September 2019

Here is everything we did in the month of September 2019!

We started out the month with a trip to the Louisville Zoo. The Prock's came with us and the kids had a blast showing Elam all the animals!

We had planned on letting the kids play in the water at the splash park. However, some kid had an accident and they closed the park down. The kids, especially Elam had a blast playing with this water ball.

I had heard quite a bit about the Bernheim Forrest, especially from one of my patients. He told me that it was one of his favorite places to hike in Kentucky. We were extremely close after the zoo, so we just headed a little south of Louisville to go find some giants. These wooden sculptures of giants were huge. It was a fairly easy one way mile long hike to see all 3 giants.

 It was funny because just moments before they had told me that their legs were too tired to walk anymore.

Jennifer and I taking a break during our hike while the kids were running around and walking on the rock path..

This giant was my personal favorite.

Not sure what exactly this structure was supposed to be, but I got Jennifer and the kids to take their picture with it.

We also found these really neat red metal sculptures and the kids wanted to climb on them. It was all fun, until Brinley fell off and hit her arm. Jennifer and I were worried that she had just broken her arm, however she ended up being fine.

Another neat little sculpture that we found during our hike.

This was the one that I feel had the most detail.

The kids love playing with our neighbor, Willow. The kids always want to play every time they see each other come out the door. Too bad we are usually heading out to do something.

Another successful game working with the game day recruiting team. We beat Eastern Michigan, but unfortunately lost our quarterback Terry Wilson for the year. 

On Labor Day in Lexington it is the official last day that all the local outdoor pools are open. So, the kids and I headed out to the YMCA to get one last outdoor swim in. The kids had a blast jumping off the diving board and even got some free popsicles.

At work we have an amazing salt water fish tank. One of the highlights of the tank is the puffer fish. Nobody at work had ever seen it puffed up until randomly one day at work someone saw it. We all rushed to the front to catch a glimpse. I took a picture so that I could show everyone that missed it. It was amazing how much it can truly puff up.

In August Brinley was being so crazy about letting me pull her tooth. I promised that I would get her a Lego set if she let me pull it. Well, I pulled the tooth and then the girl said she wanted this huge Lego set. I was not going to pay for it but Brinley offered that she would pay for half of the cost. I agreed and she was so excited. When it came it the mail that was the only thing that she wanted to do. I made her go to bed, but she got up at 4 am and started building again. It was well over 1,000 pieces.

The kids workshop this month was a scarecrow planter. Brinley did an awesome job. Landon really wants to try and make it look exactly like the sample on the instruction manual. He had trouble getting the paint to cooperate with him. After a little meltdown I helped him with the paint job. I think it turned out pretty good considering it was a children's activity and I am a 34 year old man.

The kids and I made it out to watch the UK Men's Soccer team play against Tulsa. The kid's enjoyed rolling down the grassy hill and they even grabbed a picture with Scratch. The wildcats ended up winning the match 2-0.

One day after school I told the kids that they couldn't play on the iPad or watch TV until they played outside. They came outside and sat on the swing and read until I told them that they could go inside. The kids found a loop hole and I couldn't even fault them for it.

Walking to my car after work I caught the guys filming the Paul Finnebaum Show. I stopped real quick to get a picture. This was taken off of a big video screen showing the live show. I am in the blue by the shoulder of the man in the dark shirt. I am holding up my phone to take a picture.

The kids are playing fall ball and having a lot of fun. They didn't have many kids sign up so we just practice every Tuesday and have a game on Thursday. They are learning a lot and getting a lot more experience.

Well, the third home game of the season was against the Florida Gators. This was the first game with our backup quarterback Sawyer Smith. We were the better team, but ended up losing. To help with a little bit of last years magic I even ate some of the salsa that I made on the day that we ended the streak against them last year. It didn't work.

We all made a Sunday afternoon trip out to the Women's soccer match against Indiana. The Cats ended up losing, but the kids won on the day. We caught a soccer ball and t-shirt that they threw out to the crowd. We even got to meet the gymnastic team before we left for the day.

Landon had been asking about the popscicle place. So for a nice little treat after the soccer match we headed to Steel City Pops. Everyone really enjoyed it after sitting in the hot sun at the soccer match.

Brinley really wanted to sign up for gymnastics. She has loved it. 

We also took a little family trip over to Memorial Coliseum to see the volleyball team in action against Purdue. The Cats lost the first set before we arrived. After we got there they won the next two sets to make it 2-1 in a best of 5 sets. We had to leave because it was a school night. I looked later that night and the Cats collapsed and lost the last two sets and lost the match.

It finally worked out with my schedule to volunteer at our church's Jesus Prom. It is an amazing event that they hold every year for people with physical and mental disabilities. It was awesome to see all of the prom goers with huge smiles on their faces and so excited about a happy and fun filled night.

The kids and I headed out to see the UK Volleyball team take on Louisville. Our cousins Abby and Sarah were there with their volleyball team. It was good catching up and learning a little more about the rules of volleyball from someone who actually plays.

The kids and I went to the store and I saw that they were running a sale on chex mix. It made me think that it would be a perfect snack for us on our upcoming road trip. 

We had a quick weekend trip planned to Chicago so that Jennifer could run the Chicago Half Marathon. Well, Saturday morning I was the first one up so I decided to take a little run in downtown Chicago. I made it to the "bean", the Willis Tower, the Chicago river, and I even spotted multiple sand castle figurines around the city.

After my run I came back to the hotel and found Brinley awake. So, we took a little walk down the street to a Chicago staple, Stan's Donuts. We picked out a variety and then headed back to the hotel to share. Donuts seemed like the perfect start for Grandpa's birthday. He is now 68 years old!

Our next stop was at the Museum of Science and Industry. We explored all 3 levels of the building including a submarine, combine,clown exhibit, bicycle exhibit, baby chick hatchery, and we even watched a robotic assembly line make us a personalized toy. There was so much stuff to see and explore we could have spent a couple days in there and still not have seen everything.

At one point I even caught the birthday boy napping while the kids were playing in a water table. 

We had to leave the museum a little early because we had to make it to the race expo so that Jennifer could get her bib for the race the next day. The kids had to get in this picture because they had to sit on a couple of letters because they kept falling over when a gust of wind came thru.

We stopped by Grant Park and got a picture with the Buckingham Fountain. 

We also got up close to the "bean". Apparently Grandpa said he had never seen Cloud Gate before. Brinley and Landon had never been to Chicago before so I know for a fact it was their first time.

Not as many people take the picture from the inside of Cloud Gate. I think it looks psychedelic under there.

As you can see their are tons more people their during the day than when I went for my run earlier in the day. The picture with the reflection of the skyline is pretty neat. Just wish there was a way to get all of the people out of the picture.

We found a random bull statue that the kids rode on and Grandpa even grabbed it by the horns. Then we headed to my favorite Chicago establishment, Giordano's Pizza. Just look at that cheese in the top right hand picture. They even gave the birthday boy a slice of Tiramisu for dessert.

Before walking back to the hotel we took a stroll down Michigan Avenue, aka the Magnificent Mile. Dylan's candy store caught our eye so we went in and look at all the candy. The kids really wanted to try the huge cotton candy. As you can tell from the bottom right picture, they really enjoyed it!

Sunday morning Jennifer and I got up around 4:30 in the morning to get ready and head to the start line of the Chicago Half Marathon. We had to leave early because they closed down the interstate that you drive to get there. It was absolutely pouring down rain when we were driving there. It slowed down quite a bit for the actual race. I was able to catch Jennifer at about 4 different spots during the race. At one point I even ran along side of her for a little bit. After finishing they gave her the largest medal ever. The thing is huge! I didn't run this one with her because I already completed Illinois on our quest for all 50 states. I ran the Chicago Half Marathon in 2007 with Andrea and McKinley. So, now we have officially completed half marathons in 8 states.

We thankfully had Grandma and Grandpa with us on the trip so they decided to stay at the hotel and sleep in. I am not so sure they would have enjoyed standing in the cold rain with me. In fact after they woke up they went and swam in the pool for a little while. We grabbed lunch at the Shake Shack right next to our hotel and then we both headed back to Kentucky. We had a lot of fun in Chicago celebrating Grandpa's birthday. We packed quite a bit into just a short little weekend trip. 

We had quite a lot of fun during the month of September. This year has been speeding by and I can't believe it is already October. The kids are having a lot of fun in school and as you can see I try to keep us busy every other part of the day. Thanks for reading and God bless!

August 2019

August is really a big month of change. It brings summer break to an end and the beginning of the school year. So, we tried to have as much fun as we could in the last few days of summer.

Brinley has began to really enjoy painting her nails. She has even started doing them on her own. Thankfully we haven't found too many messes around the house. 

I have tried to be more consistent with my running and exercise. I have been noticing that almost every run that I go on I find a rabbit at some point. It makes me think of Brinley because that is her favorite animal in the world. So, every time I spot one of these little rabbits then I get a smile on my face and think of my baby girl.

This giant sunflower was out in my garden. I think they are such a beautiful flower. 

Last day of summer camp. The kids had a blast at the YMCA summer camp. They met a lot of new friends and learned a lot of new games and activities.

As the garden season is winding down, I can't believe how much we have stocked up for the next year. We have tons of pickles, salsa, and chili base.

Home Depot kid workshop this month was a rocket ship shaped pencil box. The kids literally did this entire build by themselves. It is so awesome to see how much they have grown with their abilities. 

We also headed out to UK football fan day. I had never been to this event before but it was a lot of fun. There were huge crowds, but the lines went really quick. The kids enjoyed running around the Nutter Field House. We met the starting QB Terry Wilson. We also met the punters, who are 2 really nice guys who come visit kids at the hospital. I talk to them every time they come in so I wanted them to meet my own kids. We also met the entire offensive line. The kids also met the outside linebackers too. We also happened to catch AJ Rose and Kavosiey Smoke, who are two of the running backs. Coach Stoops also smiled for a picture with the kids before he had to run off to practice.

Another young man that we met was Josh Pascal. This young man was diagnosed with melanoma (skin cancer). He was able to meet and get to know one of my patients, and friend, that I take care of at the hospital who is battling cancer. They became good friends and I know that it really meant a lot to my friend. I thanked him and told him how much that meant for my friend. I had to get my picture with him. I also got to meet Coach Vince Marrow, the tight ends coach and head of recruiting. The kids were probably most happy to meet the wildcat and scratch.

The kdis and I enjoyed National Root Beer Float day on the way home from work. Who would pass up a free root beer float.

Landon had been asking to play real golf with me for a while, but I hadn't been able to find time for us to go. Well, I decided that it was finally time. After work one night we ate and then drove over to Meadowbrook Golf course to see if we could get a round in before the sun went down. We walked all 18 holes and had a good time. Landon got tired of golf for a little bit so he sat out a few holes to play on my phone. He said he had a lot of fun, so we will have to try it again.

I ran in the last race of the Bluegrass Trifecta, the Mid Summer Night's Run. This was the first time I had ever done this race, but it was a lot of fun. It started at night so that it wasn't too hot. This was actually the first race that Jennifer and the kids ever came to see me race in. I enjoyed getting to see them at the start and finish lines. I set a new PR for a 5K. I actually took a minute and 16 seconds off my previous best. I was hoping for better, but that just gives me room for improvement at my next race.

I signed Brinley up for a kid's triathlon. I told her that we needed to go out on a practice run and bike. So we biked a mile and then I made her get off and we ran a half mile because that is what she will have to do in her race. She did pretty well. Excited to see her become the first of all of us to do a triathlon!

I am so ready for football season! I took this picture at our Committee of 101 meeting. In a few weeks this place will be packed with all kinds of crazy UK fans!

On the kids last day of summer we asked if they would like to do anything fun. They picked going to jump at the trampoline park and then get snow cones. 

First day of school pictures. These two kids make us extremely happy. 

Of course I had to keep up the tradition of side walk chalk school pictures too. I wonder at what age the kids will tell me that they are not going to take these types of pictures any more.

The kids as we were walking into school. Also a good picture of their choice in backpacks. Landon picked Minecraft and Brinley chose a star backpack, but it has sequins that flip back and forth to change the color. She loves it.

Family picture before going into their classes.

We were extremely excited to have these two teachers this year. Brinley is in Mrs. Strait's class and Landon is in Mrs. Phillips class.

Well, last Christmas I made a big push about giving gifts that were experiences. I was tired of toys sitting around the house and not being played with just days after opening them. It worked out fairly well for the kids. Jennifer thought she was being funny and sent me this meme as a text one day and it said that she had an "experience" for me. I did not think it was funny, but the day after the start of school I actually used my gift. Ever since Landon was born Jennifer has been adamant that she didn't want any more children. I have been trying to talk her into another one for 6 years now and I finally decided that it was time to give up. The kids are both in school now and starting over would just be extremely difficult at this time. We are a happy family of four and that is how it is going to stay.....unless God intervenes! 

While I was out of commission from my procedure Jennifer had to take care of the garden. I had the kids take a picture of Jennifer while she was looking for produce. The worst part of my weekend recovery was actually resting. I can't stand just sitting around and doing nothing and that is what I was informed I should do. Well, it only lasted 2 days because I had things to do.

On Saturday night the kids and Jennifer ran in the Big Blue 4 Miler. The kids participated in the kids dash which was a half mile race around Kroger Field. The kids did awesome. Landon came in about 15th overall and there were kids much older than him running in it. Brinley finished about a minute after Landon. Apparently her shoes were not tied on tight enough and they kept falling off. Proud of both of these kids. We met the wildcats and even met Coach Mingione, the UK baseball coach.

Some more pictures of the kids running their race. The top picture was taken at the start of the race. I think it is so crazy that Landon kept up with the kid in the grey and green clothes. Landon also enjoyed sticking his head out of the giant inflatable corn hole board. This was the third time that the kids ran in this race.

Jennifer ran the Big Blue 4 Miler. The kids ran around the field while Jennifer was running. She said it was really hot and she struggled. It was a nice wake up call for her because she was has been slacking on her training for her upcoming half marathon in Chicago. The kids were excited to see their mommy coming up the finish line. They even ran the last little bit with her.

I heard somewhere about Eckert's Orchard having a kid's weekend. They allowed kids to pick a bag of apples each for completely free! So, of course we packed up and headed out to see what it was all about. 

On Tuesday the Movie Tavern has a deal for $5 tickets all day long and they even give you a free bag of popcorn. I thought this would make for a perfect excuse to take the kids to watch the new movie, The Lion King. Brinley couldn't believe how they got all those animals to do all of that stuff. I told her that they were made with computers. She had a hard time wrapping her head around that. She said they looked so real. Landon was upset because he said it had the same story as the cartoon.

We got Landon a bat and tee for his birthday. With fall ball coming up I decided that we needed to get out and get in a little practice. The kids didn't want to practice as much as they wanted to play on the playground. The kids will be playing on the same team again for fall ball which starts in September.

The playground had a set of monkey bars. Landon showed me how he had learned how to do them at school this year. I was really impressed by the little man. I think Brinley was a little jealous of her little brother. She tried and could only make it to the second rung. I felt so bad for her because she really wanted to be able to do it. She tried and tried. 

Then something happened and it all clicked together for her. She made her way across and I couldn't have been any more proud of her for not giving up. As soon as she made it across the monkey bars and I told her good job, I looked up and Landon was clapping and cheering for her. We were both so proud of her.

We took some of those apples that the kids picked at Eckert's and turned them into a delicious pie.  

I had found out about a kid's triathlon that is held here in town every year. I asked Brinley if she was interested in doing it After I explained to her what it was she said that she wanted to do it. Landon has trouble getting started on his bicycle by himself so I didn't even want to ask him because I knew that he wouldn't be able to complete the race and someone can't walk the path with him. Race day arrived and we got there extremely early and set up Brinley's transition area. First up was her swimming portion of the triathlon. After her down and back swim in the pool she got out and ran over to the transition area.

Landon was ready to cheer on his sister, but he was so cold. I had told him to get a jacket before we left the house, but he didn't listen. His only option was a random shirt that I had left in my car. 

Off to the next portion of the triathlon, which was the 1 mile bike ride. After her ride she took her bike back to the transition area and then headed out for the final leg, the half mile run. 

I am so proud of Brinley! She is the first triathlete in the family. As you can tell in our family photo, Landon was upset when Brinley crossed the finish line and got her medal. He kept asking why he didn't get to be in the race. I told him that he couldn't get his bike started on his own. He tried to tell me that he could. I told him that if he kept working at it then he could do the triathlon next year. Brinley was also really happy to see MiMi there to cheer her on.

After the triathlon we had to head back home and quickly get ready for one of my favorite days of the year, the Pediatric Cancer Survivor Picnic. This group of my co-workers and I fund raise and plan this day for a full year because the kids that we take care of with cancer are worth every single bit of it. Every year we try to out do ourselves from the previous picnic. I am so proud of this group and everyone's commitment to make the picnic the special day for our patients. I love this day because the patients get to see us outside of the hospital, where the kid's don't always feel the best. 

I bring my kids along with me because I feel that it is important for the biggest parts of my life to meet. While I am at the hospital taking care of my patients I am always talking about my life, which my kiddos are a big portion of it. I also try to introduce them to one another. My kiddos clearly thought the picnic was awesome. 

Landon tried a little bit of everything just like his sister. Our biggest addition this year was the hot air balloon rides. Pretty soon we will begin planning for next year's picnic.

Brinley was a little traumatized the last time we pulled her tooth. She got another loose one and wouldn't let anyone near it. She was wiggling it all day long but even she wouldn't pull it. The far left is what it looked like in her mouth. Then she finally gave me one attempt at pulling it. It was very quickly removed. I had never seen a tooth with a little tail on it. We called it a unicorn tooth, which made Brinley love it even more. This made tooth number 6 for her. Landon still has yet to lose a tooth, but he currently has one loose tooth so it might not be long.

Well, a couple of months ago I was contacted and asked if I would like to help the football team with their game day recruiting. According to a new SEC rule they could no longer use student interns so they found me and 3 other volunteers. They supplied us with UK Nike apparel, including shoes, polos, rain gear, and hats so that we could drive recruits to and from their cars on game days. The home opener was our first time doing it and it was pretty awesome! I get to sit in the recruiting section during the game and they even threw in tickets to every home game so that my family could come enjoy the game too! Pretty nice little gig. So, if you see me on game day's in the golf cart it is very likely that I could have a future Wildcat on board with me! This does interfere with my responsibilities as a member of the Committee of 101, but I am trying to see if there is anything that I can do to remain in the club. I will keep you updated.

We had a lot of fun in the month of August even though it brought our summer to an end. The kids both really like their teachers. We are excited for everything that they are going to learn this year. I am so proud of both of them. Within the first 2 weeks of school we have gotten messages from both of their teachers saying how much they enjoy having them in class. The University of Kentucky sporting season has officially started and I do believe that we will be attending quite a few of them again this year. Go CATS! Thanks for reading and God bless!