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

Sum, sum, sum, sum, sum, sum, summatime!

Summer came and went in the blink of an eye and I guess we had too much fun because I am just now getting the chance to write about it! The kids went to several different camps.... and we had lots of playdates with friends... but any free time, we spent at the neighborhood pool, where there was always someone to share a laugh or popcicle with! Hayes even met a little girl named Addison who had just moved to town and even shared a birthday with her!They became fast friends and we've enjoyed getting to know her parents too. We even managed to get a few fun excursions in too! We went to the safari park in Alamo, Tn, the Discovery Park in Union City, and Blueberry picking in Nesbit, MS. And little Miss Hayes turned 5 with a gymnastics party at Sega with friends! We spent the fourth of July in Gulfport at the yacht club and had a big ole time with P and Pop as always. They even got to play in the sand in the harbor like a real Coast rat! The week of Adam's 35th birthday, we headed to Seacrest on 30A with my parents where we rented a house for a week. We loved exploring all of the little towns, splashing in the waves, and enjoying one last hurrah before school started. The older the kids get, the busier our summers are, but the more fun they are too! Until next time, The Pattersons