Baseball Season is Here Again!

Spring brings new leaves and flowers, camping weather and BASEBALL!!  We really enjoyed Archie's last season, but this season brought about some changes.  The past two years, Archie has been playing 'up' a year because there were not enough boys to make a team in his proper age group at the community park we had chosen to play at.  The coach from last year chose to move up yet another level (there was an option of staying the same level) so we and a few others chose to remain in the same age-group as last year. Our thinking was that we wanted to keep Archie in the proper year to level the playing field for him, so to speak.  In other words, Archie is playing with (and against) 10 and 11 year old kids, rather than 12 year old kids.  

Unfortunately, no one ended up on the same team as Archie from last year.  Not one kid!!!  We ended up on a team of kids who moved to our community park this year from another community park at which they were unhappy last year.  This means that once again, we are the new kid amongst a whole team of kids who already knew each other and have played together for at least season, and go to school together to boot.  *sigh*  We are always, always starting over brand new and it is exhausting!

Last year, we enjoyed some families more than others that we played with, but they were all pretty much just folks.  People with much the same lifestyle as us, somewhat similar discipline styles, etc. Becoming a 'baseball Mom' was a bit of an adjustment for me at first, but by the second season at this park I felt I had grown into it.  

I noticed that we were the odd folks out when I drove to the new coach's house to get Archie fitted for the uniform.  It was an enormous mcmansion type of house and all the kitchen appliances were brand-spiffy new and very obviously did not come from the Re-Store.  They had all-matching furniture, fancy electronic equipment and Archie was quite taken with their "huge, awesome" basement which was nicely finished with fancy stuff in it.  He tried on the uniform down there...I didn't get to see this awesome basement for myself.  Most of the kids on the team have fancy names like 'Tristan' or 'Brayden'.  Phillip and I were discussing this recently, and we decided that even though Phillip has a white-collar job, we are very much blue-collar folks with blue-collar attitudes.  Many of the people on this team seem to have white-collar jobs with both parents working, and seem to be white-collar people.  

Phillip was disappointed that he didn't get to help with the coaching, as there are already three guys helping.  They all worked together from last season.  I viewed this as somewhat positive, because on occasion I need him to be assistant-coaching MY team (of little kids).  But I know how much he enjoyed helping last year, so I was a little sad for him too.  He would get more excited than the kids!  The parents got quite a kick out of him jumping around, yelling and waving the kids on at third base!

So here we are, starting over yet again.  It was probably the best decision for Archie.  He is having a good season so far.  They are playing a pre-season tournament right now and Archie has gotten on base a couple of times, scored a run, and an RBI.  He has done some good fielding at second base, and only got caught once studying his fingernails instead of watching the ball!  :-)  

Baseball takes up quite a lot of time in the spring with two practices per week, plus the game.  It was hard at first for me to sacrifice that much time on one activity, but I have learned to enjoy it. Especially now that Miss Lydia is walking around by herself quite well and is more independent than last year!  Lawrence and Lydia have a blast when we go to the ball park for games or practices! 

Here is Archie at bat.  We are still awaiting baseball uniform pants which are due to arrive this Saturday.

Archie was taking his lead at third base here.

And getting ready to run home!  

The good thing about baseball is that Lawrence and Lydia get quite a bit of outside time!

The weather has been so weird this year.  The game where I took these pictures of Lawrence and Lydia was extremely hot (close to 90 degrees).  It was so hot, that Lawrence very dramatically crumpled down on the picnic blanket and told me that he COULD NOT stay at this game and he HAD to go home!  I was pouring cold water on the little kids' heads to keep them cool!  The game that was only two days later, we were bundled in blankets and nursing stuffy noses afterward.  Go figure.