Baseball, Ballet, Baseball, Baseball

Well baseball was in full swing this week.  We finally got all parts of his uniform the afternoon of his first game.  He needed a red belt and red socks to go with the whole ensemble.  He was so excited to put his uniform on.  It was suggested, and encouraged, that each boy wear a cup to get used to having one since it's required the older they get in sports.  We actually had to have the conversation that it was NOT a cup to catch urine (as was originally believed).  Not a pee catcher, just a pee protector.

Henry played center field, and the first time he took the field, he was dancing around and kicking up his feet, he was so excited.  Then the game began and reality set in.  These kids are 8-12 years old.  For our team, this was their first time playing kid-pitch.  (Last year was machine-pitch.)  The pitching was a bit on the 'still learning' side.  The pitchers threw mostly balls, a few strikes (in a very generous strike zone), and in many cases they hit the batter.  They hit the batters because, for one, their aim was off, but two because these are kids are new to baseball and they didn't know how to get out of the way quickly enough.  Once a kid got on base, they were able to steal the remaining bases very easily.  Usually what happened was the catcher didn't catch the pitch, it went wild behind him, causing him to get up and find it, all the while the kids are stealing bases.  It just so happened that this first game they had a better pitcher to start their game allowing them to garner a big lead.  When they finally switched pitchers, we started to make some more runs until the game was called in the third inning.  We lost 15-3.  Henry did not walk off the field with the same enthusiasm with which he had walked on.  He was not happy to lose.  He was disappointed in his team's performance and the lack of plays that came his way.  He had one ball come his way the whole game.  I really felt sorry for the catchers because they had the hardest jobs.  Most runs were scored due to missed catches at home, so the catchers felt at fault and were clearly getting discouraged.  It was a tough start.

Taking the field for the first time:

Meanwhile, Josiah and Caroline had a really great time with a new friend.  One of the players has a younger sister and the three of them play really well together.

Henry's second baseball game fell on an Awana night, so only Todd was able to witness Henry's first act of greatness.  As with the first game, there were many pitches that hit the batters.  That was how Henry got on base his first time at bat.  He was able to steal second, but never made it home before the inning was over.  His second time at bat, he had four balls and walked to first base.  This time he was able to make it all the way around the bases and scored his first run ever.  This game made it all the way to the 4th inning before the game was called.  The Angels had won 17-5.  He told Todd that when they lined up to do their "Good game, good game" bit, Henry made sure that he wasn't grinning so it wouldn't look like he was bragging that they won.  It was a very empathetic thing to do, however five minutes prior to lining up for the 'good game walk,' Henry had run in from the field ecstatic that they had won, whooping and dancing around.  We were very happy they got a win.  It was definitely a confidence booster for the boys.

The third game was a much better match-up.  We only lost this one 7-3. It was much of the same - the pitcher either threw a bunch of balls or he hit the batter.  Once you got on first, you could easily steal all the bases to get home.  One issue that kept occurring with our team, was that if there was a runner on third, and he took off to steal home, our next batter didn't get out of the box to give the runner room.  One runner slid between the legs of the batter.  Unfortunately, this happened to Henry.  He was on third, running to home, the batter stood firm in the box, Henry slowed a bit to avoid the batter, slid toward home base while simultaneously the catcher lunged on top of Henry to get him out.  The batter still stood in the midst of it all.  We could see that Henry was injured as soon as he stood up.  He was limping some, but his eyes were full of tears.  He said the catcher's gear hit his knee.  Later, at home, we saw that it was really his upper shin area, which was better than a knee.  Ice helped and he's fine now.  There is so much for the kids to learn!  We've been encouraging Henry to learn the game as much as possible during these games.  See where mistakes are made and how they could have gone better.  See where good plays are made and learn from that.  Apply it.  Don't get discouraged!

Mid-week we were able to drive into Houston to attend a ballet.  After parking on the seventh story of a parking garage, they were excited about the view from the top nearly as much as they were to attend the ballet.  This performance was put on by the Houston Ballet and they turned 50 this year, so it was called: 50 Years of Houston Ballet (clever title).  It was very neat, however, because they told the story of how Houston grew and current events throughout the years.  Then each decade or so, they danced a dance from a performance they had put on at that time.  So we saw dances from Swan Lake, the Nutcracker, Don Quixote, and many others.  They did a fantastic job and I was amazed at how young the dancers looked.  Then at the end, the host told us the dancers were 13-17 years old!  Knowing that, it was even more impressive.  The host was none other than Lauren Anderson who was the first African-American Principal Ballerina for the Houston Ballet back in 1990.  Josiah enjoyed it, Henry liked parts, and Caroline really liked it to begin with, but got antsy as the show went on.  At one point, she loudly whispered to me, "Fire. The silent E makes the I say its name." as there was a fire alarm above my head.  Yes.  Shhhh.  In the two blocks from the parking garage to the theater, there was a small park with a very cool bench that seemed perfect for a picture.  It was a very good experience.  We would definitely try to go again next year.

This weekend, Caroline had her First Grade Bible Presentation.  The church gave each first grader their own Bible.  At the end of the church service, they brought all the first graders in so we could see them and their smiling faces.  Caroline spotted us and gave me a wave.  She was smiling.  A friend was closer to the stage and snapped a picture of Caroline for me.

This week we only have one baseball game.  I am hoping for more practices so the boys can learn who to throw the ball to, when to run the bases, and how to get out of the batter's box so you don't get crushed.  So much to learn.  Henry still likes the game, though.  I think he'd rather move up to the infield so he can get more action.  Maybe as the season goes on, he can rotate in.

And, Grandma, this one's for you.  ;)