Saturday morning in Louise

Daddy and Uncle Will went to Louise early Saturday morning to get the land ready for dove hunting - Jane Gray and Charlie tagged along. The early morning fog was thick as Jane Gray and Charlie went "exploring" for clues to the mysterious white feather they found - never knowing what monster, beast or grasshopper might be around the next bend. Lewis and Clark soon discovered the culprit of the feather as they flushed a large group of snow white cranes, and a few grasshoppers eventually met their match and were caged for a little while. We later had a great time riding country gravel roads with Charlie and Jane Gray pranging doves on the wing and getting off spectacular hip-shots with their guns of choice (mainly fingers). In all, Daddy had a great time in the country with his big helpers.

Jane Gray cheering at the Prep game

As part of the cheerleading camp Jane Gray attended at Prep this summer, she was able to cheer on the mighty Pats in the third quarter of the Prep-MRA game tonight. Liddy, Sayley, and Jane Gray were so cute together, and they all did so well!

Charlie's tree frog

Charlie was climbing the tree in our front yard this afternoon and found this tree frog. Mommy let Charlie keep the frog in a glass jar until Daddy came home. Charlie really wanted to keep the frog as a pet, but Mommy explained that we already have enough pets.

Meg's first day of mother's morning out

Today was Meg's first day of mother's morning out at Meadowbrook Preschool. For her big day, Meg wore the dress Jane Gray wore when she had her mother's morning out class picture 4 1/2 years ago (that's Jane Gray in the top picture). Meg's teachers are Mrs. Pat and Mrs. Sherry, the same teachers Jane Gray and Charlie had for mother's morning out. And, they are the best! Meg loves them already. When Mommy dropped Meg off, she waved and said "bye, bye." She was so excited! Mrs. Pat and Mrs. Sherry reported that Meg did great and reminded them so much of Jane Gray and Charlie.

Charlie's Sunday school class

Mommy and Daddy have been helping teach Charlie's 3-year old Sunday school class. Our table includes Charlie, Wynn Oakley, Thomas Dale, Olivia Hosey (all pictured here - the boys are touching their arms because Daddy was teaching them about the leper who thanked Jesus for healing him), and Olivia Tole and Margaret Oliver (who weren't there this Sunday). It's a sweet table! The Oakleys have been our go-to substitutes, and as Deborah tells it, sweet Wynn repeatedly tells her, "that's not the way Mr. Charles does it." Daddy has done a wonderful job teaching our table, and we will miss our little friends in the next couple of weeks when they graduate to the 4-year old class and we return to our Sunday school class.

Fishing with the Oakleys

We invited the Oakleys to go fishing with us in Yazoo City. Their boys, Sanders and Wynn, did great and caught lots of bream. They were so proud of themselves! Rebecca, their daughter, was content to just hang out with the Mommies and Meg. We fished all morning and then grilled out hamburgers and hot dogs. After lunch, we went horsebackriding and then fishing again. It was a fun day with the Oakleys! Pop and Sherrie arrived just as the Oakleys were leaving, so we stayed and visited with them. We had a late dinner together and then headed home, exhausted from a very fun day in Yazoo City!

Charlie's first day of 4-K

Charlie started 4-K at Covenant Preschool today. His teacher, Mrs. Jones, is so sweet and has a daughter in Jane Gray's 1st grade class. After school, Daddy took Charlie out to lunch at Chick-fil-a to celebrate his big day. They gave Charlie a megaphone at Chick-fil-a. Anyone who knows Charlie knows he doesn't need any help being loud. Sweet Stacy, who manages Daddy's office, entertained the kids at the computer. We can't go downtown without going to see everyone in Daddy's office - they're the best!

Before Jane Gray and Charlie started school, I took them to Dr. Phillipi for their annual checkups. Jane Gray weighs 47 pounds (80% percentile) and is 3 feet, 11.5 inches tall (70%). Charlie is 37 pounds (75%) and 3 feet, 5.5 inches tall (75%). Baby Meg is 24 pounds (70%), and 2 feet, 9 inches tall (90%). Our children are healthy, and we are so thankful!

Havens

Havens Smith lives across the street, and she is one of Jane Gray's best friends. She brought us some cookies she decorated and stayed to play in the front yard. The kids fished in the street, rode bikes/scooters and played lots of tag and hide-and-go-seek.

Reading with Gigi

Charlie starts K-4 tomorrow at Covenant Preschool, so we squeezed in two visits with our grandmothers before school starts. Yesterday, we had a nice visit with Grandmother Margaret, and today, we ate lunch with Gigi. Gigi gave the kids some back-to-school books, and Meg immediately climbed up in Gigi's lap and asked her to read her book. Mommy took this sweet picture of Meg and Gigi reading the book, but when Meg noticed Mommy with the camera, she started saying "Cheese!" It's one of her favorite words. Meg is still talking up a storm, saying lots of new words and word combinations. Just the other day, she said "God is great" as her blessing before dinner.

Fun with the Eisenhauers

Aunt Stacy sent Mommy some pictures she took of the kids on Saturday. It looks like it was a fun day! Uncle Tony taught Charlie how to play soccer, and the kids played at the park, swinging and sliding down the slide. But, before we hand out the "Aunt and Uncle of the Year Award," please notice the last picture. Yes, that's Charlie washing Aunt Stacy's car.

Trip to Charlotte

After school, we headed to Charlotte to spend the night with Uncle Tony, Aunt Stacy, and Ella. Mommy and Daddy went to Aunt Margaret's funeral in Wilmington, NC, on Saturday, and Tony and Stacy kept the kids for us. The kids had so much fun in Charlotte that they did not want to leave! The whole trip home, Meg was saying "Ella, Ella, Ella, . . ." This is a picture of the whole crew at breakfast on Sunday morning before we left to go home to Jackson.

Jane Gray's first day of first grade

Jane Gray loves school and was so excited to start first grade today. Mommy and Daddy went, too, for a parent orientation. Before heading out, we took pictures with our little student by the tree in the front yard (her choice). When we got to school, Jane Gray literally ran down the hill to see her friends. She saw Rebecca first, one of Jane Gray's best friends who was also in her kindergarten class. This year, Jane Gray has one of Mommy's friend's daughters in her class - Hawthorne Cleveland. Jane Gray's teacher is Mrs. Ludwig. She taught at Regents in Oxford last year, and we have heard wonderful things about her. We also had to get a picture with Mr. Herring; Jane Gray loves him!