Baseball and Kickball

We have been spending many nights in June at the ball fields. Jake is playing coach pitch baseball and Zach is playing kickball. It has kept us very busy. Jake loves hitting the ball but when it comes to fielding, it is a whole new ballgame. We caught him one game upset because they have too many boys on the team so a few had to sit out the fielding part. When he found out he didn't get to sit out he was upset. That's our Jake. He does have fun though. He has met a few new friends and gotten really good at batting. We are working at not being afraid of the ball when catching but it is definitely a long process. Here are a few pictures of one of his games. The first is him batting. The next is after fielding the ball he got so excited and was caught in a great jump. Then the next is of him playing catcher. This is his favorite position because he doesn't have to move much. The last two pictures are of getting ready and then getting a kid out. He was so excited. We will miss his last two games because of vacation. He is sad but ready for the trip.

Zach has really enjoyed kickball. I am actually coaching his team and we have been having so much fun. All the boys are 5 and let me tell you, controlling 8 boys all 5 years old can get a bit crazy. They have learned so well though. They have running the bases down really well. I am the most proud of the fact they don't all run for the ball and kill eachother just to get it. The weather has been great but the last few games it has finally gotten fairly warm. When the heat hit it got a bit harder to keep them focused. Most of the game was reminding the boys to stay on their feet and don't lay down on the field. Imagine 8 boys all laying down and standing on their heads because they are soooooooo exhausted. It is really fun and I am so happy I got a chance to do it. I think Zach has liked having me coach. Here are a few pictures of his game. The first is him standing in line getting ready to kick. As you can tell he is really focused. He is telling his dad he is a loser. How impressive. The next is of Zach getting ready to pitch the ball. The next two are of him kicking the ball and running his bases. The last one is him trying to concentrate while playing in the field but not doing a very good job of it. At least he was trying I guess.