Beat the Doldrums---Day 8---New growth and baseball??

 A tiny little sunflower wearing his seed coat hat..

 Baseball in Central New York...Our 12 inches of snow melted, so....play ball!!!

 Yep, 35 degrees at 3:15

 Luke has some big plans for this year!

Play Ball!!! Welcome to the 2015 Little League Season

We headed out to the ballpark this morning.  The temperature was a balmy 36 degrees.  Thankfully the sun was shining for the first time in a week and thankfully we wore our winter coats.

Luke moved up a level...he now plays for a AAA team. He is the second little guy from the left in the bottom row.  The only problem that I see is that this is the first year a score is keep for the games.  Today didn't turn out in our teams favor and Luke was pretty upset. 

Kim got a hit every time she was up to bat....she is a real little athlete.  

Luke practicing pitching with Mark.

Kimberly came in to pitch for her team....she was shaking to much from the below freezing windchill she was sent to the bench to retrieve her winter coat. 

She is a good little pitcher.

2015-Oneida Fire Department team

2015-Taco Bell team

partners forever

One of the cheering section participants

Warming up for pitching.

We packed a picnic and saved a bunch of money.  That concession stand is pricey when we are feeding 5 of us. 

Luke keeping his eye on the ball....

We may not of been happy with the final score, but it was a great start to the season.

What we did today

 We watched three ball games at three different locations and at just about the same time...the "just about" gave us time to drive the player for the proper field for warm ups!

Play Ball!! 2012

The 2012 baseball and softball season is in full swing.  It doesn't matter if the temperature was 20 degrees last night....the games go on!!  (and the fans freeze!)

Mark-12, is in his last year of little league, the majors.  Next year he moves up to play Babe Ruth ball.

It's amazing to see how far he has come over the last few years.

 Grace-10

This is Grace's first year playing on the major league softball team...she tried out and made the majors.

She will have 2 more years at this level.

Today, she got her first ever major league hit and drove in an RBI. 

 We do have a little work to do on Grace's swing, but she did get a hit!

Mark went 2-4 today with an RBI and a stolen base.  His defense on third  base was great.

Here's to a great season...may the snow stop soon and may the fans thaw out!

2011 Oneida Little League Champions!!!!

Whoo hoo!!!! (Mark is "labeled" on the left of the photo)
Here is one proud boy!!!

...and we're heading to the championship!!

Mark, taking off from second....boy is this boy skinny!!
On third base. Yes, I embarrass him!

Crossing homeplate!! Way to go, Mark!!

Play Ball!!! (Or, the cutest little t-ball pictures ever)

My babies began their seasons of competitive sports....they played their first t-ball game tonight. It was very bittersweet. It is wonderful I have these two little ones just beginning to go out into the world, but it is also sad, because, well, my two babies headed out into the world today.

Luke and Kim have very different t-ball styles.....Luke is a slugger,

Kimmy plays more lady like!
First game of the season and the temperature hit 90 degrees. Unbelievable temps for May in central New York.

Luke has been waiting for this day for months, and a little heat wasn't going to slow him down.

He looks so grown-up....sniff, sniff.....

Run, Kimmy, run....

Run, Kimmy, run!!

Down and ready!! (hopefully Kim's shirt will shrink in the wash before the next game)

A super saver--Makes My Monday

Mark's baseball team isn't doing the best this year--in fact, as of Saturday they hadn't won a game.

But this past weekend the team took the lead in the game. It was the first lead they have held this season.

Mark has not pitched this year. Last year he pitched once when his team was way behind and hit three batters, so when Daddy called (I was at Gracie's softball game) to say that it was the bottom of the sixth inning (the last inning), our team was ahead and Mark was getting ready to pitch, I thought he was kidding.

But Daddy was NOT kidding. Not only was Mark warming up, he WAS pitching.

He gave up 2 runs, struck out 2 batters and got an out on third base.

To say this Makes My Monday is an understatement, it had made my whole baseball season!

His teammates swarmed the pitcher's mound, jumping on each other as if they had won the World Series. I believe they were just as happy.
Mark was given the game ball.
He then came home and provided some instant replay of how he looked pitching.

I have to say, this definitely Makes My Monday, and I know it has Made Mark's spring!!