Intensive Showcase

Earlier this summer, Caitlyn attended a two week studio at her ballet studio. At the end of the time, they held a showcase.

Caitlyn even had a solo. Woo, hoo!

(Tried to upload a video, but it didn't work. Oh, well. If you're Caitlyn's friend on Facebook you've probably seen it already :).)

Wordless Wednesday - Typical Keegan

Basketball already?

While summer is still in full swing, Keegan and Kelsey are enjoying an opportunity to improve their basketball skills.

They are practicing with a Christian middle school team once a week. I'm not sure if they will actually join/make the team in the fall, when the time commitment increases, but the summer practices have been great!

 While we loved the church league they played on previously, like all leagues of that type, it was too short to work much with individual kids on improving their basic skills. It was naturally more of a 1 practice/ 1 game sort of thing.

Since Kelsey and Keegan are fairly inexperienced when it comes to basketball, these summer practices have been a perfect fit for them. They are shooting much more accurately, Keegan's passing has really improved, and Kelsey is playing great defense, even though she is one of the shortest players :). Great opportunity!

Caitlyn Quote

Caitlyn has the coldest nature of anyone in the house. Unfortunately, she also has the coldest bedroom. So, while I am relishing in the air conditioning this summer, she spends her time trying to stay comfortably warm.
Recently, she came inside from voluntarily doing extra yard work.
Her explanation? She had to go outside to get warm because inside, "Jumpy [cat] took my spot sitting in the sunshine!"

Another New Experience

The girls have had awesome coaches at swim team this year. The head coach, especially seems to really enjoy the kids and goes out of his way to offer them learning opportunities. Along those lines, Coach Joe invited the swim team kids to attend a kids' triathlon workshop. Keegan and Kelsey went and decided to try the triathlon a couple of weeks later!

 So, last month, off we headed to a triathlon! Kelsey was in the younger group, who went first. Their distances were 100 meter swim, 2 mile bike, and 1 mile run.

They got to start the swim by going down this slide. Fun!

 Kelsey (and I) were a bit concerned that she would have a hard time with the swim. Instead, she (in the yellow cap) did great and actually passed a couple of people!

 

 The swim was first, then the bike ride, and finally the run. She has just parked her bike and is taking off running.

 Yea! She did it! She completed the entire course!

Then found a spot of shade on a hot, hot day.

(And waited for Keegan's race to start. :))

 Although it was explained the younger kids were going first, we didn't exactly understand how it would work. Therefore, Keegan stood out in the sun for over an hour, while the younger group ran the entire course.  Neat because she got to cheer for Kelsey, who ran right past her, but a better plan would have been for her to wait it the shade. Then an additional half hour waiting for her turn to start. Keegan, like her momma, is not a fan of the heat, so she started this race tired. In spite of that, and the fact that we realized too late that her bike's seat was low, she did a great job and completed the entire course - 200 meter swim, 4 mile bike ride, and a 2 mile run.

 Wow! I was so impressed with these girls. To be brave enough to attempt such a challenge and to power through it even when they were tired and hot was a real accomplishment. All of the participants did a great job.

 And I have to give a shout out to the race organizers, RaceDayEvents. Everything was very well-organized; the course was clearly marked, there were adults biking along the route to provide security and assistance, if needed. (I am all about things being safe.) Very well run, all around.

 

Thank you to all the adults who gave their time so these kids could have this race. Thanks to Coach Joe for inviting us to be a part of it. And huge congratulations to Keegan, Kelsey, and all the kids who participated. Kudos all round!

Five Servings of Cola

A new experience for us - we are fostering a very friendly mother cat and four kittens from the local animal shelter.

 The kittens are too young and too small to be separated from their mother.

 We will keep the entire family until the kittens are about 2 pounds.

 This is a need I never really thought about before, but several area shelters are in need of foster homes.

 If you can make a short term commitment, or if your want to fill your kids' (or your own) kitten craving without taking a permanent pet into your home, this could be a great option for you. You can literally save a life.
Plus, how could you resist a face like this :)?

 Right now, this group stays in Kelsey's room, so our own cats haven't met them. Surprisingly (probably because the kittens are so tiny, they've mostly hung around in their crate in the closet,) our cats don't seem to know they are in there.

The kittens were so young that their eyes were barely open when they arrived.

 They're now learning to walk and have just started to venture out of the crate on their own.

Naming these kitties was a fun job.
After much discussion, we decided to go with a cola theme.
I happily introduce to you

Sierra Mist, Cream Soda, Orange Crush, Sprite, and Pepsi Foster.

:)

Swim Meet!

A few weeks of swim team practice and this brave girl was trying her first swim meet ever!

Being fairly intimidated myself about trying things in front of other, I thought that took a lot of courage.

Warm-ups

 

She swam freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly.

Best. Cheering section. Ever.

 

Diving off the blocks is a new trick

 

Love these girls! 

Kelsey Quote

Me, "I think we should all have a granola bar."
Kelsey,  raising her fist in the air, "YES!" Pause, loss of excitement "You do mean the good ones, right?"
Me, "Yes."
Kelsey, "YES!"

Baby Drew

Baby Drew Ballinger passed away early this morning. Please pray for his parents, Leanne and Mike, his big brother, Nate, and other family members. This little guy was a warrior who defeated the odds for 8 months. His parents wanted his struggles to point people to Jesus, and I know that happened multiple times. It's heartbreaking, however, for those left behind. Please pray for this sweet family.

Urgent Prayer Request

This mother is a childhood friend of mine, Leanne, and this post is about her 7 1/2 month old baby, Drew. Her faith and testimony have been incredible through this entire ordeal, but I can not imagine the agony they are experiencing right now. Friends who pray, please include this family in your prayers tonight and in the days to come. If you would like to read more about their story, the Caringbridge site is here

.Latest update-

The consensus here is that Drew’s heart is failing and that this isn’t reversible. With the increased pressure in our warrior’s lungs, the right side of his heart has had to work extra hard to pump blood into the lungs. Now the right side of Drew’s heart is very “tired” and they don’t think that his heart will last too much longer. They have him somewhat stable now by maxing out his heart medicines and ventilator settings in hopes to keep him stable until our family gets here tomorrow to say “goodbye”. We are completely heartbroken and beyond devastated. Mike and I are still praying for a miracle and will continue to do so until there is reason not to. We love our son and are so very proud of him. He is a fighter and God made him so strong. Thank you so much for praying.

Keegan Quote

"Mommy, if someone had a private helicopter, they could celebrate New Year's lots of times. They could start where it was latest and just keep flying to places that were earlier and earlier."