On our way HOME!

Blake, Brandon, Kyle, Chandler, and John's size 13 foot!

What a great time Blake had this week! It really was amazing to have this opportunity to spend with him. I can't remember a time when he and I had 5 days to hang together. We have laughed, and laughed, and laughed so more. So good for us!

This was Blake's 4th National Tournament appearance and we were so grateful for the invite and the opportunity to come once again. The memories made during this tournament are something really special. As you can tell by this picture the guys on the team made him feel like one of their own. I so appreciated that. After he worked out some jitters and nerves from playing with a new group of kids and a totally different style of coaching he did a pretty good job this week. Not his strongest tournament, but still some good solid baseball. The highlight of his week came on Monday as we trailed 2-1 when Blake got up and hit a hard double that scored two RBI's giving us the lead 3-2 and then the win. That was awesome and something he really needed to get past the first days play and move on into a good week. I was very proud of him for stepping into a new team, a new position, and an overall new situation. He handled himself well and as always made us proud to say that he was our son. I really love this kid!

We are going home a little earlier than we all had hoped as far as baseball goes, but not soon enough for me as far missing my girls goes. I can't wait to see their smiles and to pick up the pickle. I miss her so much. She doesn't have any interest in talking on the phone and so I've had a hard time not being able to hold her, talk to her and see her eyes twinkle. Its been easier with Al because she calls me each night and I get to visit with her about her day and hear her voice. Needless to say I am anxious to arrive home tonight.

As far as I can tell Ashley's week was almost uneventful. Almost. There was one evening when I received a call from Allie informing me that the grandma's had stepped on Ash's feeding tube and pulled out her mic-key button. That in itself is alarming enough when the baby starts screaming and fluid starts gushing out a hole in her abdomen, but its not something we haven't seen happen a time or two. The thing that had Al in a panic is that they decided to stick their finger inside the hole to keep it open until Dave could be reached to come home and replace the button. Allie was very upset and promptly called to inform me that "they don't know what they are doing!" She's been "around the block" a time or two with Ash and new it wasn't necessary to panic or to stick your finger inside the opening. Dave was in the middle of teaching a patient lecture and couldn't be reached by phone so I called his staff and shared with them that they needed to take over and send him home as soon as possible before Ash got enough of the panicked grandmothers and kicked them both out leaving only Allie to manage the situation. Not really funny at the time, but it did have her Omaha team and myself giggling the next day as they called to check on her. By the time Dave made it to the house Ash had fallen asleep(more than likely to try and forget the situation she was in) and he slipped a new button into her stoma without even waking her up. So other than that excitement I think the week went pretty smooth.

I'm looking forward to walking into her nursery this evening and seeing her eyes shine and those tiny hands reach up toward me. I'm smiling just thinking of it.

So as soon as the man who so graciously volunteered to come over and drive this RV as far as Paris, TX arrives then Blake and I will be headed toward home. We plan on trying to settle into the new house a little more and make the most out of the few weeks of summer we have left. From what I hear the salt water conversion of the pool is complete and the slide has been hooked up and its all just sitting there waiting on us to arrive. Dave has family pool/movie night planned with a 6 foot screen attached to the wall outside the game room and the projector ready to go. Can't wait to float around and enjoy my kids this weekend. Hope you guys had a great week. Talk to you soon.