Ball Season...

X's THREE & I'm LOVING it!!! 

Miss Tay just had her first game & had a blast!!! Miss Ty is playing rec & tournament ball right now & eating it up!! Trey-Man is in full swing travel tournament ball & is loving learning something new each & every pitch!!! 

Go Tay-Tay!!! Great job, Peanut!!!

Go Ty!!! Here's to a ton of fun!!!

Trey-Man crossing home & winning games! Their sitting at 14 wins & 2 losses & 3 tournament championships already!!! 

Keep it up, Munchkins!!! You keep having a blast & I'll keep cheering you on!!! Hustle. Always.

Baseball action

at Principal Park has been so much fun this year...

We've definitely seen our fair share if great games & been spoiled in the autograph department... 

What a fun season so far...Go I-Cubs!!!

I-Cubby action....

and, now that the weather is getting warmer, the best part of the game for the kiddos was playing in the fountains, of course!!!

But, not before they got a few autographs....

Fountain time!

Checking out the warm-ups....

Oh yeah! 

Peek-A-Boo

This was about as far as this little one would go into the fountain...cutie! (And, due for her 1st haircut!!!)

Ty tried her best to get Tay in a little further....

But it didn't stop her from playing in the water...

View from the fountain area. There seriously is not a bad seat in that stadium...

What's better than watching a baseball game in your swimsuit and blotting your owie with a wet wipe?!?!

FUNGO was a big hit...(And and great idea. We were given a bingo card as we walked into the stadium and then tried to get 5-in-a-row on our cards depending on the line score of the baseball game. For example, we looked for a F-5 on our card and circled it if the batter popped up to the 3rd baseman....)

No game is complete without a pic with Cubby Bear (Tay's still a little too scared)...

and a peek at the Des Moines River....see any fish?!?!

It's always a fun time at Principal Park! 

Wrapping up the 1st part...

of baseball season for Trey Man...

Despite missing the first 5 weeks of the season with a broken thumb, Trey J is having a blast playing baseball and tonight marks the end of the 1st session. He's already signed up for the 2nd session and is super duper pumped that he'll be playing in the 7 & Under group with his buddies from school....

Season pics...the morning after he broke his thumb!!! (And, only ONE game into the season!!!)

Ready to hit...

Gotta love fence pics...

Seeing a little first base action....

Down and Ready...almost!

Working on getting back to the bag instead of just watching the play unfold....great job, Buddy!

Good cut....you got the next one!!!

Keep up the great work, Trey! We've had fun watching and cheering you on. Here's to a great 2nd season and let's stay away from those broken bones, okay Dude?!?!?

Lots of Hugs and BUNCHES of love!!!

~Mommy

I-Cubbies....

are another one the family go-to activities! We definitely head over to the park whenever we get the opportunity. The kiddos (and Daddy!) love going early in order to get autographs....

Not bad for a Sunday afternoon!!!

Baseball FUN!

Trey is officially a ballplayer!!

Knowing how much I absolutely LOVE anything softball, it's been music to my ears to hear Trey getting all pumped up and excited about his games. As a mother, I obviously want my children to find something they love and something that keeps them focused and on the right track. Maybe it will be sports, maybe it won't be, but either way....staying involved is a great way to learn life skills and that inner drive.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this 6 and under coaches pitch season...especially considering that Trey's initial reaction was NOT excitement. His exact words were, "I don't want to play baseball! I just wish I was old so I could be lazy!!"

Ugh!!! My initial thought was, "Oh no, he's never going to want to play!" and I would have put money on the fact that this entire season was going to be a battle. But, being the determined person I am, I just had to expose him to this game. Up to this point, he'd only played 3 year-old T-ball and a little Smart Start program where we (him & I) practiced skills in a rotation setting. No actual game action and I couldn't let him not get a chance to play some "real" games. After that, the decision would be (mainly) his!!!

Needless to say...I've been proven wrong and the second Trey saw that other kindergartners he knew were playing on his team and against his team, he was SOLD!

Since that second...he's been pumped about every game, has done his best to hustle and listen to his coaches, has learned to "get ready" for the ball in the field, and has managed to quickly figure out that it's much easier to put his glove and hat together in the same spot while he's hitting, if he plans on finding them again!

He hasn't complained one time and I'm super pumped that I went ahead and signed him up despite his initial not "wanting to play" attitude!!! We are only two games into the season and I know there's the possibility he might change his mind in the future....but I just hope it's not before he learns to love the game...I LOVE WATCHING HIM PLAY!!!!

Here's a little shot of his first official at-bat as a ball player!!! (Believe it or not, I really had set the mini Mom-goal of not barking advice from the stands....which I fell waaaaaay short of meeting!!) Oh well, he'll just have to get used to it!!!

Way to go, Trey Man!!! Contact and a nice hustle down the line!!! (Tay made the video, too....she's the one that decided to tug my shirt off my shoulder mid video shoot. Yes, I am telling her "No!" in the background ;)

Waiting for his turn to bat....GO #6!!! (The tee is all ready if they aren't successful hitting the coach's pitches....) Trey's only needed to use the tee once, which is something he's totally proud of!!!

At the end of his first game...definitely proud of himself!!!

Shaking hands...."Good Game!"

Trey Man....Keep up the fabulous work and always remember the two BIG rules: Have FUN and HUSTLE! I'm so proud of you and all the progress you are making. Remember to always give things a chance and give 110%! You'll find something you absolutely love and I'll be here supporting you all the way!! Go Yankees!!! And, to answer your most recent question....YES! You can play again next summer!

I love you bunches and bunches!!

~Mommy

PS....I LOVE the fact that you asked me that question!!!

Go YANKEES!!!

And, I don't mean the MLB team found in New York!!! (You all know I'm a Cardinal's fan anyway!!!)

Trey's officially started the Spring/Summer season of 6 and under coaches pitch baseball and he's on the Yankees. He's sporting number 6 and seems to already be having a blast and learning lots!

Our number one goal is to have FUN and learn something new each time we play. Something that we actually remember and put to practice when we are playing in the yard/park and improve on in the next game. Tonight marked his second practice and they had fun working on grounders, hitting batting practice, and getting in some tee work. It was so cute watching him out there....with a bunch of other five and six year-olds that are pretty much all in the same boat.

I forgot my camera (I know, VERY unlike me) for BOTH practices so far, but I promise to snap a few pics at the next practice. They only have one more and then the real fun begins. 12 games from now until the end of June....I think there's lots of fun in store for this little group!!

I did sneak a few pics at the team photo session this past weekend. I have to say that they were all looking pretty sharp....

Trey Man waiting for his team to get the call. He's excited to put his baseball glove from PaPa Steve to good use this season!!!

The boys checking out all the gear they had in common....and, I have to say, that listening to these boys have some major discussions was hilarious!!! So neat to see all their little personalities and see Trey making some new friends up here....

Still waiting...so patient!!!

Group pic time.....great shot, guys!!!

Posing for the individual shot....

And, we ended with a trip over to the school grounds for a little swinging :) Can't beat that...and all taken care of before 9 am.

After the pics and quick trip to the grocery store, the kids and I were off to cheer Jason on at his power lifting meet. Unfortunately, there were SO many people signed up for the meet that Jason had to wait around over 5 hours to lift. We didn't even get to see one of his lifts, but we get to see him!!!!

Go Daddy!!! We are proud of you and bummed we missed your lifts. Although, I'm sure it was waaaay easier to focus your thoughts once we made our "quiet" exit....

Judging from the above pics, which included Tylee serenading the audience, after she wore out her coloring hand, and Tay-Tay suffering from a major case of "Mommy forgot the Binky," but I've eaten every snack in the bag, blues...you can tell it was definitely time to wish Daddy the best and be on our merry, ready for a nap, way!!!

So, Daddy....keep rocking the weights and the power-lifting world and Trey Man, keep working hard at baseball practice. I know the games will be a blast and, you just never know, you may grow to love the sport!!! I'm super proud of you both and am excited for the many more meet and game watching moments in my future!!!! 

Love you BUNCHES!!!