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This past Saturday, Ava's basketball season officially began!  Her team is called Orange Crush and she's #3!  We really had no idea how her game would go.  They've only had a few practices and Ava hasn't practiced at all since last year's season.

This was right as they were doing the first toss of the ball.  Our team got it and Ava began dribbling down the court.  About 2 seconds later, the ref blew the whistle and pulled Ava out of the game.  My heart stopped.  I figured out that he was pulling her out to make her take off the bracelets she had on her wrist.  She headed to the seats, mortified and the game continued.  I couldn't breath.  Shawn headed over to her and she was crying by this time.  I could barely stay in my seat.  She was crying because she was embarrassed, but also because these bracelets couldn't just be slipped off her arm.  She's had them on since July and they mean a lot to her.  Shawn had to cut them off with his knife.  My heart just sunk.  I was worried that this was going to ruin her entire experience.  I wondered if she was going to be able to take a deep breath and pull herself together to play when it was time for her to go in.

Here's Shawn trying to comfort her.  I thought I was going to not make it.  I wanted so badly to get up and go comfort her too, but I knew that wouldn't be a good idea....and I knew this was one of those painful learning moments.

Finally she was able to go back into the game.  She was calmed back down and ready to win!  She played really good, considering this was her first game in almost a year!  Our team was ahead for much of the game and then slowly the other team caught up to us.  It stayed neck and neck till the end.

Unfortunately, we lost by 2 tiny points, but it was a great game!

My camera took great pictures till I got a team shot at the end!  Oh well...it's not the worst picture I've ever taken!  Let's hope that next Saturday is MUCH less stressful!  She was excited to have one of  her teachers and one of our friends from church come and cheer her on!