June 2023

We started the summer off with some donuts. The kids got a full dozen for their good grades. You can get a free donut for every A that you get on your report card. 

To work off some of those donut calories we got out and took a hike at the arboretum. We walked in the wooden area and I let the kids pick all the paths that we took to see if they could get us out of the woods. While walking on these paths it made me think of the poem The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. So, I got my phone out and read the poem to them and then had a discussion about how it relates to life. Sometimes you are going to have to make decisions that might not be easy and not many people will want to go down the hard and difficult road, but to not be afraid to try that journey in life. 

With rec ball nearing an end it is time to get the Slam team back up and running. Landon and his team were so excited to get outfitted with all of their gear. New helmets, jerseys, and batting gloves made for a lot of happy little boys. 

Brinley's team had a softball tournament near Santa Claus, IN. That meant that they were all going to Holiday World. We had bought tickets in advance with the team. The date of the tickets just so happened to be on the same day as Landon's rec ball tournament. He really wanted to go to Holiday World and skip the rec ball tournament, but I told him that he needed to finish out with his team. So, we compromised and we went to the park and stayed about 5 hours before heading back home to Lexington for his tournament game. 

Landon is always spending some time out on the baseball field, but his rec ball season ended with a tough loss. His expansion team White Sox really came together and was a great group of kids that all have a bright future both on and off the field. It was sad to see our two 12 year old kids move on, but excited to see the ten 9 year old boys come back to play next year. He really enjoyed kid pitch and has learned a lot of new things about the game of baseball. 

Brinley and her teammates had a lot of fun on their weekend tournament in Santa Claus, IN. This group of girls have almost become more like family. They always have a good time together. 

Next thing up for our girl was heading off to summer church camp. We were excited about her getting to go and learn more about God and learn to worship him daily. This was extremely hard for me because our little girl had never been away from family for that long, but I knew this was a very important thing for Brinley to do. I want her to grow up and be an independent young lady who isn't afraid to try new adventures. I know she was a little nervous too. She was really happy to find one person that she knew before she got on the bus. 

We got our girl back from church camp, so we took her out for a treat. We were so excited to see her and catch up and learn all about her adventures. She had so much fun and was ready to go back for more.

Father's Day 2023 was spent on the ball field for our first summer baseball tournament. We had a really rocky start to the morning. Landon's team was not ready to play and it was some hard baseball to watch all around. We lost in the first round of the tournament to a team that we shouldn't have lost to. If I had my way then I would have spent all day at the field watching my kids play ball. After heading home we rested for a bit and then decided to head back out and get some more work in. Both kids put in some work and I believe that they both got better on Father's Day 2023! These two kids are my biggest blessing and I am so happy to be their Dad!

Next summer camp was for Landon. He went to the UK baseball camp. He spotted a few of his teammates there too. He even got a picture with Coach Mingione. Landon was announced as camper of the day for one of the days that he was there. I am proud of him and all of his development and growth over the years. He has turned into a great little ball player. 

This was Landon one of the days I took him to the baseball camp. They have all kinds of batting cages below the stadium. It was really cool to see behind the scenes of the baseball facility. He had a lot of fun at this camp and I believe he showed out for all the coaches and players. 

Last camp of the summer was for me. I went to Camp KCA which is a camp for all families of Kentucky that have had a child diagnosed with cancer. Through donations they are able to offer this camp for free to all kids aged 5-18 who have had cancer or are a sibling of someone who had cancer. It is always an amazing week. Part of my job in the DanceBlue Clinic is to go and work camp as a nurse. We have some children who are on active treatment and we are there in case issues were to occur. In between times I am needed as a nurse I am spending time having fun with these children. The top picture is some of the med shed after a slime war. The bottom picture is of the lizard bead that I created during arts and crafts. I get so excited about camp every year because I get to see these kids run around and have so much fun. 

Brinley with a bunt in one of her games. I can't believe how much she has improved over just two years playing softball. When we started she could barely play pitch and catch with me. Now, she is out here laying down bunts. I am so proud of her development. 

Another weekend means another baseball tournament. Landon's team had a single day tournament. A teammate's parent snapped the top picture of me during our 3 hour break. If I ever sit down for any amount of time then more that likely I am going to be catching some zzzz's before it is all said and done. 

There was only one weekend over the summer that both kid's teams didn't have a tournament so we decided to take a vacation. I took two weeks off from work and we decided to take another cross country road trip. Our first stop was in St. Louis with a trip up into the arch. We tried to go up in this on another trip, but we hadn't planned ahead with tickets. After waiting in line to get up to the top we all hopped into the small little egg and headed to the top. Brinley was terrified on the trip up to the top. Everyone enjoyed the views from the top. It was a beautiful day outside and you could see great views of the city and the Mississippi River. 

A few more pictures from the top and then outside with the arch. After the Gateway Arch we were ready to head west! For the next 2 week adventure this was the only thing that we had booked in advance. We picked every hotel based on where we thought we could get to that day and were just hoping to find some adventure along the way. 

The next day and a half was spent mostly in the car and just the wide open road of the mid west. As a child I had stopped at the Bonneville Salt Flats and I remember it being pretty cool. I knew that when we were driving through northern Utah I wanted to take the kids to see it. We drove out on the salt flats and then got out and took a bunch of photos. Just like most things in life it wasn't exactly what I had remembered from my childhood, but it was still really neat. I think the kids were just happy to get out of the car and run around for a bit. 

I made the kids take a picture of their mother and I of course had a get a kiss from the beautiful lady.

Once we hit the California border we knew that it was time to find the first In-N-Out we could find. The kids had been before, but they didn't remember it. The kids really enjoyed it, especially the milkshakes!

We made it to the Pacific coast and the first thing that we signed up to do when we got to San Francisco was Alcatraz. My family wasn't able to get tickets when we went there during my childhood, so this was a new experience for me as well. It was a really cool experience and I would highly recommend if you are ever out there. 

Alcatraz was also full of vegetation. They had so many beautiful flowers and plants. I really thought these were beautiful succulents. 

More pictures from our adventures at Alcatraz. The entire tour is guided by radio. It walks you through the entire building and even has first hand accounts from former inmates. 

A picture of all of us inside the cafeteria of Alcatraz. We all looked like tourist for sure with our headphones. 

The thing that we weren't prepared for in San Francisco is how chilly it was in the city. Jennifer and the kids were always freezing. They were really happy to get some hot chocolate at the Ghirardelli store. We drove around the city just seeing the sites and even stopped by the Full House house. Last stop in the city that night was going to be the Golden Gate Bridge. The fog was crazy and you couldn't even see the entire bridge. We went to walk across the bridge, but they were closing the walkway about the time that we arrived for the night. We decided to spend the night and get a fresh start in the morning. 

I had a friend recommend to me that he had a lot of fun running the Golden Gate Bridge so the next morning I woke up and ran the length of the bridge. It was a nice little run, but there was an insane number of bicyclist and I had to make sure I was not going to get run over. After everyone woke up we all went up to walk on the bridge. Landon was mad that I didn't wake him up to run in the morning with me. He wanted to run it, but I told him that I was too tired and we didn't have anywhere for me to shower so we compromised and just walked out to the halfway point and let him touch the big cables. 

On the way to our next destination we asked the kids what they wanted to eat and they said In-N-Out again. This time the kids and I put on the hats that the workers wear. 

We drove up the coast of California and I had remembered on our trip a place where we had drove through a redwood tree. A quick google search showed us the Chandelier Tree that was just off the highway we were traveling on. We stopped and drove the rental car through it twice, then walked through it, and finally took some pictures with some fallen redwood trees. I don't know if the kids were as impressed as I was, but I just love seeing the huge redwood trees!

We stopped at the Redwood National Forest. We did a short little mile hike through the park to see some of these giant trees. The kids were so excited to put a pin in Kentucky to show where we were from on the map in the ranger station. 

We drove up the coast a little further before stopping at a roadside beach. The kids got out and ran around for a little while. The water was freezing. I facetimed with my parents and my mother was losing her mind saying that she was worried about the kids getting caught up in the tides and drowning. The kids were barely ankle deep in the water. However, on the way back to the car we saw this posted sign warning about the exact thing she was worried about.  

The next morning we explored some more of the Redwood National Forest. This place is awesome and at the end of our trip we all included it as one of our favorite things we did. It seemed like out of a movie set. We climbed on some trees and walked on fallen ones too. Brinley even spotted a banana slug! We waded in the little creek and we all tried our hands at skipping rocks. We were not that good!

Onward to Oregon for our next adventures. We stopped outside of Portland at Multnomah Falls. It was a beautiful double waterfall with a spectacular view. Jennifer and the kids climbed up to the bridge and I stayed down to take their picture. 

We drove down the road a little further and got to Horsetail Falls. This one had a little collection of water at the base and we decided to go for a little swim. Well, the water was freezing! I had to drag the kids into the water. I braved it and went to swim underneath the water fall. It didn't look like it from a distance, but that waterfall was extremely powerful and I'm so thankful that I didn't try to take the kids out to it.

This was the furthest I could get Landon to go out in the water with me. I had to carry him because the rocks were so slippery. Landon actually fell down and scraped his leg.

Brinley was much smarter and wanted to walk the outside of the little basin of water to get close to the waterfall. She walked back and I went straight in to try and go under the waterfall. 

One last picture with Horsetail Falls before heading out. This waterfall and water basin, although very cold, provided a lot of fun for our family. Nice little addition to the trip. 

Both kids needed new ball gloves and I jokingly told them we were going to get them in Oregon because they don't have sales tax. What can I say, once a cheapskate, always a cheapskate. So, we headed over to a Dick's to get a glove for both kids. They were really happy to pick out their gloves. Now we just have to get them broken in!

We braved downtown Portland to get some VooDoo Doughnuts. It was definitely a show while we waited in line for 20 minutes to get donuts. The kids and Jennifer were actually terrified I later found out. There was a DJ out on the street playing music and a lot of homeless looking people out dancing. Everyone enjoyed their treats as we headed out toward Washington state. 

We had a lot of fun during the month and especially on our cross country trip out west. The fun wasn't even half over though because we had about another seven days on the road in order to get back home. Thanks for reading and God Bless!

May 2023

May started off with a baseball game for Landon. He pitched a great game and was given the game ball. He had quite the audience to watch him play too. 

I really enjoy getting to see this little man on the mound. I was never a pitcher growing up so I really have no tips or knowledge to give him. He is gaining confidence everyday. We have also learned that he needs to be chewing bubble gum when he pitches because it calms him down just a bit. 

May 4th will always hold a special place in my heart because that is the day that this beautiful young lady made her arrival in this world. We are so proud of the young lady that she is becoming right before our eyes. Apparently I told her that when she turned 11 that we would get her a phone, well being a man of my word we went and got her a new phone. The bottom right picture is of her before school. She went with her hair like Princess Leia since it is May the Fourth be with you, or Star Wars Day.

Brinley had lots of people that wanted to celebrate with her. Grandma and Grandpa had lunch with her at school and Uncle McKinley and Taylor got to have dinner and cake with her. 

Look at how excited this girl is when opening up some squishmallows.

Another weekend means another softball tournament. Brinley was having fun playing with her new phone and getting all of her friends numbers. 

Mimi came to watch her play in her tournament and even got her another squishmallow. The girl is obsessed!

To keep with our monthly team building outings some of us got together for a fun filled night at Activate. It is a really fun collection of mini games. Our group ran around for the full 75 minutes like a bunch of kids. Glad to get together with all these people outside of work, but missed the ones that couldn't make it. 

Brinley wanted a Harry Potter themed birthday party. She invited a few of the girls over for a sleepover. They made the cake like Harry's from the movie. Jennifer had all kinds of fun Harry Potter themed activities for all the girls to participate throughout the night. 

Picture day for this great group of kids. They were the members of the expansion team White Sox. They were comprised of ten 9 year old and two 12 year old kids. We couldn't have asked for a better group of kids. They played hard every game and brought it to practice most days. We also surprised a lot of teams because of our play and at one point were the number one team in our division. 

Happy Mother's Day to Jennifer. The kids took her out to Texas Roadhouse for lunch after church. Apparently Landon wasn't too thrilled about something, but we weren't able to get a picture any better than this. 

I talked this lovely lady into going and donating blood with me. She was going with me until a couple of years ago she passed out afterwards and since this she has been scared to go back. Glad I talked her into going with me. Helping save lives!

I finally had enough time to sit down and complete my puzzle that I got on our trip out west to climb the Mighty Five in Utah. 

I was able to get an off day with McKinley so we had a board game day. We played a couple of games together before I had to leave and go pick up the kids from school. 

Brinley cracks me up sometimes. She had spirit week at school for all the 5th graders. This day was hat day and of all the hats we had she picked this one. It was the one for her Jesse costume. It was a cow girl hat with a red pony tail attached to the back. I wish I would have been as confident when I was growing up as she is. 

Brinley had a tournament in Hamilton, Ohio and it just so happened to be about 30 minutes from my buddy Tony's house. His daughter was playing softball so we went to see her play in a game before heading over to Brinley's game. It was fun catching up and seeing my friend and his family. 

Jennifer and the kids enjoyed some time on the swings. 

Brinley had a lot of people come watch her play. The Duritsch family came to watch us play as well as the Maitland's. We enjoyed watching Brinley and her team win the two pool play games. Then headed across the street for a nice treat at Flub's. The kids enjoyed playing with each other and of course everyone enjoyed their ice cream!

This was one of the softball trips where we decided to spend the night instead of driving home. Olivia came and swam at the pool with the kids. Then enjoyed some pizza with the kids before she headed back home to Columbus. 

The next day Brinley's team continued to battle all day long. They came up short in the championship game. I was extremely proud of the Rampage girls. We even stopped for some more Flub's before heading home. It wasn't long into the trip home until the kids passed out in the back seat. 

Brinley's team went to watch the regional softball tournament at Great Crossing in Georgetown. They played Bryan Station. I was excited to go to the game because I got to see one of my co-worker's daughter play for Station. It was a lot of fun to watch and hopefully the girls saw what it takes to play high school softball. 

Brinley's 5th grade class had a field day. I volunteered to come help. I handed out Chick-fil-a lunches and helped clean up all the trash afterwards. I picked her up from school and we headed to the batting cages to get in some work.

Happy 5th grade graduation to Brinley and all of her classmates. Brinley really loved her time at Garrett Morgan Elementary. We enjoyed the ceremony and then Brinley said bye to all of her friends and her teacher. 

A lot has changed since this little girl was in Kindergarten. She is turning into a pretty amazing young lady. 

Mimi and Pap came to see their first grandkid's 5th grade graduation. 

Grandma and Grandpa with Brinley at both Kindergarten and 5th grade graduation. 

Uncle McKinley made it to the Kindergarten ceremony, but had to work for the 5th grade one. He sent his better half to come celebrate with Brinley. 

After Brinley's graduation ceremony we headed out for a little adventure. I took Brinley to Boone Creek Outdoors to play on a ropes course. She had the entire place to herself. She became more and more confident with each trip around. 

I think she enjoyed spending some time out on the ropes course. 

Landon got invited to celebrate his friend's birthday at Main Event. They played games and even got a game of laser tag in. 

Landon has been begging me to take him to get a real haircut. I finally took him to Floyd's 99 to get a cut. The guy really got him looking like a little man. The cut took about an hour to do, which blew my mind. He said that he didn't want a haircut to take that long so he was ok with me cutting his hair, which takes about 10 minutes. 

Landon's summer ball team, the Southeastern Slam, got together for a whiffle ball game and cookout. The kids had a blast playing together and even roasted some marshmallows for s'mores. 

All the Lexington Heflin's had a day off together so we played some frisbee golf at Jacobson Park. We also had McKinley show us how to set up the hammock on some trees. Then we enjoyed some s'mores together. 

I never want anyone to be able to say that my kids didn't put in the time and effort to get better at whatever they are doing in life. I am trying to teach them that you can't just show up to practice and expect to get better. You have to work hard at whatever you are doing to try and get a competitive advantage against your competition. 

May proved to be a busy month for us with wrapping up the end of school and beginning to get started on our summer sports teams. We are looking forward to this summer. We hope to have a lot of fun out of school and at the ball fields. Thanks for reading and God bless!