Twice a Year Blog?

If there isn't already a concept for a twice a year blog, I feel like I've created it. You know, it's kind of like when you are supposed to go into the dentist for a check up...Every 6 months - it's time for an update with the lives of the Burkey's! Better yet, you can read this blog on your phone while getting your teeth cleaned! Woah, that blew your mind didn't it?

Well, let's go ahead and update. Let's see, when was the last time I posted....JULY?! Wow, that's a lot of updating. Time for a bulleted list? I think so.

• The kids are growing, obviously, but at an incredibly fast rate. Like, where the heck does the time go? Micah is 8 and correcting me on everything...he is even beating me at certain video games when I'm trying my hardest (yeah, he doesn't know that). He is doing wonderfully in school - like straight A's all the time. He is rocking it out in soccer. He even scored a goal! Penny is going to be 3 in a couple months. She has all of the sassiness that her Mom has, but she is still pretty laid back and goes with the flow (most of the time) like her Daddy. She is now in Mother's Day Out to get her prepared for pre-school and she is following her brother's footsteps in classroom success. I think soon she will be playing soccer - can't wait to coach her team! Even though I know nothing about soccer! Hello YouTube videos, haha. 
• Current interests of Micah: 
• Minecraft...Minecraft and some more Minecraft. This is like crack to him right now, I dunno what happened but he is completely addicted to it. 
• Skylanders, still. Oh yes, I think we have pretty much kept that company in business with our 50+ figures.
• Soccer. he is starting to look like his Uncle out there. 
• Magic: The Gathering cards. I am not living my childhood through him, I swear! Ok...maybe a little. I kind of suggested he try this out. I know it's super nerdy...but you know, he loves it, it is an advanced game that is teaching him a lot of fundementals and...he isn't in high school yet - so might as well hit this game before he is trying to get girls, right? Yeah, that's how I explained it to Brittany...haha.
• Wrestling. Not only wrestling with me, but he has started watching WWE, including going to his very first Monday Night Raw! Yeah, ladies are going to love him.
• Current interests of Penny:
• Talking. Yes, she does a lot of it. Between Brittany, Micah and Penny I don't think I get a word in most of the time.
• Coloring. She loves to sit down and color on everything. Even the walls right outside our bedroom door with chalk. 
• Anything with a touch screen. Can't tell you how many times Britt has picked up her phone to call someone, only to find her contacts are gone or her home screen is moved around...Or I'll pick up my phone/kindle and there is a layer of finger prints so thick on the screen that I need to get my window scrapper for the car...And Penny sits and watches, laughing hilariously on the inside. I know she is, I can see it in her eyes.
• Being outside. With the nice weather coming around, Penny wants to be outside all the time, playing in the backyard or just wanting to sit and watch the birds. 
• Wrestling. Not really the WWE kind, but the kind where she gets to jump on Daddy and BoBo numerous times, while she laughs to hard her face gets red and she falls over. Micah and her make a good tag-team. 
• Brittany is as amazing as she was last time I posted about her. Without her, I think our world would explode. No, I'm serious...I believe I would blow the house down trying to cook hot pockets or maybe flood the house while trying to give Penny and bath and keep Micah entertained. I have no idea how she does what she does every day with the family - on top of running her own business and diving into huge craft projects whenever she gets the itch. She is such a wonderful woman and I'm so proud to call her my wife. 
• Throughout the rest of 2012, we shot TONS of weddings and became pretty successful in the wedding photography market here in Nashville. I'm proud of the success that she has gained doing something she loves, even if the business-side of that passion can drive us crazy. 
• We just got finished helping Brooke and Raleigh coordinate, design and produce a lot of materials for their Wedding. That's right folks, they finally tied the knot! Brittany did so much work for the wedding, and I am very proud of how it turned out. 
• Coming into the 2013 wedding season, we are gaining momentum again and can't wait to spend my Saturdays with her behind the camera. 
• Current Interests of Brittany:
• Our kiddos. I think this will always be Number 1 for her. She countlessly puts them before herself and that's one of the things I love about her. Those kids are both of our lives, and she does everything she can to be the best Mommy in the world. 
• Our favorite TV shows. Game of Thrones, Walking Dead, Revolution, Supernatural, (insert countless chick-flick-esque type shows here). It's her escape in the craziness of the world. Only issue is, she jumps ahead of me on a lot of these shows...when I catch her doing it, it's like she has cheated on me. Haha. And yet...she still does it..................not.cool.
• Crafts. Brittany loves DIY projects. Brittany loves Pinterest. You put the two together and you got a monster. I'm not kidding (See Raleigh and Brooke's wedding) - check her pinterest out...there are dozens, if not hundreds of boards out there with pins...waiting for her to tackle. There are times that I absolutely despise whoever created Pinterest...I have a lot of "Honey To-Dos" because of that site.
• Church and God. It's no secret that both Brittany and I were living life without being heavily involved with church or with God. But over the past year, we have switched churches and have really found our place to get closer with God. We are lucky to say that, honestly. Brittany has really become a big part of our church, stepping into the role of Admin in their office and doing a lot of design work for them. I'm proud of her.
• What have I been into? Well, a lot really. Too much to list out here, so that's why I'll probably start a blog series catching you guys up on my en devours since my last post, in July. There's gotta be a cliffhanger here right? Haha.

Thanks for staying loyal and coming back, with my lack of posts. :)

-The Two-Dad

Big News: Penelope is 2!

Penny is two years-old. I cannot believe my eyes when I look at her. It is hard to believe that two years ago was the very first time that I saw my precious baby girl. I remember being so nervous throughout the whole day...in the delivery room I was as pale as a white sheet but I tried to play it off like I was doing alright, for Brittany. But honestly, I was petrified.

Of what, I'm not certain. Maybe I wouldn't be the father she deserved, maybe she wouldn't like me, maybe something horrible could have gone wrong in the delivery...

But so far, I think all my fears have been for nothing. Both Brittany and Penny came out of the delivery room (thank God for that), and I can't judge myself of how good of a father I am but I know that she loves me because of the way she greets me when I get home from work. It never gets old, as soon as I open the door I hear "DAAYYYDDDEEEE!" and she runs up and gives me multiple hugs. It's one of the best parts of my day.

I'm trying to cherish every second I can get with her while she is this tiny. Because as soon as I know it, I'll be watching her drive off to prom, watching her meet our future son-in-law, walking her down the aisle...meeting my grandbabies...

Okaaay, sorry, jumping a little ahead of myself! Penny is two and I'm cherishing her while I can!

Her party was a blast, we had tons of family and friends come over and hangout in the backyard. The backyard was stacked with a trampoline, bounce house, bird house painting and an outdoor movie! I almost think that some of the adults had more fun than the kids, haha! It was great to see everyone and to see Penny have such a wonderful time as a toddler.

These moments are the ones that we need to cherish.

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

Catching Up...

Well, I let this blog fall behind again. So lets hit some key points since my last post:

• Micah's new parenting plan finally got finalized with his father. (That was a lot of Fs...) Things really worked out and I believe we are in a place where we can limit the amount of flareups between both sides. But most importantly, I believe Micah will be happier once we settle into the new agreement.
• I got a new job! That's right! Still with HCA, but I'm the new Communications Coordinator on the HCA Rewards/Benefits team. So far it has been incredible, finally being able to tap into my creative side and really feel like I'm making a difference in the work I do. I put together several newsletters, design posters and fliers, design for web, write content, etc. etc.
• Penny is going to be 2 years old in 4 days...It is unbelievable to say that. She has gotten so big. I can't believe she will be so old...it really makes you think about how fast time moves when you babies are so big. Micah will be 8! 8! I met him when he was just over 2 years old...crazy that little man has been in my life for almost 6 years.
• Penny turning 2 isn't always a great thing...she definitely has hit the terrible 2. Though, we have a system...when she throws a fit Brittany or I will ask to have her hands and for her to look at us. Then we calmly explain to her the situation and she replies with "Okkkay...I sorrryy Daaa-yee" (That's how she says Daddy.)
• The photography business has taken off this wedding season. We don't remember being this busy in previous years. Totally a great thing, but definitely takes us away from the kids more than we want. 
• I've gotten more involved with the church. Brittany and I taught a children's class on Wednesday nights. We went to Gatlinburg with the Youth Group in February. We've been asked to help out more with the Youth Group, and we are getting excited for the possibilities. 
• Lots of new stuff happening with our house. We have hardwood floors now! Well, actually they are vinyl flooring panels that look and feel like hardwood but cost WAY less. We love them.
• We finally repaired our fence, for the most part.
• We turned our backyard into a cool hangout spot for kids and adults, with firepit included! Hopefully we don't burn the neighborhood down.
• We are still getting harassed by the HOA. I'm never going to move into another neighborhood with an HOA.
• We have been living with only one car...kind of rough, but it saves us from having a second car payment. Big shout out to my parents, Jason and Hope, Raleigh and Brooke and whoever else have been chauffeuring me around when I need rides to work or practice.
• Practice? What have I been practicing? Well, my old band, Circean, is putting together a reunion show. We've been practicing over the past few months and it has really came together. Good timing too, since the show is actually this Friday.
• We just got back from our yearly trip to Destin, FL. Had such a wonderful time, I think I want to move there...so laid back and a wonderful environment. 
• Tons of new movies are out that I want to see, many of them from my most anticipated movies of 2012 post several months back. I will write some reviews of the movies I've seen.
• Ummm, the Redskins drafted Robert Griffin III...excited would be an understatement for Redskins fans right now.
• Titans missed out on the Peyton Manning Sweepstakes...we still have Jake Locker waiting on the bench, though.
• Ravens just re-signed my favorite running back, Ray Rice to a 5 year deal. 
• Fantasy Football starts up soon, I'm in 4 leagues, running 2 of them and co-running another...Can't wait!
• I'm still madly in love with my wife, even if she does give me a lot of honey-to-dos. She is my best friend and I don't know where I would be without her. We will be married for 4 years this October.

I think that's about it! I'm sure I left out a lot of things, but I'll add those when I get to them. :)

Hopefully my lack of updates haven't lost some readers! <3

Serve The Ball!

Well, today was a special day. Not really in a good way but as in an important day. It starts a new chapter in our book. Actually, it might even start a new book because I have a feeling there will be some fires blooming from our history. Not that there is anything to hide, but I'm sure it will catch fire regardless.

That's alright though. We are ready with our own embers to release and we aren't afraid to use them. This is a different than last time. She has something that she didn't have the first time - me. I'm not afraid. We aren't going to back down. We have each other and we will fight for what we believe in.

You may think there's nothing to worry about, but head's up...we ready for you. Ball's in your court.

Life Quote #5

 "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persucutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

What Everyone is Talking About: Skylanders

Wow. These things are so freaking cool. I'm not going to lie...I think I'm a little more addicted to these things than Micah is.

I found myself playing this game long after Micah went to sleep last night. By myself, at 9pm, while Brittany was reading a book (a much more adult-like thing to do than playing a kid's video game).

BUT, don't let her fool you. Brittany is also into this game. She has her own Skylander and has already picked out two more that she wants to buy. Sorry babe, had to sell you out so I didn't  look like the only crazy parent.

So...what is this little action figure statue thing that you are looking at as you are reading this post? Well, it just happens to be the coolest invention in video games to have ever been released.

Yes, I went that far.

That action figure is Prism Break. One of the 30+ figures you can buy, ranging from ninja elves, dragons, robots and tiki-men. Now, just look at that picture. That figure is pretty awesome isn't it? Well, wait and wrap your brain around this. Skylanders isn't just an action figure game...it is a video game...involving said action figures. What?

So, you buy the game, Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure (that's right 90s game nerds, Spyro is back!) and you get three action figures and an add-on to your gaming system called a portal. You hook this portal onto your gaming system and you now have access to the Skylanders world. All you do is pick up Prism Break, place him on the portal and BOOOOOM. He appears in the video game. NO I'M NOT KIDDING! (Video below shows how it works if you are confused.)

In the game you level up Prism Break (or one of the other many heroes) as he goes through this epic journey to get back what the Skylanders once called home from an evil villain named Kaos. Oh, hey Little Timmy just called and wants you to come over his house and play Skylanders...but...I was leveling up my Prism Break. NO NEED TO WORRY LITTLE FELLA! All you do is take your Prism Break action figure over to Little Timmy's house, place it on HIS portal and YOUR Prism Break comes into HIS game with all the gear, powers and level he was at your house.

That's right, all game data involving each action figure gets saved into the physical action figure. So you can bring it anywhere, anytime. This is literally Pokemon on a whole different level, a really fun and family building level. The only negative to these bad boys is there are over 30 of them...so between Micah, Brittany and I we want about all of them...and at $7.99 each...the Burkey family might be broke for quite a while.

Check out this video that demonstrates how awesome this game is. Parents, if your kids don't have this game yet (it's available for every system and the PC) you need to purchase ASAP or your kids will be eating lunch all by themselves at school today.

...just kidding about that last part...you kid will just be jealous of the coolness that is SKYLANDERS!

Hello There 2012: Hiccups

Well, it's 2012.

Where the heck did 2011 go?

I can't believe how fast this past year went. I know everyone says that...but literally 2011 felt like a BLINK of an eye. Penny is a year and half now, looking bigger and bigger to me each day. She is clearly saying various words and understanding everything and anything I tell her it seems.

Micah is just huge. Sometimes to big for my own good, often I end up hurt in our wrestling matches now and it isn't because of the wedgies. He is super smart, nothing gets by him anymore. He is doing so well in school...he is just so grown up now, totally different than 2010.

2011 was a great year but went by way to fast. I realized this when I made the Christmas video (which is in the below post) and saw how big the kids are. How much I missed by not absorbing everything that goes on each day. I think we all get in too much of a routine to appreciate the daily struggles that take us away from that routine. In the moment those struggles are just an obstacle but when you look back on it they were moments that were unique and trying to break free of the daily muttle. (Is that a word?)

Most resolutions involve loosing weight or saving up money (both are things that I would love to do). But this year I'm going to go against the norm. This year I'm going to appreciate those little hiccups in the daily routine. So what if that puts me behind the schedule that I've written in my head that nobody else knows about. I'm going to accept those hiccups, flick off the daily routine and make them the best possible hiccups anyone could ask for.

I need to appreciate what I have sitting in front of me more than dreaming about what I could have or where I could be. 2012 is going to be about appreciation more than saving or loosing things. Hopefully we can all learn to appreciate hiccups in our daily schedule, it makes life interesting and worth living for.

Christmas 2011 at the Burkey's

Life Quote #4

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Weekend Grade: Micah's Birthday Weekend!

How would you grade your weekend? I would have to grade mine a big fat A+. This was one of the best weekends I’ve had in a long time and it was mostly lived through my little man’s excitement. Micah is now 7 (almost – his real bday is Wednesday). SEVEN freaking years old! Where has the time gone? I can’t believe he is that old.

I remember the first time I met the little guy, he was only 2 and was really shy to come down the steps at Kim and Randy’s house to say hi. Little did I know that he was so full of personality!! Hah. I love this little guy and I was so glad to hear him say things as “This is the best day of my life!” or “I wish this day would never end!” It made Brittany and my weekend to hear the little dude say those things. So glad he had a blast!

Now, you might be wondering what we did? WELLLLLLLL. It started on Saturday, we went to Chuck E. Cheese and had a blast with all of his friends and family. Then, came back home and opened all of his wonderful presents and within an hour we had a houseful of kids! We played Beyblades, video games and had an epic nerf sword and gun battle.

The next morning the kids woke up and played more video games and beyblades, we cooked them a feast of a breakfast and tried to recover some of our strength. Then, we took Micah and Penny to see the Christmas lights at Opryland Hotel and went out to eat at the Old Spaghetti Factory. We finally got home around 9 and gleefully fell back into our beds in excitement that the kids had such a great weekend.

So glad Micah had such a great birthday weekend before heading off to his Dad’s for a week and ½, next time we see him more excitement will ensue on Christmas Eve!

Weekend Grade: A+ with no hesitation.

Family Updates

So Spring is right around the corner, tons of cool stuff to do and fun to be had! It also means a very busy schedule that we have to prepare for, which is both good and bad. Anywho, let’s see what is happening with me and my family lately.

Micah has started up spring league Hockey this week. He is doing so much better this season than he did in the fall. He is skating so much better and really getting better handling the puck. Now that he is skating so well we can really focus on the aspects of hockey now, woohoo! He is about to finish Kindergarten this year and start 1^st grade…wow…that is so unbelievable. Of course he is still playing video games and is starting his obsession with Pokemon way earlier than I did.

Brittany is getting back into the swing of photography and is already getting booked up for spring pictures. Not to mention all the weddings she is getting booked for – we have two destination weddings this year – so excited! I’m really proud of how successful she is getting. She is in the middle of reading The Hunger Games book series, which she says is amazing. Of course she still is watching all her crazy reality television shows, Bachelor is about to finish, Teen Mom 2 and Celebrity Rehab all control the television lately.

Penny is now seven months old…holy cow where does the time go? She is constantly talking, saying Bo-Bo (Micah’s nickname is Bro-bro with her), Ba-Ba (for bottle), Ma-ma and Da-da-da-da-da-da-da. I personally love it when she says the last one J. Not only is she talking but she is also crawling around now AND pulling up on things. She is growing up so fast it isn’t even funny. I can’t wait to have our first conversation together.

I’m gearing up for my spring softball league to start up next month, hopefully we can get a practice together soon. Also I’ve jumped back into reading and have finished the third book in George RR Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. Before I start the fourth book I’m trying out The Hunger Games, but big news on the fifth book in the series was just released so I’m fighting the urge to start the fourth. I’ve also gotten back into writing the book I’ve been working on for the past five years. That helps get some of that creativity out of my system, in case you want news and updates on that please follow me under my pen name on twitter, http://twitter.com/sawyerperry - just don’t tell anyone that’s me ;)

Life is good right now, and I thank god for that.

We will keep you updated with all the awesome spring activities we have coming up.

F is for Friends Who Do Things Together

I’ve found that I’m updating my blog about once every couple of weeks, so I’ll try to stick to that plan, haha. Alright, let’s dive right into the topic of this post. It has something to do with Spongebob and the word FUN. You put them together and you get the FUN song.

Just about every day for the past week I’ve woken up, picked up my guitar and randomly started singing this to Micah to start out the day. He usually sings Plankton’s part while Brittany and I sing Spongebob’s. It is random, but it really seems to kick off the day right.

Today I didn’t have time to jam this song out and the morning was kind of hectic. So enjoy, learn the words and sing it with your family – because it works!

U is for uranium……..bombs!

Dreams Turned to an Afterthought

Ten years ago I was in high school. TEN years ago, wow. I was a fifteen year old little dude trying to be cool and getting excited about girls, driving, friends and more importantly music. I was a freshman and had been thrust into a friendship with a guy named Chris Vest. Many of you probably know the name, he is the drummer for well-known band Framing Hanley. Our friendship started in gym class with the words “Dude, nice shoes,” as he referenced the ever-sweet flames on my shoes. Oh yes, I was one of those cool kids, haha.

After conversation Chris and I realized a common interest, music. I played guitar and he played drums so it only made sense to form a band. This had been a dream of mine since I was a little kid and I watched my dad play his guitar in our basement. My dad was in a band as a teenager and he taught me everything I know on the guitar, so I wanted to follow in his footsteps.

In 2001 Chris and I were probably trying to figure out our band name, trying to find members. Nevertheless, as the years went on Chris and I finally formed a stable band named Embers Fade. My dreams of being a rockstar were even bigger now, we were playing shows and were gaining some respect from the local Nashville scene. I couldn’t picture anywhere else I would want to be when I was putting on a show on that stage.

Each show my dreams wanted more, I wanted to tour the nation, I wanted to sign that record deal. I wanted it all. But, my realistic side of my brain kept me in college…and that ended up getting in the way of the band. Basically life got in my way, and I knew that I needed to part ways with the band, as much as it killed me. It was more of a mutual departure, save for Chris who actually threatened to leave if I did. I knew I couldn’t be the reason for him leaving and missing out on such an experience so I talked him out of that.

So that was it, I was no longer a musician. I was just a college student with a part time job. I felt lost. My dreams were broken as the band progressed.

The band, some other friends and I experienced a tragedy the year I left the band. Chris’ long time girlfriend/fiancé ended up dying in a car accident, everyone was devastated. However through all the grief came a band named after her, Framing Hanley, which was a supped-up version of Embers Fade.

Within months they got signed and started touring the nation. Chris and the band continues to rock stages all over the world. He continues to live his dream – and I am in total support of him and the band. I’m glad they get to experience that, I’m glad that my issues didn’t cause Chris to miss out on all of it. I love him, think of him like a brother and hope for their continued success.

Now what about me? Well I soon realized that my dreams weren’t broken or stolen. My dreams in high school slowly started to become an afterthought. I met Brittany while struggling in college and struggling to find myself. Her and her then 2 year old son, Micah, guided me into the right direction without her evening knowing it.

Brittany and I stayed together for a while, and soon I found another band to play with. This band felt more like a family affair, and I loved playing in it. Eventually Brittany and I got married which made me realize my new dream, while being a rockstar started to become more bland. I wanted a family, I wanted to be a dad to Micah, I wanted more children, I wanted to graduate college and I wanted to start my career to start supporting my family.

It is funny how quickly your childhood dreams can fade away when you start growing up and meet certain people. The question is are your adult dreams sweeter than what you yearned for as a child. I can say with no hesitation that mine is much sweeter.

I want to thank my beautiful wife, Brittany for finding me when I needed her to. It felt as if we were meant to find each other when we did. I want to thank Chris for helping me reach what I did with Embers Fade as a kid. I hope that he continues to do well and that all of his dreams are met. Because I know that my dreams have come true as I look around at my life and at my lovely family. I love you Brittany, Micah and Penny. You are my world, my everything.

Christmas Pictures

Here are some shots from our Christmas, before everyone got the stomach virus!

Dance Central Video Remix

2011 New Year's Resolution: Weight Loss

Everyone's favorite resolution!

I want to get rid of the extra weight that I’ve put on over the past couple years.

Looking back at some pictures of when Brittany and I first met I noticed just how much I’ve added on. I can definitely feel it when I’m playing with Micah or trying to play flag football. I’m slower, I get winded a lot easier than I used to and overall I just feel unhealthy.

Not to mention half my clothes don’t fit correctly anymore, and I like a lot of those clothes.

So I really feel like it is time for a change. It’s time to better my body and mind, time to get back into shape. Not just for me, but for my family as corny as that sounds.

Brittany is also on board with this, I can’t speak for her but I believe she feels the same way I do.

So, maybe you are asking, “What is your goal?” Or, “How are you going to do this Mike?”

Well the answer is simple, Brittany and I are going to eat smarter, which I think is the main problem. Personally, I’m guilty of overeating at just about every meal and I’m guilty of eating a lot of junk food. Fast food is another demon I must conquer, and if I do end up at a fast food joint I must remember to eat as healthy as possible…if at all possible.

Secondly, we are going to be alternating days between some sort of cardio workout and strength training. I don’t really mind jogging outside, but cold weather kind of hinders any type of enjoyment I might receive from that. So, at least for the winter, Brittany and I are doing cardio while we play a video game. That’s right. Dance Central has a workout mode on it, it tracks how many calories you are burning and how long you have been dancing. Plus, it comes with a perk – I get to shake my white booty. Surprisingly enough it really does make me sweat and I’m a little sore from my first day of doing it.

The strength training will be done at home, using everyday essentials you can find around the house. Brittany explained most of that to me and it sounded like it would be easy enough to keep up with, however I don’t remember everything she mentioned. Tonight is the first night we do the strength training, however I might also do more cardio as well – I’m not going to lie it is fun!

Lastly, I’m going to be posting my progress on my facebook page as well as this blog. I don’t know if I’m going to do pictures yet, because I’m not sure if people want to see my hairy squishy pecs. I will do some numbers though:

Currently I weigh: 237 lbs.

I want to weigh: Between 195-205 lbs.

Wish us luck!

Challenge Day 03 - Your Parents

(I've fallen behind with my blog challenge, hopefully I can catch back up within the next few days.)

Jim and Sue Burkey.

Happily married for more than twenty-seven years (? sorry dunno if that is correct) and parents for almost twenty-five years.

Dad is the quiet one, but whenever he speaks it is full of knowledge or laughter. He does the funniest things and really gets me laughing when he does them. Example: Pressing the “brew” button on the tea machine in the cafeteria at work, expecting to get some more tea. However he didn’t think to check where the tea came out of and he started making a mess. The cafeteria people got mad at him for pushing the button. He does stuff like this all the time and it gets even funnier each time. Dad is a huge Redskins fan, and most of conversations consist entirely of our favorite football team. He also taught me everything I know about playing guitar – and I thank him sincerely for doing that and allowing me to experience the awesomeness of several bands.

Mom is the talkative, caring one. She is always wondering how things are and always wanting to hear about my day. She has taught me how to love and care for individuals as I grew up and has always been there for me when I need her. I don’t have many funny stories about my mom, most of the time we are laughing about something my dad did. She is a huge Aerosmith fan, and got me into loving music at a young age. Again, I thank her for this because it led to me playing guitar and experiencing the music industry shortly.

They go perfectly together and have been great examples of how a parent should raise their child. They have been one of the rare couples that have stayed married, and I applaud them for that.

Video Games: Good or Bad?

Recently Micah has shown a tad bit of an addiction to his video games. He does have a Nintendo DS and Wii, not to mention my Xbox 360 and PC that he can play on. All of these are easily accessible and he is starting to get to the point where he doesn’t need us to help him set the games up. So this brings up the following questions:

Do video games land my kids in jail in the future?! OF COURSE! No not really, just messin’.

Are video games doing anything more than just causing drool to fall out of my kids’ mouth? Are there any benefits to playing video games? Most people would say no, they are a waste of time, nothing but just pointless entertainment.

Well, folks, I’m here to point out some benefits to playing video games not as a gamer myself, but as a father with a child who plays a lot of games. There are plenty of negative reasons why NOT to play games, but how about hearing some positive things?

• It’s better than what they would get out of watching TV. Their brain is actively at work at trying to solve problems instead of turning off while Patrick and Spongebob are jelly fishing.


• Imagination Boost, let’s face it – video games have some pretty fascinating worlds and your child will be able to experience great creativity in these games.


• The obvious, it improves hand-eye coordination. I can type faster because of my gaming, which has helped me get higher in my career.


• It could actually help your child keep his mind off of over snacking or eating! Yeah, that’s right, this is evidence that your child might LOOSE weight playing video games…or well, at least not eat as much.


• It is a new way of teaching, as it keeps children on the edge of their abilities. As the game progresses the game gets harder, making the child learn more and more as the game pulls them along. Think Tetris, the first level was cake, but as the game goes on it trains you for the higher levels which make you think more.

If you want any more reasons and the source of my 5 points, check out this link.

Also, please realize I’m not saying place your child in front of the TV/computer screen all day and let them learn all the knowledge they need. Kids need to get outside and run around, get some exercise and get some face to face social interactions. Try to limit your children on games a day, if you think it is getting out of hand. During the day, go outside and play with them, save the games for when it is dark. And for all you parents that game, remember that you are setting an example for your kiddos. Try not to over-game and remember to get the same exercise your kids are getting instead of picking up that controller.

Now, I’m off to go shoot some zombies, lol.

Penny's First Laugh

A babies first laugh is one of the most beautiful things a father could hear in his lifetime. It doesn’t matter what kind of mood he is in, that first laugh can take away any pain or irritation and put a huge smile on his face.

I’m not talking about a little squeal or a huge smile. I’m talking about the laugh that comes from the belly, a real laugh. You know what I’m talking about, one of those laughs that you let out when you are watching Will Ferrell shakin’ n’ bakin’ in Talladega Nights or Chris Farley screaming as he is rolling down a hill.

We as adults take those laughs for granted, not really paying attention to when somebody really lets one out. However a parent always notices when a baby does it for the first time or when a young child gets the giggles that make them slap their knees. We take those moments and we bottle them up and cherish them, always remembering them as they happened.

Today was that day for my little Penny Lane, at 3 months 1 week and 5 days she continuously let out a chuckle felt from the gut. As she lay on her changing table after a nice warm bath she watched wide-eyed as Brittany made silly faces and noises. Micah and I were getting ready to play the Wii, and were lightly arguing over what pajamas he should wear when we heard it.

Everyone stopped and listened and she brought all of us to a silence. Then, after a moment we all smiled and watched her as Brittany kept making her laugh, over and over. Micah got those giggles that made him slap his knee, and Brittany and I laughed together.

Penny’s first laugh was wonderful and is only one of the many things I will experience with my family as a new father. Just that thought makes me smile and want to continue to live my life for her, for Micah and for Brittany.

Life is good as we near the holiday stretch.

Just for fun, here is a funny video of Penny from yesterday just having a conversation with Brittany and I.

WHCoC Fall Festival

Sunday was the real Halloween, even though we went trick or treating on Saturday. Which, by the way, I’m still not sure how I feel about that, but it seemed to work out well I suppose. So Sunday, after watching my Redskins get beat by the Lions…what?...Britt, Penny and I went to White House Church of Christ’s Fall Festival, and man it was fun! (Micah was at his Dad's)

They had the first annual Cornhole tournament, which lasted just about the whole time (from 3 to 6). Randy and I (Shake n Bake) came into the tournament with high expectations, but got knocked out in the third round by the newlyweds, Wade and Christy. Randy had never played before and I’ve only played twice, but we got a pretty good rhythm going on in the first two rounds. Wade and Christy were just too much to handle though after we were beating them 15-6, they came back as we couldn’t put them away and sunk a lot of three pointers.

After we got knocked out of the tourney I decided to just hang out and eat some chili, play with Penny, talk football and walk around with Britt as she took pictures (which you can see some below).

As the daylight started to fade the tournament came to an end, which led to the devotional and then trunk-or-treating for the kids. Penny fell asleep on me as we were handing out candy, and soon after that we decided to head home.

I was pretty upset we didn’t take the gold in the tournament, I think Randy even flipped a car in rage for loosing…but next year we will take the medal and we will be the greatest corn holers ever on the face on the planet. That’s what shake n bake does to you. Oh yes. Watch out.

……Sorry, a little Ricky Bobby just came out of me there.

Anyways, after the festival we relaxed at home, Brittany edited some pictures while I watched Big Ben loose two of my fantasy games for me when the Steelers lost to the Saints. Then, we watched a killer (literally) new show on AMC called The Walking Dead. I absolutely loved it, and will review it soon on this blog because I think everyone should check it out!

So with that, the Halloween weekend ends and I’m back to work…let’s hope this week goes by as fast as last week!