The Boys of Summer

Warm weather, lush, green parks--nothing feels like summer quite like sitting on the edge of a diamond-shaped playing field, cheering on tanned children with sun-bleached hair.  There certainly wasn't a shortage of opportunities for Jason and I to do just that, with three boys involved in baseball and kickball this season.  I'll admit.  It's a good way to spend a portion of those lazy summer days.

Brevin participated in his second year of baseball in the Mustang league and was one of the older players on his team.  His coach often had him play first baseman, and he was able to see quite a bit of playtime action because of that.  His team, the Diamondbacks, had a relatively successful season and played into the post-season loosing in a close game in the semi-finals.

Garrett was able to start kickball this summer.  The main objective of this league is to introduce the children to the concept of base running and passing.  It is supposed to help with the transition to t-ball the following year, and it is very entertaining to watch.

It wasn't all spectating for Jason this summer.  He signed on to be the coach for Spencer's coach-pitch team for a second year.  All their practicing together really paid off.  As you can see from the pictures, Spencer was able to hit his pitches into the outfield nearly every time.

This post authored by Amber

Performing on the Track and on the Stage

It was quite a busy day for Brevin.  He started the morning competing in Hershey Track, then ended with two performances of his school musical, The Emperor's New Clothes.  Jason and I were thrilled to see how well he performed in both.

Hershey Track

Brevin ran the 50m dash and easily won in his first heat and advanced to the semi-finals.  He narrowly pulled out a first place victory in his semi-final heat, but his time did not qualify him to run in the finals.

Brevin also competed in the 100m dash, and his results were almost identical.  He took first place in his first heat by a long distance.  He took first place in his semi-final heat, but his time, once again, placed him just outside of the finals. Even though he didn't pull off an overall victory, Jason and I still had such a fun time watching him compete.  He really did us proud.
 

The Emperor's New Clothes

Despite a morning with all that running, Brevin was still energetic on stage as he performed in the school musical.  They had an afternoon show and an evening performance, so it really was a packed day. 

This was Brevin's first year to even be allowed to audition for the show, and he was pretty excited to be selected as a chorus member.  For  three months leading up to the show, he had participated in after school rehearsals under the direction of Spencer's second grade teacher, Miss Winkel.

Art City Elementary has quite the reputation for putting on a spectacular show each year.  I know.  I've had the privilege of attending a number of them in the past, but it is all the more exciting to have your own child in the play.  Brevin looked so handsome on stage, and he had a wonderful time.  I was glad our family, including Jason's parents, were all able to watch him and encourage him in this, his theatrical debut. Once again, he really did us proud.

This post authored by Amber

Brevin's Basketball Season

Brevin participated in Jr. Jazz basketball this winter as a member of the Pacers team.  Chad Hall was his coach and Jason was the assistant coach.  Brevin was excited to be on a team with his good friend and fellow classmate, Brian.

I guess it's safe to say that Brevin seems to take after Jason when it comes to the sport of basketball.  He is very comfortable on the court and adapts remarkably to the quick game pace.  He shoots consistently well, he plays hard defense, and he seems to really enjoy himself as he plays.  I enjoyed watching him play and witnessed the improvement to his form and technique over the course of a season.  He's a great little basketball player.

This post authored by Amber

He Shoots. He Scores.

I think the post title pretty much sums up Spencer's second season playing Jr. Jazz basketball.  Basketball really seems to suit him very well.  He moves on the court with fluidity and ease, he watches constantly for the open teammate to pass to, and he is an effective defender as well.  He's really entertaining to watch.

While I can't take credit for Spencer's God-given, natural abilities, I can be given my dues for trying to cheer him on and watch most of his games while wrestling with wiggly, younger siblings who want to run laps around the gym.   I can also take credit for the photos and video I managed to get that capture him in action and verify my words of boasting (although the pictures didn't turn out that great.  The lighting in the gym is terrible for photography novices like me). Jason can claim partial responsibility for Spencer's success, though.  He was his coach, after all.  (He was also very likely the primary genetic contributor to Spencer's talent pool.)

At the end of the season, Spencer's team was playing so well together and all players had improved their skills.  They also bonded as friends and had a great time learning and playing the game of basketball.  It turned out to be a fabulous sports season.

 This post authored by Amber

Yeah, I Guess You Could Call Me a Soccer Mom

   

 

(And while you're at it, you might as well call Jason "Coach.")

 

Recreational athletics give our family a wonderful opportunity to spend time together, cheering each other on in personal achievements and supporting each other through team failures.  Our children are active and get a healthy dose of sportsmanship practice.  Overall, we have a really good time being involved.

 

In fact, Jason enjoys being involved so much, he has been a coach a number of times.  This year, he signed up to coach Garrett's cub soccer team and then was asked by the recreation department to coach Spencer's also.  I would have had to "put my foot down" if he coached Brevin's flag football team as well.  Thankfully, I didn't have to.  I did, however, have to attend both coaches meetings and initiate and run soccer practices for both teams at the beginning of the season while Jason was on a week-long business trip to Japan.  That was quite an adventure. 

 

Boy, I'm telling you!  Cub soccer is where it's at!  Games are short, there are no goal keepers, the atmosphere is light and positive, and the children are hilarious to watch.  Most video footage I tried to capture during the games is ruined by my incessant shaking due to laughter.  It is so funny to watch Garrett run around, working his tongue in and out of his mouth as he chases shadows on the field.  He kept very much to the outer perimeter of the group cluster during most of the game time, but we did manage to snap a photo or two of him in the middle of the action:

 

Spencer was a part of a U-10 team that was young, and most of the kids were playing with each other for the first time. Many other teams had been together for a year.  They had a lot of raw talent, though, but they were challenging to coach. Jason and I would work both sides of the field, trying to give encouragement and make players aware of where they were on the field.  In the games that they were successful, it often boiled down to playing positions properly. As the season progressed, one thing was very obvious.  Spencer was skilled at working the field and controlling the ball.  He had several goals for the season, averaging one per game. I know I'm his mother, and all, but I was legitimately impressed: 

(Now, lest you think we were running around like crazy, please know that the soccer seasons only overlapped a little with the flag football season and were not going on simultaneously.)

Brevin's flag football season had a record almost opposite to that of last year.  Last year his team was undefeated in the regular season and played for the championship in the Super Bowl, losing in a very close game to an equally talented team.  While he was still on the Packers team this year, many of his teammates had moved on to the next level and he even had a new coach.  They finished second to last this time around.  Even so, it was an incredible experience. Brevin's team was greatly improved over the course of the season.  They maintained a positive attitude the entire time, and they even had some really unforgettable moments at the hand of some sweet trick plays.  I was grateful he had the experience of being on both ends of the win/loss spectrum and could learn to be a good sport during both circumstances.  I guess the losses were softened quite a bit by the fact that Brevin had more playing opportunities and scored seven touchdowns for the season.  By my measuring stick, it was a successful year.

These next four photos are a time-lapse of one of Brevin's touchdowns:

 

This post authored by Amber 

Going, Going, Gone

The title of this post accurately sums up my feelings about the past baseball season.  As a family, we were going, going, going from one game/practice to another all through the month of June.  And then, just like that, the month was gone and the season was over.  It was kind of an abrupt (although welcomed) ending to the sport season.

Jason volunteered to coach Spencer's coach-pitch team, the Rays.  All the practicing at home with Dad seemed to give Spencer a slight advantage when it came to batting.  Jason knew where to put the ball just right for Spencer, and he'd send it into the outfield more often than not.  He's a pretty good little hitter.

Brevin participated in the Mustang league for his first time this year. His team was the Diamond Backs.  It was our first experience as spectators of games where the boys do all the pitching.  The games are more drawn out and the play action is sparse. More often than not, it all came down to whether the pitcher was on target with the catcher and which team managed to steal the most bases.  I will say, I was pleased to see that Brevin would take swings at the balls that looked good, and didn't just wait around for the pitcher to walk him to a base.  He was able to get in a few good hits for the season, too.  During the final practices and games, he even tried his hand at catching.  He really liked that.

And by the end of the season, I was really good at pushing a fully loaded stroller (with baby, camp chairs, diaper bag, camera, snacks, etc.) from the parking lot, through the grass, and to the field.

This post authored by Amber