Bobble heads

Ever notice you can buy sports equipment for adults in all sorts of sizes, but manufacturers expect children to all be roughly the same size? It isn't a one-size fits all world and Keeli - AKA the bobble headed t-ball player - is a perfect example.
The season opened Tuesday and Keeli had a great time and - hopefully - is grasping some of the game's concepts. That giant helmet and the way it shifts forward, backward and side-to-side on her head with every move she makes is very distracting for a 5-year-old.
Ready position - enough said - no comment. I can't stop laughing when I see this going on!Her friend Mia did her best to tag Keeli out as she approached first, but the first rule of t-ball is all runners are safe and all runners get to score! Yeah for everyone!!! Keeli celebrates each and every advancement as if she were scoring the winning run. So, maybe she doesn't have all the concepts down quite yet. She has time to learn.

Softball Superstar!

Tatum has been struggling at the plate this season. Last year she played in a league where the pitches were VERY consistent. A pitching machine was used and they came right down the middle and fast. This year the girls are learning to pitch and the balls come at all different speeds and heights.

This week Tatum had some good contact with the ball. She is still not swinging with all her might, but she is getting on base. This ball kind of just rolled off the bat...and down the first-base line. She was paying close enough attention to hurdle over the ball on her way to first.
She's also getting much more confident fielding. Typically she plays 2nd base and rotates to center field. With the help of some grandstand coaching from her parents - and others - she is getting into position correctly and learning to back up her teammates and stop the ball before it gets to the outfield. Like her brother, she enjoys the action of the infield much more than the outfield.She keeps hinting at wanting to pitch, but there have been few practices and no direct instruction on these skills. It may be something we have to work on during the off season to prepare for next year.

Hopefully she is getting some great lessons in teamwork, friendship and broadening her horizons while she plays. That is really what this league and this age should be all about.

Baseball prodigy - NOT

After all our bragging last week about Rikard being a fantabulous (fantastic + fabulous) tee-ball player, we must hang our head in shame. Apparently he likes the action playing short stop, but gets a little bored waiting for the balls to make it to the outfield. Sadly he has found ways to entertain himself.

Please, laugh with us! I take all the blame for the shaky video, the tripod was not where Rick expected it to be. We are going to have some good times with his new video camera. Stay tuned.

Spring = Baseball

Sunshine. Mild breeze. Freshly cut grass. Crack of the bat. It is Little League t-ball season for our little guy! Making the transition from outfield to short stop isn't easy for t-ballers. Rikard got some last-minute instruction on the "ready position" from his coach Saturday afternoon.
It was some timely instruction. Rikard flawlessly fielded the first ball that came his direction...
and made the throw to 1st base.
Then it was time for everyone's favorite part of the game, returning to the dug out for a cool drink and a chance to hit the ball.
Rikard is pretty proficient at batting. He really takes his time in the batting cages seriously and makes sure he uses his own bat all the time so his swing is the same every time. He's currently thinking it is "fun" to hit the ball high into the air.
His fan base is self-contained, portable and goes everywhere he goes.

The crack of the bat

It was opening weekend for Little League and Saturday was filled with nothing but softball, softball, softball and some more softball.First it was opening cermonies. There we met other parents, traded some of our gear for gear that fit, and took team and individual photos. Tatum is pretty excited that she is on the Mariner's team, she thinks it beats the options - the Orioles, Cardinals or Dodgers.

Then it was game time. Tatum's first at bat was a strike-out, but she rebounded well. She had two singles, a fielder's choice, 2RBIs and scored three runs. We may have to buy her a new batting helmet. The one provided by the team falls off her head when she rounds the bases or tries to run to fast, so she is constantly holding at least one of the ear flaps with her hands and trying to run.

Rick and I are struggling with watching from the sidelines as the coaches sit idle during games and practices. Apparently the girls are supposed to learn the game without instruction. We have two games this week and a double-header on Saturday if you're interested in taking in a bit of juniors softball.

M's Game

Each year Papa Charlie treats us to an outing or two at Safeco Field to watch the Seattle Mariner's. We were lucky enough on July 28 to watch Ichiro's 1,500th hit and see the M's win as part of a stadium filling crowd.

The day's theme was "Turn Back the Clock." The 70s theme was complete with costume contests, game shows and Eric Estrada as the celebrity guest. The kids had a great time dancing to the music and watching all the game extras. We even brought home a couple of ball caps with the original Mariner's logo.

It isn't easy to keep three young kids entertained and in their seats for three to four hours. There is always something to draw the kids' attention away from the game...cotton candy, shiskaberries, warm peanuts, lemonade...

Overall, the kids have a great time, dad gets some quality time with his kids and grandpa is happy. All is right with the world.

Our seats are usually behind 3rd base, however this time we were along the 1st base line. The scenes in the walkways were similar, and I found some great artwork at one of the entrances I hadn't noticed before. These are made from recycled items, aluminum cans, bottle tops, license plates, etc. All the materials are metal, but they make the quilter and designer in me think about other possibilities. I enjoy circles.

Then, as we were driving away, this parking garage caught my eye. Again, circles are attractive.