtime/bedtime at our house. Adam returns tonight and so far, I've survived my first night/day without him and with both kids. Wine helps....alot.

I really will try and post more regularly...it's good to keep track of our experiences and the kids' progression as they get older. Until next time, take care!

The Pattersons