Final Game and T-Ball Party

Sadly, our t-ball season came to an end last week. We played the Diamondbacks, and though we played a phenomenal game, we came up short in the last inning. We lost but were so incredibly proud of our little men. They did AWESOME! Here are some pictures from our last game.

My adorable second baseman. He played SO well, even catching a hard ball and getting someone out on second. He was very proud of himself!Lining up to congratulate the Diamondbacks after the game:The last team talk and prayer with Coach B.J. He was a great coach!After every game, Asher had a blast running the bases and yelling, "TIME!" He'll be ready when he gets to t-ball. :)Hat cocked, snack in hand, smile on face. It was a fun game!My Tristan and his favorite first base coach:We were so thankful that Mimi and PaPa were able to make it to so many games this year. It meant a lot to Tristan to have them there. This isn't a picture from the Diamondbacks game (they weren't able to make it to that one), but rather was taken at the first tournament game against the Cubs. We won that one! ;)And the team party. It was at a local pizza place that has an arcade. The boys had a BLAST! Here is our adorable team:Our team mom (the GREATEST EVER!) had this cake and cupcakes made. Each cupcake was designed to look like one of our players. It was TOO CUTE! She was all upset because she dropped them on the way into the party, and they got all messed up. I still thought they looked great...and tasted AMAZING! Tristan shooting some basketball:Ready for pizza!And, of course, the most favorite part of the party...THE TROPHY!!! All the boys were super proud of their trophies, and Tristan was no exception. Here he is showing it off:T-ball is over. Sad, sad, sad. Loved this season and am looking so forward to the fall. In the meantime, I guess we'll have lots of fun practicing and with his new love, golf!

The Rhythm is Gonna Get You?

I believe it was Gloria Estefan that told us that. Right? Well, I can say after last night's Dodgers vs. Braves game (not the majors, folks... t-ball, of course!), the rhythm does not always get you. Tristan's team, the Braves, played the #1 t-ball team last night, the Dodgers. Let me say, we all knew it would be tough to win. The Dodgers are pretty amazing; however, I didn't expect us to have such a tough time finding our rhythm last night. Seriously, anything that could go wrong with our team did. Case in point, before the game even started, our third baseman (and one of our best players) had an asthma attack and couldn't play. Not a good start.

We got out, fair and square, several times, but then we also had some really crazy outs. Outs nonetheless, but outs that NEVER happen. One out: Tristan was running home, totally outran the first baseman who was trying to get him out, but missed the plate. He stepped right over it. So guess what? He was out. His coach was not happy with him after that one. Poor Tristan. I think he was told by four or five people on the way back to the dugout to make sure he touches home plate (btw, to this moment, he still insists he touched the plate...Sadly, I saw it. He missed it). Another crazy out: One of our boys was running from second to third, and the ball hit him in the foot. He tried to jump over it, but he couldn't avoid it. It hit him, and he was out. CRAZY!
Next crazy out: One of our boys was running to first, and instead of running straight through the base, he turned just a little and ran smack into the first baseman...who was holding the ball. It was a huge collision, both boys crying, and guess what? Our boy was out. I mean, these things never happen. We were just not meant to win last night.

Now let me tell you about the Dodgers. They are a good team, a really good team, but they also have a dangerous weapon. This weapon comes in the form of a really tall (freshly turned) five year old. A five year old who hit a grand slam, over the fence, last Saturday. The kid's last name is Quick, and well, it suits him. I've never seen a kid hit like this kid. The coach has him batting clean up, so every time he gets up to the plate, he is a guarantee to score four runs. When you only have to score seven runs before your turn is up, you can see how having this kid is a HUGE advantage.

Now don't get me wrong, he's not the only good kid on this team. They have some other good players, like the rest of us, but he is beyond good. It would be like playing church softball, and the church across town is playing with Chipper Jones or something, or if your office was playing basketball against an office across town, and they had Shaq on their team. The whole team isn't going to depend solely on Chipper Jones or Shaq to get the job done, but they would be a huge part...huge. Let me also say that the Dodgers have an experienced head coach who does a great job too. He knows just how to turn every batter to hit it in any holes there may be on the field. That, my friends, comes from much experience. He's a nice guy and a good coach. It is obvious that he knows what he's doing (on a side note, we have a great coach too. He is a man of integrity and a good leader...very important when there are other coaches yelling and screaming at umps, kids, and other coaches).

So, the future looks bleak if we have to play against Mr. Quick every year. The kid is a force. Let's just hope some of the rest of our boys catch up, or we at least get on his team. :)

Here is Tristan at bat. He didn't hit as well last night as he normally does (again, the whole "finding our rhythm thing"). He got on base every time, though. Way to go, Tristan!
On second, waiting for his chance to run.After the game, he was still happy...despite the loss. First thing he told me, "Mommy, we loseded." I told him it was ok because they gave it their best, and that's what makes us and God happy. As you can see from his face, he seemed ok with the loss. I mean, a popcicle and snack cures it all, right?
And as his mom, I sure think he's a super cute t-ball player, win or lose, out or safe.On a fun note, we got to play against one of Tristan's best buddies, T. T is a great hitter! I didn't really get to watch him play third base because I was so busy watching and cheering for our batters and runners, but I sure enjoyed watching him hit. Great job, T!

Here is T with Tristan. He wasn't interested in smiling for the camera. It was much more fun to do silly faces. Super funny story...first thing T said to Tristan when we went over to see him, "Y'all had eight points, and we had 19!" Ha! Love T!!!A silly shot:Another silly face:We didn't win last night, but we sure were entertained. It was a super fun game, and we are proud of the Dodgers. They have yet to lose. They are definitely the envy of many teams (if you only knew). Way to go, Dodgers! Way to go, Braves! I'm super proud of you guys!!!

Goodbye T-Ball

T-ball is officially over. We finished our season with a party at Chick-fil-A and received trophies.
Here are some shots from the party. Notice Tristan doesn't have on his t-ball shirt. Great job, Mom. Just put it on my list of "duh"s!

It's So Hard to Say Goodbye...

Last week was an especially difficult week for me. We had to say goodbye to Tristan's K3 class and teacher and to t-ball...all within two days! It was just too much for me. I never like goodbyes and struggle with change, so I spent much of last weekend in tears.

Last Thursday, Channing, Asher, and I attended Tristan's K3 graduation ceremony. It was the sweetest thing ever! The kids marched into the sanctuary with their animal masks, and then went onto the stage and sang several CUTE songs they learned this year. My absolute favorite was...
Squirrel, squirrel...shake your bushy tail! (or as Tristan says, "Skuwurel, skuwurel, shake your mushy tail!" LOVE IT!!!). This song was SO cute because, at one point, all the kiddos turned around backwards and shook their "bushy tails".

Here is Tristan with some of his little friends from class:
And watching himself on the big monitor:And here is his last picture with his teacher, Mrs. Karen. Mrs. Karen, thank you for a GREAT year! Tristan looked forward to going to school every day, and I thank you for your part in that.The very next day, we had to say goodbye to t-ball. TOO much for me! Here are some pictures from Tristan's very last four year old t-ball game. This was the first game where the t-ball teams actually kept score and outs, and let me tell you...when that happens, the dynamic definitely changes. There was LOTS more yelling, lots more tension, and more pressure to perform...for the parents anyway. ;) The kids could care less. They were out there to play.

Now I, being the competetive person that I am (I'm not proud of it), I immediately noticed that the Marlins (the team we were playing) were out doing some serious practice before the game. Here they were:And here we were:Let me point out, in case you missed it, the fact that the only people on their team's side of the field were the kids and the two coaches. Now look back at our team's picture. Do you see the difference. Yep, we had almost every parent from our team out there. Notice anything else? Our kids weren't practicing. Nope. They were picking noses, tackling each other, and throwing their gloves, all the while their parents were catching up with everyone else's parents. HILARIOUS!

Here's another one. Notice one of their coaches came over to meet with the ump to discuss the rules. Again, all of our parents are talking to each other and hanging out.
Check out the other team:
Yep, they were practicing! Ha! Again, I'm pretty competetive and had to go tell the coach's wife (who also happens to be really competetive) and my hubby that maybe someone should be out there warming the boys up while the coaches met with the ump. We both tried, but it never happened. Oh well!The thing is, our boys played AWESOME!!! They did SO well!!! They didn't win; however, it can mainly be attributed to a couple of things...
#1. We had some "parenting" coaching that went bad. Twice in one inning (actually, back to back plays), a parent sent a kid to the next base when they should have stayed where they were. Both times, the kids were literally held for a good 30 seconds, and then as soon as the other team had the ball and was almost at the next base, our parent would send them on. Not only that, but they sent two of our kids that take a little more time rounding the bases. Not the best idea (notice my competetiveness. Again, I'm not proud of it. ). And as I'm sure you've already guessed, the kids were tagged out.
#2. Before the game began, the coaches decided on a limit of four innings or 1 hour and 15 minutes of gametime, whichever came first. At the end of the third, we had some SUPER tired kids, and we were up 17-15. The coaches on the other team (one of whom was extremely competetive and totally inappropriate to be coaching four year olds (you should have heard some of the things he yelled at one of the parents who was on second base helping...) really wanted to play a fourth inning (of course they did, they were losing). There were LITERALLY three minutes left before the time limit...THREE MINUTES. Because we have such AWESOME coaches, they agreed to play another inning. Well, the last inning didn't go so well, and our sweet Cardinals lost the game. Of course, they didn't care. It was just sad for us parents.

It's never fun to lose, but I think it hurt me so much because it meant that t-ball was over. SO SAD! I LOVED t-ball. I loved watching my sweet little man get "baseball ready". I loved watching him strut to the plate to bat (he's a great batter!). I loved watching him dig in the dirt (as I yelled, "Tristan, watch the ball!"). I loved watching the other boys. I LOVED every minute.

Speaking of great batter, here is my great batter. Hitting one out to the field for his team. Tristan, I'm so proud of you!
The end of the game. Here they are going to shake hands with the other team (or slap their hands really hard; depends how you look at it).And running back for the last time together as a team. Next year, they'll be split up. :(Getting hugs from Coach David. Thanks, Coach David, for all you did. You are AWESOME, and we are so proud to have such a great leader and role model for our boys!!!
So yes, t-ball is over, and yes, I bawled all weekend. I loved it, what can I say. I will definitely miss our weekly practices and games. I'll miss our sweet boys. I'll miss hanging out with the new friends we made. This truly was a special team. We had an amazing group of boys and such awesome parents. We had parents who truly cared about all the boys and parents who weren't obnoxious and embarrassing at the games (unless you count me. ;) Kidding! I really wasn't that bad. I don't think...).

What a great season! Next year, word has it the boys have to try out. Have you ever heard of such? Trying out for a five year old t-ball team??? Well, as much as Tristan (and I) loved it, we'll be there!

Some T-Ball Highlights

T-ball season is officially over (I'll post more about that later), so now all I'm left with are memories and pictures. Enjoy!
The picture above is one of my very favorite. It definitely captures the innocence of four year old t-ball. This is Tristan throwing his glove up in the air and waiting for it to fall...during a game. That's right, I'm sure you've seen Chipper Jones do the same thing...right???
In his defense, he and his team were waiting for the opposing team to come up to bat. :)

The picture below is of my sweet little man on second base. See how he's leading off? He's a pro!Here are my two boys at another game...this one against the Braves. I LOVE this picture. I guess because it's got my two sweet boys in it. I don't know what it is about it, but I just love it. Here is one of Asher doing his favorite thing to do at Tristan's games...play! As soon as we would get to a game (or practice for that matter), he would insist on being put down so he could crawl around and get dirty. He LOVED every minute!
Speaking of dirty...
Did I mention that Asher loved getting dirty??? I'm sure there were whispers behind my back, but I didn't care. He was having a good time. Plus, God made dirt, dirt don't hurt...right??? There was no way I was going to keep him away from it. It just made him too happy.See that utter joy?!Yet another great t-ball moment. The glove ON the head. Every game needs a moment with a glove on the head. I'm positive that Derek Jeter does this too. Positive.

Tristan's Very First T-Ball Game

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, Saturday was a SUPER exciting day for our family. It was Tristan's very first t-ball game, and we were all filled with anticipation. We had no idea what the game had in store for us, and had we known it would be so hilarious, I think we would have been even more excited (if that is possible).
So we got to the park, and of course had to get started with some warm ups. Here is my handsome husband with my little t-ball star (isn't my t-ball star SO precious?!). It appears my little star was getting his pants adjusted in between catching ground balls.Here is my handsome hubby supporting his star t-ball player.Before the game got started, Coach D had to make some adjustments with some of the players."On the count of three...1, 2, 3...GOOOOOOOOOOOO CARDINALS!!!"Ok, let me take a break here to tell you about this game. Hilarious doesn't even begin to describe what we experienced during our hour of t-ball Saturday. Watching our boys run and tackle their teammates to get the ball...priceless! I mean, I wasn't sure if I was watching football or t-ball! Our first baseman was in left field, on more than one occasion, to retrieve a ball hit by the opposing team. More than one of our children were tackled by a teammate, only to have the ball stripped from his glove and thrown to a base with no player. The Marlins ran circles around us!

The thing is, our team was on defense first. All of this tackling, playing in the wrong area, and throwing when they should be tagging was going on; however, I was telling myself: "They're four. They don't know any better. It's just for fun." Um, yeah. Then, it was our turn at bat. We hit great, no problem there. The problem was that the Marlins had an awesome defense! The boys stayed in their zones, and they ran and tagged our bases like it was just another day at the beach. Seeing that made me realize our precious boys have some more to learn! I think this week's practice is going to be busy!

Here is a shot of my precious man at third base. He's baseball ready! Oh, and I must mention, my Tristan was the only boy on the team to successfully catch a ground ball and tag someone out (unless I missed something) . Way to go, Tristan!Here he is getting ready for his turn at bat.
Look at that stance! He is my little pro! He had three times at bat during the game, and hit three great balls...all on his first attempts! All that extra practice is paying off. Here he is on first. You guessed it. He's thinking about stealing second. Ok, so we all know that's not what he's thinking. He's probably thinking about that sno cone we passed on the way into the game!I LOVE this shot! My sweet #2!!! I originally requested #10 because Channing was always #10 growing up. I thought it would be cool for them to share that. My cool idea didn't work out. Somehow things got confused, and Tristan ended up #2. I think it suits him, though. :)
Here he is on third, getting some pointers from D.
The end of the game. The boys were SO precious tagging the other team's hands. I LOVED this!!!
Saturday was SO much fun!!! I am loving every second of this t-ball stuff. Tristan is enjoying it so much more than he did soccer, so that makes me happy. I love seeing him do something he enjoys, and something that he seems to do well at. Sadly, we'll miss this week's practice, game, and TEAM PICTURE (that's what hurts the most) because we'll be at Disney World. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to be going, but I am so sad that Tristan will miss a game and his first t-ball team picture. :( Oh well. I guess I'll have to take my own.