take me out to the ballgame...

another baseball season has come and thankfully gone!  don't get me wrong...out of all the sports my kids play, this is by far my favorite.  but it is a huge time committment, especially when you have two in two different leagues.  plus, we live in the county, so our games aren't in one place.  they are all over and Limestone county is pretty wide!

we start practices in march and this year we had 4-6 practices per week between the two of them.  (and i'll admit, sometimes we skipped a few of seth's b/c no 6 year old needs to be practicing 3x a week.  i mean, hello?)  last year...before the tornadoes came through...we had a set schedule.  but that changed when some of our baseball fields got ruined and we are down a location in which to play.  that also meant less places to practice.  anyway, we made it through march and with april came our games.  TWENTY SIX OF THEM!  all over God's north Alabama creation.

this little girl was there for every practice and every game (some how we avoided them being at the same time all but once i think!) and do you know that they had the nerve to complain when i made them skip games to go to her little 1 hour end of the year preschool program?  i think i may have given them a right good guilt trip.  i've been that little girl and it's not always fun being dragged here and there, but she went and didn't say much to the contrary (unless i haven't brought the appropriate amount of snacks.  that's a different story.)

the boys did really well this year.  luke only struck out during his first game and he got hits every at bat, every game after that.  and he could really crush it!  he's actually going to baseball camp week after next from 9-2 M-TH and I hope he likes it and learns a few things because next year he'll move up into the kid pitch league.  (how did he get that old??)  he played 2nd base and really loved it and did a great job.  his team was set against several of the number one teams around the county so he got worked hard, but he never complained (they only won 2 games, bless 'em!)

seth played short stop...sort of.  it was his first year at that position and i kind of feel like no one really worked with him on what to do (plus the fact that there is a pitcher that stands right in front of him) but he did what he could and was a go-to hitter, earning the nickname of "crusher".  both coaches wondered what was so different in these kids from last season to this.  the only thing we know of is that they were a year older and had been doing kung fu for several months.  they are learning to move their bodies in different ways and their cores were stronger going into the season (which now that we're back in KF, i can tell that they lost some of that strength during baseball).  but who knows?  (i am certain it has nothing to do with the fact that their mama can still get out there and pitch to them help them with their batting stance and throw with them in the yard!)

now...for any of you mama's out there who get sick and tired of ball park food and hate burning up...i have a couple of things to talk about.

first of all...see that little red wagon and that green sportbrella? 
STOP.
GO GET ONE OF EACH.
TRUST ME.

we have at least 4 chairs to haul around with us to any ballgame.  plus equipment (bat bags or buckets, etc.)  i'm not a pack mule.  enter the best wagon ever.  it is made of a sturdy canvas, it folds up, has a cover and two drink holders, and will pull through the deepest gravel even all loaded down.  we're going to try it at the beach this summer, too!  i found mine at Sam's, but they also have them at K-mart.  we could fit our chairs, the sportbrella, a bat bag, an activity bag, a small cooler and a picnic basket in that thing and it just kept on going!

that part umbrella-part tent thing...got it at Sam's, but you can get them most anywhere now.  SO worth it.  especially if you DO have two games in one place and don't have anywhere to cool off in between (or if the game is at 1 and you have to be there at 1230 and you won't leave until sometime after 2!)  seriously...

and lastly...out of all of those games, there were three in which we ate something from the ball park or picked up fast food.  the rest of those games (23 for those of you still reading and keeping up) i took food from home and saved a jillion dollars by doing so.  do you know that those crazy people charge at least a dollar for a bottle of water and you can buy a case of 48 at Sam's for less than $4?  it ain't rocket science folks.  i won't drone on and on about what all i took, but if you want to know, you are welcome to email me.

we made it through another year and next year they both move up in age groups.  can't wait to see how luke does learning to slide and steal bases and let kids throw balls at him (while his mama cringes.)
ps...Sam's did not pay me to endorse their store or these products, but dang it if they would send a gift card for doing so, that would be awesome b/c we shop there at least bi-weekly!!