HAPPY 9TH BIRTHDAY LUKE!

I guess by now everyone knows how we love and celebrate birthdays. They are important to us because that is the one day every year that we feel is our day and secretly expect to be treated special. Everyone is my family does feel special on their day just because we all feel so loved by our friends and family and are so glad they want to spend that day with us.

Luke and two of his friends, Hunter and Whitt, were treated to a Redbirds baseball game in Memphis for Luke���s 9th birthday on July 28. During the game the Redbirds shortstop threw Luke a ball as he was coming back to the dugout ��� he loved that! We all ate until we were sick, sat in the terrible heat, and cheered the Redbirds on for about 6 innings. It was all we could stand since the first two innings took an hour and a half and we were exhausted.

Whitt gave Rylee a little stuffed animal that he won while we were there (they have games for kids to play at the baseball park) and I looked at the tag on it and it said ���Not for use by INFANTS or CHILDREN.��� Okay���. Am I the only one that thinks that is really weird? Is this little stuffed animal for use by adults only? This is what they give to kids for spending money to play their games?

Russ, Luke, Hunter, and Whitt had to climb the rock wall at the ballpark. They all made it to the top!

Earlier in the day Luke got a new shotgun for his birthday (he LOVES going hunting with Pete ��� if I am right, I think they go dove hunting or maybe deer, or something like that). Anyway, he was excited about his gift. Erin and Russ got him one of the new Wave Boards (like a skateboard) and he quickly got frustrated. I think it takes a little patience to learn and he thought he should be able to do it immediately.

He had a great birthday with his friends! It is so hard for me to believe he is already nine years old. Seems like it was only yesterday that I was driving Ashley to the hospital in the middle of the night and she was either yelling ���slow down��� or ���speed up.��� There was no way I was going to get it right!!

Luke, Happy Happy Birthday to you������