I Miss My Blog

I miss my blog.  I miss the "good ole days" when I documented all the day to day events that went on here...the big and the small.  I know that, one day, I will be so disappointed that I didn't keep it up.  I am going to try, once again, to pick it up again.  I can't stress myself out about doing what I've already missed, but I am going to try to put a priority on documenting our lives.  If I don't, I won't remember anything from these years!

I guess I will start with the summer.  This was definitely a summer of baseball for us.  Braden and Cade are not on the same team, but they did travel to the same cities most weekends.  This was a nice change for us because we normally have to divide and conquer.  We had lots of fun, but it sure doesn't feel like we had a summer!  We got back from our last trip to Atlanta in time to buy school shoes and get on the bus.

As I am going through pics to post, I realize I never posted anything about Braden's school season!  I will have to go back and hit that next.  These pics are confusing because both Braden and Cade played for a Marucci team, and they had the same uniforms.  Cade also played for 2 other teams throughout the season when he could :) These two are also looking very much alike these days so I am going to label them all...mainly so I will know who is who in a few years :) 

Cade with Chaos

 

Braden

 

 

 Braden

 

Braden actually played with 2 Marucci teams at times.  This team won second place in a huge tournament in Atlanta.  We almost won it, but that's the way it goes sometimes.

 



 Cade with Prodigy.  He literally jumped straight over this catcher with the ball and was safe at home!

 

Cade

 

Cade

 

 Braden ended up pitching quite a bit this summer.  He has never been considered a pitcher but he pitched a perfect game this summer!

 

I'm not even going to lie...it was HOT!  The girls were such troopers and, most of the time, were happy to do their thing.

 

Cade

 

I can't believe the summer is already over.  Cade is not playing football this year, so it is going to be a quieter fall.  Bryce starts tigerband camp Tuesday, however, so we will be enjoying watching him and the LSU tigers!

Total Proud Mom Post

I'm just going to warn you ahead of time...this is a total bragging post from a proud mama!  I do not blame you if you close your computer now....but here goes :)

Many of you know that baseball has always been a huge part of our family.  Braden and Cade both inherited the love of baseball from their dad and have worked hard at it since they were little bitty.  Braden is a sophomore now, so the whole high school thing has been an adjustment for us (well...me).  Being the newbie...not quite sure how it all works or what to expect.  Of course, the goal for anyone is to make Varsity, but our school is so large, there are not many sophomores who do that.

Two weeks ago, Braden said he had been working out with varsity and was told that he was pretty much on varsity, but might go play JV if he wasn't getting enough play time. 

Last week, Braden seemed to be frustrated about his hitting performance in practice.  He ended up stopping at Cade's practice after his own practice and asking his dad for help.  Of course, this made Richard's month and he was more than happy to work with him.  Braden doubled up on practices most of the week and worked hard to get his swing back on track.

Saturday was our jamboree!  The first look at JV and Varsity.  To say we were excited was an understatement.  The weather was amazing and we were thrilled to be back at the ballpark.  Braden started at catcher for the JV game and caught for 4 innings.  He threw down to 2nd three times and got the runner out each time (2 steals and 1 pick-off)!  He also caught a foul ball at the fence.  Offensively, he hit a double his first at bat and walked the second.  He scored both times by stealing and taking advantage of passed balls.  By the time he threw that third ball down to second, Richard and I were about to lose it.  We were both biting out lip, making sure not to be obnoxious around the other parents.  It was hard though!!  Even Cade was excited for him, which was so heartwarming to see.

Cade and I had to leave after that game, but honestly, I did not think Braden would get in for the varsity game.  I was wrong!  He was able to play 2nd for two innings and short for two innings.  He made every play that came to him, including one amazing backhand play.  He also hit a very strong double in that game as well!  I don't think any of us have stopped smiling yet.  As a mom, that is what you hope for...that their hard would pay off when it counts.  Boy did it!  I am so proud of him for coming to Richard and asking for help.  I cannot wait to spend the spring in those stands cheering him on!  Next time I will bring my real camera and get some real pics :)

Home Run, Baby!!

Whoo Hoo, Baby!!! My sweet 12 yr. old hit his first out of the park homerun Saturday!! Braden has really been struggling at the plate the past few weeks and really needed a big boost like that! It was exactly what the doctor ordered because he was on fire the entire tournament. I am extremely disappointed that I didn't get to see it. I was supposed to be there but Wesleigh was running fever and I decided to stay home with her. It was the right decision, but so painful for this baseball mom who trys to never miss anything! Regardless, Richard made it just in time coming from Cade's tournament and my dad was able to see it. I am just so happy for him.





They played 2 games Saturday and 4 games Sunday. Yesterday, he caught 2 1/2 games, played second base and then pitched in the final game. I don't even know how he could even walk to the truck last night. They couldn't pull it out in the championship game so finished second in the tournament. They all worked so hard, and I'm so proud.





I know I've been pretty absent. I seem to get pretty lazy with the blogging in the summer. I'm going to pick it up, though because there's lots going on. I still want to post beach pics, so I'm going to do that soon.

Playing Catch-up

It has been WAY too long since I've posted. Every so often, I lose any and all motivation to blog. Not only have I not posted, I also haven't visit anyone else's blogs. I will try to fix that this week. We have been super busy (this time of year always is). I guess I've just been trying to keep my head above water. We have been baseball-ing it every weekend, and trying to catch up during the weeks while juggling practices and track meets...just busy...like everybody!! I wouldn't have it any other way!! We played ball this weekend about an hour away, in a city that I have been to many times. What we found, however, is an unbelievable community on the water. We couldn't get over how wonderful this place was! Of course, the perfect weather didn't hurt either. I took Wesleigh for a walk in between games and brought my camera along. I wasn't able to capture all the charm on film, but I tried: What Wesleigh discovered this weekend is that other brothers can be just as much fun as the originals :) We have lots of brothers on our team and they worked hard to get Wesleigh to play with them. When she finally joined in, she wouldn't leave them alone! She decided to put one of them to sleep with her pillow, blanket and baby. He was a good sport to play along. This is how she spent a couple of innings. Having Wesleigh has definitely changed the way I watch baseball, but she is really so good. This DVD player is worth its weight in gold!! My favorite picture of the boys this weekend. We made it all the way to the championship game, but couldn't pull it out. This was their first weekend as a "major" team. To finish 2nd was awesome!!

Where Have I Been?

I can't believe another week has flown by!! This time of year, I seem to live weekend to weekend and we try to squeeze a little school in the middle. I can barely get all the sports uniforms clean before it's time to use them again!! Braden's team played last weekend and WON!! It was great weather and lots of fun. I had to miss the championship game Sunday because it didn't end up starting until 8:00 or so. It was a school night, so I decided to do the responsible thing and get the others in bed. It killed me, though! Can't say I'll be responsible the next time!!!! I am so proud of Braden. He is in a hitting slump, but his defense behind the plate was so good that he earned the MVP trophy from our coach. It is amazing to watch him as catcher.


Braden played catcher in the 1st and 3rd games. This is the middle game where he is at 2nd.


Miss W loves the ballpark. She asks me all the time to "go baseball"! It makes me remember when Santa brought Wesleigh a baseball glove the Christmas before she was home and Cade commented, "Santa must know what kind of family she's in". Someone bigger than Santa had a role in that one :)

Purple mouth from a snowball.


In between games, Wesleigh squeezed herself right next to Braden to relax with the boys. (Look at Braden's hand...he just finished catching a game.)


All the boys adore her. They are all so sweet to pay attention to her. She's giving knuckles to one of the boys. I love how "baby" is right beside her....always!


Center of attention....just the way she likes it!!


Tuesday, Bryce had his first "real" track meet. This is my first experience with track so I'm trying to figure it all out. It was alot of fun seeing all the different events. Cade had never seen a track meet either and he thought it was "beast" ;) I loved all the colors of spring with all the bright uniforms.


Bryce ran the 1600 (mile). He did great. I can't wait to see how he progresses from here! I love that he stepped out and signed up for track. It's been alot of work, but it's been great!




Not bad for his first race!!! So proud!!


Cade has a ball tournament this weekend, Bryce has Sea Cadets and Braden is getting to fish in a fishing rodeo. I'd better get that washing machine started!!!!!!!!!!!

A Perfect Baseball Weekend

We thoroughly enjoyed our first baseball weekend. What wasn't to love? The weather was a perfect 77 degrees and sunny...we went undefeated....and the weather was perfect. Oh, did I say that already? Sorry ;)

My mom stayed home with Wesleigh for the games yesterday so I was able to just sit back and cheer on the boys. Braden had a great weekend, so that is always fun.


They are all so cute. It's amazing how much bigger they are than they were last year (and how small they look next to the 13's!)


A close up of Braden's hand. Look how filthy it is! This black dirt is disgusting. His hand is so dirty because he was catcher part of the time.


The weather is supposed to be warm for a while. I can't believe it's still February! Wesleigh doesn't even have a pair of shorts yet, and she needs them! I am not complaining.....loving every minute of it! Of course, by the time you northerners are getting some warm weather, we'll be sweating to death.

Happy Report

I am happy to report that our USCIS appointment went off without a hitch! I didn't say two words the entire time I was in there and Richard flirted with the girls the whole time :) It seemed to work. I am hoping that is the last time I ever have to walk into that office!

I am also happy to report that we are enjoying some very warm weather. Braden had his first baseball tournament this weekend, and we were able to get some sun and eat a snowball. Wesleigh's cheeks are red because she was hot.



Visiting with Daddy in between innings.


Braden was lead-off batter today and led the season opener with a triple!! He had a great couple of games and we are so proud of him!