Baseball in full swing!

Stephen is having a great time in baseball. He is learning to hit off a machine throwing the ball, getting better at catching and throwing like a champ. His biggest supporters besides his mommy are his brothers attending all his games. Shaun is a hit with the other moms and Scottie has some friends he plays with during the games and practices. Closing of the season is June 16, look for another post on base ball then!

Baseball Starts!

Stephen is on the Blue Claws this season and he is really excited! This weekend will be his first game. He has been practicing this past month and learning to hit the ball off of a machine pitching to him. I think he is doing well and his glasses sure help!

Baseball season starts!

Spring Baseball started this weekend! Stephen was so excited as he learned that he would be on the Blue Claws in the machine pitch league. This is a step up from last year in tee ball. He has one guy from his team (the Bats) named Porter on his team again this year. He is looking forward to the season and the practices.

Little league held a clinic for the younger kids this past Saturday. Stephen worked on base running, catching and throwing, hitting and learned more of the rules of baseball. (tee ball has a whole set of rules that are different from baseball~ like there are no outs and everyone hits.)

Scottie had a friend at the park, a family from Church, that we play with a lot. They had a good time playing swords with sticks and eating snacks while they watched their big brothers play baseball.

We are looking forward to this season, watching Stephen learn the game he loves so much since he was a toddler. His practices are Friday nights and Saturday afternoons until the season starts. Look for more baseball updates!!

Stephen with his biggest fan!

We have finally had a couple of baseball games! The weather has held off or dried out enough that Stephen has played in 3 games. Stephen is on a t-ball team called the Bats. His favorite position is "the pitcher's mount" and he also likes to catch! It is the perfect combination if you ask me. He is so excited when it is baseball day and looks forward to playing. He is hitting the ball well, can throw pretty far, and is working on catching. He is just loving his first experience with organized sports!

This is one of Stephen's favorite parts, saying "Good game" and slapping hands!

He doesn't just run through the base, he jumps on it!

Just look at his form!! A chip off the old block!

T-ball is not just an experience for him, but for his parents too! There are no outs, everyone bats, everyone runs all the bases... which is a little hard for Daddy since he enjoys watching Major League baseball. But it is instilling the basic principles of the game, run to first, then second, third and home, throw to first, keep your eye on the ball, don't be scared of the ball, teamwork, good sportsmanship, and other great baseball qualities so they will be prepared to go up to the next league. This will be a fun season, as I love to watch Stephen play a game he loves, get to know some new kids (and parents), and learn new skills. Keep watching for more updates on baseball!

Taking after Mommy

The last practice we had was a blast... The kids scrimmaged another team and this time we put on all the gear, learned what a batting order was, how to rotate on the field, run through bases and just how to play a t-ball game. Coach asked the kids who would like to play catcher for an entire inning and only two kids volunteered... One was Stephen!! I was so excited because that was my position when I played Little League and I think he enjoyed himself... (although the mask was a little big and it made it hard for him to see!) We will see if we have another catcher in our midst or if he will go back to his love since he was 2 years old... PITCHING! I look forward to this weekend as it is Opening Day on Saturday and we have our first official game (well at least as far as t-ball goes)... there are no outs, no scores, and everyone bats and runs the bases. I will be interested in seeing how Peter handles it since he is such a competitive spirit! Looking forward to this season and seeing how much Stephen improves his skills!

Sports begin....

So this past weekend we had our first sports practice with our kids. Stephen is on a T-ball team called the Bats and we are so excited. Since Stephen was 2 years old he was throwing a baseball (like a pitcher) and has been interested in baseball ever since. We signed him up this year to play t-ball and even though we have only had one practice, it has grown his love for the sport even more. Saturday was our first practice, and the coach is a neighbor so she even let Scottie participate in the practice. The coaches are great with the kids. Stephen learned about trapping the ball, running the bases, throwing properly and hitting off the tee. Some of these skills we have practiced in the front yard but others we are sure glad he is in t-ball for. He wants to learn to catch a ball this season and I think he will! He hit the ball the farthest this practice and was very proud. I look forward to updating you on the season but for now here are some pics of our first practice!!

Boys Day Out!

Peter is a Mariner's fan.  Understatement of the year. So one time a year, when the Mariners make the trip to Baltimore, Peter will be in the stands at Camden Yards  with his Mariner's jersey on with at least one family member.  This year given that it was a night game starting at 7:05, Peter had Stephen join him since he is the "big brother."  This was a special time for the two of them, sharing in the team Daddy loves with the sport his eldest son loves (Stephen wants to be a pitcher when he grows up.)  It was also special because Ken Griffey Jr. returned to the Mariner's lineup this season, which will probably be his last, and is one of Peter's favorite players besides Itchero Suzuki. A good report came home to Mom and Scott- both in bed and asleep when the boys returned- that the Mariner's won the game 4-1 over the Orioles. Stephen loved the time alone with his dad, watching the game, sharing pretzels, peanuts, hot dogs, and sodas. If it was not a yearly tradition before, I believe we have one now... Only next time hopefully we will all be able to go!