When they start the game, they don't yell, "Work ball." They say, "Play ball." Willie Stargell, 1981

So excited that Bailey had baseball tryouts today! He headed up to T&C with Clint about 10:00- he was scheduled for the 10:40 tryout time slot. He had to hit 3 balls off a tee and run to second base on the last hit. Story says- he hit the balls hard and ran as fast as he could on last hit! Next he had to try and stop 2 grounders and he did!!! Last- he was thrown 2 fly balls. He caught one and missed the other but quickly stopped it and threw it in. I am so proud of my boy!


When Clint filled out his registration on-line, he surprised me and Bailey with this cool decal for the back of my car! I love it!! Now, we are just anxiously awaiting the phone call from his coach. The coaches are getting together tomorrow for the draft. I am ready for some baseball!

Take me out to the ballgame!

Bailey has baseball tryouts this Saturday! Can't wait to see what team he is going to play for this year! Need to go to Sam Moon and get my official *bling* *bling* Baseball Mom shirt! So proud of my boy!

Check out our fundraising pages!!

Please click on the below links to make a donation to Kaci or Bailey's JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes fundraising pages! Thanks so much!

Kaci's page

http://www2.jdrf.org/site/TR/Walk-TX/Chapter-Austin4657?px=1399264&pg=personal&fr_id=1520

Bailey's page

http://www2.jdrf.org/site/TR/Walk-TX/Chapter-Austin4657?px=1399265&pg=personal&fr_id=1520

First Day Of School!

We did it! We got up before the sun to get ready for the first day of school! Bailey looks a little tired in this picture, but still happy! First day of second grade!

Here is Kaci on her first day of fourth grade!

And here is Bailey after school!

Nothing like a slush after you survive the first day! Glad to have them back home with me. The house was much too quiet today!

Introducing the newest member of the Borchgardt family....

Eleanor Jane!

She is just 3 months old and full of energy! Chelsea loves her and so do we!

Welcome to the family...Eleanor!!

....and now, back to potty training. I seem to have forgotten how time consuming a puppy is.

Thoughts from the Bottom of the Beanstalk!

Read this blog entry over at, Princess and the Pump this morning and cried like a baby!

http://www.theprincessandthepump.com/2011/08/thoughts-at-bottom-of-beanstalk.html

It is so true! Every word and it is how I feel at the beginning of each school year. It is hard to let my "Jack" climb the beanstalk. It is hard to be the one at the bottom waving goodbye....but it is harder knowing that one day she will be the one taking care and worrying about it all.

Oh- if only it were me that had Diabetes....there is nothing I wouldn't give to take it all away!

Painting With A Twist!

Last April -Kaci attended a class at Painting with a Twist to help out the JDRF Austin Chapter. She painted a beautiful butterfly auction piece for the Hope Ball. It was a collection of 25 butterfly canvases painted by children with Type 1 Diabetes. It sold for $4,000! AMAZING!

Ever since she attended this class....she has been hooked on painting and she loves to paint on canvas. She made several art pieces for her school nurse and several other teachers at the end of the year in May. In April - Grandma Dee and PaPa surprised her with $50 so that she could sign up and attend another class. So- with summer coming to an end ...we figured we better pick a class and sign up!

Kaci's BFF, Grayson , had a birthday this month - so we treated her to a painting class as well. More fun to paint with a friend....don't you think?

First they painted a color in each corner: blue, yellow, purple and orange. Then they blended with white in the middle to make the beautiful sky background.

Here is Grayson starting her canvas too!

Once the background was blended - it was time to make the tree branches!

Next, they added a couple of flowers here and there!

Time to add the bluebirds!

Ta-Da! Look how beautiful they both turned out! I can't wait to go back and take a class of my own. So much fun!!

We have found the perfect spot to hang this canvas in Kaci's room! Just have to get Daddy to do it this weekend.

"Say BOO to Diabetes!"

Hello Friends and Family!

It is that time again. Time for the "Say Boo to Diabetes Walk" on October 30 at 10:00. We are currently raising money for JDRF to help find a cure! Keep an eye on your mailbox- your postcard should be coming soon! You can also donate directly to Kaci's Walk page at

http://www2.jdrf.org/site/TR/Walk-TX/Chapter-Austin4657?px=1399264&pg=personal&fr_id=1520

Attached below you will find a letter from Kaci....

Hi!~ My name is Kaci Borchgardt. I am 9 years old and going in to the 4th grade this year.

I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when I was 7 (the summer before I started 2nd grade) It was July 28, 2009. I was drinking lots of water, going to the bathroom a lot and I was tired all of the time. I also lost a lot of weight. I had to go to the hospital and that is when I found out I had diabetes. My Uncle Chad has diabetes too. He helps me feel better about having it. He has had it for over 25 years.

Now I have to check my blood sugar with a finger prick before I eat or if I am feeling low. Each year I have to prick my finger about 2, 190 times. I also have to take a shot with insulin in it after I eat and before bed every night. Each year I will take about 1, 835 shots. Can you imagine that? Yeah....it hurts! I wish it would just "poof" disappear. Some of the reasons why I don't want diabetes is because of the shots and pricks hurt and I can' thave sweets as much as I used to- unless my blood sugar is low.

If I don't check my blood sugar or take my shots the side affects are blindness, heart disease, liver failure and even amputation. I volunteer to help raise money every year. I hope that you will too! All the money you, and others raise, will go to the doctors and scientists so they can buy supplies to find a cure!

Thank you for your donation!

We will never lose hope,
Kaci Borchgardt :)

Time flies when you are having fun!

No matter what I do.... I can't stop it. No matter what I say...I can't stop it. No matter how I act...I can't stop it. No matter what....school is right around the corner and summer is coming to an end. Must be true what they say. "Time flies when you are having fun!" We have had lots of fun this summer. I kept a calendar of all the fun things we did - just so we would be able to look back and remember.

A few weeks ago, we went and picked up all our school supplies. They have been hiding in the closet (out of sight, out of mind) since then. We decided to pull them out this morning and make a little craft project out of Kaci's spirals.

So easy and fun! All you need is spiral notebooks, ribbon and scissors!
Sprial notebooks? Check! Ribbon? Check! Scissors? Check!

Look how cute they turned out. When I took this picture- Kaci was still working on the yellow one. It turned out to be my favorite! Wish I had gotten a picture of it. The spiral was yellow with white dots- so all the ribbon she used was polk a dot too! ADORABLE!

Meet the teacher is just a few days away- so we have set all the goodies we need to lug up to school on the front foyer bench. A few more days of sleeping late and doing what we want to do.....Ah....only a few more days!

Scouts make a difference!

I am so proud of my Boyscout! He has worked 4 popcorn shifts already this week. This is a picture of him at his first shift at Walmart on Sunday. Since then he has worked at Jason's Deli, Walgreens and CVS. He is a very good salesman and knows all the product and their prices.



He has reached his first goal of $600 club and has actually sold over $700 in popcorn now! Please let us know if we can bring you a bag! In about 2 more weeks he will be taking orders for chocolate popcorn as well as chocolate and yogurt covered pretzels. He can't sell them now, as they would never survive the heat!

Happy Birthday, PaPa!

Happy Birthday, PaPa! We love you Bunches!!!!

Chocomize!!

If you are looking for a fun and sweet gift to give to someone you love.....look no further! You have to head on over to www. Chocomize.com It is AMAZING!!

Chocomize is the first company in the US that allows you to select your own ingredients to make your very own chocolate bar!! You can choose from white, milk or dark chocolate to start your bar and from there the possibilities are endless! Some of the ingredients you can add are sea salt, pepper, lavender, almonds, peanuts, pecans, yogurt covered pretzels, jelly beans, snickers bars, kit kats, bacon, cayenne pepper, sprinkles......and that is just the beginning. The list goes on and on....

Clint and I will celebrate 13 years of marriage on August 15th- Aren't we cute?

What better way to celebrate than with chocolate!?

Well- maybe a trip to an exotic island or a winning lottery ticket....but until that happens...chocolate will have to do! I have been wanting to try chocomize for several months now and thought this was the perfect chance!

I ordered Clint this yummy milk chocolate bar with peanut butter chips, chocolate chip cookie dough and kit kat bars! It even has an edible "Happy Anniversary" banner on it. Pretty cute! The picture is a little fuzzy- but you get the picture. lol! This will be perfect for Clint to munch on while we are at the movies on Saturday night!

I didn't want to have to sneak a bite of Clint's gift while we are at the movies- so I ordered one for me too! I am the "junk candy" queen. My candy bar is milk chocolate, pototo chips, sea salt, yogurt pretzels, jelly beans and sprinkles! I can not wait to sink my teeth into it!

What are you waiting for.....go order your own bar and quit drooling over mine! YUMMY!

Bowling Borchgardts!

So proud of my "Bowling Borchgardts!" Today was the last day of their bowling league. It was time for awards, fun bowling and ice cream and cookies! Kaci decided that she wanted to sit this one out- so she went over to Aunt Amber's house while Bailey and I headed to the alley.

This is the trophy Kaci received for Handicap Series. Way to go! She also received patches for: Most Improved, High Series and High Average.

Bailey received this trophy for League Champion! He also received patches for League Champion and High Average! So proud of my "Bowling Borchgardts!"

I scream! You scream! We all scream for ice cream!!!

Making ice cream with Aunt Amber at PaPa's house at our End of Summer BBQ~

I can't stand that summer is almost over.....

"Holy S**t!"

Let's call this post..."HOLY SHIT!" Because that is what I said when I went outside and saw the snake that Kaci and Bailey had found!! "HOLY SHIT!"

Well, let's start from the beginning on this one. Here we go..... A few days ago, Clint moved Bailey's Little Tyke basketball goal from the garage to one of our back patios. He taught them how to play HORSE- and they have loved it everyday since. So tonight - about 6:00- they headed out back to play. They were only outside for a little bit when Kaci came back in and said that Chelsea was having a fit by the BBQ pit. Said there must be a lot of pillbugs there and that she was getting excited about them. I told Kaci she should run to the front porch and get her bug catcher to catch some.

She headed back out, but returned within minutes to tell me that there was a snake in the backyard. I asked her how big it was....Her response- "Well -it's big, but not too big, but big!" Earlier this week I found two snakes in the front yard. about 6 inches long, gray and a little thicker than a pencil. Ran over one with the lawnmower and whacked the other one with the blower until I killed it. So- I assumed this was the same size snake Kaci had found. I grabbed the hedge clippers and thought I will just snip this sucker in half. Boy, was I EVER WRONG!!

When I got outside and saw the snake in the grass all curled up on top of himself....well, I almost s**t my pants!!! HOLY S**T!

I quickly covered him with the sandbox lid and me and the kids headed back inside to find a neighbor to help us out. When I discovered that there was no one home to help me....I headed back to the yard- lifted the sandbox lid and began to whack the H**Y S**T snake with a shovel. He wiggled his way to the fence line but stopped moving when his stomach bulged out his side! UGH!

I called Mom and Dad to let them know that I had killed him all by myself. So proud! While I was talking to them- I tried to lift him in a garbage bag to throw him away- only to have him strike at me. That is when I decided to call in the "BIG GUNS" --- Pa Pa!

He arrived with a sharp hoe and took care of his head. Here he is being measured. He was 2 Kaci flip flops and 1 PaPa sandal long! YIKES!

He was really ugly. He was fat and he was stinky!!

Here is a close up of him right before PaPa shipped him off to the dumpster! Here is what we believe him to be.....

Water snakes, (Diamond Back Water Snake) as their name implies are largely aquatic. They spend the vast majority of their time in, or very near permanent sources of water. Often they can be found basking on tree branches which overhang slow moving streams or ponds. Their primary diet is fish and amphibians, and they are quite adept at catching both in their aquatic environment. They will also consume rodents.
While their initial instinct is to flee when disturbed, they do typically have a nasty disposition. They do not often hesitate to strike or bite if handled, and will often expel a foul-smelling musk from their cloaca. Nerodia species are ovoviviparous, breeding in the spring and giving birth in the late summer or early fall. They are capable of having 90 or more young, but broods generally are much smaller. Neonates are around 20-26 cm (8-10 in.) in length.

Queen Stuffer!

As you all know- Kaci is the "Queen Stuffer" of the JDRF School Walk Folders! We finished up 2,000 a few weeks ago and went to the Austin offices to pick up 2,000 more! It is lots of cutting, counting, stuffing and rubber banding!

I am so proud of Kaci! She is always willing to volunteer her time for a cause she believes in. She is determined to beat her total from last year- 2,000! If she finishes this batch it will make 4,000 for this year! WOW! That is pretty impressive if you ask me!

In the last 3 years- she will have stuffed a total of 7,000 folders!

I love this girl!!!

Old Navy!

Can you find Kaci? Bailey? or Brad? Love it!!

"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then I want to go where they went."

So - I have been looking for a nice way for us to remember Reagan as she was! Happy and healthy and smiling! Found this picture that Dad took of her just a few months ago (it seems) and she is wearing her typical "smile" I just love it! I have seen these stepping stones before and thought it would be a perfect way for us to create something together that would help us remember Reagan in her "happier" days! The kiddos and I went up to Joanne's Craft store and I was pleasantly surprised when I saw one specifically for dogs!! I couldn't resist. Love the bone shape! The concrete is still wet in this picture- I can't wait to see it when it dries. Kaci and Bailey were in charge of placing all the stones where ever they wanted them to go. I think they did a great job! I love the paw prints they made.

We love you, Reagan!