Logan's Big 5th Birthday

Dear Leah & Logan,

March 5, 2017, was a BIG, big day for the man in the house.  Logan turned 5!  And with Leah's Disney trip still fresh on our minds, I thought it was only fair to go big your birthday!

I did ask you where you wanted your birthday, but I knew the answer before the words even came out
of your mouth: GO U-S-A!  So me and you got there around 10:30am that morning to start decorating.

The crowd started to arrive at 11:00 am, and Wow! people came from everywhere!

Let me see if I can name them all:

The Fontanetta's (AJ & Aria)
The Graham's (Elerie & Fletcher)
The Cannon's (Cooper)
The Prather's (Cooper)
GiGi, Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Mike, Aunt Daniela, Uncle Caleb
Daddy, Leah
The Tuckers (Brady)
The Floyds (Ava, Jack, and Nancy)
and last but not least The Chiltons (Liam, Claudia, and Olivia)

You kids devoured pizza and ice cream, but not before an hour hitting all the video games in the place.

Please note the dinosaur themed decorations...even the cake and napkins came sporting their own dinosaurs!

After cake and ice cream, there were at least 20 presents waiting for you...including 2 nerf dart guns, puzzles, and some action figures. You cleaned up!!

After the kids started to leave and go home, you were able to get some good family time in. You and Uncle Caleb must have played Jurassic Hunter for 30 minutes...and you also got a Go-Kart ride in with Grandpa!

A great day was had by all!!  We're very blessed to have such supporting and loving family and friends.

I can't believe I have a 5 and a 6 year old!

Love,

Daddy
3/6/2017

Ralphie

Dear Leah and Logan,

One thing you've already figured out for yourselves is that life isn't always smiles and rainbows. Last week was a really sad time for our family as we said good-bye to our loyal dog Ralphie.

Ralphie has had a few health issues the last couple of years, but gosh he sure was a good dog.

When I first met Ralph in 2009, I remember he was considered more than a 'best friend' to your mom and Layne and Julia....he was part of the family. I spent countless hours throwing miscellaneous food at him to get him to sit, shake, and lay down. He'd also sit patiently in the car on roadtrips- just happy to be part of the family.

When you 2 were born, he was like a gentle giant to you both. He would rest on the floor patiently as you both used him for a pillow.  You both went through phases where you wanted wrestle and bounce on him, and he would just let you without even flinching. He protected us and our house- always letting us know when something wasn't right. And he'd hover around the table or at the backdoor just waiting for the possibility for any and all left overs- which he'd polish off in 2 minutes.

When he was in the house, he just wanted to be near somebody. He'd wag his tail and look at you as if to say, "feel free to pet me or give me attention." :)  He was a true family dog.

I know your mama already has Oliver, but nobody will also replace Ralphie.

You're ages 5 and 6 right now, so hopefully you'll grow up with a few memories of a really great family dog.


R.I.P. Ralphie.

Love you both,

Daddy
3/10/17