All the Fall Things, 2019

Dear Leah and Logan,

(I have no idea why this blog is chronologically out of place!!!)

First Day of School, Fall '19

This fall was nothing short of crazy with everything we had going on. Birthday parties, and sports, and horseback riding lessons, and living with Amanda and Dylan- there was never a dull moment.

After a 2-year run at etc's Li'l Ninja, you both decided to give it a break. I'll always be super grateful for what that class did for not only your strength and speed, but also your confidence.

The school year started in August, and Leah you got Mr. DeMario and Logan got Miss Owens.  Leah, you had a rough first week because you weren't crazy about having a male teacher, but it didn't take long for you to warm up to him. He had a strong math background and quickly saw how good
you were with numbers.


Shortly after school started, I took you guys on my favorite waterfall hike in Tennessee: Cummins Falls. You guys were champs with the hike and loved every minute of swimming by

the waterfall.

Logan, we switched you over to Murfreesboro Soccer Club for your soccer league, and the competition was quite superior to the YMCA. You got on a really good team, and a couple of the kids on the team were able to push you to a be a better player.


Leah, you had a solid few months with Lucky Fox Farms riding lessons. All of the instructors push you every single week to be a better rider and challenge you with different horses and skillsets.

Halloween brought along pumpkin carving and costumes, but then it was 30 degrees the night of trick or treating. Leah was about to check out after 20 minutes, but then she found Caprice and the world

was right again. Leah, everyone was super impressed with your Pennywise make-up that you did yourself.

We also did a giant camping trip with the Fontanetta and Graham families. We went down near the AirForce base and Woods Reservoir, where we had 3 awesome lakefront cabins. The weather treated us to 2 days of monsoon rain, but that didn't stop everyone from having fun.
Leah had her birthday party at Urban air, which has proven to be our favorite. A few school friends came along with the Chiltons.

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Last but not least: the 3 of us knocked out a Tough Mudder Race. We were all surprised that the kids race was a full race....and the mud, of course, was everywhere.

Not bad for 3 quick months!! I continue to stay impressed with how busy we stay...it sure keeps life interesting!!

Love,

Dad

Logan's 8th Birthday

Dear Leah and Logan,

The location we setup for Logan's 8th birthday ended up being quite the hit...for both of you.  We rented out the Patterson Park pool, and each of you was able to invite a gaggle of friends to the party.



We went with the Fortnite theme, but all of the kids were so caught up with the pool and waterslide, they didn't really want to come out of the pool for anything else!

I have a feeling that pool will be the location for several more birthday.

Another great event you both to got to enjoy with your friends.

Happy Birthday, Logan!

Love, Dad

COVID-19, Spring '2020

Dear Leah and Logan,

Spring 2020 might prove to be the strangest 3-month period of you're entire lives. But if it's not, I cringe to think about what the future might hold.

As the year 2020 started, a new virus (COVID-19) slowly crept into our lives. One by one, major events started getting cancelled, including March Madness, which is my personal 3-week holiday every year. In the middle of all that, school got postponed. First it was 3 weeks. Then it was extended to 2 months, and before we knew it: the rest of the year was cancelled.

The effects of COVID-19 went well beyond school, though. Logan, your entire spring soccer season was cancelled- right along with Leah's horse lessons.  'Social Distancing' became a thing where every person on the entire planet was advised to stay 6 feet away from other people at all times. Restaurants went to take-out only, and the whole world was wearing masks. All live sports on TV simply went away.

The second school was cancelled was the moment that I (Dad) instantly became a stay-at-home home-schooling teacher. Not to mention the fact that I had to play teacher while figuring out to work from home.  Let the fun begin!

Last Day of COVID-19 School May 27, 2020

Bring in my dry-erase whiteboard.  I think both of you would admit that I was pretty committed to my new teacher role the first month. Daily math problems. Mixing up the assignments and challenges. Empowering you to do research.  After a month, I was really missing your teachers (Miss Owns and Mr. DeMario).

The official school year ended in May the same way COVID-19 started: at home. So we did a school year photo-op and remained hopeful for a normal start of school this fall.

Looking back, I honestly consider the time invaluble. Several weeks of being an 'at-home' dad with the both of you...all the while, us trying to figure out the 'new' or 'temporary' world. That may never happen again. We learned new things...we ate a ton of take-out and delivery food. We played chess. We challenged each other in math. We watched Tik-Tok. We watched You-Tube. We watched Netflix. We did tons and tons of video calls. We stayed up way too late and slept in way too much. Not all terrible things...and better yet: We survived!

Love you both! Maybe we'll have a normal(ish) summer!

Dad
6/1/2020

Michigan & Cabin Summer 2019

Dear Leah and Logan,

We made our annual July trip to Weidman, Michigan, and once again- it didn't disappoint. This time, Aunt Dee Dee and Uncle Mike brought Lily and Jeffery so you had some kids to play with.  The trip included:

• Archery tournaments
• Learning to shoot the .22 (Logan's Christmas present from Uncle Mike)
• Michigan Adventure with Grandma
• A trip to lake Michigan to see Uncle Ralph and Aunt Margaret (and their private beach)
• 5 trips to Cool Dips
• Fishing
• Charades Contest
• and lots of time with Gigi and others.

Lots of highlights from this trip...such as getting Grandma on Shivering Timbers. Based on her picture, that might be the last roller coaster she ever gets on.  But Leah also road Thunderhawk twice all by herself. Then she almost crashed a giant goose in the middle of the pond :)

The rest of the story can be explained with our pictures.

Love you both,

Dad

Cool Dips

Lake Michigan Model Shoot

Atlanta Braves Weekend

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Dear Leah and Logan,

You're 8 and 7 years old, respectively 😀, and you just ran the bases at the Home of the Atlanta Braves- SunTrust Park.

First Ones in the Park

Let's back up...For Christmas we got everyone, by that I mean, Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle Justin, Uncle Mike, Aunt Daniela, and Uncle Caleb, a weekend getaway to Atlanta and an Atlanta Braves game in April 2019. 

The baseball game was Sunday at noon, so we had Saturday night to play around at the pool at the hotel.  An hour after we checked in, the Drury Inn had a Manager's reception for the ages, complete with nacho bar, hot dog bar, and salad bar.  Who doesn't like free food? 

18 inch Pizza Slices

Also that Saturday night was the 2019 Final Four, which featured Michigan State vs. Texas Tech.  The game didn't come on until 9pm, so our entire family took over the Drury Inn lobby. We were dressed in green and cheered our best, and the hotel night manager even brought out the popcorn machine in full force. Sadly, Sparty lost that night, but it was a relaxing, fun night for all. (And let's not forget your friend Gavin, Leah ...You 2 spent 3 hours together that night💗).

Atlanta Braves Family Trip, April 2019

On the Field, SunTrust Park

Sunday was game day.  We had 2 extra tickets, so Brad and Brady Tucker came down to enjoy the festivities. The 5 of us got there early to enjoy the stadium, but mostly to eat cotton candy.  Family got there later, and we enjoyed an exciting game that came down to the bottom of the 9th. I should also mention that we found a pizza place that served 18 inch slices.

Then, things got really exciting....after the game, the Braves invited all the children to run the bases on the field. The line was 5 stories (of ballpark stadium) long, but we patiently waited our turn. When we got to the bottom level, we were able to lift the boundary tape and sneak Grandpa on the field. Before you ran, we got to walk the perimeter of the playing field...I think Grandpa had the most fun!

The 2 of you got your moment in the spotlight as you ran 360 feet of bases in a major league ballpark.

Perfect family weekend, and I think we've found a niche of giving Christmas presents that are fun family getaways...time to start thinking about next year!

Love,
Daddy
April 2019

Navarre Beach Spring '19

Dear Leah and Logan,

Another Spring Break is in the books!

And with another trip to Navarre Beach, came a whole new set of adventures- including up close dolphins.

You 2, me, Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Caleb, Amanda, & Dylan all piled into a condo on Saturday, March 23, 2019, and the beach fun began immediately.  Our condo provided us with 2 chairs, 15 ft from the ocean, so we were able to set up camp every day.

On Tuesday, I surprised everyone by renting a pontoon and we get to cruise the bay for the day. We swam and we fished, and found a deserted island to explore.  Logan caught a big catfish, too! But the excitement came on the path home when Leah spotted dolphins. We saw a family of 4 dolphins and they swam around our pontoon for 30 minutes. I had shrimp in a bucket for bait, so we were able to keep them around for a bit as they played.  We got the boat back late, but it was worth it.

Pontoon Crew

Kayaking with Uncle Caleb

On Wednesday, I thought I'd try something new for everyone and get a kayak...which turned out to be quite the adventure in the ocean. After a few failed launch attempts (in front of everyone at the beach) we eventually got the hang of it.  I'm pretty sure Uncle Caleb had the most fun because he wanted to paddle way past the Navarre Pier.

Last Day of Spring Break '19 

Leah, let's not forget that you got to catch up with Kinsley for your annual beach hangout.  Kinsley hung out with all day Sunday and joined us for a walk on the Navarre Pier where you 2 made friends with a grumpy old Pelican.

Promise me something- that when you're older, especially my age (41 as of today), you'll pencil in some beach trips with each other...and maybe invite your dad!

Always wear sunscreen!

Love,

Dad

Navarre Pier

Our New Pelican Friend

Logan's Big #7

Dear Leah and Logan,

March 2018---2 things happened.  Logan's first basketball season ended....and he turned the Big-Number 7.

First, I was super glad I got the opportunity to be your assistant coach for Coach Josh Ezell in your first season of basketball. Your entire team showed SO MUCH improvement over the course of 2 months, and I'm really proud of how much hustle you showed.

Now that we have a basketball hoop, we can practice in the drive way a lot more!

I started asking the question- where do you want to have your 7th birthday right after Christmas. We had a lot of choices, and you were struggling to choose one.  Then it happened. Brad and Brady Tucker invited us to a place called Urban Air.  I do believe as soon as we all walked in and looked around, we knew it would be the perfect place for a party.

In 10 seconds we saw that Urban Air made every other trampoline park look like an empty tennis court.

Happy 7th Birthday, Logan!

So we set it up- March 3, 2109, at Urban Air.

And all your friends loved it!

Aquaman and Super Heroes all around, every kid who attended commented how it was the best party they had ever been to!

You, Leah, Dylan, Aiden, Kyran, Olivia, Liam, Brady, Cooper, Parker, and Roman... you all did wipe-out, basketball, ropes course, climbing walls and more....but then it happened- the last major event was Dads vs Kids in trampoline dodgeball... like I said, best. party. ever.

You kids had the best night of sleep ever.


Then, on your birthday, you chose Blue Coast Burrito as your birthday dinner- go big!!


Happy 7th Birthday, kid! You drive me nuts sometimes, but I love ending my days either hearing your amazing reading or playing Xbox with you....you're way better at video games than I ever was!!

Love,

Dad
 

Roman vs Logan

Uncle Caleb and Uncle Mike