Big10 is TWELVE!

WAY back on April 26th, Big10 turned TWELVE years old.

 He is growing up so fast these days that it is almost unbelievable.  He appears to be taller each morning.

 He only asked for two things this year.  Money, as always, and these Nike Slides.  He LOVES them.

All the kids are wearing them at school.  The weird thing is, they wear them with black no show socks only. Crazy kids!  I thought only old men work socks and sandals.

(iPhone pic)

Big10 decided to invite a couple of friends over to spend the night and go Cosmic bowling.  Cosmic bowling starts at 10pm and you pay one lump sum per person to bowl for three hours.  So, we were bowling until 1:00 am.  BabyG hung in there like a champ.

(another yucky iPhone pic!)

I think he really enjoyed his birthday.  The only thing that they did not like is they all had to get up early the next morning for baseball practice.  I'm not sure how well the three of them preformed that morning.

After practice we all loaded up in the car and went over to Coach Chris' house to swim.  The boys stayed and played all day, while the girls went to the Rodeo that night.  Needless to say, everyone slept VERY well that night.  It was a busy, exhausting weekend, but SO much fun!

Baseball ~ Running Bases

Welcome to part two of my baseball update.  This one is all about RUNNING.  Something that big10 tends to do well.  I wish I had his energy and enthusiasm to help in some running of my own.

I'm not sure how many stolen bases he has so far for the season.  But I'm guessing it is a bunch.

He always has a look of fierce concentration on his face when he is running bases.  He's got to be ready to dive back on the bag to avoid being picked off.  It really annoys me when pitchers try to get the runner out.  They hardly ever succeed.  It just seems like a waste of time to me.  But sometimes it works.  So, I guess they have to try, right?

I wonder what he is saying in the picture below?

We just have a handful of games left, and then we move on to tournament play.  I can't believe how fast the season is going by.  It is almost SUMMER!!

Big10 and Coach Chris talking strategy.  (I guess.)

I am guessing this will be the last of my baseball post. Unless I get some really AMAZING shots in the next couple of weeks.  Up next will be a long strand of IPhone picture post.  We have had so many things going on lately, that I have only captured on my phone.  Birthdays, and Spring break trips to name a few.  I need to get them posted before they roll around again!!  Stay tuned.

Baseball ~ Pitching

We are still knee deep in baseball around here, and loving it.  Big10 is having a great season.  Our record is not the best it has ever been, but the boys are playing well together.  #10 has some good friends on the team, and he is having so much fun.

His pitching has improved SO much that it is almost unbelievable.  He has done nothing different, so we are assuming it is due to his confidence from past experience on the mound, and maybe he is a bit stronger this year. 

 Now, if his mom could master shooting in manual mode, we would be doing great.

 Last week he pitched the entire game.  76 pitches in all.  His strike to ball ratio is phenomenal considering he hasn't really worked on his pitching before the season started.  We are all so proud.  And it makes him that much more confident when he is put in at pitcher.

 I love to watch him pitch, and I finally do not get nervous watching anymore.  But I really prefer to see him play catcher.  It is just my favorite position, and he is adorable in catchers gear.

And just to add a bit of cuteness to this baseball post. . . .The little sisters. 

They always manage to keep themselves entertained.  The first question G always ask Big10 after a game is, "Did you win?".  She pays NO attention to the game whatsoever.  Ha, she is such a girl!

Looking Back ~ A Baseball Story

I have been wanting to do a post on baseball for big10 for a few weeks now.  However, I guess at some point I saved all my images on disc, and deleted them from my computer.  I can only go back as far as Spring 2010 without a lot of digging.  So, I'll start there. . . .

Spring 2010 does not hold many good memories for us.  It all went down hill from day one, when he could not get his #10.  Poor coaching, many lost ball games, and more tears than I care to remember.

Moving on. . . 

 Fall 2010 was a much better season.  We teamed up with a good friend as coach, and the hubby started helping out some on the field.  They are still coaching together now, for one last hoorah.

 Spring 2011.  It sure doesn't look like different seasons.  I promise this kid has grown each year.  We did tend to draw the Indians over and over and over.

 Fall 2011.  Finally, we drew a different team name.  Big10 always wanted to be #10 on the Braves.  He did choose this number because of Chipper Jones, after all.

Spring 2012.  Finally, looking at this picture I can really a size difference in him now.  The season is going great so far.  He has really improved on his pitching, and he is also doing a great job at catcher.

Wow, he is growing up.  One thing hasn't changed.  His love and passion for the sport of baseball.  It just continues to GROW big!!

Baseball Jamboree 2012

Last weekend was the beginning of the Spring baseball season for us.  The season always kicks off with a Saturday jamboree.

 This year Big10's team is the Brewers.  The teams are a mix of 11 and 12 year old young men.  I say young men, because some of these kids are my size!

 And, sadly this is our last year of little league.  I am trying to enjoy the chaos as much as I can.  After this I'm sure we will be moving into some kind, or many kinds of sports related activities in school.

 Saturday each boy played a few different positions. 

Big10 played catcher for a couple of innings.  (My favorite position!)

 He also played short and second base.

 And he pitched a series of really good pitches to close up an inning that was getting us down.

I seriously love nothing more than seeing this kid on the baseball field.  The pure joy that he gets from the sport just makes my heart smile.  He is extremely competitive, but he still manages to have fun too.  I hope this season will be a good one for him!

After looking through some pictures on the computer, I realize that I MUST do a post of baseball pictures over the past few years.  This boy is growing like nobodys business.  I think you all would enjoy seeing the growth over the years as much as me.  So keep an eye out for that post in the near future.

It's Here. . . .

My favorite time of year. . .



Pictures from the jamboree game are coming soon.

A break. . .

I guess we can say that I have been on somewhat of a blogging break.  I just have not been motivated to sit down at the computer.  I blame all the Apple products in my home.  They make it too easy for me, and now going to my desktop feels like such a troublesome chore.

We are also currently on a break from Sports, and hunting as well.  Just for the month of February though.  It will all start back up again in March with baseball and Turkey season.

 We ended our basketball season in late January.  The team did not have the best record, but I think they learned a bunch.  And they ended the season playing better than they had ever played.

 Next year Big10 will be old enough to try out for the middle school basketball team.  I'm not sure how that will go, but I'm looking forward to school sports.

So, I have a little time to get my life back on track this month.  I am working hard to make exercise a priority.  I tell myself I am going to workout on a regular basis ALL the time.  This time, I'm going to try to stick to it.  So far, I have worked out 4 days this week.  For those of you that know me well, know that more than two days is a big accomplishment.  Once I get the exercise part down, then I'll worry about my horrible eating habits.  Summer is coming, and the lake & beach are calling my name.  I need to be ready!

I'm hoping that I am done with my blogging break.  I'm not doing a very good job of keeping record of our life like this, huh? 

Hoops

I Love basketball.  Especially when my little man is on the court.

Right now on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays we are busy playing ball.  So far, the team has not won a game.  But they are making huge improvements.  They have gotten more competitive each time.

Big10 is wearing the #3, and somehow has managed to be the smallest kid on the team again.

I am hoping that they can pull out a couple of wins before this season is over.  But, I think overall he is having a good time anyway.  But I know a win would make it even better.  Wish us luck!

Big10 @ Christmas

Now that all the Christmas cards have been stamped, mailed, and received. . . .

 I have been waiting patiently to post a few pictures from Big10's Christmas card shoot.  He really did not want to take pictures.  But we somehow managed to still get a few card worthy photos.

 It is very common to see people around town wearing long sleeves and shorts.  You just never know what the weather is going to be like in Alabama.  This particular day was pretty hot.  But for the sake of the "Christmas photo", I managed to get a long sleeve shirt on the boy.

These last two actually made the card.  And the very last one is going to find a home on the wall. :)

I'll be back soon with more update.  For now, I'm right back into the Christmas festivities.