The Absence of Solitude

Opening Day

Baseball season is now in full swing here. Ethan and Lauren both had their first games and it's looking like we will be spending Monday through Thursday evenings for the next six weeks at the ballpark watching one of them play.

Lauren was so excited to play her game. She kept asking, "So it's a real game not just a practice? Does that mean I can wear my uniform?" Friday while eating dinner she planned out the next morning--"Get up, come downstairs, eat breakfast, put on my uniform, brush my teeth, put on my hat, and then it will be time to go, right?" She loved every second of her first official game, even though she told me it was super hot. (It was 84 degrees; we sure have acclimated!)

Ethan did really well at his first game. I was so impressed with how much he has improved. He hit the ball on the first pitch all three times up to bat. The last one was a home run out past center field. He was beaming when he crossed home plate. He got a chance to play catcher and first base too. He loved being the catcher; I don't know if he will ever want to play another position now.  He was so fast at hitting the ball I couldn't even capture a picture of him batting.

 
  
And this little guy was only interested in what the concession stand had to offer him. On this day it was Skittles:

I will be sure to update on the happenings of the Muckdogs and the Orioles this season. 

bracket busters

Our family is doing a little NCAA Bracket Challenge and last weekend, every one of us had at least one bracket totally busted due to some pretty amazing upsets and all the OT and buzzer beaters. We are looking forward to this weekend's games.

Allen, Ethan, and Lauren are all out as far as the national champion choice but are in our consolation round of picking the most winners of games. My champ is Ohio State, so hopefully they don't get beat. Ethan was pretty disappointed Texas and BYU lost; they were his final two teams. Lauren's picks were funny; her reasoning behind picking them mostly had to do with whether she liked how the name sounded. So Siena, Morris, St. Mary's and Santa Barbara were in her final four. She did pick quite a few of the upsets though.

It's been a fun, friendly competition...with just a splash of trash talk thrown in there for good measure. ;-) 

Cooperstown, NY

Do you know what's in Cooperstown, NY? I didn't until I moved here. In this little town, in the middle of no where is the National Baseball Hall of Fame. It's there because apparently, the first baseball game was played in Cooperstown. On a whim Friday evening we decided to drive to Cooperstown and go the the hall of fame Saturday morning. I was a little afraid we were getting lost, taking all sorts of winding roads that had road signs with pictures of a horse and buggie, but we got finally got to the hotel and really enjoyed the museum.

Some highlights:

Ethan standing in front of the bat (on the left) Babe Ruth used when he hit his famous 'called shot'.

Baseball that Barry Bonds hit marking his homerun that moved him past Hank Aaron. The fan that caught the ball cut out an asterisk in it because he thought Bonds might be using steroids.

Wall of baseballs from every "No-Hitter" game played that was pitched by only one pitcher. Nolan Ryan had seven of them on the wall.  

Oldest existing baseball.  
 

 

The Colts

I racked my brain trying to figure out a perfect gift to give Allen for Christmas and was coming up with absolutely nothing. He didn't really need anything and wasn't giving me any suggestions. Then one day he was telling me that the Indianapolis Colts were playing their last regular season game against the Buffalo Bills. I had it...I would get him tickets to see the Colts go undefeated. [They lost (gave up) their first game after I bought the tickets.] Allen has loved the Colts and been a huge fan for since well, forever. It was going to be the best gift!

I bought other gifts for him to open leading up to the tickets like a Colts fleece blanket, hand warmers (didn't really understand that one at first), and a new Colts hat. He was so excited when he finally saw the tickets...utter disbelief and then just absolutely over the moon happy!

 

We decided to have Ethan go with him (because I didn't want to freeze) and they both watched the weather all week and getting prepared for it. You see, the stadium is an open one. No dome folks, and it's in Buffalo! They would have to face the elements whatever they might be.

And brave them, they did! It was about 15 degrees with a wind chill of -1 and fairly heavy snow. If you happened to catch the game on tv, you know what I am talking about. They both had several layers on, hand and foot warmers, and blankets to try to keep warm. Ethan couldn't stand it the entire game so they left early. Allen was disappointed that they pulled the starters from the game early and of course that they lost but was pleased to have been at the game to see his Colts play again.

It was one of his best Christmas presents ever. At least I think so! Now we will have to just wait and see how they do in the playoffs. Hopefully they opposing team doesn't take Manning out immediately because we all saw over the last couple of weeks that without Manning, the Colts can't get it together.

The Circus

That's what the media has called it but is more commonly known as the Buffalo Bills training camp. Allen was able to get some tickets for last weekend's opening practices and so he and Ethan went to check it out. It was all about Terrell Owens, a.k.a T.O., hence the media circus. They enjoyed themselves and it was nice for just the boys to do something together.

 

              

Ethan's final game

Baseball season is over. I think Ethan really enjoyed playing ball this year. He made some new friends, hit the ball better than ever before, and improved his fielding skills. 

 

 

And here is a funny video of Ethan up to bat. They didn't have a first base coach that night so Ethan was a little unsure whether he should go on to second base. See for yourself...

Now I just need to start looking more seriously into finding a swim club for the fall.

Opening day

The opening day for Ethan's baseball season was Saturday. They had pictures, opening ceremonies, a game, and a league BBQ. It was a busy day!

Ethan was so excited to get there and play. He did well too, getting a hit each time up to bat. We figured out that the bat he has been practicing with is just a tad too long for him and he did much better with a little bit shorter bat. He played first base most of the game and was able to get two outs for the team.  He is already counting down the days until his next game.

             

Marie

I am really behind in posting this but oh well. A few weeks ago I took the kids to a high school football game mainly to watch my niece, Marie, march with the band during halftime.

   

It has been a long time since I have attended a high school football game, maybe eight years or so. I got a little nostalgic watching all the high schoolers have so much fun at the game cheering on their team. I went to football games for as long as I can remember to watch my brothers play and it brought back a lot of memories. My kids loved it too. Ethan especially loved trying to catch the little footballs the cheerleaders throw after a touch down and Lauren just loved watching the cheerleaders. Lauren and Simon only made it through the third quarter (they both fell asleep) and so we left early.

I stayed awake at Sarah's until Marie got home so I could visit with her. I love her! She is so full life, has her head screwed on straight and makes me laugh constantly. I have so enjoyed watching her grow up. She was a sassy flower girl at my wedding nearly ten years ago and has turned into really lovely young woman having a great time as a junior in high school. Where does the time go?

Class Act

I saw this story on Good Morning America and then read more about it online. These college softball players showed so much sportsmanship; something we rarely see these days. As I read this story, I couldn't help tearing up. These girls sacrificed moving forward in the playoffs to help this opposing team member tag all the bases. They had no idea she was a senior and that she had never hit a home run. One of the girls said this:

"In the end, it is not about winning and losing so much," Holtman said. "It was about this girl. She hit it over the fence and was in pain, and she deserved a home run."

Amazing young ladies! Kudos to them.

Game pictures

It has taken me a while to get on the ball (no pun intended) and get these pictures posted, sorry. He has had two games now and is loving it.  He hit a triple on Monday night  and was so excited.  Now he just needs to work on his catching. He has asked me to get him some bubble gum he can chew during the game.  It reminded me of my brother, Bill, always asking for gum and to "get me some seeds" (sunflower seeds.)

A couple funny stories about the games: A batter bascially bunted the ball and took off for 1st base.  He was going to get tagged out by the pitcher. The pitcher started chasing him and the runner ran outside the baseline and straight into the duggout instead of getting tagged out or going to 1st base.  Everyone was laughing.  Then at the second game, one of Ethan's teammates was on 2nd and instead of standing up with one foot on the base to take off running when the ball was hit, he was in a start position like he was going to run a race.  A couple of parents commented that he was ready to run track.  It really is fun to watch these little kids.

And one story about Lauren: In her nursery class Sunday, they were talking about fish and she received a little fishing pole with a magnet on the end and then some paper fish with a paper clip attached for the magnet to "catch."  Well, during Sacrament Meeting, Lauren started to fish in the aisle (I was letting her do it on the pew and she moved to the aisle.)  I brought her back into the row and told her, "I don't want to see you do that again.  You need to stay right here."  She said, "Ok Mommy."  Then she got down off my lap and went right back to the aisle. I looked at her and she said, "Just close your eyes mommy. Ok."  I couldn't help but turn to laugh and I then brought her back in again. That was the end of fishing.