Landon's Room is finished!

Landon will be arriving soon and Jennifer has been working really hard on completing his room with all of her craft projects. She finished it yesterday and it could not be any more perfect for our little man. Today marks exactly 1 month left until Landon's due date, which is July 14th. This pregnancy has seemed to fly by even faster than with Brinley and it is mostly because we have been kept super busy with taking care of our little lady. I know that this pregnancy has been difficult and tiring for Jennifer because it is hard to take care of a infant who is turning into a toddler all while being pregnant and feeling miserable at times. Not until talking with a friend the other day did it really hit home for me, but I just happened to figure out that Jennifer has been pregnant for 18 of the last 24 months. It makes Landon's room even more amazing that she was able to make almost all of the decorations. Here are the pictures of Landon's jungle themed room, with a little touch of sports for our little guy.

Door leading into Landon's room. Hand painted by Jennifer. This is the only sports that I could get in the room for now.

Back of the door painting by Jennifer.

Jennifer loves her cricut machine and all the projects that it allows her to do and how quickly she can cut out her different creations.

Doors to Landon's balcony.

Hand painted letters by Jennifer with the giraffe print.

Landon's wall decals with some jungle animals. 

Looking at the rest of Landon's room from the decal wall.

Mobile that Jennifer made to be above the rocker.

Nook bedroom area with chevron wall painted by Jennifer. This was done one night after I went to sleep and she didn't tell me she was going to do it. When she gets her mind set on something she doesn't want to stop until she is done.

Painting done by Jennifer that is similar to Landon's bedding. 

See You Later Alligator

Owl Always Love You

Don't Worry Bee Happy

Monkey Business

Closet and changing area.

Blocks made by Jennifer.

This adequately will describe our house in a few weeks.

Changing area with his comforter on the wall.

As you can see from all the pictures that Jennifer has been a very busy lady. We can't wait until little Landon Michael Heflin makes his arrival. A lot of people have asked me lately what Brinley thinks about having a little brother. I find this funny when they ask because she is clueless to all of it. She is just happy to play, eat and walk around all day long. So we are very interested to see what will happen when she actually gets to meet Landon and what her reaction will be in the following weeks when she isn't always the center of attention. I am very lucky to have a job in which I am allowed time off to spend with my family. Jennifer will be taking off about 8 weeks and I will be spending 4 weeks at home in order to bond as a family of 4. We are extremely excited and scared/nervous all at the same time about what our future will hold once Landon arrives. Although it hasn't been that long ago since we brought Brinley home, I don't remember all the sleepless nights, crying and all the feeding and changing diapers that is involved with a newborn. I just know that Brinley was a pretty good child and we can only hope that Landon is too. We would appreciate all your prayers as we finish all the last minute preparation and after our son arrives. Thanks for reading and God Bless!

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!