Hanging out with monkeys!

This past Monday we had the opportunity to meet up with my parents and my Uncle Michael for a trip to the Louisville Zoo. We all arrived right around the opening time and started out on our trek through the park. Grandma and Grandpa were really excited about getting to spend the whole day with Brinley Kate. They soak up every opportunity that they have to spend with our little lady. The day was filled with many pictures and learning lots about animals. This was not Brinley's first trip to the zoo (we went to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.), but it was her first zoo trip where she was awake and actually saw animals.

We started off with the giraffes. One of our favorite books to read at home is Giraffes Can't Dance. We were unhappy that none of the giraffes danced while we where there.

Baby and parent giraffe.

Next stop was the elephants. Can you tell that these grandparents love their granddaughter?

Brinley was excited to see so many new things.

We happened to be at the elephant exhibit when it was time for a show.  We enjoyed getting to see circus type stunts by these amazing creatures.

Brinley riding a baby elephant statue. I actually had the chance to ride an elephant when the circus came to Livermore when I was just a little boy. This statue will have to do for now for Miss Brinley.

Brinley and her mommy with the zebra baby and her mommy.

Close up of the baby zebra and mommy zebra.

The silver back gorillas didn't seem too happy during our visit.

Bengal tiger made think of the recent movie Life of Pi. Not sure I could have survived on a boat with this fierce animal. We also happened upon a show of this tiger being fed.

The polar bear had just finished eating when we arrived at his viewing area. The polar bear must have still been hungry because it was looking all over for more fish.

After lunch we stopped in to see the Lorikeets. Brinley was holding her hand out, but the bird didn't feel like she was a suitable arm to land on.

The flamingos brought a laugh to Jennifer and me because at the zoo in Washington we changed Brinley's diaper in front of the flamingos. Not sure she will appreciate that story when she is older.

Grandma and Brinley really enjoyed getting to spend the day together.

Brinley was such a good girl all day long and she didn't even take a nap. Jennifer and I were both expecting a very grumpy girl, but she was a great little lady. 

Not a great picture of grandpa, but this was the best one that I got that had Brinley and a penguin in it.

This orangutan was very friendly and allowed us to come up for a photo opportunity.

After seeing all the animals that the Louisville Zoo had to offer we decided to take a ride on the carousel. We got a ticket and I decided to hold Brinley while she rode. However, she enjoyed it so much that everybody decided that they needed to take a spin with Brinley. I think she liked Grandpa's selection best because he picked a horse that moved up and down during the ride. 

Brinley's first carousel ride.

Look at the smile on that little lady.

Brinley trying to tame this zebra, while Grandma is trying to keep Brinley on the  saddle.

One final ride with mommy on the lion.

We had to get a family photo at Brinley's favorite place of the day.

Family photo at the entrance.

Our whole crew for the day!

We had such a great little day trip to the Louisville Zoo. We enjoyed getting to spend the day with Grandma, Grandpa and my Uncle Michael. After grabbing a dinner together, we all left for our respective homes. Brinley was so exhausted that she slept the entire trip back to Lexington and still went to bed at her normal bedtime.

On a side note: It is crazy how many things we had to pack for just a day trip that was only an hour drive away for just one kid. I can't imagine what our lives will be like in just a few short weeks when we will have both kids to pack for. I know that it will be hectic around our home for a few years, but I am excited about it. Thanks for reading and God Bless!

Brinley Kate just turned 1!

I can't believe how fast this past year has flown by! It seems like just yesterday we were at the hospital welcoming our little girl into the world. She has been such a blessing to Jennifer and me. Don't get me wrong, it has been a very difficult year for Jennifer and I to adjust to the lack of sleep, sometimes constant crying, difficulty eating, bathing another human, picking up toys thrown all over the house and of course changing dirty diapers (Just to name a few). However, there is not a thing in the world I would trade for the last 365 days that I have got to spend being Brinley's dad! I can't wait to spend many more years with my little girl.

As most of you know we celebrated monthly birthday parties with Brinley which really got her prepared for her 1st birthday party. We decided to have some friends and family over to our house to celebrate with the birthday girl. Jennifer and her pinterest addiction hobby got together a lot of ideas and then started decorating our house for the party. Below are some of the pictures from Brinley's party.

Invitation to Brinley's Party

Cake Table and decorations

Brinley's 1st Birthday cake!

Jennifer made everything here, except for the cake! She is pretty crafty!

Brinley's smash cake!

Brinley is a very blessed and happy little girl! She got lots of clothes that she will enjoy wearing all summer.

Brinley playing with her friends Sydney and Brandt.

A few of the party attendants.

Callie even dressed in zebra print for the party.

Our buddy Landon stopped by to visit. It won't be too long until  Brinley has her own little brother Landon to play with.

Group shot of all the little kids. They ranged from 9 to 18 months.

Our buddies Shelby and Hayes stopped by for the celebration.

Brinley says "Give me my cake!"

This cake is soooo good! Can you tell that she has a sweet tooth?

Helping Brinley open her gifts.

Brinley enjoyed getting her own rocking horse from Grandma and Grandpa Heflin .

Some of our family with the birthday girl! Left to Right: Grandma and Grandpa Heflin; Aunt Andrea and Chris; Cousin Tricia.

The one thing that we seemed to forget about was getting a nice family shot of Jennifer, Brinley and myself on her actual birthday. However, we got a lot of nice family shots while getting Brinley's one year pictures done.

Brinley's 1st and only birthday as an only child!

Again, I seriously can't believe how fast this past year has gone by. We have been truly blessed everyday with a very happy and healthy little girl. Although there was a lot of time and energy that was put into getting everything ready, it was all worth it to have our little girl celebrate with family and friends. We cannot thank everyone enough that were able to attend. We were glad that you could come to be a part of Brinley's big day. We can't wait to celebrate many more birthdays with our little lady. Thanks for reading and God Bless!

Easter 2013

We really enjoyed this special time of year with Brinley! We had fun doing all the secular things that are associated with Easter, but we made sure to read the true story of Easter to Brinley. I know that it doesn't mean anything to her now, but someday she will know just how important it was when her Savior Jesus Christ died up on the cross for our sins and then ROSE from the grave 3 days later! This Bible story will be very familiar to Brinley, since she will hear it every year.

We started off our festivities with a PICU Easter egg hunt. It was great to catch up with some good friends and to meet their children that I had heard many stories about.

Brinley meeting a new friend, Parker.

All the kids that came for the Easter Egg Hunt.

Brinley finding an egg on the car door handle.

Brinley trying to grab another egg, this was the first time Brinley had ever crawled around in the grass.

 We decided to go get some pictures with the Easter Bunny and it just so happened that we found a place that had both the person in the bunny costume and live bunnies. We got there and Brinley had just woke up from her nap and wasn't quite awake when the photo shoot started. The photographer just kept taking pictures and even got a few smiles out of Brinley. She really perked up when the bunny started moving and then it came over and tried to lick her face. We couldn't just pick one picture, so we ended up buying the rights to all the pictures.

Brinley getting a kiss from the bunny.

Now Brinley was getting excited about the bunny.

Brinley didn't seem to have any reaction to the costume bunny, good or bad.

I had to work Saturday and Sunday on Easter Weekend, but when I got off work on Sunday morning I came home to fix breakfast for my girls and then got ready for church. We gave Brinley her Easter basket and we also gave her all the gifts she got from her grandparents and her aunts.

Helping Brinley dye her Easter eggs.

But, she was more interested in eating the eggs.

Brinley with her bunny ears and her Easter basket from the Easter Bunny!

Brinley racked up quite a bit from the grandparents and her aunts.

Easter morning breakfast. I made her an Easter bunny pancake.

I can't help but smile every time I see her smile. I can't believe we got such good pictures with her bunny ears on. 

After breakfast we got ready and headed to church. Brinley really acted good during the service, but Jennifer and I know that the time is quickly approaching when Brinley will need to go to the nursery. After church we came home and I took a nap because I had to go back to work that night. Overall, we had a great Easter but we really missed getting to spend it with our family. I can't wait to see Brinley hunt eggs next year when she can actually walk. It will be interesting to see over the years whose competitive spirit she has taken after. Either Jennifer's laid back attitude towards competition or mine where I want to win at every thing that I try. I hope that you and your family all had a great Easter! Thanks for reading and God Bless!

Brinley really enjoyed her chocolate bunny!!