Take me out to the ball game

Our town has a mini-baseball season for the three and four year olds.  It consists of six Saturdays in Spring, and the first two are just practices.  The last four are "games".  Though I'm sure they won't even keep score.

Part of me felt like a stage mom signing my three year olds up for tee-ball.  I mean, what can a three year old really get out of it?  Will their chances of making the varsity baseball team in high school really hinge on whether they started little league at three or five?  I highly doubt it.

But, since Superman and I both grew up playing ball, we have been buying them ball caps, reading them books about baseball, and teaching them "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" since they were little, little babies.  So while I don't expect them to have perfect aim after six short Saturdays of tee-ball, I am hoping they will get excited about baseball and it will help develop their interest in playing it as they get older.

Their first Saturday consisted of meeting their coach and teammates, doing some stretches and jumping jacks, running the bases, hitting off a tee, and catching some ground balls.  Thing 1 had a blast!  Unfortunately, Thing 2 was benched due to a case of Toxic Synovitis.

Tomorrow, they'll be getting their jerseys and taking team pictures.  And Thing 2 should be up to running around like normal.

But as fun as watching them run around and doing jumping jacks was (and it was fun!), I am sad that my parents don't get to see them play.  No, they aren't dead (thankfully!), but they live about 700 miles away, so a quick trip in for a tee-ball game is not really on the agenda.  I grew up on the ball field with my dad in the dugout and my mom in the stands.  Sometimes them living so far away just sucks more than others, and this is one of those times.  I just really wish they were able to be on the sidelines to see my boys learn to love the sport that they taught me to love.

I am happy though that my good friend, let's call her "The Godmother", will be coming into town to see them play their first game.  In fact, I can't believe it, but she is actually skipping her cousin's wedding for the occasion, because she says seeing a game is so important to her.  Which is a nice reminder once again that family comes to you in many forms.  Sometimes family is made through blood and birth, sometimes it is made through wedding vows, and sometimes family can be made by having really awesome friends who really love your kids.