Dancing With a Fish, A Dog Named Lucy, and Funny Faces

Enna has a collection of old VBS things and she found this inflatable fish from several years ago. Today, I suggested that Reed dance with the fish. Reed grabbed the fish by the fins and danced his little heart out.



He has been so sweet today. He got to go see Mrs. Emily and Mrs. Lauren at lunch and then Apple Annie! He got to experience BOPS frozen custard and even had a great nap!



Tonight, Enna had to go to a bridal show and when she came home we were still outside. When she came inside, Reed was saying "Mama" a lot. I asked him why he was saying "Mama" so much and why he wasn't saying, "Daddy." Enna said, "Reed, say 'Daddy'." Reed obliged and said, "Daddy" twise. Then we said, say "Enna." He said, "Nahnah." We nearly flipped. Then we said say, "Poppy" and guess what? Reed said, "Poppy." We were so proud of all of his words.



Reed got a new dog, Lucy. Well, Lucy sort of just wandered up today, but she is really sweet. (We named her Lucy.) Lucy seems to have had a rough life so far because she was so scared. But, she was really sweet to us. Enna doesn't want her to stick around, but we do!



Reed loves the door at Enna and Poppy's. Look at all of the marks on it! Enna says she'll never wash it again.



We had fun making funny faces in the door.



Lots of fun.


____________________

On Monday, Abbey and I will have been married 7 years! Can you believe it? So, I plan to do the 7 things I love about her for the next several days.

7. Her Smell. I have loved the way Abbey smells since our first date. Abbey wears a fragrance called "Laugh" by Brighton. I'm sure most people have heard of brighton belts, wallets, or sunglasses, but many people don't know they have 4 fragrances. Abbey should be the poster child for "Laugh" because it works incredibly with Abbey's chemistry! There have been a few times that she's worn other perfumes that I used to get for free when I worked retail, but we always have come back to "Laugh." So, remember, the next time you see Abbey, take a deep sniff. Just remember, she's mine!

Fun With Joshi

Uncle Bobby and Joshi arrived at Poppy and Enna's bright and early this morning. She has grown so much since the last time we saw her. She's so pretty.



... And happy!



Poppy and Enna took Reed and Joshi to Enna's school to show them off, I mean, work.



The kids charmed Enna's principal. I wonder if they got her a raise?


Joshi started getting sleepy after a little while, but they got to sit in a cool double chair first!



Do you think my son has a fascination with balls? He loves to play ball! It is so funny, because knowing Abbey and I, who would have thought it?



After naptime, it was time to go to the funeral home and meet Daddy's coworkers. Reed finally got to meet Uncle Rod, Mrs. Sandra, Jenny, and Mrs. Joyce. Jenny, I'll come help you with CVS before we leave, hopefully!



While the kids were being spoiled by grandparents, Bobby, Trae, and I hung out at Trae's house. Aunt Alyson had to work and Abbey went to help Aunt Ava set up her room.



We all went to Outback for supper. Reed was very clingy to his daddy. You know I didn't mind that!



Reed loves his Uncle Bobby and Uncle Trae! They are the best!



Here's a family picture sans Enna. We should have gotten someone to take the picture so that Enna could have been in it!

Mississippi: Hit & Miss

Last night, we went to Aunt Ava's and Uncle Brookie's. Lola is here in Jackson helping Aunt Ava get ready for her new classroom. Abbey is going to go and help today.

We watched Design Star last night and we are definitely hoping that Jennifer wins.

We also watched the finale` of Next Food Network Star. Can we just say that Lisa Garza got ROBBED! She totally should have one!

My mom and I went to CVS yesterday and scored some pretty good deals. I think it was the most friendly CVS I have ever been in.

Now, to the title of this email.



There are certainly some things that we love about our homestate and there are some things that we don't miss at all. Here's our list.

HITS:

1. Family and Friends: We have so many family members in friends here in Mississippi and we miss being far away from them.

2. Homes with Character: Mississippi has not gotten so much into the "cookie cutter" mode of building homes, so neighborhood have so much character and BRICK! Man, do we miss brick!!!

3. McAlister's, BOPS, Fernandos, and Old Venice: McAlister's are everywhere here, BOPS frozen custard is the best, and we've already written about Old Venice and Fernando's.



4. Traffic: There isn't any!

5. Slower Pace: Everything moves a little slower here and we love that.

6. Property Values: Bigger for less!



MISS:

1. Friends: We have some very dear friends in Tennessee and God has blessed us so abundantly with them!

2. My Job: Unlike most careers, mine is available only in Nashvegas.

3. Our Town: We love the town that we live in. Close to Nashvegas and yet you still know people everywhere you go. And, it's way more affordable!



4. Church: Every church has its problems and ours is no exception, but we definitely love it! Our friends and Sunday School kids are the best!

5. Allergens: While Tennessee certainly has it's share of sneeze producers, Mississippi drives Reed and my sinus's crazy!!!

6. Roads: I just thought they were bad in Tennessee.



Mississippi will always have a special place in our hearts, but we are so thankful for our life in Tennessee!

A Grand Ole Time!

Today we woke up at Lola and Pop's and headed to Mississippi. We stopped and saw Reed's great-grandmother, Mimi.



We also got to see Lola's great friend, Mrs. Katie.



After we arrived in Jackson, I set my conference up for tomorrow with some help from Abbey and Reed.

We saw Aunt Ava briefly and then headed to Enna and Poppy's.



Uncle Trae was at Enna and Poppy's when we got here and then we went to eat supper at our favorite Mississippi Mexican Restaurant, Fernando's! It's the best, so if you ever here, you have to try it!



When we got home from supper, Reed played with Enna and Poppy's neighbor-boys, Jaidon and AJ.



Reed loved feeling like he was a big boy!



He chased Jaidon and AJ all around Enna and Poppy's big backyard.



Reed has enjoyed playing with Enna's stash of toys.



... And now it is 10:12 PM and he is still running around. Of course, he did sleep from Grenada all the was to Jackson today. That's a pretty good nap for those of you non-Mississippians.



Poppy gave Reed a bath tonight.



After the bath, Poppy made Reed a cape from his towel. Reed LOVED being a super-hero.



To answer a question from a "reed"er, Kerry, the spots on Reed's eyes were mosquito bites. He does have really dry skin, but so far the eczema has been minimal.



Here he comes to save the day!

Okay, I'm going to reattempt to get Reed to go to sleep now!

Finally Something I Can Throw!

Tonight after we got home from supper, I worked in the flowerbeds a little bit. I was deadheading the flowers and Reed wasn't really interested in helping me as he generally is more interested in pulling the fresh pretty ones. Anyway, I decided to get this sandwagon out of some of the VBS leftovers in the garage.



At first he was just playing with the sand and then all of a sudden I heard him laughing.



I looked over and he was throwing the sand in the grass and laughing hysterically!



I quickly grabbed him and dusted him off and ran to the door. I put him down ran upstairs and grabbed the camera. I ran downstairs, grabbed Reed and headed back outside. Reed was happy to start throwing his sand again.



You can tell from the picture that it was ALL over him!



I think that I have found a new babysitter while I am working in the yard. I bet Abbey will probably use the sand sometimes too!

By the way, did you notice the cute M & M's shirt Reed has on. That was a gift from Miss Candace! It is so cute!

B is for Britton, My VERY Best Friend

Reed woke up in a REALLY cheesy mood today. He was cheesin' for mommy when she started taking some pictures of him.



"Mommy, do you like this funny face?"



Reed's best friend Britton came over to play with him today around lunch. We are so blessed to have friends like Brandon and Tamara, but we are doubly blessed that Britton is only a few months younger than Reed and the LOVE each other. Britton has started calling Reed, Bubba.



Tonight we went to eat at the new Cracker Barrel in Hendersonville. Then we headed to Gymboree at the new mall and then a dip in the fountain.



Unfortunately, Abbey and Mrs. Tamara let the boys sit in these UGLY orange rockers while the daddies paid the bill.



He sure made that orange chair a lot cuter don't you think?



"Hey Britton, do you want to come over and play in my pool this weekend?"



Reed took a great nap today, so he was in a pretty good mood, although the boys and me gave our waiter a good run for his money.



Can you tell that we don't let Reed watch TV? He was completely enthralled by the TV at Gymboree.



As was Britton, who like Reed, doesn't watch TV.

We found the cutest little "outback" outfits for the boys to wear to VBS next year. The theme is Boomerang Express and it was announced this week. There are several outfits with kangaroos on them.

We played in the fountain but none of the pictures turn out.