Easter Weekend

What a wonderful Easter weekend we had!!

Brandon's family came in from Texas and Kentucky which just made for a really enjoyable weekend. We shopped all day on Saturday getting cute Easter clothes and last minute items for Easter dinner. Saturday night after Ryan and Kelli arrived we made Ressurection cookies. It was a very special time of telling the Easter story to the kids while making the cookies .

Sunday morning arrived and we all got dressed and headed to church. In my unbiased opinion, Joshua and Aby were the cutest there. After church we came back home and started cooking...we had a great afternoon of bonding, playing and eating with the Bishop family and the Estes. Joshua, Aby, Drew, and Luke had a fun Easter egg hunt and played all afternoon. It was such a special memory. We just wish it could have been a little bit warmer.

Painting and Friends

Yesterday, Joshua, Aby, and I went with Drew and Monica (our sweet, precious friends) to Third Coast Clay. I don't know if you have ever been to a place like this, but this is where the creativity of kids shine through. Joshua and Aby chose to paint a puppy (can you tell what they are dreaming about) and Drew chose a lizard. The kids were adorable and it was so much fun to watch them paint and discover colors. In the end we wound up with a purple puppy (Aby's), a multi-colored puppy (Joshua's) and a very cool red and green lizard (Drew's).

It was such a memorable time. I always cherish our times with the Estes. It has been so wonderful to watch our kids grow up together over the past 3 years. We love you guys!!

These pictures were taken from my phone...hence the blurriness

Joshua, Aby, and Mommy

Monica and Drew

Aby

Joshua

Aby's Elmo Party

On Friday, March 16th, we had an Elmo birthday party for Aby. Joshua was so excited to see all of their little friends and Aby just didn't have any clue it was all for her. They both had so much fun!

I made an Elmo cake for Aby, and after MUCH trial and error we had a pink Elmo cake. Aby still loved it, even if I though it looked awful. It was a great party...the kids had so much fun playing on the fort and playing Pin the Nose on Elmo. Aby's 2nd birthday was a success.

Happy Birthday, sweet girl! These past two years have been such a blessing. We love you!!

Aby's Birthday

Here are some pictures from Aby's birthday. We just did cupcakes because she was having her birthday party the next day.

Aby's First Haircut

On March 12th, Aby's sweet, long locks of hair were trimmed off. She had her very first haircut. We took her to a very girly kids salon called Sweet & Sassy. She wasn't really sure what was going on, but when it was over and her sweet hair was cut, all she could do was smile at herself in the mirror.

Driving, More Driving, and UFC 68 The Uprising

On March 3rd we went to Columbus, Ohio with Ryan to see UFC 68. What a family outing, huh? But, thankfully, Jill’s mom watched the kiddos while Jill and I got away for a short weekend to Louisville and Columbus. It was an amazing time to spend with my bride, just the two of us reconnecting as just Jill and Brandon.

Friday and Sunday we spent most of the day in the car, but Saturday was the main event! UFC 68 with Matt Hughes, Rich Franklin, and Randy Couture!! The experience was great from our little perch high up in the arena, and I think that we all had a good time watching the fights.

What made the trip all the more memorable was the time right before the fight and the drive home to Louisville. The fight started at 8:15, doors opened at 7:30, but in my infinite wisdom, we arrived to get good parking 3 hours before the doors opened. Ah, the bliss of preparation!! The area around the arena has several restaurants and places to hang out, but all had about a 2 ½ hour wait, so what did we do? Instead of hanging out in the blistering cold of Columbus, we sat in our car for 3 hours…3 long hours!! But, we passed the time playing the ABC Movie game and other “inventive” games.

Then, after the fight ended (1 am EST), we drove 3 ½ hours back to Louisville. Oh, did I mention that it was snowing and the freeway was covered in ice going through Cincinnati? Yep, that was our drive…middle of the night, all very sleepy, and with some really bad weather conditions. But, thanks to my selfless, beautiful bride, we got home safely. (I know, such gallant and gentlemanly guys my brother and I are to make Jill drive. I shall repent.)

All in all, it was a great weekend. The fight was good, yes. And, Jill and I really enjoyed spending time with Ryan driving to the fight catching up, and the time we got with Kelli as well. But, what I will remember most of all is the driving time alone with my wife, having great talks and reconnecting in a way that I miss from our days in Austin. I love her so much, and continue to fall more in love with her as time goes on.

Time waiting in the car

About to go inside

UFC

Matt Hughes vs. Chris Lytle

Rich Franklin vs. Jason MacDonald

Tim Sylvia vs. Randy Couture

A Day at Crockett Park

This was a very cold Saturday a couple of weeks ago. Brandon, the kids, and I were having cabin fever, so we all decided that the park would be a good idea and a great photo op.