End of a School Year...Graduations

Dear Leah & Logan,

Wow! That year of Pre-School 2015-16 sure went by fast!  And to think you two conquered a school year at both Stronebrook and Lascassas Baptist.  That meant 2 End of the Year School Programs, and for you, Leah, it meant 2 Graduations.

First up was Stonebrook graduation. It happened in May in the Stonebrook Forest, and me, Mommy, Grandma & Grandpa, and Nana were all there. Mrs. Reba led the class in several songs showing us all what you learned this year.  Everyone was really impressed!


Lots of pictures in the Forest!

Next came the programs at Lascassas Baptist. Logan, your class did a complete rundown of the Alphabet and all the letter sounds.

Leah, you gave us all a treat as you walked across the stage:

Leah's Stage Walk

You two have a bright future ahead of you, and I've been thrilled with the education and guidance that both of your schools give you. I hope you'll always remember Miss Holli, Miss Adele, Mrs Reba and Mrs Becky.  Leah- you'll start Kindergarten in 3 months!!  Logan, you'll start Kindergarten in 15 months.

I wish both of you would slow down with all this growing up.

Love,

Daddy

June '16

Busy Busy Springs

Dear Leah and Logan,

Wow, we've had such a busy Spring 2016!! I hope I don't forget anything.

In March, we took our Annual road trip to Atlanta, Georgia to see Uncle Caleb. We were only there for 2 days, but we had a  slumber party on Caleb's floor, we took a  train ride, and we did a giant walk around Downtown Atlanta.  He was sure glad we came!!  We ended the weekend with a giant pancake breakfast with Uncle Mike, Aunt Daniela, and Grandma and Grandpa.

In April, you BOTH did your first Battlefrog Race. I was proud of both of you- you made it through the mud, even though it was a little chilly that day.

We did Easter at Grandma and Grandpa's house, but that was after I gave you an Easter Egg hunt in our own living room.

In May, Grandma came to Murfreesboro to pick strawberries with us. You two were both great pickers.  Logan, you ate 2 buckets of strawberries in 3 days.

Both of you are doing so well in school!! I'm proud of you both for juggling two schools (Lascassas Baptist and Stonebrook) so well. When we're in the car, I love to do shapes, opposites, and math problems with you- you both impress me every day!

Keep up the good work,

Love,

Daddy

5/30/16

 

Sledding Times 2, 2016

Walk with Gigi

Dear Leah and Logan,

After New Years Eve came and 2016 settled down a bit, I thought it might be a good idea to go see Gigi for her birthday weekend in January. Besides seeing Gigi, I was hoping you 2 would get to see lots of snow.  So we loaded up in daddy's new Jeep, and we headed North. We split up the trip, and got to Gigi's on Friday morning.

There was only 2-3 inches of snow on the ground when we got to Michigan, and the weather was calling for rain. So I rushed to 3 different stores to find sleds and winter clothes. We then went to Poxon Park down the street from Gigi's. Here are 2 videos from Day 1.

Leah.

Logan.

On Day 2, Uncle Mike went with us because he and Grandma drove the whole way up that day. But instead of snow, there was a lot more ice since it had rained the night before....so we went faster down the hill.

That night, you 2 hung out with Aunt Mary and Uncle Dev while we went out for dinner....it was a great Michigan weekend, and Gigi loved having us there for her birthday!

Well who could have predicted that 5 days after we got home, that Tennessee would get hit with a blizzard. Murfreesboro got 5 inches of snow?!?  So we went sledding by the big hill off of Thompson Lane. All the people sledding made the bottom of the hill muddy, but we still had a blast.

I have to see- you 2 are fearless!! I'm really glad we got to see a little bit of 'real' winter. Maybe we'll get some more snow this winter!!

Love,
Daddy
2/9/16

2015 Christmas Season

Dear Leah and Logan,

Happy New Years 2016!!    After a busy fall, things didn't slow down much for our 2015 Christmas.  First, you guys continue to do well juggling 2 different schools throughout the week, and I always look forward to getting your daily progress reports.

I guess you could say your Christmas officially started when Santa Clause and Mrs. Clause visited our Muirwood subdivision. When we arrived, most of the other kids had left 'Breakfast with Santa' so our entire family got some extra time.  Logan, you were pretty shy, and Leah you told Santa you wanted 'unicorns and trumpets'.   We then ate breakfast and went home and took naps. (You guys had just played your last soccer game so it was a busy morning!)

You had a couple Christmas parties at your schools, and Stonebrook had a book exchange the week before Christmas.  You first family gathering was at Aunt Amanda's and Uncle Shane's. Your cousins Judson, William, & Emily were there and played with you all afternoon. Nana and Dennis had some big news as Dennis asked your Nana to get married. She said yes.  You came home with a bag full of presents.

THEN...came Christmas morning!   The theme of this Christmas can be summed up in 'Dinosaurs' (lots of them) and one big giant doll house.    You guys spent the morning playing with all your new toys, including Bop-It! and a bunch of new playdough.  That afternoon we went over to Grandpa's new house in Columbia, TN, and had a huge dinner with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Mike and Aunt Daniela. Uncle Justin showed up just in time for dinner too!

I just want to remind you 2 how blessed we are to have all that we do around the holidays...and that includes family, gifts, great food, and special memories.


I love you both, and I'm excited to see what 2016 has in store for us.


Love,
Daddy


1/3/16

Fall Activities 2015

Dear Leah and Logan,

You 2 had a really busy fall!!  The fun started on Halloween when we hosted a pumpkin carving party. Not only did we carve pumpkins, but Tiffany, Ian, Cadence, Bobby, and Tina all came over too! It ended up being a big pizza and pumpkin party! 

A week later, it was Halloween.  One of you was a ferocious T-rex dinosaur and the other was a rainbow unicorn princess. I'll let you decide who was who. :)

Leah, you and I also did another Spartan race- this one was in Clarksville, TN.  We were kind of late getting there, so me and you sprinted to the starting line and got you over the fence just in time. You were a Spartan champ once again! Another medal!

 

Next, we hosted a family party for the Michigan State (Go Green! Go White!) versus Michigan (boooo!) football game. It was a great game that ended in a miracle finish. You 2 didn't really watch the game, but you did holler 'Go Green-Go White!' a lot, and that made grandpa happy.  But if you google Michigan State punt block 10/17/15, you'll get to see what we were so happy about after the game-great family picture!


After that, you 2 started a brand new school at Stonebrook, which now has you going to school 5 days a week. You go to Lascassas Baptist on Tuesday and Thursday, and then you

MSU 27 UofM 21, 10/17/15

go to Stonebrook on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. All of your teachers love you, and you love going to school! You both have also adjusted to our new house's schedule very well (Mommy got a new job).


To close out this fall, I signed you up for both up for soccer in a program called Happy Feet. It was indoor soccer and you both played and practiced together every Saturday with Coach Julie. Logan, you did great for your first time playing, although I need to get you to stop tackling the other kids :)

I'm glad you 2 are so active, and I'm very grateful we get to do so many things with so many great friends and family.

Love,


Daddy


11/25/15

Family Reunion: Summer 2015

Dear Leah and Logan,

I almost forgot to post about our family reunion this summer at the cabin!!  The cabin is in Weidman,

Michigan, about an hour north of where Gi-Gi lives.

We got to Michigan on Friday, July 17, 2015. People who also came were Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Mike, Uncle Caleb, Gi-Gi, Aunt Karen & Uncle Jim, Rachel and her boys Isaac and Lucas, Courtney, Kathryn, Sharyn, Aunt Mary & Uncle Dev, Aunt Patti & Uncle Bruce, Matt, Patrick, Aunt Dee Dee, and a few boy friends and girlfriends of people.

The whole event started out with some excitement when we found a family of mice in the fire pit and a snake in the wood pile....then we put them in bucket and all the kids just watched them play for an hour.

We had such a great week after that too.

We went to the beach.

We made lots of camp fires.

We rode Uncle Jim's 4 wheelers.

We went fishing with Grandpa.

We went on hikes.

We made lots of S'mores.

We slept in a tent.

We played in bubbles and with bubble guns.

We threw rocks in the pond.

We caught butterflies.

We had so many stories and so many laughs, and I'm glad you got some quality time with my aunts, uncles, and cousins from Grandma's side of the family. Plus, you guys were really good on the road trip too!  When we left Michigan, we got to have a picnic lunch near a playground with Grandma. It was a perfect ending to a perfect week.

I'll include a bunch of pictures so you can always remember the week!

Thanks for an amazing family reunion!

Love,

Daddy

A Fabulous Father's Day

Dear Leah and Logan,

Going into 2015 Father's Day weekend, my only goal was to have a relaxing weekend with the family. We didn't have any plans, so it looked like a great time to just be lazy. That changed in a hurry.

First, we got an invite from the Tucker family to join them at the Nashville Sounds baseball game that Saturday night. You 2 didn't watch a lot of baseball, but the brand new stadium sure was nice. Plus, you got to eat a lot of junk food, including ice cream from helmets. And who could forget the ride on the yellow bus?

The fun didn't stop there,  though. Sunday we talked Mama into braving the elements and going to the zoo (it was 100 degrees that day). So we loaded up on gatorade and water, and we went to the Nashville Zoo.

We saw all the animals and drank 7 slushies! Mama got some great pictures and joined you two in the tunnel to see the marmets up close and she also helped you feed the parrots. My favorite part was the battling flamingos. Let's also not forget the reptile and creepy crawly house, which keeps big spiders, lots of fish, and even snakes.

A great day, even with the heat!

We were all tired when we got home, but Mama and Julia decided to go say hi to Pappy on Father's Day. So, we added another road trip to our weekend, and went to Centerville, Tn, to see Grandma and Grandpa! They were very surprised,  and Grandpa had grilled enough food for 12 people...so we ate well, too. We definitely made Grandpa's day!

Thanks for a great Father's Day... I'm very proud of both of you!

Love,

Daddy

July 2015