What a way to end the season!

I didn't write much about this baseball season, but REST ASSURED, we were out at the ballpark four to six evenings a week all Spring long.

Nathaniel really grew as a player this year, as did the other boys on his team, and it paid off in the form of making it to the 8-year-old championship game last Saturday!

At the beginning of the game, the team lined up facing the bleachers while the players' names were announced. (That's Nathaniel on the far right.)

We were definitely a proud quartet sitting in the stands as Nathaniel's name was bellowed over the PA system.

What you just saw there were lips that had been assaulted by the deadly combination of blue Powerade and a red Ringpop.

It was not as visible in his profile, which I think we can all agree is the cutest profile Of All Time.

Showing off the Ringpop:

Several times during the game, Coach Mike gathered the team for a pep-talk. Although we were ahead from the second inning on, he wanted to keep the boys pumped up. (We've been known to give up huge leads in our time.)

A quick peek into the dugout, where Nathaniel was helmeted up, awaiting his turn to bat ... but totally engaged in what was happening on the field at the time.

Nathaniel batted in every inning and got a hit every time but once, I think.

He played a great game. 

We have the most supportive, vocal parents (Grayson would call them "crazy") of any team I've experienced. They love the game, and they love to cheer. Loudly.

This game in particular wasn't a nailbiter, as we were ahead by several runs going into the sixth (and last) inning. But it was SO exciting (if I weren't a huge opponent of over-formatting, I'd add lots of Os, bold, italicize and underline that word!) to get to the last out and see the boys totally freak out over the end result.

BRAVES WIN! BRAVES WIN! BRAVES WIN!

There was much rejoicing!

The boys were positively euphoric, and it was adorable.

There were high-fives and pile-ups.

And hugs from proud siblings. OH MY THE HUGS.

Jake understood that it was the last game of the season, and even though he didn't understand what "championship" meant, he knew it was Big.

He shared in Nathaniel's joy so completely ... I was beyond touched.

Before the boys congratulated the opposing team (who were great sports, by the way), Coach Mike pulled them together for a congratulatory speech.

Of course we had to grab the obligatory team picture near home plate ...

And then Coach asked for one at the scoreboard.

As if THAT weren't enough excitement, our team party immediately followed the game. Our team mom got a cute cookie cake to help celebrate.

Did I mention that it was unseasonably cold on Saturday? WELL IT WAS. The high was about 73, but the low was in the 40s. It hovered somewhere in the high 50s while we were having our POOL PARTY, so the water and air were plenty chilly.

Did all the kids get in the water? Oh yes they did. Did their lips all turn blue and did their teeth chatter? Oh yes they did. And they couldn't have been happier.

Here is a picture of my frozen child as he accepted his trophy:

I'm so proud of Nathaniel and all of the other Braves for a terrific season. GO BRAVES!

There are worse ways to spend a Spring day

I love the way they huddle before each game

and the way Coach Mike prays with them before they take the field.

I love how Nathaniel takes pride in his position in right field,

knowing that it's his job to get the ball back in if it gets hit that far out.

Sometimes it's amusing to watch him check his glove out, just for kicks,

when he gets a little bored.

But it's only momentary boredom, and then he's fully focused again.

I love how he doesn't shoo me away or ask me to stop taking pictures. Yet.

I love that he's such a consistent hitter,

and I never tire of watching him hit those singles,

never tire of hearing the ball clang off that bat,

never tire of watching him throw the bat behind him

and run as though his life depends on it

toward the safety of First Base.

I love how once he gets there,

he's on full alert, ready to dash to Second.

And it melts my heart when I realize that he's looking for me, making sure I'm watching.

So even though I see this exact stance

six or seven times most Tuesday nights and Saturday mornings,

I can't say that I've gotten tired of it yet.

My hiney and I may disagree on this point at the moment,

but I'd be hard-pressed to find a better place to be than parked on the bleachers with this view twice a week.

Feels like Spring

We made it down to Railroad Park on Saturday for about three hours.

It was another one of those days we've been enjoying around here lately ... not a cloud in the sky, temperature about 70 degrees.

Someone managed to find something to pout about around lunchtime; I think someone polished off his cookies while he was off playing in the grass. But have you ever seen him pout? Hard to take it seriously.

Nicholas, who's been polishing his skateboarding skills, wanted to do nothing but skate on the homemade ramps across the street.

Up and down, up and down, up and down he went. That kid could do that for hours. And I'm not even exaggerating.

Nathaniel isn't quite as comfortable on the skateboard, so we wised up and took his bike down there this time. He got pretty brave on the ramps with his bike.

He even took a pretty bad spill off the side of a ramp, but despite his skinned elbow and getting the wind knocked out of him, got right back up. I was really proud of him.

Sunday he had baseball practice, and it was another perfectly gorgeous afternoon. I elected to take him, because I'm trying to tell myself that the fresh air will help me feel better.

He started off with a little batting practice in the cage.

Next, they practiced fielding. The sun was shining so brightly that the boys had a hard time catching the pop flies the machine was spitting at them.

They were persistent, trying time after time to catch them.

Poor Nathaniel ... this one came down and smacked him on top of his head. The coach took him into the dugout to dry his tears ... and to tell him what he could have done differently to avoid getting hit in the head.

Within minutes, Nathaniel was back out on the field, ready to catch some grounders.

Finally they moved to home plate to hit pitches off the machine, and then we called it a day.

There are worse ways to spend an afternoon than with your tush parked on a bleacher, the sun at your back and a breeze in your face. I refuse to ruin it by talking about nausea today.