Baseball Is Everywhere...

...Even at Friend Bday Parties!

{And I figured I better post this before we start baseball again!  Yes, he is playing soccer this fall season, but he is also on a travel baseball team.  I know what you're thinking, but it's a very friendly, family oriented, very understanding and accommodating travel team... with the same coaches as his White Sox team.  It'll be a great experience, and we won't make it to all the tournaments, practices, etc. but it is the start for him.  He's the youngest player recruited to the team!}
With that said, here's the rundown of the spring season:
*Practice started in mid-February.
*They won most of their games!
*They got into playoffs!
*They were faced with a situation where they were awarded a low seed for the playoff season, but still faced a double elimination tournament.  They lost one, and headed to an early morning Saturday game with the knowledge that to get into the World Series for their Pony League they had to win not one or two games that very day, but all 3!  Yes, they had to win 3 games in one day to make it.  None of us ever thought it would happen, BUT...
IT DID!!!
They played amazing and had tons of fun, and got themselves into the World Series facing the Braves!
*World Series was a best of 3 only series.  They lost the first... and it was a blowout.  {The Braves were made up of kids that their coach had paid for and had been on his TRAVEL team for over a year... they had taken STATE the year before, so there's nothing to take from them.  They are a talented group with a very serious and demanding coach.}  And then they lost the second, but only by 1 run.  They gave them a good run for their money, and in the end, they were just so happy to have made it!  They got a big trophy each and celebrated in style!
*All Stars began, and Braeden was selected to play!  Same coaching staff!  Youngest kid on the team... by a ways!  Yep... he's pretty good.  And I can brag; I'm his mother!  He's a stinker, but he's a good baseball player!
*An All Star sanction team began and he was recruited for that, as well, but... I wouldn't let him do it.  We were to be gone for the majority of the summer and that's when it was.  :o(  But... family is more important, and while my kids still love going to Utah, we will still do it.  I haven't missed more than two or three 4th of July's in my LIFE, and I'm not about to start now.  Not because of baseball... for my 7 yr. old.  He has time!
*And now here we are in mid-August, and practice for the travel team begins again this weekend!  Wish us luck!  They are really great and know that we won't practice or play games on Sunday's and they are not only okay with that, but still want him on the team!  :o)

So... not only the pix from his friend's birthday party, but some of my favorite clips from the season!  Enjoy!
{We'll start with the birthday party... where they boys are STILL playing baseball despite the fact that there are other fun things to do.  Baseball it is.  All the time.}
This was from the 28th of April, 2012.

Cameron is the birthday boy... and is always playing ball!  :o)

Braeden trying to get Will "OUT" before he makes it home! 

A good game... not super fair or perfectly organized, but so much FUN!  This is what playing the game is really about!

Cameron, Nate, and Braeden

It might be just a little awkward to try and hit the ball with Nate right under his legs!  Haha.  These two are the goofiest kids that were on the White Sox team... for sure!

Chris and Diego... um... I don't think this is supposed to happen...

...so Coach Al is there to fix the problem...

...only to find that they have done it again...  Stinkers!

Braeden and Cameron and Diego, I think, with girls I don't know in the background.  Jumpy houses are REALLY HOT when it's even warm outside in the sun.  They were all soooo sweaty and nasty.  But... they had a great time!

More baseball... and Coach Al is being called "OUT!!!!" by his two boys!  Haha!  ;o)

I was really surprised he didn't get it the rest of the way open!  He gave it the what for!  Nice swing, Braeden!!

Regular season pictures!  His hat is always dirty... and his uniform is beyond repair at the end of the season!  He plays hard!

This is the pitcher!  He will do another Spring season of machine pitch with TYB, but the travel team is kid pitch, so he'll be doing both!

He gives it everything he's got.

Coach Al pitching the ball.  Love it!

Team pennants.  And at the end... everyone get's to take their own home!

Hmmm... where's Ella??  I think Macee is under there, too! 

On third and ready to run home!!

And it's always fun to have family come for the games once in a while, too!  {And yes... Colleen is covered and cold!  It does get cold in the evenings at the sports park in the spring!!}  Lexi, Colleen, and John!

Ella having fun with Colleen while John tries his best to pay attention to the game!

Damian helping in the dugout!

Nice catch!  The runner was out on this one!!  Yay! 

He CAN be speedy!  But notice that the little guy playing short stop could have easily tagged him out and possibly made a double play!  Good thing they're only 7 & 8!  He's safe at 3rd!

Sliding is Braeden's favorite part of the sport, I'm pretty sure!  He slides into every base but first if he can!

Will and Braeden

Damian started some nonsense during warmup... just watch!  {See he's thrown the ball into the middle of the group of boys...??}

Yes, some give up and don't even pay attention, but there are a few who are super competitive!  Will, Braeden, and Cameron, to be exact in this picture!  ;o)

Whoa!  It's actually in there!  Yay!  ;o)

These two didn't always like having to go to games and practice all the time, but they were pretty good about it!  And they snuggled when the games got really chilly!  Love them!

Sliding home!

The siblings... mostly composed of sisters, were really great at entertaining not only themselves, but each other...  you'll see what I mean in the pictures to come!  This is Lexi climbing a tree... which you know by now is just as natural as walking down the street for her!

Yep... baseball bores her out of her mind!  She's cute, though, so I'll keep her!  ;o)

Emily, who is Will's older sister, had all the kids riding down the hill in the wagon.  Fun... and a little dangerous... but FUN!

Lexi and Ella!  They crack me up!  I turned around from the game just in time to capture a bunch of them doing this!

Haul it back up the hill for MORE!

Emily {standing} will make a great mom someday!  She is great with all the kids!  She has Ella, Claire {her sister,} and Hannah in a train ready to roll down the hill!

Gma Pam and Lexi!

Emily, Sammy, Ella, Hannah, and Lexi... just trying to endure the rest of the game!

Playoffs = more PLAYTIME!!  L to R:  Claire, Lexi, Ella, Emily, and Sammy... running down the hill!

Um...  this is not a good sign.  Haha!  Lexi is actually really trying to fix the problem at hand!  Ella, Zephan's twin siblings, and Claire are just hoping she can remedy this mess!

It's a scuffle and a scramble, but he's got it!!  See it in his hand??  He was able to toss it to 2nd and get the runner out!

I had brought ice cream sandwiches and otter pops for the kids.  This is the day we had 3 games in a row... and won all of them!!!

Most of the team even went to lunch together before the last game!  Round Table pizza... yum!  This is Coach Al, his wife, Amy, Braeden, and Jacob {who is not their son... their two boys are off somewhere else!}

Gma Pam and Lexi enjoying some much needed sustenance!  {Ella sat at a table with Emily and Claire... and Lexi would have, but there just wasn't room...}

All the little sisters... trying to make fire while they ENDURE the game.  Glad they didn't actually rub fast and long enough to create an actual spark!  Haha!

A fabulous team!  Starting from LtoR  front to back:  Braeden, Jacob, Nate, Diego, Tyler  {middle} Joseph, Chris, Will, Luke, Cameron, and Zephan  {back} Diego's dad, Coach Al {who is Nate and Chris's dad,} Coach Mark {who is Will's dad,} Sammy and Coach Chad {who is Cameron's sister and dad,} and Joseph's dad!

I have to say that there's not a huge size difference between 1st and 2nd!  Either way, it's too big for the space we have!  Haha!

Embarrassed... a little!

Yay!

Braeden and Luke Jacobsen, his good friend.  {Who is also the one who hit the ball hard enough to give B a black eye!}

Braeden and Coach Al.  He was the manager/head coach.  Fabulous!

Braeden and Coach Mark.

Braeden and Coach Chad.  And this is true to character for both of them!

Thank you, White Sox!  It was a great season, and it was so great to feel more like a family than just a show-up-play-a-game-and-go-home team!