Zoo Trip

Riley went to the Jax zoo with his friends Madison and Nick. The zoo has a splash ground area within their Play Park. The kids had a blast getting wet from the spray of the dolphins, sting rays and whales. He also enjoyed petting the goats and watching the sea otters. The large gorilla scared him when it banged on the window, but Riley won't admit to being scared. He'll tell you he was giving me a leg hug instead of clinging to me for dear life. He also got to feed the giraffe. We tried this once before, but he chickened out. This time he found more courage and was brave enough to feed them.

Kendall's Baby Shower

On May 10, 2008, my wonderful and dear friends Maggie and Lynn (pictured on the left) hosted a baby shower in honor of Kendall's upcoming arrival. I feel so blessed to have made such caring, loving friends here in Jax. Mom was even able to attend the shower which was an added bonus. Kendall is going to be the best dressed baby in Jacksonville with all the adorable clothing given to her! I can't wait for her arrival to be able to use the clothing and items we received at the shower.

Andy (with Riley's help) is currently painting the nursery a beautiful shade of "chalk pink" as I type this blog. It looks a little on the dark side, but we have white furniture in the room and I think it will be just right once we get everything in place. I am reusing Riley's furniture and bedding so the room is pink and green. We are decorating it in a beach theme. Mom, Riley and I collected numerous sea shells during our last trip to Kiawah that we plan to use in the room. I think it will be perfect once we're finished.

NASCAR Heaven

April 2008 - Pappy Hershock and I took Riley to Lowes (Charlotte) Motor Speedway to see the track and watch some of the race cars in the Richard Petty and Jeff Gordon Racing Schools. We were able to take a tour of the track in a 10 passenger van. We got to drive through the infield, see the garages, Victory Lane, as well as make a quick stop on Pit Road where Riley had the opportunity to sit in a "real" NASCAR car. Tony Stewart's Home Depot car was available and he was in Heaven while sitting in it. I'm surprised he didn't put up a fuss when we had to leave!

After we left the track, Pap and I took him to the Quaker Steak restaurant for lunch. They had sprint cars, motorcycles, racing cars, etc. all over the place. He didn't want to sit down to eat, he just wanted to walk around with Pappy to look at everything.

Once we finished lunch, we took him to the Hendricks racing shop. Unfortunately the gift shop and museum were both closed for remodeling, but we were able to get him in to see Dale Jr.'s car, Jimmy Johnson's car as well as Jeff Gordon's car.

Riley ended up coming home with a new Dale Jr. t-shirt and a race car cup. He was so excited to tell his Daddy all about it. He did make sure to ask his Pappy if he would take him to see a race at the Lowes Motor Speedway track. I think at that moment, my dad was in Heaven too!

Riley's First Trip to Disney

April 2008 - Riley had a BLAST on his first trip to Disney World. We took him to Magic Kingdom for the day. He got to watch a parade where he saw all the characters, got pictures with Minnie, ate dinner with Winnie and friends as well as rode on his first "real" roller coaster. He and Daddy loved Thunder Mountain Rail Road...Wonder why? They also had fun driving the race cars. Another big surprise, huh? We're hoping to take him back again sometime after Kendall is born and can handle the trip.

Blue & White Game

Being the big Penn State fans that we are, we made the trek from Jax, Fl to State College, PA this April to attend our second Blue and White Game during Spring Weekend at Penn State. We had a great time. Nanny & Pappy Hershock also made the trip up with us. We took Riley shopping downtown where he picked out a new jersey for the upcoming season, a helmet for autographs as well as a few Penn State items for Kendall. Between Pappy and I, we were able to get 21 autographs for Riley. We have a good feeling that we may be getting the opportunity to watch some of those players play in the NFL someday. After cheering, singing, doing the wave and watching the new recuits, Riley wanted to ride on some of the rides after the game. Then we went and found our former neighbors, the Farabaughs and tailgated with them before making the trip home. All in all, it was a great day. Don't think we'll be getting up there next year, but anything is possible!

Riley's Birthday Party

Can't believe our "Little Man" has finally turned 4! He was looking forward to this birthday because he wanted a dirt bike styled bicycle. He had been struggling to learn to ride it at first, but has been making progress daily. It's a little bit big for him, but this way he'll be able to grow into it and use it for awhile. He's been asking his Daddy when he can have a real Honda dirt bike with a real motor and a helmet. Daddy has told him he can have one once he rides his bicycle well without his training wheels. Once again, Aunt Jenn brought her horse Tessie to the party and offered rides to all of Riley's friends. The kids had a blast taking rides on Tessie.