Baseball, Baseball, Baseball

School is out.  The boys had their last day last Friday.  We've been attempting to get into a routine, but we are still in the thick of baseball season, so we are at the ball park most evenings.  Richard took the boys (on Monday) up to the field and got out the pitching machine so they could have batting practice.  Luke has been in a bit of a slump.  Poor kid (sarcastically said), his batting average is probably .560 or so....still good.  I pointed that out to him...that the pros have a much lower batting average than he's had.  We threw the ball in the back yard this morning.  I threw him fly balls, ground balls, etc.  He is MUCH better than he was when he started, but he still needs to catch and throw more consistently.  

Paul has hit the ball 5 of his last 6 at bats, so he seems to be doing better with that.  Richard is the manager of Paul's team and he has several players who just don't seem to want to actually play.  It is a bit frustrating for him.  In the last game, in two different innings, two different kids ASKED to play catcher (this is machine pitch and stealing is not allowed, so the catcher is only there to 1) try to catch the pitch and throw it back to the coach at the machine and 2) to try to tag the runner at home).  After a batter or two, we'd look over and there would be no catcher!  Each boy just didn't like it, so got up and left the position!  The even more frustrating thing...the other coaches (one in the dugout or one actually backs up the catcher) didn't even suit another kid up or call time or anything. 

Luke has his last regular season game (thank goodness we had a day off this week - yesterday - these poor kids played 5 games in a row...and we started to lose because we don't have that many pitchers...no team does, but we got especially rooked because of the rain outs and where our games feel) and then the end-of-season tournament starts.  Then - if Luke makes the "B" All-Stars team, we have the All-Stars tournament the next week...which means we'll have a hella lot of All Stars practice in there as well.  If he makes the "A" team, then he'll have longer to practice before that tournament.  

Ruth is getting better at t-ball!  She can hit the balls the coach pitches (the majority of the time) instead of using the T.  Yesterday, she played a very focused game...we were impressed.  She is at science camp in the mornings this week.  She is enjoying all of her time at the ball park.  There are always other little kids around and they tend to play together.  She has discovered that, if she goes to the concession stand and asks for a trash sack, she can go around the park picking up trash and then get a free sno-cone in return.  She sometimes does this twice in one game.

Mary has cut her first tooth and I am trying to remember to feed her!  She doesn't demand it too much, but I need to get her into her high chair for at least 2 meals a day. She is being rather good-natured about all of her time at the ball park (and the lateness of her getting to bed because of it)!