My mother is from Marshall, TX and growing up, we spent a lot of holiday weekends in East Texas visiting my grandparents. This is London-Mila's first Easter and this is Alexa's second Easter in Marshall. We made that 2 1/2 hour drive Friday afternoon, and I was initially worried about spending that extra day down there (we usually just stay Saturday night) with the girls because they are spoiled with everything that we have here at home, including countless toys, countless cable channels and countless saved shows on our DVR.
We ended up having a GREAT time! We got out of the house and took walks as much as possible. Lex enjoyed going on 'bear hunts' and searching for pine cones. We even lucked up by discovering the town's Easter Egg hunt that was put on by a local church.
I have grown to love the quiet simplicity that comes from being in the country. The grass and trees are just a little greener and the air is clearer. We had a great time.
A few weeks ago, Alyssa and I spent Spring Break in Jamaica. We stayed 6 days and 5 nights in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. It was the PERFET getaway without the kids!
This my wife and I's second time leaving the country to stay on an all-inclusive resort. We spent our honeymoon in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. While that was an amazing trip, and our resort was absolutely beautify and relaxing, the culture and atmosphere of Jamaica made our second trip unbelievable. Apon initially arriving, I was not that impressed. Our resort, on the surface, was not as big or as nice as our resort in the DR; and neither was our beach. Our beach in the DR stretch miles and miles and spread across numerous resorts. We could walk those beaches for hours without seeing the end. At our resort in Jamaica, we were 'stuck' on a private beach and could not explore as we did in the DR. This initially put me off; I really enjoy being able to get out and explore.
Having a secluded, private beach encouraged us to seek out excursions. This was the best thing that we could have done! Our excursions allowed us to see the country, better experience the culture, and see both the 'touristy' stuff and the 'real' Jamaica.
I have posted some pictures and a video to show and express how much we enjoyed our experience in Jamaica.
First of all, this is my first post in forever. It is my goal moving forward to use this blog as a way to snapshot our family's current events and to put commentary to our pictures that we post of Facebook and Instagram.
A couple of days ago, I aired up a couple of basketballs so that Alexa could start exploring the game of basketball. I am approaching introducing the game to her very cautiously. This game has meant so much to me, and I want to be able to pass down my knowledge, passion, and love of this game to her. She has been doing so well in 'Small Fry' soccer league that I felt that it might be time to start teaching her some of the basics of the game.
Although she is still very young, Alexa has the potential to be a great athlete. She is tough, she is independent, and she is a natural leader. She wants to be the best and she wants to win. She is always wanting to race us, and if she loses, she immediately wants to cry and race again. If she wins, she throws her hands up in the air and yells, "I am the winner." I love her competitive spirit, and we will continue to grow and develop that in her because I think being a competitor is the most important quality in an athlete.
But, what made me so proud today that I felt the urge to update this blog was the fact that for the last two or three days, every time she sees one of her basketballs, she has been wanting to practice her dribbling. It started with a big medicine ball that we have. She picked up how to dribble that pretty quickly. Now, she has almost mastered dribbling a regular ball. I do have to make sure that the ball is aired up and 'bouncy,' or in her words, "I made it bigger."
She has been working on using both her right and left hand, and she seems to really enjoy it; that is what has made me more happy and excited than anything. I have not had to push this on her in any way. Her practicing has been completely her choice.
I saw a post from Chris Paul where was working with his son on Instagram with some ball handling drills. That has been our focus today; mastering this drill. Once we get it right, I will post it and make a friendly challenge lol.
I'm so proud of my little girl. She amazes me everyday. She learns very quickly, she is so excited that when she gets to go to school, she has a wonderful personality, and she has a great energy.
A few weeks ago, Alyssa and I spent Spring Break in Jamaica. We stayed 6 days and 5 nights in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. It was the PERFET getaway without the kids!
Apon initially arriving, I was not that impressed. Our resort, on the surface, was not as big or as nice as our resort in the DR; and neither was our beach. Our beach in the DR stretch miles and miles and spread across numerous resorts. We could walk those beaches for hours without seeing the end. At our resort in Jamaica, we were 'stuck' on a private beach and could not explore as we did in the DR. This initially put me off; I really enjoy being able to get out and explore.
Having a secluded, private beach encouraged us to seek out excursions. This was the best thing that we could have done! Our excursions allowed us to see the country, better experience the culture, and see both the 'touristy' stuff and the 'real' Jamaica. 
A couple of days ago, I aired up a couple of basketballs so that Alexa could start exploring the game of basketball. I am approaching introducing the game to her very cautiously. This game has meant so much to me, and I want to be able to pass down my knowledge, passion, and love of this game to her. She has been doing so well in 'Small Fry' soccer league that I felt that it might be time to start teaching her some of the basics of the game.
Although she is still very young, Alexa has the potential to be a great athlete. She is tough, she is independent, and she is a natural leader. She wants to be the best and she wants to win. She is always wanting to race us, and if she loses, she immediately wants to cry and race again. If she wins, she throws her hands up in the air and yells, "I am the winner." I love her competitive spirit, and we will continue to grow and develop that in her because I think being a competitor is the most important quality in an athlete.
But, what made me so proud today that I felt the urge to update this blog was the fact that for the last two or three days, every time she sees one of her basketballs, she has been wanting to practice her dribbling. It started with a big medicine ball that we have. She picked up how to dribble that pretty quickly. Now, she has almost mastered dribbling a regular ball. I do have to make sure that the ball is aired up and 'bouncy,' or in her words, "I made it bigger." 
She has been working on using both her right and left hand, and she seems to really enjoy it; that is what has made me more happy and excited than anything. I have not had to push this on her in any way. Her practicing has been completely her choice. 
