Sunday, July 08, 2012

T-ball

We haven't had much time for blogging these past 2 months, what with the end of school and start of summer vacation, 4 different groups of house guests, and the beautiful weather pulling us outside...so we'll attempt to catch up now that things have calmed down a bit (for now).

This was the first year our family has participate in organized sports.  I've put it off until now, not wanting to make yet another time commitment to detract from our limited family time.  But Grins, it seems, was BORN to play sports.  It runs in his veins.  I finally realized that me playing catcher, first-baseman, second-baseman, third-baseman and short stop while he was up for bat was no longer cutting it, and decided that he might benefit from playing on an actual team.  And did he ever love it!  He is definitely a natural.  I'll admit that I'm biased, but hearing other parents say "Wow!  That kid has got an arm!" or "Oh wow - what a hit!" confirmed that he does seem to have found his 'thing'.  Angel played too and seemed to enjoy it as well, though she would probably have preferred to play on the playground if she'd had her choice.  And Wiggles was such a good sport, patiently watching from the sidelines with me.

Our team was "B & G Commercial Sweeping", in the Deering Little League.  Our coaches were wonderfully patient and kind, and the atmosphere was geared much more toward learning and much less toward competition, which was perfect!



Deering Little League hosts a parade to kick off the season:



Grins at bat:

He took it very seriously:

And occasionally may have tried to show off a bit....

I was so proud of Angel!  T-ball (and sports in general) doesn't come naturally to her, and she was quite nervous initially.  She really overcame her insecurities and got out there and gave it her best, even when she would have rather been playing, or reading on the sidelines with me and Wiggles.  And she improved a lot due to her courage and efforts!


Grins running a home run.

The line up....Angel's first

Grins as catcher

Angel in the outfield

Grins makes the funniest faces when he's focused!

My favorite part of the whole season was the last game!  The weather was cold and cloudy and threatening to rain, but our stalwart team braved the weather, not wanting to miss our last game of the season! (They don't reschedule games in T-ball, apparently).  We all showed up and waited, and waited....and the other team never showed up!  We assume the game may have been cancelled but we hadn't been notified - but we decided to go out with a bang, with a Parents vs. B&G game.  It could not have been more fun!  The kids were of course thrilled to see me up to bat (and seemed a bit too eager to try to get me out) - and the Mr. even showed up before the game was through and got to participate as well!

Both kiddos in action!

Coach up to bat - note Angel as short stop in her "ready" pose (bent over).  Grins is in front of her.

Parents in the outfield with Angel on first.

The Mr. takes a turn.

Sweet Wiggles, ever so patient on the sidelines.

Wiggles finally got to participate a little (though she shied away from batting during the game)
Wiggles patiently sat on the bench with her glove on, waiting for her turn to play...

And finally just decided to stretch out and relax.

The line up for high-5s at the end:


2-4-6-8-Who do we appreciate? B & G!!!

Angel finally gets her wish - playground time! :)

A great season!  We are already looking forward to next year!

1 comment:

Mary said...

What an awesome swinging stance, Grins!! Every picture shows his athleticism...just like his dad. (...and mom :)?)

Angel was sweet, and it was fun to see her so engaged in a game she was new to. Most of my kids can TOTALLY relate to her preference of the playground :).

LOVED the picture of Wiggles on the side with her mitt! How absolutely adorable!