Monday, April 28, 2008

Here Is Your Engraved Invitation

You Are Cordially Invited

Any ideas for donations...or would you love to donate to a great cause? We've got some great things for our silent auction. An authentic Derek Jeter autographed baseball, a turkey fryer, St. Louis Cardinals baseball tickets much, much more. We have more gift certificates than you can shake a stick at. Please let me know if you have anything you'd like to donate.
Come one - Come all!
Just please come-
~Shanon

Friday, April 25, 2008

Favorite Foto Friday 04/25/2008

Look at that face!


If Carson can channel his aggression into his pitching....
there's just no telling how well he could do!

I got some great pics last weekend....coming soon.
~Shannon


Thursday, April 24, 2008

Surfing the park

Surf the web for the ballpark here-it's our new OFFICIAL website.
It's our new OFFICIAL website.
This is the website the from The BUZZ radio station
All the tornado pictures on this site were borrowed from Mike and I.
So much to tell about the park and things that are happening. Surrounding communities have been incredibly gracious.
More information to come for a busy fundraising week...be watching!
~Shannon

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

He really IS perfect

Carson had a rough day today. I called him this afternoon to check on him after school and to tell him that his Daddy was picking him up to get his allergy shot. Carson was a little disgruntled and informed me that he wasn't going.
What's wrong?
Nothing.
What's wrong?
I GOT MADE FUN OF TODAY!


Carson started complaining about a year and a half ago because he couldn't see the board at school. After taking him to the eye doctor we discovered that he needed glasses. Mainly for seeing the board...does that mean you're nearsighted? Whatever...I get so confused by that. He got glasses and wore them for most of the year...until they were either lost or stolen. We never ventured and bought any more as he never really complained any more. Until lately. I have been meaning to get him out and get some but we just haven't gotten around to it. Yesterday he had a doctor appointment (more on that later) so after the appointment I took him for glasses. We decided on the above fashionable spectacles - and that was that. He has hardly taken them off...even wearing them to practice last night - against my wishes...but who had the energy to fight that battle?

A few girls made fun of him...one being his old girlfriend that he broke up with last week. So for whatever reason - today she and some of her friends decide to dog him about his new glasses. Girls are so MEAN, aren't they? I had a Jr. High teacher (Norma Stratton) that caught me and another girl fighting (screaming at each other) in the hallway during lunch. How stupid is Jr. High? She quickly made us follow her to her classroom and sat us down where we had a 'come to Jesus meeting'. What I remember getting from the 'meeting' was how important our friends are..and how mean and cruel girls can be...and she's right. She told us a story of how a girl was very mean to her in school. I often think of Ms. Stratton when I hear of mean girls. Mrs. Stratton took her own life several years ago...sad.

Well-now, just call me Debbie Downer - how's that for a downer-of-a-story, huh? I digress...

I think he's awfully cute in his glasses.

Back on April 3rd...the day of the tornado Carson had an orthodontist appointment. It was a rough appointment. His teeth hurt afterwards when we went to the ballpark just hours before it was destroyed by the storm. This is right after the appointment. Notice the small gap between his teeth.
The expander.
This contraption is to expand the roof of his mouth so it's not so narrow. Chase had two of these. It has to be turned every night slowly expanding his palate.

After 2 1/2 weeks this happens.... We have about another week and a half to crank and the gaps will continue to get bigger and then will begin to close. Braces will soon follow. We love Dr. Barry Quick! All 3 of my kids have given that man so much grief over the last 12 or so years. He is GREAT with them and we love him! At this point after 3 shouldn't I be getting some type of buy 2 get one free deal? I mean Kody did made the Who's Who his senior year for 'Best Smile'. Advertising royalties? And he surely worked wonders on Chase's mouth!

A couple weeks ago Carson brought home a form from school saying that he had failed a hearing test at school. Hmmm. He failed the school eye exam, too and you see (above) where that got us. Hmmm. Mike took him to our pediatrician who suggested getting him into an ENT. He said that Carson had fluid behind his ear and did a test or two on him. His thoughts were possibly a set of tubes may help. I knew just the ENT to see. She saw Kody and Chase and did surgery on them both when they were younger.

After the initial examination, Dr. Wilson decided there was no longer fluid behind his eardrum and sent us down the hall to an audiologist. After several tests, some of them more than once, it was determined that Carson has some nerve damage in his left ear causing some hearing loss. It IS mild but it IS there none-the-less. It is mid range tones that he cannot hear. No one is sure what has caused the hearing loss...pretty much ruled out genetics due to the fact that the loss would typically be in both ears, which it is not. Exposed to a loud noise(s)? Possibly...but we can't pin point anything in particular. Mike and I sat in the waiting room waiting for the audiologist to write the report and Mike reminded me about the bike wreck.

The brain injury.

Ahhh..I bet that's it!

Can't be certain, though.

The ENT and audiologist wants to see him back in 3 months for a re-check just to make sure things are stable and not getting worse. Pray with us that things are indeed stable.

I talked with Mike late this afternoon as he was on his way home from the allergy clinic with both boys.
He was mad at Carson.
He hadn't been very nice because he didn't want to get shots. He got upset and told Mike that he was tired of having allergies and having to get shots having and things wrong with him. I explained to Mike that Carson had had a bad day and why. He wasn't so upset then.
As we sat listening and watching the audiologist test him...she started explaining what she was finding. Mike was pretty bummed. Not to say that I wasn't - but I know there are worse things. He told me that he hates it when things are wrong with our kids...when they're not perfect.
Oh, but he is perfect.

God made him perfect in his own little way.

~Shannon

Friday, April 18, 2008

Favorite Foto Friday 04/18/2008

Lil Rascals
This is actually Mike's dad, uncle Sammy and Aunt Helen.
Peepaw is in the back.
Look like the Lil Rascals?

Even all the way down to Pete the dog! What a fun picture!

~Shannon

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Creepin Me Out

Type your address in and click on 'streetview'
Does it creep you out like it does me?
When will they start coming INSIDE your home?
And exactly who is 'they'?
~Shannon

Friday, April 11, 2008

Favorite Foto Friday 04/11/2008

Carson and his buddies
Addison, Carson, Blake and Cain

Saturday, April 5, 2008

The Aftermath

A T-Ball field that fared pretty well.
Mike surveying the damage while on one of his one hundred squillion phone calls.

T-Ball bleachers stuck to the fencing.


Huge poles were just snapped
Mike and Jim Fink clearing some netting.
For those of you from church, this is Amanda Bearden's dad.



Mike and Coach B...trying to figure it all out.

Our friend Chris Burks and Kody who just happen to be reliving some baseball memories...of the many home runs he hit. Although he did hit many home runs, he wasn't very modest in his conversations about them.
Kody and Mack
Mackenzie, Carson, Cain and Addison
Waiting for ball season!
THIS IS WHO IT'S ALL ABOUT!
Kody found some retro baseball pants that had been stored.


Carson taking it all in.

The scoreboard (or lack thereof) from the Legion field.
Parts of it were found in the upper parking lot and in the woods.
Carson and Chase picked up some gloves that were found laying around and played catch.
Loading equipment to take to the storage facility.


Ready for clean up.

On the phone - AGAIN!
This HUGE light pole was split up and down and moved.



The inside of the office door.
I put this sign up last year because people to tend to leave it open and let the cold air out.
Upstairs
The view from the office.
The trophies are still there!
The sofa Carson napped on just hours before the storm hit.




A piece of the roof stuck in center field.
The path the the roof took.
The next door high school roof damage.
Kody said "this makes me sad".




Kody and Carson decided to work on Carson's pitching form among the wreckage.
A plaque that was on the wall in the office. This was from Carson's T-Ball team that were Regional Champions. The picture is gone.
This hat made it through. Look how white it still is.
These truck were in the parking lot working on a cell tower that was destroyed.
Ahhh...it was salvaged. Chocolate from Cheryl's desk! I LOVE this picture!

Some guy came to the park with his dog. Watch this...you'll love it!
Lots more meetings....lots to do.
Pray for our board members.
~Shannon