Sunday, May 23, 2010

Baseball

we signed up the boys for softball and they had their first practice 2 weeks ago. after going thru the basics, the boys went thru the rounds of hitting the ball and catching at different positions. the boys had a good time but after we got home Joseph realized that he hadn't got to bat. well we missed the second practice, so i tried to practice swinging the bat with him yesterday before the game.

as im packing them a lunch, i can see that its hailing outside and the wind is kicking up pretty good. i wrap the boys up in their spring jackets and put their jersey's on top, hoping that would be enough. well we show up at the ballfield, the temp reades 44 degrees and the wind is making it feel a lot colder. i ask Brent to watch the kids as i run back to the house to grab their winter jackets.

when i get back Brent tells me that when Joseph got up to bat, he actually hit the ball pretty good, then ran for the pitchers mound. the coach got him straightened out to first then off we went to the next hitter. Joseph then ran straight for second base, stopped halfway, and asked where he was supposed to go. the coach for the other team actually picked him up and put him on the second base.

by the time i got back i saw that our coach was trying to warm up James by jumping up and down with him, but he was still crying. i run out to first base and tell him to come over and get his coat on and have to talk him into staying. Same with Joseph, he wanted to go home, and it was only the promise of hot chocolate after the game that kept him out there. One or two of the other kids where just freezing and really didnt want to be out there anymore. in the next inning Joseph made it all the way around without getting tagged out, and we, (Brent, Laura and the girls) hyped him up. James made it to third and was tagged out on his way home, (i think their catcher was a ringer, knew the game way to well for a 5 yr old.) in the last inning, the ball was hit right to James and he just stood their and watched as 3 other kids dived at his feet to pick up the ball.

One of the parents brought snacks, and that, i think, really set the mood. the boys were excited that the game was over, but having snacks really left them with a good attitude.

i used that as an example my elders quorum lesson this morning. how even when it seems that there is ample reason to be bitter and jaded about something, it is our decisions and choices that affect our attitudes. the boys could be very bitter about playing baseball, and they still mention how cold it was, but the positive attitude they harbor toward it is exemplary for me in my life and the situations i presently find myself.

Spiderman Crystal

about 2 years ago we had a couple of people tell us how James was so much harder to understand than Joseph. The concern expressed was that James might need some extra stimulation or classes. So Tanya signed them up for a speech assessment thru the school district. On the day she shows up, one of the teachers comes out to grab James. A few moments later, another teacher, the one doing the assessment, comes out to ask which of the two brothers is 'Spiderman.' Tanya tells her that that is James, and afterward she asks James how he introduced himself. 'Spiderman James Crystal,' he says. He has since moved on, his current favorite is now Wolverine, Captain America, and Superman.