Day 2: Opening Ceremony

Day 2 of the World Series! We started by finding a little Catholic Church in Arlington with a Sunday mass that still had seats open at 10am and clocked in at under 50 minutes. We found a Kroger on the way home to get some more medicine for Brady (who is feeling better despite not sleeping well due to congestion.

First up was the skills test. Brady got to demonstrate his bunting skills. He did well - 6 points out of a max 15. The team also had guys participate in the run the bases and the home run derby. We won't know how they did until Wednesday sometime.




Back to the hotel where Brady rested and the girls swam in the hotel pool. It was unbelievably hot today. 101 degrees! Only 40% humidity, though, so it didn't feel quite as bad as it could have.

At 6pm, it was time to head over to Airhog Stadium, home of the minor league Airhogs baseball team. The teams have time for pin trading before the games. Each team brings a pin with their name and logo on it, then the boys trade with the other teams. So far Brady has collected 20 different pins.

Next up was the team picture:

The girls got to see the Airhogs mascot, Ace Bacon.

The teams lined up on the field with their brand new banner (courtesy of Jodie Reed's Dad and brother who own a sign business):

The teams lined up and were announced over the PA. They read out the boy's first names and some background information (their record, and tournaments they've won this year).

And they put the information on the big screen:

The sisters sat on the dugout and cheered:

One of Brady's old teammates, Darius Boykins was there with his team, the Fort Bend Texans. They played together from the time they were 6 until they were 10. Darius is a great young man!

After all the teams had marched, they boys got to hang on the field and watch a fireworks display:

Overall it was an awesome experience for the boys! The games start tomorrow. We play at 10am and 4pm. Go Warriors!!

Day 1: Journey to Grand Prairie

Our journey started bright and early (OK, 11:15 am). We met at Chick-fil-A for a quick lunch and to load the bus. Here Anthony, Jason, and Brady are hanging out in their booth.

Our cars are all decorated for the ride up there:

Woody (the manager) rented a charter bus for the boys and dads to ride in on the way up there (Bill opted to drive our vehicle, though). Here are all the boys and the dads getting ready to get on the bus:

It took us around 4.5 hours to get here, which was not too bad (the drive went quickly). We booked a suite with 2 bedrooms and a fold-out couch. The girls are getting a room of their own and Brady is going to sleep on the fold-out couch.

We also have 3 TVs, 2 bathrooms, and a full kitchen!

We also have wireless Internet! So far, so good. Brady has a bit of a sore throat, so we're going to rest tonight and hope he starts feeling better - yikes!

We miss you Cookie! More updates to follow. Go Warriors!!

Getting ready for the USSSA World Series

Our summer comes down to this: Saturday, we leave for the USSSA World Series in Grand Prairie, Texas (near Dallas). The boys have practiced and are ready. The fundraising is done. The packing is . . . well, it's not until tomorrow, so there's still time to pack.

I'm not sure who's more excited about the trip, Brady or the girls. We get to live out of a hotel room for up to a week (depending how long we last in the tournament). The girls get to spend a week hanging out with their friends at the fields and at the hotel, and they get to eat out practically every meal. Brady is a bit nervous, but we've told him that it's all about the experience, not whether you win or lose.

The boys are riding up together on a bus tomorrow, and Bill the girls and I (plus all the other parents) will follow them up there. Praying for a safe trip and a good showing at the world series. Even if they lose every game, as long as they do their best, that will make it a great experience.

I'll post what I can from Grand Prairie. :-)

We survived the golf tournament!!

Before I start on the golf tournament, I'd just like to note that our bunny, Cookie, who thinks he is a dog is really taking it a bit far.



I don't think rabbits generally like to sit by the fireplace, do they? Our faithful guard bunny on duty . . . LOL

Anyway, the Warriors Golf Tournament is finally over (whew) and although it was scorching heat, the tournament was a success! We raised enough money to pay the entry fee and a good part of the travel expenses for the world series next week (we leave Saturday - yikes!!).

Bill was one of the coordinators of the tournament. Here he is pretending to talk on a walkie-talkie that never worked once all day:



I was a worker bee. Here's Kim, me, Caprice, and Don working on the goodie bags for the golfers. Kim's trying to ease out of the picture, which is why I was laughing:



We had chick-fil-a sandwiches for lunch (donated - yea!!) plus the golfers got a sleeve of golf balls and an AFLAC duck (which I loved and snagged a pair for the girls).

Bill, my Dad, and Bill's dad all played in the tournament and played great, but still finished out of the top 3.



My Mom worked as a volunteer and helped sell mulligans and drove a drink cart around the course with me for about 4 hours. We had free Gatorade and water donated by Mike Lewis Food Town!!

After the round, the boys came up to the course and worked at the hamburger buffet serving dinner to the golfers. Brady was in charge of lettuce, tomato, and onions.



The burgers were actually really good, and everyone enjoyed the meal. Note how well color-coordinated my dad's team is (even Mom matches!):



We had great silent auction and live auction items donated including autographed baseballs from Woody Williams (our coach and former All-Star MLB player), Nolan Ryan, Jake Peavy, Trevor Hoffman, Bob Feller, Albert Pujols, autographed jerseys from Woody, Peavy (went for $1100!), Hoffman (went for $1500!), and Roy Oswalt, and 2 autographed bats from Lance Berkman that sold for $700!


This is the guy who bought one of the Berkman bats. He's from a bar in Kemah called The Monkey Bar. I've never been, but the next time I get down there, I'm going by to say hello and thanks!

We worked hard, but overall it was worth it! We raised money and got a lot of support from our home town, which was probably the best part. Nah, the money was the best part, but the support was great, too. LOL

A hot time at the Houston Zoo

Today, Brady had gum surgery. He had to have a labial frenectomy which removed some of the tissue in the gum under his upper lip. It's to help his front teeth come together, and it's part of the process of getting his braces. He has a few stitches which he will have removed next week in plenty of time for the USSSA World Series (I hope).

So what does this have to do with the Zoo? Well, I thought he might want to take his mind off the soreness in his mouth, and, really, what could be more fun than walking around in 95+ degree heat? So we packed a picnic and headed off to the Houston Zoo.

We saw Mac, the junior elephant having his lunch. He's still extremely cute. His tusks are starting to grow in!



We also saw a baby giraffe (Jack) and a baby Komodo dragon (whose name I didn't know).

We met a Leopard Tortoise named Billie:



The kids aren't really grouchy, it's just hot and the picture was taken at an odd time.

We cut through the air conditioning and found a shaded table for our picnic:



Food and shade make everyone happier!

After lunch we fed the ducks and headed to the Tropical Bird House. It's pretty quiet in there (to keep from disturbing the birds) so I was surprised when Abby ran over and announced that a bird was talking to her.

Sure enough, Abby and Brady were holding a conversation with a bird! I wasn't sure how the video on the digital camera worked, so the bird isn't quite in frame, but you can get the idea.



The first sound is Brady and Abby, then the bird responds, then Brady and Abby again, then the bird again (then I move the camera to try to figure out if it's still recording - sorry).

We headed home to let Brady take some more Motrin and rest. KC had a dental appointment this afternoon. It was supposed to be just an exam and cleaning, but he found two loose baby teeth so he went ahead and pulled them. Yikes. So we have 2/5 of our household complaining about sore mouths tonight.

Ah, well, the price of health and beauty . . . poor things.

Happy Fourth of July 2008!

Happy Independence Day to all!!



We celebrated by having my family come visit. We had some heavy rain showers in the early afternoon, but once they passed by we put Bill on the grill. We had traditional 4th of July fare including hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, and potato chips.



The girls made a wonderful (only slightly lopsided) strawberry shortcake for dessert!



We also had apple/cherry cobbler, chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes, and ice cream sundaes for dessert. After all that, we hit the pool! Those who could still fit into our swimsuits did, at least.

There were several games of water volleyball (minus the net). Nana was the captain of one team,



Brady and Sierra were the co-captains of the other team:



I think they ended up tied after several games. The kids finished their swim with a group cannonball:



Abby decided to jump on her own a few seconds later. Some people insist on a solo. What can you do?

After everyone headed home, we gathered around the television and watched the Houston fireworks display then the Boston Pops fireworks. Both were amazing and the kids were happy that we watched them in the air conditioning with no mosquitoes!!

I'm currently reading John Adams for our school book group, so I'm feeling very patriotic this weekend. As soon as I finish, we're watching the miniseries on DVD. I can't wait!

Here's the latest addition to the decorations: A Fourth of July tree!



Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!

Rice Elite Baseball Camp

This week, Brady participated in the Rice Elite Baseball Camp at Rice University's Reckling Park. It was 5 hours of almost non-stop baseball for three days. He loved every minute of it.

Where's Waldo? Can you spot Brady in this photo?



Hint, lower left, two white jerseys, two red jerseys, then a redhead in a black shirt.

Preparing to run a few wind sprints:



A 15 minute break for lunch:



By day 3, he's doing perfect crossover steps at second base at Reckling Park!!



OK, technically he knew how to do that before, but he really worked on it during the week! They worked on hitting, fielding, running, and all the fundamentals. And Brady just loved every minute of it. I think he's counting the months until high school baseball. :-)