My brother "ercs" me-

Okay, here's the story behind that title. Ellie's class read a story about a robot, so her teacher asked each student to write a short essay on why they would want a robot. Here is Ellie's story (minus the teachers corrections), which is framed on the fridge:

"If i had a robot I would want him to help with school work and I would like him to play with me at my brothers practice. And would like him to meet all my friends, and help me with my chors. And when my brother ercs me he will make him stop."

Oh....the brotherly and sisterly love...I just had to share.

I'm looking forward to a day at the fair tomorrow with my two favorite little people, minus Daddy who has to work. My firm is having a barbeque at the fair, with free admission to the fair and free admission to the Charlie Daniel's Band concert...."the devil went down to Georgia, he was looking for a soul to steal, he was in a bind, cause he was way behind, and he was willing to make a deal." That's probably the only song my kids will know, and that, my folks, is thanks to Rock Band.

Happy weekend everyone!

I never thought I would say this...

but I'm actually a little sad today. Although I had an odd feeling this was going to happen sooner or later, I guess I wished it was the latter. Team Worth is officially dissolved and no longer a team. I woke up to an email from Joe this morning informing us of this news and I have to admit, I got a little teary-eyed. Yes, I may of griped every now and then about the non-stop, chaotic, hectic and crazy schedule we had, but to know it's really over...it makes me a little somber and heartbroken. For the most part, Jacob played ball with a lot of these boys for a couple of years now and has developed long-standing friendships with a few of them, so to know that they are all going in different directions makes me a little heavyhearted.

Well, even though I know this isn't something he'll probably even see or read, but a special thanks to Joe for the dedication, devotion and hard-work he put into a team that I believe he had a lot of faith in. Believe me, I know it takes a lot of work to put a travel team together. I also know my son has thoroughly enjoyed playing ball for you, and even though I know he can go play for another team, it just won't be the same...

Sigh...

Always Sisters, Forever Friends~

So, we have yet another Feb. birthday and although we celebrated this special day a little early (as you will see from the pictures below), we certainly couldn't forget to post a little something for our dear Aunt Tonya.





Here are a few quotes that I wrote down and wanted to post on this day:

Growing up, sisters are probably the most competitive relationship within a family, but once the sisters are grown, it becomes the strongest relationship.

God made us sisters, but our hearts made us friends.

Birthdays are good for you....statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest.

Well, baby sister, you are officially 34 today. You should be very proud at everything you've accomplished in life already, yet I feel the best is still yet to come. Although we aren't there with you, we are thinking of you and hope all your birthday dreams and wishes comes true.

And, we couldn't do this for Angie and not do it for you, too, so here goes....



Happy 34th Birthday! We love and miss you!

XOXO,
J,T,J & little E

Oh Lordy, is she really 40?

It's not just another birthday, it's the BIG 4 - 0! This post is dedicated to my big sis, and I have to say, you are officially "over the hill!" Just kidding. I guess I shouldn't say that because I'm not that far behind you. Turning 40 is certainly a big milestone. I think some might see the Big 4-0 as the entry to middle age, but isn’t it also true that the 40 is the new 30? As you get ready to celebrate your big day, just remember that you are old enough to have learned from your mistakes, yet young enough to chart a new direction in your life. Remember...it’s all about the journey.

Happy 40th Birthday to our big sis, sis-in-law and Aunt.

Here's a video just for you on your special day (sorry, it's turned side-ways, but that's what you get when you need to be out the door by 8:00 and it's already 8:05):



Hope you have a happy, joyful, fun-filled, special day. We wished we could be there to help you celebrate, but you are still in our hearts!

Lots of love,
J, T, J & little E

I finally got it-

I pinned him down long enough to grab a picture. I rushed home from work in order to be home by 5:15 so Todd and Jacob could leave and try to get to the ballpark by 5:30. I didn't want Ellie to have to go sit out in the cold longer than absolutely necessary, although I don't think she would of cared since she was excited to see her "best-friend" whose brother plays on Jacob's team. So, needless to say, the boys were in a hurry to get out the door when I got home. However, I insisted on grabbing a few quick snapshots of my favorite little guy.

So, here's the first of our 2010 spring season baseball pic:



A full body shot, although he was trying to be funny and amuse his Momma. I told him I was going to post this...



a better shot, although he's still slouching...



and we had to take one of the "cool," or as Daddy says, "tight" new cleats...



If I didn't know any better, I would think that Todd was the one playing baseball. Granted, Jacob picked out these shoes, but I think Todd was more excited to see them arrive in the mail. And, yes, you read that right...we had to order these on-line because the sports stores around here don't have the latest "cool" styles in stock. And someone please remind me again...who is the one playing baseball? Would that be Jacob or Todd? Sigh...

Okay, off to watch my favorite little man play some ball. Go Rays!

We are back on the crazy ride!

It's that time of year again. Our so-called sports "break" certainly didn't last long enough...not for me anyways. The spring baseball season is under way and we'll be back to spending every night at the ballfield, or just about every night. I've already made my husband promise that we will commit to having more "us" time than we've had in the past, so we'll see how that goes.

So this year we decided to sign the little one up for t-ball to see how she liked it, and after Opening Ceremonies today, it sounds like she LOVES it.

Here is the first official picture of Ellie in her t-ball uniform...yes, she truly is under that hat:

It was so much fun to watch those little kids run around out there today. For some reason, I don't recall it being quite this funny when Jacob played t-ball. We had kids running every which way and tackling the balls on the ground as if it was a fumble in a football game. That's no joke...there were kids literally piled on the ground. We had one kid hit the ball and instead of running to first base, he decided to run after the ball in the field...with the bat. We had another kid hit the ball off the tee and run to 3rd instead of 1st. It was a very comical show, but more importantly, Ellie had a blast. I think she was most proud of the groundball she stopped on the pitchers mound and then threw to first. It was a good throw, but unfortunately, the 1st baseman didn't catch it. There weren't too many balls that were actually caught out there today.

At the end of the day, Ellie said, "Mommy, sorry I keep talking about it, but I had a lot of fun. I liked it much better than cheerleading." I'm so happy she enjoyed it. Will we have another softball player in the family? Only time will tell...

Sorry, guys, but no picture of #1. I will be sure to get one next time. He's hard to catch now-a-days. I pretty much see him during his game; otherwise, he's roaming the park with his friends...kind of like what I did when I was his age.

That's all I have for today. Have a great weekend and enjoy the BIG game tomorrow. I'm not really much of a football watchin' fan, but my vote is for the Saints...simply because 1.) they've never won a Super Bowl before and 2.) New Orleans could use a little lift after the devastation they experienced a few years back. I know those aren't really good football reasons, but they are my reasons.

XOXO

2/01/2010

So, that was an important day to our family and shame on me for letting it fly by unnoticed, even if we only missed it by a day. I had thought about it the week before and kept thinking...what special thing could I do? I had good intentions, but in this hectic Harrison life, it flew right by me. Yes, 02/01/09 was when Ellie was initially diagnosed with diabetes, so 2/1/10 was her one year anniversary and she kindly reminded me of that on 2/2/10. "Mommy, isn’t this when I first got diabetes?" She knew because we had talked about it a few days before, but I had to look it up on the internet and confirm that 2/1/09 was indeed the day the SuperBowl was held and that is a day that I will NEVER forget.

So, we chatted about the last year and what we were doing at that same time one year ago...

M: "Ellie, at this time last year we were in PSL Hospital just learning what was making you so sick."

E: "Yeah, Mommy, I had tubes hanging out of my arms and I was scared."

Thinking back, I could only imagine how scared that precious girl really was, but boy was she full of surprises. To this day, she continues to amaze me with her resilience and how she’s taken this hard life change all in stride. I don’t know that I, as an adult, could of handled it any better. Without even knowing it, I think she's taught us all a few life lessons.

Even though it’s been a very challenging year, I am very proud of my little girl and how she has stood so strong and brave and has continued to fight this disease day by day, with very few complaints. Not only does she have to face the everyday challenges of managing her disease, but she also has to deal with the lack of awareness from the general public. I have heard numerous stories how she goes to the clinic at school to check her sugar and the kids sit and stare at her, or say, "what are you doing?" I know they are just curious little kids, but I’m sure it gets old.

There are times when I still get mad or upset, especially if I feel like I’m failing her if I can’t get her sugars at a level I’m happy with, but I have to remind myself that diabetes is not our whole life. It is never easy and we all feel a range of emotions, but that is normal and those emotions will pass and change with time.

Biomedical research has cured many diseases and has helped many diseases become survivable, so we, as a family, will do whatever it takes to make sure diabetes is the next disease on that "cured" list. With that being said, please support us and join us in our walk, or make a small donation in support of "Ellie’s Team." For those of you who have already donated, some we have never even met, THANK YOU! Every little cent counts and we couldn't do it without you.

Lastly, Ellie, as I’ve told you over and over, Mommy and Daddy are soooo proud of you. You are such a beautiful, smart, funny and kind, precious little girl, but most of all, so VERY brave, courageous, strong and tough as beans. Mommy and Daddy will always, without a shadow of a doubt, be there for you and stand by you every step of the way.

GO TEAM ELLIE!

XOXO,
Mommy & Daddy