Let's Play Ball

Baseball started in April....but it's been a sea of rain, cancellations, delays, postponements, rescheduling, then rescheduling the rescheduled games, storms, wind, etc.  It's been a rough start and making the season quite long actually! We had 7 work days in a row that we had baseball games...which has made for two exhausted parents on our end! Saylor has been a trooper and has surpassed all my expectations though- so that has been a treat!

This is Maddox's first year of playing baseball off the pitch- he has loved it! Mid-season, they let you run more than one base so he's just now getting to do that which is really exciting for him.  He had his first triple last night!

Joey plays in a new league this year too- you play "real" baseball for the most part- with a few minor rules.  He has had his ups and downs- I would say baseball is his third favorite sport right now.  It's not as "action packed" as football and basketball are so it takes some warming up to for Joey. He likes to be on the go all the time.  Here are a few photos of my little leaguers:

We've had a lot of great fans come to the games- cousins, aunts, uncles, gmas, gpas and neighbors. The boys sure are lucky to be so loved.

Joey got a new glove this season- we had told Joey that it was expensive, talked to him about the responsibility of caring for his new glove, etc.  A month into the season, he left it on the field at Maddox's game and when we went back, it was gone- we looked everywhere and checked every lost and found.  Joe was mad, I was mad, Joey was sad....it was a rough night.  The next morning, Joe and I shook off our anger, told Joey it was an accident but next time he loses something, there would be consequences.

Fast forward THREE DAYS.  And, there were consequences.

Joey left his glove behind AGAIN as he went to the concession stands. Luckily, I saw the whole thing unfold, snagged his glove and hid it in my purse and waited until he realized his glove was gone.  After 20 minutes had passed, he realized it and went into full-on panic.  It was {almost} sad watching him look everywhere, knowing his glove was tucked away safely with me.

Besides a long lecture, Joey had the pleasant job of cleaning up bird poop all over our patio.  It was a nasty job and I {almost} felt sorry for him.  The whole time, I sat on the chair sipping my sweet tea as the clouds rolled by.  That night as I proudly told Joe about Joey's punishment, he said "If that's not your father coming out in you, I don't know what is."

The best part was that night we had a little get-together at our house after the baseball game, and I overheard Joey say to his friend Wyatt, "Wyatt, my mom made me scrub bird poop off the floor as my punishment!" Wyatt stopped and stared at him and just looked so disgusted.  Then, Joey said, "It was SO nasty, dude."  Yeah, that's right, Joey, there's more ideas for punishment where that came from. (Like fields of punishment....like in northwest Iowa...).