I'm open to advice and constructive criticism on my programming..
None called for. You have gotten off to a quick start, but I suspect that you have a little experience with electronics and programming. 
I bet your son is having fun 'helping' you.
If you like blinky lights, have you searched around for those LED cube projects, they can be quite challenging to build and program interesting patterns. I built a 5x5x5 cube and enjoyed the experience a lot and it helped me learn a lot about using timer interrupts.
Good luck on your next project.
Lefty