Spring Vacation: Final Day (April 21, 2012)

On Saturday, we drove up to Fort Worth to see my sister and her family.  I wish we had more time to spend there, but luckily, we were able to catch one of C's baseball games.  (We got to play with L and B a bit too, but they actually were napping for a good portion of the day we were there.)

We didn't head out too early because Courtney's family was walking for March of Dimes, so we met them after the event.  Our timing of the drive was perfect, and we got there just as they were getting home.

Elsa went on a quick walk around the neighborhood and then was put into the upstairs bedroom where she stayed all day :( - we didn't want any repeats of the last visit, so the two sets of dogs never saw each other!

We didn't manage to get many pictures of the little boys.  Here is L.

After a quick lunch, the little boys went to bed, and Adam, C., Kevin and I went to Academy to get C. a new bat.  We also owed him a birthday present, and despite trying to talk him into a ball return net (the kind you can kick or throw into) he really wanted a Catcher's mitt!  C. has wanted to be a catcher/umpire for a LONG time (I made him umpire bags quite some time ago), so there was no persuading him to get anything else.  We also got him an umpire set with a counter, a brush to sweep the plate, a real umpire bag, and a pen. 

Rhonda gave C. a real Big 12 baseball (our other nephew C. has a collection from UT games). Since TCU is joining the Big 12, it was a huge hit.

As soon as we got home, we took the new toys outside to play.  C. had to try his bat to get ready for the game that afternoon, but the umpire mask also got some breaking in.

C. took turns with his bat, and all the adults played too.

I even managed to hit the ball!  (You can probably tell from my stance that I'm not a pro! I think Adam was being nice with his pitches to me.  Kevin managed to hit his first two, and then the pitches got much tougher.)

Kevin managed to catch my big moment.  This is the one I hit!

C. got suited up for the big game, but posed with the bracket Kevin made him for Christmas.  It was designed to hold a bat, a cap and mit, and has holes in the top to hold four baseballs.  The "C" was done in the style of the Ranger's T.

Then we went to the game. Adam is coach, so he pitches too. 

The kids get 3 pitches, and then they use the tee. 

C. didn't need the tee and had some great hits.  There is a 5-run rule, so apparently most games end with the home team winning after 4 innings (I'm not really sure what was being explained- tie goes to home? maybe?), as everyone gets all the runs, but C's team is one of two in the league that can make plays to get outs, and they did on this game, winning 20-10.  They actually had some really good plays, pretty impressive for five and six year olds!

During the game I got some insight into my sister's life and played twin chaser. 

Still coralled in the stroller, B. enjoys a snack.

The little boys just run all over the place during the game, with the other Mom's helpfully telling her when C. is up to bat!  Wow! She has a lot to handle.  They aren't crazy wild, as the boys are well behaved, they just seem to be everywhere at once.  We did get to stop and watch for a second.

Looks like something serious is happening! 

C. idolizes the Ranger's players, and he is very "into" the game.  While some of the little boys play around in the field, he is always focused on what is going on, and in down moments will crouch or stand like a major leaguer does.  I'm guessing it is concious, as only one or two of the other boys does that, the rest wander off into dreamland a bit.  C. also has the bad habit of spitting (only allowed during baseball...) because the Ranger's do it.

Kevin played sports photographer during the game and got some good shots, but because their last name is on his Jersey, most of them are going on facebook.  I love this one, but Kevin was disappointed it wasn't framed perfectly.

After the game we went out to eat and had a great burrito, then back home again.  C. read me some poems for bedtime, which was really nice. He's doing a pretty good job of it.

The next day we woke up not-yet-bright and early to drive back to Iowa.  It is nice to start the drive in Fort Worth, as it cuts about 4 hours off the drive, but I hope next visit my sister is more than just a quick stopover.