Jack's First Year of Baseball

This year we got to experience Jack's first year of TeeBall! The moment I found out we were having a little boy I dreamed of the day he would sport a cute little hat and big glove on the baseball field. Lucky for us this year Jack was put on the Cubs, we looked like crazy super fans because we all had Cubs attire and blankets and bottles and even a warm up Cubs CD. 

It took a few weeks of Jack practicing on the small fields to accept that he was not going to be playing on the Wrigley field that we watched on WGN. At first we told ourselves that this was just for fun and there was no need for at home practice, after the first practice we headed to Dick's to for the complete ensemble of bases/tee/and bat, you could tell already what Dad had been coaching during the winter months with their son. And of course our competitive nature kicked in. 

Jack has an arm and when he actually paid attention he could launch the ball. He is also "super fast" and did not like to share the base with the opposing team. Snacks at the end was the highlight of the game for the kids, and for the parents it was watching the kids do a devotional and prayer at the end of each game. So special and another wonderful reminder as a parent to keep Christ at the center of everything. Jack loved having his family cheer him on always making sure Lucy was on the sidelines in her Cubs gear. Mike coached third base and Jack lite up with pride the day after practice when Mike came home with a Coaches shirt, he was a proud boy that his Dad got to share the field with him. 

There were a lot of funny things that Jack did or said during his first year of baseball. Wearing the hat took some getting used too. Either he pulled the brim down to low so he could see or pulled it too far up it just feel off. He played with his hat in the outfield for the first three games. One time he started doing poses in the outfield and called out to me, "Mom look I'm doing yoga", Mike clearly did not find it as funny as I did. Jack memorized all of the kids on the teams numbers first and then their names. I thought he was making it up until I learned the kids names and looked for their numbers, sure enough he was spot on with each one. He got distracted by older girls cheering on their younger siblings. And Jack would give me the thumbs each time after he got on base. Already, at three years old, he idolized the coaches and called them his "best friends". In the outfield he was playing with his hat, doing yoga, watching girls, picking flower or his noes. But when he got to bat he was so serious and ran at super speed to the bases! It's awesome to see your kids feel good about themselves! 

We also met some great new friends. And believe me we have been praying for friends! Leave it to baseball:) Lucy grew up during the season. From just sitting up to crawling to cruising around the bleachers. Watching a game with her was a little tricky because she bolted for the field every chance she got. And she was a very loud cheerleader! Lucy sweetie we have many games in our future and I'm glad you were entertained by them. 

Successful first season and I look forward to MANY more! Love you Jacky Bear you were a wonderful Cubbie Bear!