July 18, 2017

A fun Sunday surprise!

It has been a string of crazy weeks back to back. I am glad to be staying so busy, but boy, I am exhausted. I used to think that kids kept me busy when they were little--now I know just how busy things get when they're older.

Noah went to church camp, and Eli had baseball literally every single day (including tournaments last Saturday and Sunday as well as this past Saturday and Sunday). Yesterday, their first game was at 11:45, and their second game wasn't until 3:00. We had to get there at 10:00, and didn't get home until 5:30--it's a long day! And I think we have to do it all over again next weekend.

It was about 85 degrees and sunny, which made for a very long day of baseball! It was so exciting, though--the kids (Eli's team) played the most nail-biting game I've ever seen.

We played against a VERY tough team that pretty much everyone in the league wants to beat. They are very cocky and do a lot of trash-talking. They're stacked with players from travel teams (we only have ONE kid who plays on a travel team). I was fully expecting our team to get crushed.

My friend Dave, who was the third base coach, could hear their kids in the dugout trash talking our team, especially after they were beating us 3-0 in the first inning. But then we tied the score, and the other team got really quiet. In the fifth inning, we were WINNING at 9-6! The time limit on the game had nearly expired, but since we only had one inning left, we played it. And that's where everything fell apart. It was actually down to the point where we only need ONE MORE STRIKE to win the game. I was a nervous wreck.

Even if they hit the ball, we only needed one out, and then the game would be over, 9-6. But the kid who was pitching tends to be very inconsistent, and without getting into all the details, the other team ended up coming back hard and scoring five runs, making the score 14-9. We didn't get in any more runs on our last at-bat, so that was the final score. It would have been SO great to wipe the smirks off those kids faces.

However, our kids put up a fantastic fight, and if it weren't for that last inning, we'd have won against the notorious team. Eli was catcher the entire game, and I am so impressed that he managed to stick through it in that heat while wearing all that catcher's equipment. He looked great! He also got a few hits, including a triple.



Anyway, about the big surprise... before the game started, I was sitting under Renee's tent for shade, and then I started walking back to where I'd set up my chair by the backstop. I saw my parents, and then I saw someone who looked like my sister. I was a little startled by the resemblance, and then I realized it was my sister! And Shawn (my brother-in-law) was with her. They'd come all the way from Illinois for Eli's tournament! We were also going to be having dinner and cake at my parents' house later for Noah's birthday, so they figured it would be the perfect surprise. And it was.

My parents and brothers all knew about their surprise, but Jerry, the kids, and I were clueless. So it was super exciting to see them. They couldn't have chosen a greater game to go to--it was SO CLOSE until that last inning.

Anyway, we lost both games yesterday (you could tell the kids were totally whipped after the first game in the sun/heat, and then to play another tough team (who were fresh and hadn't already played a game that day) was too much. I'm so glad Eli joined this team--it's only for 11-12 year olds, and it's for a short time each year. He'll be able to play next year as well. But he's loved it!

Eli is super disappointed that the season is over, because he LOVES to play. But his summer rec ball coach decided to have pick-up games at his house (he has a baseball diamond in his backyard) on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so my kids can still keep playing, if only for fun.

I looked back in my computer to the first year they played t-ball, and I can't believe just how cute they were! And look how much they've grown...


The first photo is from 2009 when they played 3-4 year old t-ball. And the second photo is from this year. They've grown so much!

After their game, we came home and took a quick shower before heading to my mom's for dinner. Noah had requested ribs for his birthday dinner, so that's what my mom made. Since I'm not a fan of ribs, I just loaded up on sweet potato casserole (my favorite). And, of course, cake. I made a chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting, and it was delicious.


I was short by two candles, so we nixed the candle idea and just found some other cake decor. One of them was so funny, just a little happy birthday frame. So we put a photo of Noah in it and stuck it on the cake.

After cake, someone had the idea to throw knives, hahaha. Last year, when the water bottle flipping was popular, and I felt like my head would explode from hearing that water bottle noise, my dad had the idea to teach the kids to throw knives instead. Because that makes more sense--hahaha! But they actually really enjoyed learning about it, and my dad built a target for the garage wall.

So, instead of playing corn hole or something that typical people would do, my family threw knives and hatches at a target last night. I had never tried before, and I was terrible at it, but it was pretty fun. Eli is actually really good. His record is 14 in a row! I threw about 12 hatchets and 12 knives, and I only stuck 2.


Anyway, I have lots more to write about, and hopefully this week will be the week it happens. I have Wednesday Weigh-in to catch up on, and I've been wanting to write about the budget Jerry and I have been using to pay down our debt. It's been going really well, and I'm excited about it! Also mental health stuff and weight maintenance stuff, and the rest of the usual.

Since it's just after midnight as I post this, I guess it's Tuesday... so I'll write tomorrow with Wednesday Weigh-in!

3 comments:

  1. Hatchet throwing is becoming a thing out here. There are places opening that you go and eat and drink and throw LOL I am dying to try it but my arms are so weak I am sure it will just bounce off the target :)

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  2. I will be watching for your budget post:) I am very interested in doing something like this as well!

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  3. Loved the baseball story! Those are the games they'll remember, even though they lost. It will make for great story-telling to their kids!

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