Joy and pain

Our last regular season game was today. We were playing the best team in the league and honestly just didn't want to get skunked. Our team has won the last two games and we just wanted to hold our own today. To everyone's surprise we not only held our own - we won! I don't know who was more in shock - their coach or ours! It was a sweet victory.

Throughout the game however Tyler didn't seem himself. In the fifth inning he asked for a drink. I had put a Gatorade in his bag before the game but he had not seen it. He had gone almost the entire game without anything to drink in 85 degree weather. Everyone noticed he was sluggish and we all just chopped it up to simple dehydration. If only it were that easy. Tonight he informed me that he could hear a pumping sound in his ear. It started during his game and it got louder and louder as the game progressed which is why he looked so pathetic. So tomorrow morning we will head to the doctor and I am sure we will hear the same words we always do - He has an ear infection. The joys of non draining ears.

He did it!

Tyler accomplished his goal tonight!

He hit one out of the park - dead center field - 40 feet over the fence!

Hallelujah!

He was so excited but he didn't forget to say thank you to the One who made it possible.

I couldn't help but think that Grandaddy used his connections in heaven tonight. The other day at Granddaddy's funeral Tyler brought a ball. He wrote a note on that ball and placed it in his Great Granddaddy's hands. I couldn't help but think that Granddaddy's way of saying "I love you too" was to go right to the source and say "he deserves it".

Thanks for putting in a good word for him Grandaddy - he will never forget it.

Laid To Rest

Grandaddy was put to rest next to the love of his life Friday at 2pm.

I was OK until this soldier started playing TAPS. There is just something about that song. Every note is an like an emotion played perfectly. We love him and will miss him dearly but we all know that he is no longer suffering in a man suit. He is with his Jesus.

Thank you all for the prayers and support you showed my family through this time.

Patience

Tyler's little Cousin came to watch him play.....it didn't matter who was up to bat all the crowd heard was "GO TYWERRRRRR"!

So cute.
He really had to stretch for this play.....

Overall Tyler had a fantastic game - one of his best all around I would say but it was all clouded by one thing.

Tyler has had one goal this year - hit it out of the ballpark. He has come close on many different occasions but has not had one go over the fence. It hits the fence, it bounces off the fence and it falls in front of the fence. If you know Tyler at.all. he is obsessive. He won't let something go until he conquers it or understands it 100%. This getting it over the fence thing has become his obsession.

Last night the Lord spoke to Tyler through someone else. His teammate that he has been playing with for a year and a half -he hit it out of the park. This did not set well with Tyler at first. He was sad, frustrated, angry, jealous and just mad. I could tell that he was all these things just by the look on his face but it opened up a door for discussion. We explained that he needed to be happy for his friend, excited, thrilled that he could accomplish a thing that very few at his age have done. He needed to show that friend the same respect and congratulations that he would expect to be shown when/if he were to do the same thing. He said OK with his head but I don't think his heart was quite there yet.

This morning on the way to school he said that when I prayed I needed to close my eyes (a few games ago he asked me to pray every time he got up to bat). I said you know what Tyler - I could pray standing on my head but that doesn't mean that God is going to answer that prayer the way you want it when you want it. He already knows the plans for you and He already knows when/IF you are going to hit it out. When He is ready He will make it happen. But he also tests us - like last night. When your friend hit it out was your first reaction joy or was it anger? So stop and think - who do you want to glorify? Yourself or God? God is not going to allow anything to be glorified more than Himself and if you are trying to accomplish this for your own personal glory you might as well stop. God was watching your reaction last night and if your heart isn't right then He won't bless it with what you want.

Quiet

As he got out of the car he turned and said - can God hear what I am thinking?

Yes He can.

Oh, OK.

I pray that this lesson is learned because it breaks a mothers heart to see the tears well up when your child wants something so bad and just can't do it.

I am also praying for patience - for all of us.

All About My Dad

Tyler had his first assignment that would be graded with a letter grade. He had instructions to interview anyone he wanted and then write their biography. His first choice was Babe Ruth but when we told him the person actually had to be alive to answer the questions he chose Daddy.

Here is what he wrote:

This story is all about my dad. my dad's birthday is February 21. My Dad loves to play baseball. His favorite thing about his job is to process claims. He also likes to make money. He does not like to drive because he gets stuck in traffic. He loves to watch the Boston Red Sox and he likes to go to Boston. On the weekends my Dad always loves to hang out with me. My Dad's favorite show is Lost and his favorite food is Chinese. He always wants me to know that he loves me.

I have to say this is a very accurate depiction of his Daddy!

Not again!

Tyler has suffered from ear infections starting from a very young age. He has had so many that we had tubes put in his ears when he was 5. Things were great until they fell out. Then he suffered again so the doctor put in the jumbo size ear tubes the next year. These mega sized tubes were supposed to last 18 months. One fell out within 6 months and the other one is hanging on by a thread. Tonight while eating dinner he mentioned his ear hurt. That is not a good thing coming from Tyler. We quickly finished our dinner - packed his to go because it hurt to even chew - and headed to the walk in clinic. Friday night at a walk in clinic is not where you want to be. Not because it is jam packed full and you have to wait forever to be seen but because there is not another soul in the place and you still have to wait forever to be seen! What is up with that? After being seen by the doctor our diagnosis was confirmed - double ear infections. His ear doctor said that most children grow out of ear problems by the age of 6 or 7. Tyler is 8 so he needs to grow out of it already! I don't want to have to put another set of tubes in his ears. One thing we did learn today - they make chewable antibiotics! Thank you drug makers - my life just got easier.