Getting Ready for Albert Pujols

Well here is the big news. James was selected by the Down Syndrome Support Group of Springfield to represent them by throwing out the first pitch to Albert Pujols on Saturday, March 29. Needless to say, we are all very excited. We are also hoping that when the reality of that many people in the stands watching our guy sets in, he will enjoy the attention and not shy away from it all. He does love being cheered. We kind of practiced a family "cheer for James at the Cardinal's game". When Coco did not clap and cheer, he immediately broke from his bow to yell "Coco, clap". (Actually, James can't say the letter "L" and it sounds like "R" but, I can't write that word here.) It makes us laugh and we insisted that Coco join the cheer so we could move on. She did and the bow continued.

All is ready, the red Cardinal shirt with number 5 and Pujols on the back has been bought along with the blue shorts. We are going to be ready with a baseball, just in case an autograph is a possibility. Robert will be covering the event for Hillcrest TV. Troy agreed to bring a camera and shoot for us.

When James was born, he was the child we worried would have more challenges than opportunities. It is amazing to watch God pick him out and give him something this cool. God is good.

Albert Pujols openly confesses that he has accepted Jesus Christ as His Savior and that his family has a commitment to put God first. He also has used his experience with having a Down Syndrome child in the home to encourage and support other families like his. A special thanks to Mr. Pujols for his strong testimony and service to others.

So tomorrow is the big day at the ball field.