BLAST!

Last night we spent the evening swimming with Megan, Sierra and Pierce. We had a blast! Megan is house-sitting for Mark, Brett's boss, while he is gone on a family vacation. He has a beautiful house just north of Edmond with a pool, hottub and huge play-set for the kids. It was like going to an amusement park! Mark had invited us personally to go over anytime with the kids and swim while they are gone. I think it is quite a compliment that he asked Megan (out of all the people they know) to house-sit. She is very responsible. I laughed listening to her last night because she kept saying, "be careful, watch it, etc." to Brett while he was playing with Pierce. She keeps him in line :)

We have had an absolute BLAST with the kids this week. It's funny, when they are home, we play with them non-stop and enjoy every minute of it. At night, we build a fire and make smores on the back porch. That has become our family ritural. They get a kick out of making me BLACK marshmallows (my favorite). And Pierce has picked up a new saying from me. Next time you ask him a question, don't be surprised if he answers, "Absolutely Adrian" which is a phrase I picked up from my best friend, DeDe. It is so cute to hear him say it. Dad has also taught him to count to 100! Can you believe that? And he's only three! Well, three going on twenty-four if you ask him. And Sierra, is smart beyond her years.

Brandon is doing well and will have his third start of the season tomorrow night. He is playing well and is having the time of his life! There are four catchers on his team, so right now they are rotating, which is tough on BL because he's not used to that. But they've been told they are moving one down and possibly moving one or two up. There are two "free agents" and then BL and another player, Matt (his roommate) that were both drafted. We'll keep you posted.

We received confirmation today about switching weekends so looks like we're on for July 15th at Frontier City! We can't wait!!!!

Hope everyone has a great weekend and a wonderful 4th of July. If you get a chance, post a comment and let us know what you're doing for the 4th. We have a huge promotion in Bethany that day and I'm sure we'll take the kids. Fortunately, there is now a Promotions Coordinator and Events Manager so I don't have to work every event.

KB

Professional Baseball Debut

I know that it says the date above this post, but 06.22.06 will go down on the calendar as one of the biggest days in Brandon Lance's life.

Brandon made his professional debut tonight. We are waiting for him to call so I thought I would share. He went 1-4 tonight with a walk and in his last at bat he hit a line drive over the third baseman down the third base line. He stretched a single into a double as the throw was late getting to second (it even surprised the announcer that Brandon would try for two).

The picture above is a screen save of the box score play-by-play of his first career professional hit. You can click on it to make it bigger and see documentation of his first hit.

Well, Brandon just called and he was talking ninety miles an hour. He said that once his nerves settled down after the first inning behind the plate he was able to relax a little and enjoy the game. He then said (to me) that I would be proud of him because he watched after his base hit in the ninth to see where that ball ended up. They didn't change balls after the inning, so after the first pitch of the next inning (with that ball), Brandon caught it, looked at it and told the umpire that it was bad and rolled it over to the bat boy who then took it and put it in Brandon's bag for him. His old high school coach has taught him well.

That ball will be in a case on the shelf for the ages.....

BB

Lots of new stuff

This was my Father's Day present from the little ones (with help from Mom). Thought I would share.

Lots of new stuff on our blog including: a new page of pics (on the Photo Album page) of the little ones click here, a new page of pics (also on the Photo Album page) of Rylie click here and a new link to Brandon's page for the roster for Idaho Falls (or click here). By the way, he is number twelve. Don't know if he picked that himself, but now all of the 500 t-shirts that have my old number twelve on them have new meaning!

We have hesitated to put pictures of the kids on the blog for security purposes, but feel that coupled with the fact that God is in control, not many people read our blog save for our family and friends. We would like to share pictures of them as they grow up and some of the fun times that we have with them.

Updates -

Brandon is in Casper, WY and will be heading to the ballpark in about an hour for his first professional game. He said that he is having a blast with all of the guys. Seems to be a totally different feel to the team than his college team (for obvious reasons). He is very excited and already tired. He told us after the first practice that he was surprised that they ran them so much. He and I both had the idea that there was not much conditioning, more of a "just go and play" type mentality. We were wrong. His first practice included catching three bullpens - for pitchers throwing about 97-98 and that have no idea where it is going - and then three rounds of batting practice and then if that wasn't enough, they ran them five miles after that. Needless to say - he was exhausted. If that was not bad enough, the next day he caught EIGHT bullpens, took three rounds of BP and then still had to run five miles timed. I laughed and said if you add all of that with the nine hour bus rides in the middle of the night, you sure have to love baseball to do this. His response was that it beat putting on a suit and tie to make money everyday. He got me there.

He told me late last night (Kelly was already asleep) that the bus ride through Idaho and Wyoming was the most beautiful drive he has ever taken.

We found where we can listen to his game live on the internet here at 8:05PM (CST) if anyone is interested. He is not sure how the playing time will go at first, but feels confident that he is one of (if not "the") best catchers there. I'd give just about anything to be there and take a picture of him taking his first pitch as a professional. (Wearing #12 to boot!)

Megan is doing wonderful at her new job (with me!) here at Foundation. Everyone loves her and appreciates the work that she does. In fact, my boss has hired her to house sit in the near future saying to me that if she is this organized and responsible at work, he would want someone like her to watch the house for he and his family while they are gone for ten days.

She has decided to go back to school in the evenings to work towards getting her degree and has enrolled in two classes. This girl has got it together, let me tell you.

She likes her new apartment, and even though we miss her immensely (at the house), it is fun to see her buying new stuff and having a place of her own.

She and Scott (her dad) played golf at Silverhorn on Sunday for Father's Day. They had a really good time and Megan even shot a 110 which I was REALLY impressed with, but the main thing is that they spent some good quality time together and she paid for it!

She also got me a REALLY nice pen for Father's Day that I am very proud of and use constantly. I think of her (even though she is right around the building from me) every time I use it. Thank you Megan.

SB has lost two teeth and is growing up to be very beautiful. She has motherly instincts like no other and is constantly "giving in" to lil bro to stave off a "semi" fit from him. She has a heart of gold and is very smart as well. She is a member of the Bratz Club in the neighborhood and has really taken a knack to making new friends quickly.

One of SB's favorite things to do is swim. She learned last summer, but you can hardly get her out of the water now. She can swim under water, above water and even on her back and would do all three on command if she has an audience. :)

JB is in love with the movie Cars. We cannot wait until it comes out on video so that we can buy the movie. (By the way - right here if he were (was? - I have no clue) to hear me say that, he would say, "Daddy, it is not a TAPE! It's a DVD!" We have created a monster because he knows (remember he is three) how to control almost every electronic device that we have in the house. His favorite saying (which Mom taught him) is "You're my best friend". I cannot do this saying justice without a severe southern twang and without sticking my two front teeth out. It is from the movie Cars and the character is "Tow Mater" the tow truck.

Other than that - JB is very much into Batman and I (or Mom) always have to be the "bad guy" so that he can attack us and conquer us. Yes, we know that this will have to be addressed soon as far as the violent aspect, but it is too much fun to stop right now.

He is constantly pushing the envelope with what he can and cannot do, but is so dang cute when he does it that he gets by with a ton. I have a feeling that I was the same way, but you'd have to ask my mom and dad.

He is the leader of the "J-Club" at his "school". Charter members are: JB, JR, Joseph, Jack (and I think a couple of others that are slipping my mind). They will take donations for future field trips.

Kelly and I are really concentrating on slowing down physically, emotionally and especially spiritually. It has been fun reconnecting and really trying to put our focus on each other and our relationship. Even though there have been some rough times with outside factors, it is a very fun and relaxing time!

By the way - I have a new email address just for fun: brettburleson@kansascity-royals.net so feel free to email me.

Whew - my fingers hurt and it has taken me about two hours to type this (not only because I am slow, but taking phone calls while typing this) so I better make some money.

B

Still Here

What a wonderful weekend! Just wanted to let everyone know we're still here, just had computer problems at home. After the storms Friday evening, we've been without a computer. Hopefully that will get resolved quickly.

Hope everyone had a great Father's Day. We had a great day!! We had Sierra and Pierce and made the rounds. The only thing that would have been better is if we had been able to spend time with Papaw (aka the Hulk).

Even though we didn't get to see Brandon, we did talk to him and he sent Brett a text message early in the day to tell him Happy Father's Day. He seems to be doing well...I'll let Brett go into detail in another blog.

Life is good.

KB

Living the dream

BL left this morning to fly to Iadho Falls. They start practice tomorrow and have their first road trip on Tuesday, June 20. He stopped by last night and was telling us about his schedule and you BETTER love baseball at that level. They practice or play 7 days a week starting tomorrow until September.

As he was leaving last night, he picked up Sierra to hug her and tell her goodbye and she started sobbing on his shoulder. I noticed he teared up a little, but I know it makes him feel good that the kids love him so much. We tried to explain to Sierra after he left that this is his dream and it's a good thing that he is going, but it's still tough. She really loves Brandon and they've all gotten really close.

What a dream come true for him to even get to this level. To say to his own children one day that he was a major league player. I'm still trying to comprehend it all, but can't wait to keep up with his team and his progress along the way.

On another note...Sierra lost her second tooth last night!! She looks so cute. Both her bottom two front teeth are gone. She kept wiggling it last night and finally looked at me, shut her eyes and said, "pull it mamma" I tried but couldn't get it out so she continued to work it until it came out. Again, the tooth fairy left her $3 under her pillow. She and I are planning a shopping trip to Harry Hines "compliments" of her two front teeth!

We also took Sierra and Pierce to see the new movie Cars Monday night. If you haven't seen it, you need to. What a great movie and the kids loved it! Pierce was great in the movie, but still hasn't quite caught on to that "inside voice" yet. He thinks everyone around him needs to know what he's saying :) He talked to Papaw, a.k.a. "The Hulk" last night on the phone and had to tell him about the movie and about how he cried when his "girlfriend" left daycare yesterday. He's going to be an actor (if he's not a pro baseball player) that ones for dad.

Stay tuned...more to come on MLB!
KB

Opening Day/Night

Idaho Falls Chukars will have their first game at Casper, WY Rockies on June 20th at 7PM (MST). Casper is a mere 378.62 miles from Idaho Falls, ID. OUCH - Nothing like a short road trip to start the year off.

Click here to see the full schedule.

Thanks to Mom and Kevin

We now know what a Chukar looks like.
Thanks Guys!

Idaho Falls Chukars

Knowing full well that not everyone wants to hear all of the details, or is not at all as interested as we are, I thought I would take the chance to pass along some of the information that has come to light after the draft. Brandon has received calls from the Royals (obviously) telling him how it all went down Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Royals had Brandon listed on the board as their top catcher in the draft. Their system is set up so that they already have a plan for each position set to a certain round in the draft (ie: pitcher in the first, outfielder in the second, etc.). Their first spot to take a catcher was the seventh. Right before the draft, there was talk to let BL fall to the next slot in order to take a player that had caught some, but was not a true catcher and is a left-handed hitter. Brandon's scout fought hard to get Brandon then and not later because he was afraid that Brandon would go to another team before the 18th round slot (the next for them to take a catcher). He did not win, so they took the lefty as a project to see if he would pan out as a catcher, knowing that if he didn't they could put him in the outfield later. As the 18th round came closer - another catcher was brought up for discussion because he just finished his freshman year, and the Royals knew that he probably wouldn't sign, but wanted to have his rights for the next year. They took another gamble that BL would be available in the 31st round. He was...

The scout with the Royals called him last night as we were all together and told him all of this. Brandon said it was funny because it was like they were mad about how things played out "together". If anything it just makes Brandon feel good that he was in the mix all the way from the 6th round on.

Then today he got a call from the Tampa Bay scout and he told him that it played out about the same way for them. He was not in the meeting, but heard later. He told Brandon that when he got the call in the 30th that they were going to take Brandon Lance with their pick in the 31st round, he told them that it was about time! And then the Royals took him with their 31st round pick (which is TWO spots before the Devil Rays!) He also told Brandon that (not saying that this would happen) if he got into a bad situation down the road (ie: a manager didn't like him) to give him a call and he could be a Devil Ray the next day. The Tampa Bay scout, being good friends with the Royals' scout - called him and ribbed him about getting Brandon right before they took him. Then he told Brandon that the Royals' scout is VERY excited about Brandon and his potential career. Very nice of the guy to call Brandon back and tell him all of this even though his team didn't get him. VERY good for BL to hear all of this.

They have assigned him to Idaho Falls, ID. He is now a Chukar (apparently it is some type of bird) which is the Royals' Advanced rookie team. He was told that he will be the only catcher on the roster for at least the first two weeks, depending on how the other catcher they took does in Surprize, AZ at the rookie team facility.

He will probably leave next Monday or Tuesday.

Again - I know this is probably TMI, but just thought I would share.

B

PS - Does anyone know if Southwest flies direct into Idaho Falls? :)

KC ROYALS!!!!!!!

Brandon was the first pick taken in the 31st round by the Kansas City Royals. Never thought two days could seem like two years. Not only is the wait over, but we have heard very good things about their player developement, so we are very excited. Probably the best situation for him. Also, Brandon Weeden (who played for Santa Fe with Brandon Lance) is in their system and there is a very good chance that Brandon will be placed there (in California).

More details to come. Right now I have to waste company time and research:
All of the catchers in the organization - see what their stats are, if they are hurt, how old they are.
Find out who the hitting and pitching coaches are at each level.
How to get merchandise from each team.
Who the other teams are in the divisions and when they play them.
Possibly schedule trips for Mama (and me) to go see him play.
Etc., etc., etc.

Brandon is a professional baseball player. Boy, do I envy him! :)

B

Final Day

Yesterday's draft went slow, they only made it to the 18th round...that leaves 31 rounds today. BL didn't get taken yesterday, but hopefully it will happen today. What a great birthday present that would be!

Stayed tuned, we'll keep everyone posted.

KB

Next Two Days

The next two days are big at our house. It's the Major League Baseball Draft. While we're all keeping our fingers crossed and doing a lot of praying, we're also being realistic since BL is a senior signee and doesn't have a lot of leverage at this point. He's had a lot of teams talk to him and has been told every thing from he could go in the top 5 rounds, to don't expect to go until the second day so we're not really sure what to expect. He did have a team contact him yesterday just to make sure he was still healthy and there was nothing they needed to know at this point...so that is a good sign.

Keep us in your prayers, we'll be glued to our computer for the next two afternoons. I've even taken off work because I know I wouldn't get anything done at the office.

A lot can change in the next two days and as much as BL would love to go in the early rounds, at this point, he just wants to play.

We'll keep you posted. MLB.com
KB

Long day

It took everything we had to get out of bed this morning. Both of us were so sore from working in the yard all day yesterday. But we managed and we even went to early church. After church we went shopping, took Meg's with us (she came over early this morning). We bought her some groceries for her apartment and also bought 13 bags of mulch for our new project in the backyard. Again, we worked all day in the yard, Brett cleaned the garage and we cleaned Meg's old room and bathroom. We are really aging ourselves at a fast pace. I walked by the kitchen a moment ago and Brett was leaning on the sink trying to work up the strength to wash some dishes :)

Tomorrow starts another work week and a week we've been waiting for for a long time. I'm not going to get my hopes up, but I have a wonderful husband who believes in the power of positive thinking so I'm trying my best to stay positive, while not getting too excited about the draft. One more day and then it's here. I've decided to take 1/2 day off on Tuesday and work from home, not sure I would get a lot done at the office that day.

Hope everyone has a great week.

KB

Productive Day

Well, it's almost 11pm and we're still going strong. Today has been a very long, but productive day. First, Friday evening we went bowling. It wasn't "just" bowling, we bowled in the Mark Harmon bowling tournament and proceeds went to The Children's Center in Bethany. What a great place. We had a lot of fun and it was interesting to watch Brett participate in a sport that he didn't dominate. He's so competitive! We had a blast and Brett actually bowled a 177 the last game which was really good.

Today, we got up and rented a sod cutter and got to work. We created a berm in our backyard under two trees and then bought two truckloads of dirt to put down. Around 2pm Megan came running outside excited that the apt complex had called and her apt was ready. We finished up with the dirt, cleaned out my dad's truck and started loading all her stuff. Whew...we just finished around 10pm and we're both worn out. Brandon and Brooke (his new girlfriend...she is really sweet) are here and we're just sitting around talking.

I'm not sure we know what it's like to have a weekend with nothing to do, but I'm not sure we'd have it any other way.

Three days until the draft. Keep BL in your prayers, going to be a pretty stressful day.

For those of you who don't know, JB woke up Friday morning with a horrible rash all over him. I took him straight to the dr. and he has "Fifth Disease" which the dr. said is pretty common in children his age. He's not contagious any longer, and doesn't seem to feel bad, but the rash looked really bad. Poor little guy, after the dr office he talked me into taking him to get a toy (which isn't difficult) but he was so good at the dr. office. I told Brett he's going to be a sales person or a politcian when he grows up because he can talk you into (or out of) anything. :)

Take care and hope everyone is having a good day!

KB