Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Waiting his Whole Life

Hayden got a chance to be a bat boy for a Travs game a few weeks back. He was beyond excited. When Harold and I asked him if he wanted to do it, his immediate response was oh yes please, I have been waiting my whole life to get to do it! Now, that sounds funny until you realize that he has been going to Travs' games faithfully since he was 20 months old and he is now almost 9, so yep he's been waiting his whole life. :-) This is the kid who would cry when the other bat boys got to talk to "his" ballplayers when he was little. :-)

The best part of the night was that he got to share this first with his best bud, Ethan. That made it even more special.
Patiently waiting and being told all their duties....Talking and dreaming of when there will be kids going to get their bats....
So handsome....
He looks so little in the uniform.....
Think he was trying to help coach
Waiting on the ballplayers to come off the field.
Are bat boys supposed to swing the bats on the way back to the dugout? Hmmmmmm
Thanks Mrs. Debra for making it all possible.
It's definitely not all fun and game watching. Stinky, sweaty towels have to be taken back to the clubhouse.....
Whew, the water coolers have to go too
I have to say I don't think there has ever been a happier duo of bat boys though.

Back to Back State Champs

Hayden was an All Star for his league again this year. The team had 11 players, nine of whom were on the championship team last year. Although he played 1st base all rec season, he was the 3rd baseman for the All Star team. It was tough going to start with but with a LOT of practice (to include most days when I got home from work!!!), he made it his own by the time we went to State tournament in Searcy. They run ruled each team they played and looked like the champs that they are! We are so proud of each of them and especially our little "hot corner" guy!~ On top of playing 3rd, he was 14 for 15 at the plate. It was that unlucky 13th bat that proved not to be a hit and my goodness did Mr. Cool lose his cool. HA He scored 13 runs too. Can you tell how proud of how much he put into all of this? :-)


He was awfully proud of that trophy.
I asked him why he thought he had to fall to catch this pop up and his immediate response was that he fell in a hole on the field. :-) I love the crowd reaction in these photos. Hay is not really in focus but the people in the crowd crack me up.
Cute little bootie! Ha
Team captains calling the toss. They won!
Sometimes he did have to dive. Glad he and Justin did not hit heads.
A little luck from Hattie.
This is a favorite of he and Jacob. This is what it is all about for sure.
Harold and I laughed so much over this one because he is checking to see if his foot is still on the bag.
Going in third a little harder than the league rules actually allow.


He caught it!
Going all out for home!
And he gets the out at 1st.
What the heck was that supposed to be? I think he thinks he is much bigger than he is!
Mimicking those swings he has seen over the years for sure.
I guess he is keeping all the "bad" things away from Blake as he catches the pop fly.


He is our All Star for sure.

Dreaming Big!

Our very sweet baby boy (yes he would just cringe at that statement) made the All Star team this year for his league. He was absolutely thrilled when his Daddy told him that he had made it. He never took it as a given that he would because he was on the team last year. He went out every game and every practice (okay give or take a couple) and gave it 100 percent! We are so proud of him. It is not so much that he is an All Star but that he knew what he had to do to accomplish this goal and he put the work and effort into it himself.
We had a practice recently and you can see the dreams are so big. Yep, he made the All Star team but his dream is to be an American League All Star so he wears this jersey to most all of his practices! Gotta love that drive and determination and that wonderful dreaming that he does!

Our First Baseman!!

Hay is loving getting to play first base this spring season in the rec league. This is a series of photos I took at a recent game. He was so proud. He fielded the ball, touched the bag and made sure the runner on 3rd did not go home. He is SO intense.

First Spring 2010 Baseball Game

Hayden had his first Spring baseball game this week. He was SO excited to be back on the baseball field. The difference in him from last year to this year is truly night and day. He is so much more concentrated. Don't get me wrong, he still has LOADS of fun but he is definitely there to do his best and not be silly and act goofy.

Check out the swing in this next photo. We may not have gotten that private hitting lesson at Spring Training because God's timing was just not in it for Hay this year (wink, wink, to the other two people on the face of the Earth besides me and Harold who know what I'm talking about here!!) But I am satisfied that just watching someone he admires SO very much swing a bat, did world's of wonders for this kiddo. He smacked the ball!!
Of course, this stretch made his Daddy and his coaches terribly proud. He is so funny, he used to tell us that he was trying to be like a "real" baseball player. Now he just says he is trying to do just like his ballplayers. Guess he has made to "real". ;-)
What would baseball game photos be without the swagger photo back to the dugout?!?