Our Trip to Chatta-boogie

On Monday, we loaded up the car and headed to Chattanooga for a quick visit. We went to help my father celebrate his retirement from Covenant College (at the Walden Club), but we also squeezed in a party to celebrate Preston's sixth birthday (at Chuck E. Cheese...where else?). On the way home, we stopped to take a look at the New River Gorge Bridge. Here are a few photos of our trip.

And last but not least.....

The Allen's finally bring some class into the Walden Club.

Run...Doyle....Run!

I ran in my first 5K Race today! The "Run to Read" Race benefits literacy programs in our county. I ran with a member of our church, who runs on the cross country team at her high school. The overall winner of the race finished the course in about 17 minutes. I...on the other hand...finished the course in 27 minutes, 51 seconds (which was 2 minutes better than my goal). I don't know if I'll do it again...but it was fun. Below is photographic evidence....and no....I didn't beat the young man behind me in the picture.

TIMBER!!!!

Recently, we had a big, old, and very dead tree from our yard cut down. Here is a picture of the boys sitting on the stump of the tree.

A Little Golf on Our Day Off

It's Memorial Day, and Kendra, the boys, and I ventured to the driving range. Here are some photos we took to document our trip:

Bennett-isms (part 3)

Part of our bedtime ritual with Bennett involves putting him to bed, him getting up, us putting him to bed again, him getting up....and well, you get the picture. Tonight, we began the usual ritual, and as I was putting him back in bed, he said, "Daddy, I scared." I said, "Buddy, there's nothing to be scared of right now." Then he looked back at me, smiled, and said, "God is with me?" "That's right," I said. And I kissed him, and he went to sleep.

Bennett-isms (part 2)

Bennett's stomach was very upset this afternoon. And Kendra spent several hours comforting and helping him. After he was feeling better, Bennett was sitting on my lap, and I said to him, "Bennett, you need to say, thankyou mama, for helping me." Bennett turned to Kendra and said, "Thankyou mama for helping daddy."

Bennett-isms

Yesterday, Bennett, Preston and I were playing in the back yard. Preston and I were kicking a soccer ball back and forth, while Bennett was hitting a few golf balls around the yard. Bennett hit a particularly good shot, so I said, "Hey, buddy! That was a good one!" Bennett politely said, "Thank you." He took a few steps away, paused, put his left arm horizontally across his waist, bowed, and said, "It was my pleasure."

I have no idea where he got that, and Preston had no idea why I was chuckling.