Brandy's Bachelorette Party!

Ellie got the game ball in the last game of the season!!!

Ellie caught a hard, fast fly ball at her last game! All her teammates cheered for her!!! The coach said that that catch was the highlight of the season!!! All her hard work paid off!!!

Our little gymnast (and her wanna-be poser brother)

Corn holes!!!

Mr. and Mrs. Bush came over today to give the girls each money for their book fair.  Mr. Bush also made corn holes for our family! He even made a box to put the beanbags in!!! Can't believe the trouble he went to to do that for us!!! The legs fold down for easy storage and there is a handle on the sides to carry them with!

Mom in ICU after a ruptured brain aneurism.

This has been a difficult week, to say the least. Today is my mom's 71st Birthday! A week ago an aneurism ruptured in her brain! She went to the ER and had surgery immediately. She still has one more surgery to undergo, but she is a survivor!!! So grateful for all my sisters! We are able to take turns and be with her around the clock and make sure she gets the best of care! Mom has always been our source of love, wisdom, and strength. It's been an incredible joy to be be there for her for a change!!! 

Beautiful weather to practice softball!

Keith, Drew, Hayley, Ellie, Emma practicing softball!

Tennis luncheon

A few of the ladies on my tennis team having lunch after a match at our regular spot, Krimson Cafe. Sweet Genaro, one of our tennis coaches, came out to watch our match and then joined us for lunch:)

Amy and I played doubles together today and the match lasted 3 1/2 hours, whew. We went 3 sets and  almost every game went to deuce except maybe 4 out of 24 games. Each point lasted an eternity. We were completely exhausted and getting delirious... we kept forgetting the score or whose serve it was or where our positions were, lol. The match was soooo close, but in the end, they won. Amy and I felt great about it because we both played our hearts out and had a blast!

Emma's homemade braces!

Emma bent a bobby pin and threaded 4 earring backs on them. Then she cut up silly bands and threaded them through each earring back and bam, she's got colored braces! We used to just use tin foil when we were kids. Kids today have really evolved:)

Ellie got a run!!!

Ellie's the newbie on the team this year. This is her very first year playing softball. Most of the girls on the team have been playing since they were little! One of Ellie's coaches told me that she has the best attitude... She said that Ellie told her, "I may not be good this year, but I'm learning a lot... just wait till you see me next year!" She said Ellie is improving quickly as a player and works so hard at practices. The other day the girls were offered the option of coming to practice, or going to the football game. Ellie and another girl chose to practice. The coach told me that she's so proud of Ellie. She said, some of the girls were complaining about how hot it was and asked if they could end practice early. She said... Ellie's out there every practice giving it 100 percent and never complains even though she barely gets to play. So in Friday's game, Ellie got to play the whole game! Ellie was in right field and I was sitting behind her on a picnic table so I could keep an eye on Emma on the playground and watch Ellie's game at the same time. Unfortunately Keith was out of town and couldn't make this game. From right field, Ellie turned to me and said, "Mom, text dad and tell him that I'm in the game!" Ellie's team was playing a really tough team and they were losing 0-16. The other team was making NO errors... you couldn't get anything past them! A storm was coming and the game was about to be called. The girls had all but given up. Then Ellie came up to bat and got on first base! Her teammates were so inspired that they began hitting after that. Ellie crossed home plate and then 2 more crossed after her. Even though they lost 3-16, you couldn't tell it by their attitude after the game. As we headed to the parking lot, Ellie's coach came up to me. She was a little choked up as she told me that she wished she had a camera when Ellie crossed home plate... her arms were high in the air cheering as she crossed the plate and she had the biggest grin on her face. Her teammates were going crazy! 

And the Birthday continues...

Last night Drew and Hayley came over and showered Emma with Birthday gifts! They brought her a seal ring toss. It's so cute! It wiggles and makes sounds when you get the ring around it:) They also got her a snow cone maker! She still had a blue mustache when she went to school this morning:) And lastly, they got her a shark blimp that you navigate with a remote control. When they got it for her, they didn't realize you had to fill the giant shark with helium, lol. (Do these toy makers think everyone has helium at their house to fill their shark blimps???)

Lunch with my boys!!!

Emma got Mermaid Fin for her Birthday!