Joshua, the Ace

On Friday night, September 26, Joshua and his team won their first game 9-5! Not only did they win, but Joshua went 1 for 2 with a walk and a run scored. He ALSO pitched both innings and struck out 6 batters! (In Pee Wee, the first 2 innings are pitched by a machine, and then kids pitch the last 2 innings.) He was the winning pitcher!

And, to top it all off, we got to meet Andruw Jones! He was there watching his son play Tball, the game before Joshua's. He was just sitting there. I freaked! I'm so glad I recognized him. After his son's game, all the kids went up to him and got his autograph. So I met him and shook his hand and got 2 autographed baseballs. It was a great night!

Zach also had a game that night. He did really well. He's learning to hit and field. His favorite part of the game is talking though. He'll talk to whoever is next to him whether he's in the field or on base. We think he might try soccer in the spring.

Braves Game Sept 21, 2008

Joshua wanted to go to a Braves game for his 8th birthday. So , we did! You didn't have to twist our arms! We ended up going to the last home game of the season vs. the Mets. We won. Yay! We were very excited to discover that there would be an alumni meet and greet before the game. That is when they have former Braves players signing autographs at the stadium. Well, it just so happened that, on this day, the alumni were Bob Horner and Gene Garber. Maybe that doesn't mean much to some people reading this. But to others, you understand it's a big deal. Bob Horner is Steven's absolute favorite Braves player of all time. And Gene Garber was my absolute favorite pitcher growing up. (My sister's too. And that is saying a lot because she's never really been a big baseball fan.)

We weren't able to meet them face to face because, by the time we got there, they had cut off the autograph line. However, after Steven stated his complaint to Guest Relations, they brought us a few autographed items later. But we did get to participate in a question/answer session with them. Steven got to ask Bob and Gene a question. So Steven was talking to his boyhood hero. And, we met Gene Garber's wife and talked to her for a bit. It was great!

Then we headed to the field to watch the Mets warm up. We didn't get any fly balls, but it wasn't for lack of trying. You'd think they would throw some balls to my adorable children. But it appears as though the sexy girls win out.

The game was great! We won and very much enjoyed watching it. Afterward, for Fan Appreciation Weekend, there was a free Travis Tritt concert. Those of you who know me and my family know that I like country music....Steven does NOT. The kids couldn't really care less. They know who Garth Brooks is, but that's about it. But Steven knew that it would mean a lot to me, so we stayed. Travis Tritt was one of my dad's favorite country artists. "Here's a Quarter" was one of his favorite songs. So we stayed long enough to hear Travis sing that and "Anymore", which was one of my mom's favorites. Then we had to go. By then we had been at the stadium for about 8 hours.

As you can see, Elijah didn't really care for the music. With not having a nap, he zonked out right as the concert began. Zach fell asleep also on Steven's lap. It was a hoot! But some very nice snuggle time. They woke up in time for us to head home. It was a great family day!

Joshua turns 8! Can you believe it?!

I sure can't. He's still my first born, but no longer my baby. Joshua is now 8 years old and in 2nd grade. On his birthday, we watched some video of him as a baby. (I have several tapes of it, seeing as he is the first and all. Probably have nothing of Elijah. Sorry!) I can't believe how time flies! He was such a precious baby! Who has now turned into a very handsome young man. So much so, that he has girls chasing him at school. Yes, I was somewhat unprepared for that to happen so early. But we can deal with it. He still isn't interested. Thanks goodness!

Next week we are going to the Braves game. That is what Joshua wanted to do for his birthday. But we also wanted him to be able to spend some time with friends. So, we had a small party for him. He invited 3-4 friends who came over and played games and had cake and ice cream. It was a lot of fun.

Even Elijah and Zach got in on the fun.

It's just hard to believe that he is growing up so fast. He is using words that most 2nd graders don't even know. (Don't worry, not curse words!) He is so intelligent and so versed in baseball. After all these years, he is still immersed in baseball cards and want to be a major leaguer when he grows up. We are trying to help him achieve that dream as much as we can. We love him very much and consider ourselves blessed to be his parents!

Fall Baseball - Zach's first game ever!

Well, it finally happened! After watching Joshua play Tball/Baseball for 4 years, Zach finally got his turn! We signed the boys up for Fall ball this year so Zach could play and Joshua could get some practice. Zach got an actual uniform! He was so excited that he wanted to put it on as soon as he brought it home from practice. It was so cute! He looks great in it!

We got him an equipment bag, glove, bat and helmet...just like Joshua has. He is so pumped! His first game was this past Friday. As you can see, he's very happy to be there. There are quite a few kids on his team, so he only got in one at bat during the game. Here he is waiting in the dugout and then on deck.

In this Tball lleague, the coach throws 3 pitches to give the kids a chance to hit the ball. If they don't hit a pitch, then they get to hit off the T. Zach got his first hit ever in his first game ever off of one of the pitches! He ran to first base! It was precious!

Then it was Joshua's turn. He was very ready to get back out on the field. With fewer kids playing in the fall league, he's hoping to pitch, play first base, and even try catching!

He did great! He did get to pitch, catch, play first and shortstop. And, he got a hit on his first at bat!

It was a VERY busy weekend. Friday night, Zach had a game in Duluth at 6 and Joshua had a game in Suwanee at 7:30. We were at it again on Saturday morning with Zach's game at 9:30. We came home for about an hour and went back out for Joshua's game at 12:30. Poor Elijah! He is just getting dragged from park to park. But he found a way to pass the time. Just give him a ball! After all, he's my son!

And Joshua got to keep score for one of Zach's games. He loved that!