pickin' tomatoes & flippin' cornbread

After our McAlisters journey, we loaded up the car and headed for the 147. Eden slept nearly the whole way (and Ashley slept a good bit, too). We arrived just in time for dinner and bath ... perfect.

The next morning, Eden woke up and got to play one of her favorite games ... pickin' tomatoes!

Her granddaddy places her in the garden and points to a tomato to pick. Then, Eden scurries to the tomato and does her duty.

Sometimes, however, there are casualties ...


After pickin' fresh veggies, we spent our evening with friends at Cock-of-the-Walk, where the servers all have to flip the cornbread up into the air and catch it back in the iron skillet and where you either order fried catfish or fried chicken - yum.

Of course Eden just wanted to eat whatever Mary Holland, daughter of our good friends Jeremy and Sarah, had on her "plate." Thankfully, Mary Holland was sweet enough to share her apples.

It was also fun to see Eden with Caroline and Will, the cute kids of Ashley's college roommate Mandy and her husband Matt. Caroline tried her hardest to help us get a photo of the three of them, such a good little helper that one is.

What the kids really enjoyed more than anything was the after dinner duck walk ... or, perhaps more aptly named the after-dinner-run-after-the-ducks-and-scare-them-until-the-parents-are-tired-of-sweating-and-decide-it-is-time-to-take-the-kids-home-for-a-bath-walk.

Mary Holland -- Will -- Eden

{Ashley likes that Jeremy & Mary Holland and Eden & I are in the backgrounds of eachother's photos}

After scaring ducks, we posed for a few pics then said our good-byes. And, while Ashley intended to get a pictures of the whole group, this was the best we ended up with. {Lesson Noted: Always take photos the minute you get a group together, especially when children are involved.}

gb, Charlie, Jeremy

Ashley, Eden, Mandy, Caroline, Will

It never seems like enough time when you're visiting old friends that you only get to see a few times a year. But that makes me sound old and sentimental ... sigh ...