Silent Ball Bouncing

Who is soooo tired of saying, "No balls in the house??" If that's you, then you need this silent ball! Jax received it for Christmas and he has not stopped silently bouncing balls in our home since. They also offer a silent soccer ball too.Click this link, here, to grab yourself one. 

Sneaker Freak!

If you are a sneaker freak, this post is for YOU!

If your household is anything like mine, it contains teens who are in love with collecting sneakers. My boys especially. When I spotted this Nike Coloring Book, I thought it would be a fun way for them to dream about designing their own Nikes. Jax has always been extra at art, so although he's "too cool for school" and coloring is sort of a thing of the past for him (ugh), I bought it anyway.  Click the words, "Nike Coloring Book" to order yours NOW!

Where In The World Is Kristin Bolling?

Have you ever seen that week long segment on the Today Show where they send one of their hosts to different countries and you have to figure out, based on some clues or background sceneries, where they are? I feel like I am the host in question.  Over the last 3.5 weeks, I have traveled to (3) different cities for (3) different National competitions/games.  It was a ton of fun.  It was extremely expensive. And if I am honest, it was slightly exhausting.  Haha. It would have been nice for these events to be spread out over the course of the Summer, but I had zero control over the when! 

Basketball & Jax....

Oh my Jax... this kid is on FIRE on the B-Ball Court! The cool thing is... he doesn't even know it. I guess you could say that that makes him a very humble and selfless team player.  If there is ONE THING that both Darren and I CANNOT stand it is a BALL HOG! I'm not sure what's worse... daddy ball or ball hoggers. I'd say they are pretty neck and neck. Game after game, I have watched Jax literally STOP dead in his tracks to pass the ball to his teammates, when he could easily attempt toscore. I've witnessed extreme emotions displayed by Ty when the entire game was played by one or more players who's vision, as soon as they get the ball, is to score and say, "Look At Me".   TEAM = TOGETHER EVERYONE ACHIEVES MORE! If you desire to win or at the very minimum learn, you must work as a team. 

Guess Who's Back?

Although I haven't discussed the entire Jersey Finger injury just yet, I MUST start with the day that Ty was actually released by Dr. Apel. A few weeks prior to his possible release date, we had an appointment with Dr. Apel and Ty expressed his desires and recovery goals. Ty desired to be able to play AT LEAST half of the basketball season for his middle school team. Ty's injury happend on September 6th, the surgery took place on September 11th, and from that point forward we were told that a full recovery takes a MINIMUM of 12 weeks. Sigh... November 19th was 9 weeks and 6 days. At this visit, Dr. Apel looked at Ty and said, "Your mom and dad care about your well being for the next 10 years, but I care about your well being for a lifetime.  You have all the time in the world to play ball. We have got to get this finger right and putting you back on the court too soon could cause long term damaging effects!" He made NO promises to Tyson and truly gave us the impression that his goals and desires would not be met.  He did NOT want to give us any false hope.  AND I didn't want to give Ty any false hope either, but on the morning of his appointment, the appointment that we were banking on hearing those words, "Go play ball!", I had to set up the breakfast table with some preconceived notions that it was going to happen! I don't think there is anything wrong in staying in the positive, do you?

 I decorated the kitchen in Glenvar colors, a basketball tablescape, and displayed Ty's jersey number, #5.

I am not going to lie, I wasn't sure if I could handle the smiles from him seeing this setup and then the huge let down if Dr. Apel told him that he still needed more therapy/time.

Regardless, what I had hoped Ty really saw in this pre-celebratory breakfast was a mom who believed in him!

Breakfast was nothing fancy.  Half the time my kids can barely make it down before the bus arrives.  It never used to be that way, but now that they are getting older and now that they are so involved in extracirculars, their bedtime is later, so their wake time is more difficult. I served mini pancakes, representing basketballs, and turned his bacon into a #5.

I also served clementines, representing basketballs, and ORANGE juice.

I am so pleased with how it all turned out.

Off to occupational therapy we go! Our therapist, Amy, and NOW LipSense customer worked with Ty, on what we had hoped would be his last appointment. She measured him and told him, "I can't see why you wouldn't be released!" Eek! She knows her stuff, but she isn't the doctor, so we felt ONE STEP CLOSER, but still had to hear the words form the doc.

Before the appointment with Dr. Apel, Ty had a session in the fluidotherapy machine. Towards the end of his occupational therapy, he was using this machine at each visit.  

It was hard to capture Ty's hand inside of this machine because of the glare, but this machine was really interesting to learn about and witness do it's magic on Ty's injury. This fluidotherapy machine circulates warm, ground corn husks around the extremities at 114 degrees.   

With NO guarantee that Ty would be released, we still took a photo of Amy and Ty together.  I hate that I didn't look at the photo before leaving. I'm sorry, Amy, that I captured you with your eyes closed, but you are still looking gorgeous as ever with that full face of SeneGence products on.  :)

Then upstairs, to see Dr. Apel we went! He is a cool doctor. He's very matter of fact, intelligent, funny, personable, AND very serious about giving his patients the BEST care, instruction, and advise.  He refuses to release anyone until a full recovery is made.  Again, we were told from the VERY GET GO that Ty's recovery would be very intense, long, AND a minimum of 12 weeks. BUT, on week 9 and day 6, Ty was RELEASED TO PLAY BALL!

 Ty had to make that call to his dad and tell him the good news!

Dr. Apel asked Ty what he desired and his wish was granted AND NOT BECAUSE it was what Ty wanted, but because Ty had made a BIG ENOUGH recovery to be truly be released. Ty was also released from occupational therapy in addition to doing his exercises that he had been doing EVERY WAKING TWO HOURS, ON THE DOT. Doctor's orders were to just not "hang on the basketball net" because that's the other way that people typically get jersey finger. Fortunately, Ty is not tall enough to hang off the net yet.

Later that day, just as Ty had hoped and dreamed, Ty played in his FIRST basketball game and scored over 27 points! He was ON FIRE!!!!! And we were so proud and oh so excited to see our boy back on the court.

His season has since ended, but I received a phone call from the JV coach, two Fridays ago.  He invited ONE player to move up and play on the JV team.  Guess who they chose????? TY!!!!!! They were even out of jerseys and the coach special ordered one for him! God is so good!!!!!

After Ty's game, he returned home to a celebratory dinner.  Sadly, I wasn't home.  I was at the theater with Lilah. I made a homemade lasagna and cheesecake! 

 #SoFun #EveryLittleThingIsABIGDeal

WOW! Life Has Been INSANE!

Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness! I just went to "Blogger" to see when I last posted and I am so sad to SEE that it has been ALMOST a FULL 2 MONTHS! This has absolutely NEVER happened before.  My back log is so long, I'd have to be bed ridden for two months or longer to get caught up.  I have been very diligent to post on Instagram because it is so quick and easy.  BUT my BLOG is truly my baby and where my passion began, so I will NEVER give this up. I just had to let blogging take a back seat for these last two months.  What has been keeping me so busy aside from NORMAL life responsibilities that we all have?

Well... Lilah was casted to be an orphan, in ANNIE, as you may have previously read.  This required her and I to drive (3) nights, per week, to Fincastle. Most nights we were not getting home until close to 10:45 pm.  And she wasn't just in theater.  She is a competitive dancer, at Divine Dance Center, taking (4) classes and practicing for (1) duo, plus cheerleading, which has since ended, and NOW basketball.  Here are a few sneak peaks of her Annie memories.  Clearly, I will be posting them all very sooon! Lilah had (9) shows, three weekends back to back.  Again, our drive to Fincastle is 34 minutes, there and back, on a GOOD day.

Tyson was injured back in September.  He tore his tendon in his ring finger.  Otherwise known as "Jersey Finger".  It sounds like nothing, but it was actually very intense.  He had to go through hand surgery and (12) full weeks of occupational therapy.  The therapy required him to get out of class early, 2-3 days per week, and we had to drive a good 32 minutes away to his therapy appointments AND back.  Round trip, with the appointment time included, we were tied up for a good 2 hours, again 2-3 per week for 12 weeks.

We never thought that basketball would be an option this year.  However, he tried out with one hand, made the team, and was granted the captain of his team. Not only did he get released, to play during before the middle school season was over, but the JV coach called me and asked if Ty would be able to move up to JV after his middle school season was over.  God is so good! Ty was the only one chosen to move up.

Our Jax was in football and is now on not one, but TWO basketball teams.  One local youth program and one traveling, AAU team.  He keeps us equally as busy as we cart him back and forth to practices, games, and film sessions.  

My LipSense business hit an entirely NEW level over the last two months.  I had my absolute best month, since being in business, in November. It was truly unprecedented both financially and personally.  I feel so empowered and beyond grateful and blessed to be a part of such a fabulous company.  I thoroughly enjoy meeting so many new women and being able to share my love of SeneGence with them. I currently have (37) ladies under me. 

I ranked (3) different times in only two months. I know that seems impossible right? I ranked two times in my outter circles and once in my inner circles.  I received a ruby ring, a ruby pin, and my sapphire pin is on it's way! I am now ranked "LADY" within the company.

I got ONE foot of hair cut off and donated it to Pantene's donating program.  I feel lighter, haha.

My mom and dad moved here in July.  Life has been filled with trying to help them get settled into a new place.  I was able to celebrate their birthdays with them. in October and then in November.  I redid parts of their bedrooms and that took a ton of back and forth to their home and to stores trying to get it all color coordinated and looking beautiful/gorgeous.  

And our elves have arrived.  This task alone, because of the way I do it, is enough to be a TRUE full time job! They have really gotten themselves into a ton of fun, messy, and eventful situations.  It's a wonderful memory and tradition, but it is very time consuming.  You can catch all of our elf shenanigans on my Instagram account @BollingWith5 AND/OR look up hashtag, "ElfOnTheShelfBW5".

These are just a FEW of the things that we have had going on, but rest assured there were 1,000 other things in between, like my sisters came to visit, a LipSense party, Thanksgiving, Christmas Shopping, banquets, a cast party, doctor appointments, dentist appointments, haircuts, Christmas decorating, birthdays, and so much more.  I appreciate your patience as we try to do life. I know my faithful followers will stay put regardless of the quantities of times I am able to post, but it is my intention to get back into the grove.  I love you all.  AND from our family to yours, 

WE wish you a very Merry Christmas and a HAPPY New Year!