Road to the Final Four!

These kids are raised right! Wearing that Kentucky Blue since birth! This was them as they got ready to watch UK in the Final Four. Maybe I can take them to the Final Four to see the Wildcats someday.

I have been saying for a while now how special this Kentucky basketball team could be. When they won the first two games of the SEC tournament I knew they were starting to click. Before the NCAA tournament started I picked them to win my bracket (mostly thinking it is just hard to root against your hometown team). When they started playing in the NCAA they really impressed me and I knew they weren't given the credit that they deserved. I had a chance to go see them in Indy, but backed out because I would have to get too many things worked out in order to go. Instead I sat in my basement by myself watching the Louisville game while the kids were both asleep upstairs and my wife was at work. If you saw my video Saturday night you can imagine how much intensity I had built up during that game. I didn't make one single noise because I know to never wake a sleeping baby. I was even more pumped, if you can imagine, about that win because it was against our in state rival and defending national champion. Then came the Michigan game. I had to work that night so I watched the first half at home and then drove in at halftime so that I wouldn't miss a second of the game. I watched the second half surrounded by coworkers who all were glued to the screen like myself. After my nerves calmed down from the wild finish I jokingly called Jennifer and asked her what she would think if I went to the Final Four in Dallas? She said she didn't think it was possible because it was less than a week away and I had to work that weekend. It just seemed to crazy to get everything worked out. Then I sent her a picture of my bucket list that I keep in my notes on my phone of how I wanted to attend a Final Four. I said that it would be nice to go when it was a team that I really wanted to go see! She simply responded back with her approval and then the search was on. 

I immediately started looking for a way to get tickets to Dallas and of course for someone to go with me! I just knew that I needed to be a part of this miraculous run by this group of freshmen. My brother said no because he had medical school stuff, my sister and her fiancée said no because they already had a trip to Washington, D.C. planned that weekend, my mom was the babysitter I had in mind and Jennifer had to work. I still hadn't heard back from dad because he was still in church and unable to be contacted so I waited very impatiently for him to get home. I flat out asked him if he wanted to drive to Dallas with me for the games and just seconds after my question he said yes! I was ecstatic! We found a pair of tickets in the nosebleeds and purchased them. Then became the tricky part. I had to find some coworkers who would switch shifts with me so that I could head to the Final Four. After looking at the schedule over and over I found many options and even some backup options that weren't ideal, but would let me attend the game. Thankfully I have some awesome coworkers who said yes and swapped shifts. 

Thursday finally arrived and I packed up the car, said goodbye to Jennifer, Brinley and Landon and then headed to McLean County to pick up dad. After the 3 hour drive home I picked him up and said goodbye to mom and we set off on the road to Texas. We made pretty good time, only stopping twice for food and gas. We arrived at our hotel around 11 pm that night and quickly got to bed. 

Dad and I outside the AT&T Stadium. 43 years ago Dad went to see his college team, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at the Final Four in Houston.

TBS crew were right there when we walked into the stadium. This is where I got some text that people saw me on TV.

I made it on to the big screen. I am dead center behind the announcers. Dad made it on too in the picture below.

View from our seats.

Ready for some basketball!

 Friday we slept in and then decided to go ahead and get ready to start heading towards the stadium. We stopped for lunch on the way and then searched around for the best possible parking that we could find. We walked to the stadium and were looking around outside when it started to drizzle. Not having anything to cover up with we just stood in line to enter the stadium. When the doors opened at 3 we were one of the first ones in the building (Apparently I was seen by people from back home on TV as I was entering the stadium). We walked around the stadium and dad showed me where he thought he sat for the Super Bowl a few years ago. We stopped at one of the commentator broadcast booths and quickly discovered that this was the best way to get on the big screen TVs that were in the stadium. We took pictures because we weren't sure that they were broadcast outside the stadium. Then we made our way up to the upper deck to find our seats. The night started out weird because we first had to watch 2 teams that we were indifferent about before watching our main event. Dad had ended up getting a bucket of popcorn that had free refills and he munched on it throughout both games. I however, was so sick to my stomach that I couldn't even think about eating or drinking. I was nervous for the Kentucky game that seemed like it would never start. The UConn Huskies ended up beating the Florida Gators in the first game and then it was time for the real main event. 

Dad passing the time by eating popcorn. I think he had 4 buckets this night.

Florida Gators vs. Connecticut Huskies. Not that great of a game, plus I wanted Florida to win so that we could beat them in the championship!

Tip-off between Kentucky and Wisconsin.

After an intermission where they switched out the student sections and let the teams warm up, it was game time. It started out so fast and it seemed like in no time it was halftime. The second half came along and you could tell it was going to be a fantastic finish because the teams were just back and forth the whole game. Kentucky would go on a run and then Wisconsin would respond with a run of their own. We would make a big play and then they would match it with one of their own. The atmosphere in the stadium was crazy. There were by far more Kentucky fans, but the red of the Wisconsin fans really made them standout. It was also pretty intense in the stadium because every commercial break the big screen would show people in the stands. I don't know how they decide who to show, but it just seemed to me that they showed more of the Wisconsin fans during our game. (Not sure if this was true or not. But it seemed like it to me and just because we were playing them it made me dislike them even more.) Their fans were only slightly less annoying than the Gator fans that do their arm chomp. It just seemed crazy to me that all these predominately white fans from Wisconsin couldn't think up a better thing to do when the camera flashed on them except for the traditional gang sign, W, which represents west-side. I know that they were using it to represent Wisconsin, but it was just something that got on my nerves while I was watching the game.

Wisconsin player throwing up his W's

This stadium was huge! The jumbo-tron was really nice though. 

With just 16 seconds left in the game, Wisconsin had the ball and one of their players, Traevon Jackson, gave a little pump fake and got Andrew Harrison to jump in the air so he leaned into Harrison and shot a three-pointer. I was so distraught, this was exactly the opposite of everything you get taught growing up playing basketball. I could just hear it how the announcers were going to blame everything on the lack of experience with playing freshmen and making mental mistakes. It also got me upset because I knew that up until now in the game Wisconsin had been perfect from the free throw line, 17 straight makes. However, Traevon missed his very first attempt. This was awesome! Now we only needed a two -pointer to tie it up and that was if he hit the other two free throws. He did hit the other 2 shots and I was expecting a quick timeout by Coach Cal to get things set up for a good shot. However, they in-bounded the ball and rushed quickly up the floor and then Andrew Harrison passed it to his brother Aaron who was way behind the 3-point line. He shot and it didn't look like a good shot, but then it somehow when it! The arena erupted with cheers of joy from the Wildcat faithful! I was so excited, but I knew that with under 6 seconds left on the clock it was more than enough time for Wisconsin to get off a good shot. After a couple of timeouts and some more time for my blood pressure to rise the Wisconsin Badgers in-bounded the ball and hustled up court. Again it was Traevon with the ball and he went left and then stepped back for a jump shot. It hit the backboard and then bounced off the front of the rim into the hands of Kentucky! We won! We won! This is where I filmed my video that ended up being watched my the majority of my friends. All of whom have commented back to me that they enjoyed my video. I was on such an emotional high that I would have probably set my own couch on fire if I had it with me there at the stadium. Dad and I were so excited over the victory! We took our time getting out of the stadium because we knew that traffic was going to be bad, so we bought a few souvenirs and made our way to the car.

Here is the link to my video I made from the last seconds of the Wisconsin game if you didn't get a chance to see it. (You might want to turn the volume down because I was a little loud.)
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=698856959403&set=vb.151202065&type=3

After the most thrilling game that I have ever witnessed personally! I was so pumped right now!

The next day we didn't have anything going on so we slept in and then decided to do a little bit of sightseeing. We had done some stuff in Dallas on previous trips, so we finally decided on a trip to South Fork Ranch, which is where the TV series Dallas is taped. I have never personally seen the show, but it is one that mom and dad have both watched from the start. The tour was really interesting, but the story lines and all the characters seemed to overwhelm me. The only part of the show that I was really familiar with was the term "Who shot JR?". Dad really enjoyed the tour and even sent pictures from his phone to different people while he was there to show them some of the stuff. After South Fork we headed into Dallas and decided to watch a movie. I let Dad pick and he chose The Grand Budapest Hotel. It was different, funny at times, weird at others. Definitely not a movie I would ever watch again, but I might suggest it if you had nothing else to do. After our movie we headed out to Fuddruckers for dinner. I tried the 1 pound burger which is something that they are famous for and McKinley had one on a vacation that I didn't get to go on (Dad, Mom, Andrea, and McKinley went one summer to Virginia Beach and I stayed home to work in the TTMA factory). I had been told on numerous times how good the burger was and that McKinley finished his burger and got his picture on the wall. Not to be out done, I wanted to do the same, although this restaurant didn't put people's pictures up for completing the burger. I didn't expect the burger to have much flavor, but it was actually really good. The only thing left to do was rest up for the Championship game the next night.

Who shot JR? I don't have a clue, but that is the only phrase or thing I know about the TV show Dallas.

Dad wanted to take a dip in the pool at South Fork, but it was a little chilly for a swim.

Dad was really sad about the passing of J.R. Ewing. We might just send in this picture to see if dad can get a role as an extra.

Really good burger! The 1 pound burger! 

We again had nothing to do so we slept in and then headed out for lunch. After eating we had some time to waste before heading down to the stadium so we just stopped in a mall to look around at things. We arrived early to the stadium and got some more pictures outside with some of the different signage on the building. After we got inside we didn't really need to explore so we just went ahead and got to our seats. I again was feeling nervous so I didn't get any snacks, but Dad got some peanuts to keep him satisfied until tip-off. Even more Wildcat fans made it down for the championship so the stadium looked packed with fans in their Kentucky Blue. It just seemed like during the game we couldn't get anything going. We got behind early in the game and just seemed like the nerves were getting the best of us. Every time that we would make a big play and I would think to myself that we were about to get something going UConn would go down the court and answer back with a big play of their own. In fact at one point we were trailing by 15 points. However, with about 5 minutes left in the first half, something changed and they started playing basketball like they were capable of. The Wildcats went on a run to end the first half that got the deficit down to 4. The second half really was a back and forth battle. Many times we got to within 1 point, but we were never able to tie or take the lead. Again it felt like we made a lot of costly mistakes at the most inopportune times. We played a lot better in the second half, but we just couldn't get the job done. We weren't close enough at the end to even give Aaron Harrison a chance to make another amazing shot to win the game. In the end, the Huskies of UConn proved to be too much for the freshmen of Kentucky. It was heartbreaking to see them lose, but the tournament run that these freshmen put together was really something to be proud of! Nobody except the guys in that locker room had the faith and determination that they had in themselves during the season. Kentucky had probably the hardest tournament draw and they didn't back down from anybody and fell just a few shy of being National Champions.

Mirror outside the stadium gave a pretty neat picture.

Tip-off of the championship game. I tried to limit my picture taking and to just enjoy the moment. So, I didn't get too many live action pictures from any of the games.

Randle shooting a free throw. If we had only hit more of these we might have brought the title back to Kentucky.

Dad and I got up early the next day to start the journey home. People might say that we were crazy for driving, but it gave us a lot of time to talk and enjoy each others company. Dad told me stories about when he was growing up and also told me about his college and teaching years. Some stories I might have heard before, but they were just as good the second time too. We made it back to McLean County safe and sound and I spent the night before heading back the next morning to see how the kids had been for Jennifer and Grandma. Thanks for reading and God Bless

Extra note:

This morning I watched the DVR'd game to see just exactly what went wrong and to clear up some of the calls that I had witnessed at the stadium, but never got to hear the announcers say what had happened. I thought the refs made some pretty bad calls, which is to be expected, but some of them were just plain awful. I didn't realize how little Randle actually played in the first half due to some problems with his ankle. Overall, I was still really proud of this group of Kentucky Wildcats! They stepped up their game when it really mattered and they help produce one of the more exciting tournaments in recent years.

I was also very glad to hear about the news today that the Harrison twins have decided to come back for another season along with Willie Cauley-Stein, Alex Poythress, Dakari Johnson, and Marcus Lee. With the four 5-star recruits we have coming in next year it could prove to be a very dynamic team. I wish them the best and can't wait to see them in action later this year. I also wish the best for Julius Randle and James Young in their NBA careers. I hope to see the boys in Kentucky blue make another run in the tournament and I might just sneak up to Indy to see them win it all.

It is going to be a long off season, but I can't wait until it is Basketball time in the Bluegrass!

BE THE MATCH!

Working with pediatric cancer patients can be very difficult because these children are fighting everyday for their lives. We celebrate with the survivors and remember the ones that fought hard to the end. More than likely you know someone with cancer, whether it is a family member or friend. Odds are that you probably know a child with cancer, too. I personally know a lot of children with cancer because I get the privilege to work with them every weekend at the hospital. These children are amazing and are so strong and brave. These children sometimes go through more in a week  (procedures, lab draws, tests, medications, transfusions) than some people go though in a lifetime. I wish that no child ever had to endure any of these things, but until a cure is found, these children will continue to go though all these things.

This is why I am begging you to do what you can to help save these children's and adult's lives by doing just a few simple tasks. First, people that have cancer are constantly needing blood and platelet transfusions. I beg you to please go donate. The 30 minutes of your day and single needle poke could in essence save a life. I am a proud blood donor and I go every time that I am able, which is every 2 months, to donate. I am just upset with myself that I waited so long to become a consistent donor. I am getting pretty close to finishing off my 2 gallon.

Sometimes when the chemotherapy treatment that patients are on doesn't work as expected they are faced with having to undergo a bone marrow transplant. The second task that I ask of you is to become a member of the National Marrow Donor Program (bethematch.com). I am currently in the process of doing this myself. With your help an individual could become cancer free. To become a donor is quite simple. You just have to go online and submit an application and they send you a kit in the mail, which consists of a couple mouth swabs. Then you return the kit and you get placed on the registry. Now being an actual donor consists of much more, but the first steps are getting registered.

I give because I am currently in good health and I can easily spare some blood to help someone that isn't. I also want to be on the donor registry because I have seen first hand some patients that had to undergo this procedure and I know how difficult of a time that it can be. If I could help someone by being the best possible match for them then it is worth it. As our pastor said recently in a message "If we don't help our fellow man, then who is going too?" He also told this story about two men that met while out fishing on vacation. The two men upon first glance looked like they would have nothing in common, except for fishing. However, over the next few days these two men began talking and found out that they actually had a lot in common. They had both been married for a long time to their wives, with 2 children a piece, and had both served in the military. Only major difference they seemed to find was that one of the men was in kidney failure and needed a kidney transplant. The other man went home and told his wife that he was going to donate a kidney to his new friend. He went to get tested and sure enough he was a perfect match for this man he had just met 3 days ago. This message and story at church just really touched me and helped me make the decision to join the national bone marrow registry and to sign the back of my driver's license to become an organ donor.

So, the third task is to become an organ donor. This subject is a little more difficult for some people. There are many misconceptions out there about how organ donation works. However, it all comes down to a decision, To be or not to be a donor. After you make this decision you need to discuss it with your family because in the end they will be making the decisions if the unfortunate does happen. I won't get into all the details of how organ donation works, but I just want you to know that there are thousands of people who could benefit from your donation. I again have had the privilege to take care of many people both waiting and recovering from a transplant. Some of these people can now live a somewhat normal lifestyle and it is all because of organ donors.

Now back to where we talked about how we all knew someone with cancer. I am sure that if that person asked you to give blood or see if you were a bone marrow match then you would do it? Right? Well, why not help out another family that is in need so you can save their loved one. You never will know as a donor how many lives you truly effect, because not only do you save that 1 individual, but you give that much hope to everyone that loves your recipient. So, please BE THE MATCH!

Thanks for reading and God Bless!

UPDATE: My kit came in the mail and I did my four cheek swabs and sent it back in to the company in order to get on the active registry list.

It was extremely easy to complete the kit. 

Please sign up to donate! You could save a life!

30 by 30

If you don't know today is my birthday and I turn 29 this year. In the last 29 years I have been privileged to do some pretty amazing things. Some of those things I have talked about in previous posts and some will be talked about in future ones. However, because of some people that have done this before me, I have decided to make a list of 30 things I would like to accomplish before my birthday next year. That gives me 365 days to complete my list. I have reviewed these with Jennifer and she says that although some of these are difficult, she believes that I can accomplish all of them if I put my mind to it.

1. Read the entire Bible - I have always wanted to do this and always get sidetracked. I will try to read from start to finish and I hope and pray that I grow closer to God while reading the scripture.

2. Lose 50+ pounds - I have always been a heavy set person, but if I don't make changes now in my lifestyle, eating and exercise habits it will make life much more difficult as I get older. I want to live to a ripe old age and be able to see and play with my grandchildren and I think this is a great start. A lot of my other goals will pertain to and benefit this goal.

3. Stop biting my nails - This is one of my extremely nasty habits. I do this most of the time out of boredom which just seems crazy because most people do this when they are nervous.

4. Finish a 5K with both children under 30 minutes - The first task will be to finish a 5K under 30 minutes by myself and after that I will add in pushing the double stroller during the race. In April I have already signed up for my 1st 5K which is the color run here in Lexington.

5. Pay for a strangers meal - I have always heard of people doing this and I have decided that I want to participate too. I think about it most of the time when we are out at a restaurant, but I have never actually gone through with it.

6. Write at least 2 blog posts a month - I have really struggled with keeping up with things that we have done as a family ever since Landon has been born. I want to make sure to keep track of these things and write a post so that the kids will be able to see what was going through my head on all our adventures.

7. Bike 1,500 miles - I recently got a stationary bike and I have started to enjoy putting some miles in after the kids go to bed. This requires me to get 4.1 miles in a day.

8. Run 500 miles - I however have not ever enjoyed running, but it is one of the best exercises that I can do while I am watching the kids and it is also free, which you can't beat! This goal will require me to get at least 1.4 miles in each day.

9. Potty train a child - I originally wanted to say both children, but Jennifer said I was crazy. So, I know how difficult it can be to get a child completely potty trained, but I am going to give it my best shot. I am sure Brinley is going to give me a challenge with this task.

10. Go an entire month not eating out at restaurants - Jennifer and I have tried this before but it always seems that something comes up and we have to go out for a celebration or something. So, I have already set aside August for this task because we don't have any birthdays or celebrations that I could think of to celebrate. We also plan to try and eat out less during the year because it gets so difficult with one child eating table foods, so I can only imagine when Landon starts in.

11. Get rid of DirectTV (cable in general) - I have wanted to do this for a long time and we have come close before and we end up backing out. I have several friends who have gotten rid of it and just watch stuff online and with netflix.

12. Register as a bone marrow donor - I have met some people that have had to get a bone marrow transplant and I just feel like if I could help save somebody's life then it is something that I should do.

13. Give up fried side items for a year or longer - Our culture is really caught up in fried side items including myself. I love french fries and onion rings like everyone else, but there is nothing healthy about it. Brinley has also seen the negative effects of my eating habits and because of it fries are one of her favorite foods. I just want to lead by example, so it starts with me.

14. Go an entire month or longer with no sweets (except immediate family members birthdays) - This means everything including cakes, pies, chocolate, candy or anything else that I usually consume. I will try to satisfy my sweet tooth instead with natures candy - fruit.

15. Go on 2 date nights a month with no kids - The past 2 years have been amazing with Brinley and Landon. However, I have not gotten to spend as much time with my best friend as I would like. We are happy to take the kids with us wherever we go, but it is also fun to relax and eat dinner without having to change a diaper or keep the kids calm so that we don't completely ruin other peoples dinner with our noise.

16. Take the kids to Disney World - You might ask why now? Simple - the kids are both free and why not take them to what is considered the greatest place on earth when I can see the pure joy and excitement on their faces.

17. Take wife to Harry Potter World - Ever since we came back from Australia, Jennifer has wanted to go to Universal Studios to see Harry Potter World. We were both excited to plan a quick trip down to Florida when we found out we were expecting Brinley. Then we had Landon. So now we are free to go and Jennifer and I can both ride all the rides.

18. Work 26 extra shifts - Jennifer and I decided that if we both worked an extra shift a paycheck then we could try and pay off some of our debts and add money to retirement.

19. Try 5-10 new foods - If you know me at all then you know that I am a pretty picky eater. I haven't tried most things and I usually am not open to it.

20. Pay off at least 1 of the 2 student loans we have left - Jennifer and I accumulated some pretty large debts from our college educations. We both attended Georgetown College and then the University of Kentucky so we both had some hefty sized loans.

21. Attend church on a more regular basis (weekly) - We currently attend Southland Christian Church here in Lexington and love it. However, with my current work schedule it is sometimes difficult to attend. However, we want to make a point of it to attend more often this year and to try and become more involved with the church too.

22. Watch all the best pictures award winners since I was born in 1985 - I don't think that I can watch all 100+ winners, but I can at least see all the ones that have been made since I have been around. Some I have seen, but others will be my first time seeing them.

23. Plant and grow my own vegetable garden - This is something that I have been excited about since last summer ended. Last year I successfully grew some tomatoes and a few squash. This year I have been actually doing a little research, so that I can grow even more and maybe even have some to share with friends and family.

24. Spend less time playing on my phone - I am going to make a point of trying to be less reliant and dependent of my cell phone especially while the kids are awake. I want to play and interact more with them, so the phone will have to go. My goal is to try and only have it out when the kids have gone down for naps and after they go to bed at night.

25. See 2 new NFL football teams - After my sister started working for the NFL we have both been trying to see all the teams play. She of course is winning because she gets to see quite a few while on business, but I am doing pretty good. I have seen 23 out of the 32 teams so I only have 9 left.

26. Take both kids to see a men's UK basketball game - I am so lucky to have been raised a wildcat and am even happier to be an alumni of the greatest college basketball tradition in the world. So, to keep up with that I would like to take the kids and let them see first hand what basketball in the bluegrass is all about.

27. Give up pizza for 1 month - We eat it way too much in our house so I am going to see if I can give up my favorite food for an entire month.

28. Go hunting or fishing - I grew up in the country, but my family is not really big into the outdoors. However, over the years I have talked with many friends and family and it has made me want to give it a shot (no pun intended).

29. Go on a day trip with no children - We have never gone further than a few miles from the house while out on a date.

30. Volunteer - Not sure what this will entail and I currently don't have any plans in mind. I just know that there are people who are less fortunate than myself and could use a hand. I plan to make this happen in some way, shape or form during this year.

I appreciate any help or advice with trying to accomplish these tasks that you might be able to give me. I also encourage you to put your goals down somewhere and even show them to at least one other person so that they can hold you accountable to some extent. I will try and keep you updated during the year on my progress. Thanks for all your support! Thanks for reading and God bless!

Thanksgiving in Western Kentucky

Jennifer and I were both off from work this year and decided to make the trip back to McLean County to celebrate Thanksgiving with our families. After Jennifer got off work Tuesday morning we finished packing up everything we needed and started on our 3 hour journey. Thankfully all my passengers slept for the first half of the trip. We stopped in Elizabethtown to get gas and let the kids get out for a little bit. We arrived in Livermore and came in to see grandpa. A few minutes later grandma arrived with our first treat, lunch from Island Dairy Freeze.

Jennifer and I took advantage of being around the grandparents and we headed out for a date night to see the new Hunger Games movie, Catching Fire. When we got back Uncle McKinley had arrived and was helping grandma and grandpa with the kids. They were trying to keep Landon calm because he was hungry. (They didn't see the other 2 bottles of milk in the fridge.) This first night was miserable for all of us because neither one of the kids slept well. (Brinley has a tendency to do this on her first night in a new place.) I had to get up 3 or 4 times with Brinley because Jennifer was busy trying to keep Landon calm.
Wednesday we packed up all of our stuff for the day and headed to Owensboro. Our first stop was our favorite restaurant in town, Real Hacienda. After lunch we looked around a couple of stores and then headed out to the Daviess County Library. Brinley was exhausted from not sleeping the night before so Jennifer stayed in the car with her while she napped. I took Landon in so that grandma could show him off to all her former co-workers. After our visit at the library we needed to waste a little time so we headed to the Owensboro Museum. Brinley had a lot of fun playing, running around and going down all the slides in the play area.

Brinley and Landon rocking at Grandma and Grandpa's house

Landon hanging out with the McLean County boys.

Landon showing off his muscles with Uncle McKinley.

Playing at the Owensboro Museum. It was pretty neat. They had a tunnel that went outside the building and over top of the sidewalk.

Our next stop was out to our cousin Tricia's house to visit some family. (We were not going to be able to do anything on Friday with them like we usually do because we had to come back for Jennifer to work Friday night. We got to see our cousins from Ohio, who we have always enjoyed getting to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with. They of course enjoyed getting to see and play with Brinley and Landon. We also played a few games and just spent the night catching up on everything. We really missed getting to see my Uncle Don, Aunt Angelena, cousin Kenneth, Erica and Bob.

Cousin Kasey and Landon!

Cousins Kyli Jo and Crystal with Landon!

Brinley just loved this stuffed animal bear. The bear is dressed to go hunting and Brinley kept picking up his binoculars and looking through them. (Not sure where she picks this stuff up from.)

Thanksgiving morning we all got up and started our day by watching some of the Macy's Day Parade on TV. After we all got ready we headed to Owensboro for our first Thanksgiving stop at my Aunt Mary Ruth's house. Here we got to see the rest of our cousins on my mother's side of the family. For most of them this was the first time that they got to meet Landon. Brinley wasn't in a very playful mood for most of the afternoon, so she pretty much stayed attached to either Jennifer or myself. After lunch we played outside a little bit and then I took pictures of all the families that were there.

Only picture I was able to get of Uncle Michael.

Taylor playing with the Ohio girls.

Cousin Bernie playing with his buddy Landon.

Bernie and McKinley decided to have the kids play chicken. Brinley was not a fan!

Brinley needed to get outdoors so Uncle McKinley decided to play in the leaves with her. 

3 of the 5 Siblings - Mary Ruth, Rickie and Shelia 

The Forwerck's

The Payne's

The Burns Girls

The Vance Girls

The Ward's

Our family minus Andrea

Our little family

Playing with my little girl. I do believe that she is a daddy's girl!

It won't be too long until our little girl is driving. She really enjoys pushing all the buttons and switches on the drivers side.

We had to leave early because Jennifer's family was having a Thanksgiving dinner and we needed to get over and see them. After we made it to Amanda's house both Brinley and I fell asleep before it was time to eat. We all enjoyed our meal and even Great Granddaddy Clayton and Memom showed up to visit. I had to cut my time short because I wanted to get out and see all the crazies for early Black Friday shopping at the local Wal-Mart. (That is a whole other story.)

Jennifer with her mother and sisters.

We really enjoyed our time back home in McLean County and I know that grandma and grandpa really enjoyed getting to have their grandkids over to visit their home. (Even though most of the time was spent keeping Brinley from breaking everything within her reach.) Brinley also really enjoyed playing the piano during her visit which really thrilled grandpa. I hope all of you had a wonderful time on your Thanksgiving! Thanks for reading and God Bless!

Christmas Traditions

After Jennifer and I got married we decided that we would start some of our own family traditions. The two that we have continued during Christmas are making a gingerbread house and getting each other an ornament. This year we got to include Landon in the family traditions. We decided a few years ago that instead of wrapping the ornaments we got for each other and opening them on Christmas that we would instead exchange ornaments when we put up the Christmas tree. This way we can enjoy the new ornaments during the year we bought them. Here are this year's ornaments

This is Jennifer's ornament - our family as reindeer.

Landon's first ornament!

Brinley's ornament - this girl loves Mike and Sully!

My ornament - Crush and Squirt (Father and son)

This morning it was raining and nasty out so instead of going out to do anything we opted to stay indoors and make our gingerbread house. The gingerbread house decorating has definitely gotten interesting the past two years with the children now getting to help in the decorating. We made Brinley her own little piping bag and let her loose, while Landon just got some icing put on his hands and we just waited to see how much he could get on his piece of the house.

Jennifer always ends up making her side look so much better than mine. It is always so disappointing.

Maybe I could blame it this year on the fact that I was a little tired.

The kids patiently waiting for their side to decorate.

Brinley patting little Landon on the head. She is usually a pretty good big sister.

Brinley piping her icing on.

She doesn't even have to be looking at the gingerbread to continue piping her design.

Landon with his finger painting technique.

Our little man is getting so big!

It didn't take long for him to realize that if it was on his fingers then it could go in his mouth. So, I guess that royal icing is technically his first food.

Brinley telling us she wants some candy decorations to add on.

Jennifer always waits until everyone is finished and then comes in and makes changes to her design which make her's look awesome and mine look like a kindergarten project.

Finished product - this is Jennifer's front door and roof.

Side view of Jennifer's roof and Landon's wall.

Here is my part of the house - back of the house and roof made of cinnamon toast crunch.

Side view of my roof and Brinley's wall.

I can't wait to see what are future gingerbread houses look like. In a few years we might even have to expand to a village because Jennifer and I enjoy decorating as much as the kids do. Are there any holiday traditions that you do with your family? We want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Thanks for reading and God Bless!