Relaxin' in Jackson

Just because Gustav kicked us out of our new town, doesn't mean that we had to be gloomy, right? So, after Eden's baptism service, we dressed in our best swimming attire ...
... and headed to the 147 (a.k.a. the address of Eden's CC and Granddaddy). Eden must take after her Aunt Whitney, because the first thing she wanted to do was layout by the pool.

The Nicholas family joined us that afternoon. Charlie, their oldest, is three and was VERY excited about s-w-i-m--ing (as his mom called it).

After seeing Charlie, Jeremy, Sarah, and Mary Holland enjoying the water, Eden decided to join in the fun.

Ashley was the first to take Eden in the water (Eden's first time swimming). Eden seemed to enjoy it from the first moment on ... as long as she was right next to you.

After relaxin' poolside, Eden relaxed in her new Bumbo, courtesy of Mary Holland (and Sarah and Jeremy).

While Eden sat in her new chair, Charlie chased Hero around the kitchen. Hero is pretty much scared of anyone except his parents, Whitney and Boston. Charlie was, however, determined to pet her. We told him to stand really still so that Hero would come up to him; it worked.

Before the Nicholas family left, we got a group picture. For some reason, Charlie wanted to stand on his OWN step ... I suppose his parents have already instilled a spirit of independence!

That night, the relaxin' continued with a friendly staring contest, initiated by Uncle Britton, but won by Eden (seriously, she can go a LONG time without blinking!).

Downstairs, Chip and Whitney were busy making dessert ... Jay's famous Strawberry Cake ... mmmmmmmmmm...strawberry cake!

It was DELICIOUS!!!!

Even the chef thought so!

The next day, the girls relaxed by shopping ... they bought the same shirt and made the sales person take a picture ... ok, ASHLEY made the sales person take a picture (and made her mom and sister pose for it).

We also got to relax with a special family friend. Hazel Townsend is one of Ashley's godparents (she's married to Devon). Eden was glad to meet her and spend some time getting to know someone that means alot to Ashley.

All that "relaxing" can sure wear a baby out!

Can you tell that Whitney and Ashley are related?

There is a strange, but documented, baby phenomenon - EVERYTHING (I mean EVERYTHING) goes in the mouth. This includes sitting aids and feet.

As well as stuffed friends.

And teething rings ...

And Mom's jeans ...

I asked her why everything goes in her mouth. She said, "Ohohohohoh...gagagaga----awowoao." So, there's your causal mechanism, folks.

Relaxin' also included a nice meal out with Granddaddy (and Ashley and her Grandmama, sitting on the other side of the table) ...

Mostly, though, it meant playing on the floor of Hotel Jones on Aunt Whitney's old blanket [[sidenote: Christy and Chip just finsihed the renovation of their attic space - approximately 700 square feet that now includes a bedroom, den area with a 57" flat screen TV, and bathroom - that we call our "home away from home."]]

Of course, the time we spent in Jackson was not ALL about relaxin'. For the four years we were in Indiana, Christy and Chip stored ALOT of our stuff in their attic. When the attic was renovated, that stuff was moved to the garage, turning what once was a nice place to park a car into a storage unit. For those that don't know, when Ashley and I lived in Ridgeland, we owned a 1400 square foot house (3 br/2 bath). The first place we rented in Lafayette was a 700 square foot, one-bedroom apartment.

So, now that we're done with school and able to afford a storage unit, it was time to take our stuff out of the garage. We spent the better part of 6 hours rummaging through piles of bags and boxes, deciding what we wanted and what went to Goodwill.

One of the items we found was Ashley's old cheerleading bag from junior high school. The last time Ashley cheered was in HIGH SCHOOL! Their coach was a little crazy, and this was the bag that Ashley had to use to take her outfit to competitions. Everyone had one; they had to match. ALMOST 15 YEARS AGO. We did not keep it ... but her parents did. We'll always have the memory...

Apparently the whole Mississippi State thing is rubbing off on me ... unintentionally, I wore maroon and white to watch the Dawgs take on La-Tech.

Although it is true that Eden is the center-of-attention wherever she goes, it was especially true the morning that we were going back to Baton Rouge.

Granddaddy and CC loved on her and told her they would miss her.

And took her outside to watch Mom and Dad pack the cars.

They threatened to keep her until November ... a failed attempt, but a good try, nonetheless. It was hard to leave the relaxation of the 147 - no work and very few responsibilities. It was a fun time, and Eden enjoyed spending some extra QT with her grandparents. Guess we'll just have to head to back there again soon. Until next time, God Bless.