Saturday morning I had to be at the school at 5:30am to cook LOTS of pancakes for the big pajamas and pancakes party. It was our school's first event like this and we had so much fun. Ella and Jack both had their first soccer game of the season so they didn't get to come eat pancakes. Luckily the kids play soccer at the school fields so I was able to cook pancakes and still catch all of the games. Jack was struggling with his asthma and the heat index nearly 100 degrees by 10 am. Jack didn't get to play so I sort of lucked up and got to watch all of Ella's game. This picture is not flattering and doesn't show her scoring either of the 2 that she netted for the day, but it does show just how hot it was. She is completely wilted and she hadn't even made it to half time yet.
Later that evening we loaded up and headed to Memphis to watch the Redbirds play. The Redbirds are the AAA affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. Before we had kids, Erik and I would often buy the cheap tickets and sit on the bluff to watch the games. Now, with three kids in tow we just wait until we have the rare opportunity to sit in a suite and enjoy the game in the air conditioning. Especially on a very hot and humid August night. One of Lucy's doctors was kind of enough to invite us to his suite and we had a wonderful time.
I apologize for the horrible picture quality.
It was a super hero themed night at the park. I never considered the cast of Star Wars or Harry Potter to be a super hero, but hey! To each his own. Ella is holding a ball in her hand in the very dark picture below. A super fast rouge foul ball came flying into our box. It hit the plexiglass sliding door behind us and ricocheted off and hit Ella in the head. If she had not thrown her arms up out of pure reflex she would have been in the hospital. She was very lucky not to have been knocked out.
Lucy helped out in the nursery on Sunday morning (her new favorite thing to do) and Ella had the chance to come on stage to help lead a worship song. I was so proud of her and she looked so beautiful up on the stage. She is growing up so quickly. She is enjoying reminding me that her birthday is in 7 days!
After church we headed over to my parents for a "welcome home" celebration. They had been out of the country for about 15 days and we all gathered to welcome them back home. We had a great lunch, hours of conversation and watched as Ella made a replica model of an animal cell. What an amazing weekend it was!
how nice for Lucy to be helping out in the nursery giving her the chance to be the caregiver. such sweet children you and Erik are blessed with
ReplyDeleteMy 5th grader has to do a plant or animal cell too. It is his plan for Labor Day weekend.
ReplyDeleteWOW...my students sang the National Anthem at the Redbird's game Saturday night....those balls were flying EVERYWHERE! I am glad your Ella was not harmed. I've never commented here, but have been a follower of Lucy's story for a long time now. I know you are "just a mom", but the amount of strength you help give others just by sharing the ups and downs of a life most of us can't (or don't want to) imagine, all while keeping it plain, real and everyday NORMAL is just an inspiration. As a teacher myself, the little faces full of wonder, joy, and sometimes pain are all so much more real for every moment of my every day and not with just my own two daughters. I digress.....you don't know me and I don't know you outside of this blog, but I love reading the updates and always pray for you as a fellow Mom and as a Mom in a capacity many of us just cannot relate to. :)
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like just a wonderful weekend. I still rejoice with you at all the "normal" things you get to do. You just get to live life and that is so wonderful. I realize Lucy will never be the same as she was before cancer (and neither will any of you) but these regular posts feel like you are all just saying to cancer, "Take that! You didn't ruin our lives." Thank you for continuing to share your story.
ReplyDeleteSo glad for good times!
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