Here's Your Sign

One Friday evening during this baseball season, we found ourselves without one of our three "live in" babysitters available at home - which really puts a damper on our date night!
Ryan had an umpire job down at the ball park.
Kyle was hanging out with friends.
Haylee had gone somewhere with her friend.

So, WHAT SHOULD WE DO?!?

Matt & I decided to take the two youngest girls down to the ball park so we could watch the game Ryan was umpiring - now TRY not to be jealous of our glamorous social life!!!
This way the girls could half pay attention to baseball, half play on the play ground, half eat concession stand food, half run around with the plethora of kids there.
(I guess that would actually be fourths!)

We just randomly chose a set of bleachers to sit on because we weren't really FOR either team - our kid wasn't dressed to play, he was the one behind home plate, dressed in a mask and chest & leg guards, trying to protect himself against repeated crazy, wild pitches coming from these 9 & 10 yr. old boys. (First league of "Kid Pitch")
Oh, and he was calling the game......which made it really interesting to sit amongst one team's fans.  In their opinion, Ryan was either doing a really awesome job - OR - a really sucky job, depending on if the call was in their favor or not!  (Keep in mind, since we didn't have a child on their team, they had never seen as at any of their other games......and did not know who we were!)

Upon arriving at the field, I immediately saw this sign that has been attached to the fence which is right next to the bleachers:

I thought it was awesome!

In fact, at one point in the game, when the coach on the other side (the side we weren't sitting on) was having  a little tizzy fit, I hollered out, "Read the Sign!"  ;)  It was real handy.

So, as mentioned before, this game was being played by 9 & 10 yr. olds who don't have much "Kid Pitch" experience under their belt.....so, potentially they could throw balls all night and walk every single kid who comes up to bat.  Instead of having that happen, Ryan, as umpire, allows a slightly larger than the usual chest-to-knees strike zone.  His mantra (& advise he gave to Kyle when he started umpiring) is PICK YOUR STRIKE ZONE AND STICK WITH IT.  And he does.

So, the parents on the side we were sitting on really liked Ryan's umpiring when their team was striking out the other team (due to the expanded strike zone, this was achieved).  But, when a kid on their team was up to bat, and a pitch that came across between his arm pits & shoulders was called as a STRIKE, they protested loudly to Ryan,  

"What was THAT call, Blue?"

Ryan:  "I've been calling it there all night!"

Me (the unidentified "fan" in the stands):  "At least he's consistent!"

Parent: "Yeah.....consistently BAD!"

Me: (snickers)

The game went into extra innings and lasted super long, but the team on the side we were sitting on did eventually win.  I don't know how she guessed, but the parent who had made the above comment asked me after the game, "Is that umpire your son?"

Me: "Yep."

Parent: (looking sheepish) "He really did do a good job."

Me: (nodding in the affirmative)

Parent: "I was just kidding about the 'BAD' comment." (looking sheepish some more)

Me:  (just smiled)

And she walked away.

GOTCHA!  ;)

School's Out for Summer!

So, WHY do I feel like it's kicking my butt?
Like everyone in this house is on vacation, but ME?

WHO came up with the phrase, "Lazy Days of Summer"???

After just one week, my car drives itself to Cherry Hill, Ryan's place of employment for the summer - that I have to take him to and pick him up from practically every day!

It's true.  Yesterday, I was [supposedly] taking Kyle to pick up the newspapers he delivers once a week, when he finally asks me, "Where are we going?"  I came to, and realized I was about 5 blocks past the turn off for the newspapers.  To his question, I answered, "Cherry Hill.  This car KNOWS the way now."   And then I turned around and got him to the right place.  ;)

We started out the week with only two baseball games on our calendar -- which eventually turned into A GAME EVERY SINGLE NIGHT, with possibly TWO tonight!  And the boys have both been umpiring at the ball park a few nights this week.
{ALL of which need a ride from ME!}

Kyle made this observation about our "What's for Dinner?" chart:

"So, pretty much -- this planned menu sign is meaningless?!?"

(Since we haven't been around at dinnertime to ever have a real dinner!)

AND.....Here's a question:

WHY is it so freakin' hard for *some people* to pick up the otter pop wrappers and throw them in the garbage can?

It's not.  It's NOT!  It REALLY isn't people!  It's so easy!!  I don't get it!!!


AND...my excuse very good reason for not having a garden in the past was because we did not have enough yard for one.  Well, NOW we do.
As Ryan's "family project" for his Family Life merit badge, our family cleared away a plot of land in our [otherwise unfinished, weed fest] yard and made a garden.  The "project" only required 4 hrs. of work, and that was accomplished two months ago, so he's less than enthusiastic about doing anything with it anymore...

But, I'm out there every day.....always something to do!  I'm sweatin' up a storm in the morning, or getting eaten by bugs in the evening.
Our corn, pumpkins, watermelon, and cantaloupe are coming up!
The onions, green onions, and tomatoes ARE NOT!
Like NO SIGN of them (not that us lame-o's would even know what the plant was suppose to look like!)....and it's been enough time to sprout.....so I think we must've made some ROOKIE mistakes!   

Planted the seeds too deep?  Too many seeds too close together?  Too much water?  Not enough water?  Too many people stepping on them?  Too many weeds?  Bad seeds?  Too many rocks in the soil? (DEFINITELY in these parts!)  


I got me a nice, lobster-red chest - a combination of it being our1st time out this year, faulty sunscreen(?) and a new swimsuit whose designer did not have my size in mind when manufacturing it - from taking the kids to Seven Peaks water park one day.  And it DID turn into a whole day once we drive to & from.

I am even down one child since I drove Haylee out to my sister's for a few days of "cousin play" but I still feel like I am not having a relaxing summer, yet.

Maybe next week?

That's when I'm going to start my summer exercise/training schedule, too.  ;)

I

42

Ryan was offered EXTRA CREDIT in his U.S. History class at school if he went and saw the movie, "42" and then wrote an essay on it.

I wanted to see the movie, too, after listening to a movie critic on a T.V. show (that critic proclaimed that it was Harrison Ford's BEST ACTING in a movie EVER!  Better than all his Star Wars movies.  Better than all his Indiana Jones' movies.  Better than Witness.  My interest was PIQUED, to say the least!)

It just so happened to be Ryan's month for a "date" with Mom & Dad, so off we went to the movie theater.

I was really shocked... and disgusted... and ashamed to see the way that Blacks were treated in the "white's only" days of segregation.  It made me sad, but I was proud of the wife of Jackie Robinson, Rachel.  She was a great lady!  She was such a wonderful support and shining beacon in his life even under all the pressure they both lived.  ("I want you to know I'm there for you." ) Her behavior, as a wife, was an example to me.  (Plus, she is gorgeous!)

My favorite lines from the movie that have left me really thinking:


(A manager from another team, Herb Pennock [Mark Harelik] calls the Dodgers' manager, Branch Rickey [Harrison Ford] before a game...)
Herb Pennock:  "I'm afraid we're not going to be able to take the field against your team if THAT BOY'S in uniform.
Branch Rickey:  "Why's that, Herb?...His name is Jackie Robinson, by the way."
Herb:  "Yeah, Branch, I understand he's got a name, but we're just not ready for that sort of thing in Philadelphia."
Branch:  "Well, what you do with your team is your decision, Herb.  My team's going to be in Philadelphia tomorrow - with Robinson - and if we have to claim the game as a forfeit, so be it.  That's 9 to 0, in case you forgot."
Herb:  "You know what, Branch?  You've had a *&^% of a )&%^$&........I'd like to know WHAT IT IS you're trying to prove?"
Branch:  "You think God likes baseball, Herb?"
Herb:  "What's that suppose to mean?"
Branch:  "It means someday you're gonna meet God, and when he inquires as to WHY you didn't take the field against Robinson in Philadelphia and you answer, 'it was because he was a Negro,' it may not be a sufficient reply."

Good point.  How many of our (my) other petty actions/attitudes do we (I) justify, but REALLY our (my) excuses are lacking?

and this one:

(The Dodgers manager is telling Jackie how much he will be harassed, abused, and ridiculed - and how he is not to buckle under the pressure of others' malicious acts and taunting words.....)
Jackie Robinson:  "You want a player who doesn't have the guts to fight back?"
Branch Rickey:  "No. I want a player who's got the guts *not* to fight back." 

I agree.  The NOT fighting back takes MORE guts!  To be the "bigger person" is harder.

It was a very good movie to discuss over dinner at Iggy's afterwards.......and an easy topic (lots of things to discuss) for Ryan to write his essay on.

Go see it. 

Touch of [NO] Class

Ryan had a baseball game on Thursday night.  

As has been the trend this season, they were behind when I arrived at the game.

I think it's a combination of 1) these boys have not been playing together long and they don't "jive" yet (whereas other teams have been together as a "comp" team for many years). 2) they have a hard time getting a FULL team due to many of the boys having jobs, and if they leave early, they get an automatic OUT each time it's the missing person's turn at bat. 3) when they get behind, [as a defense mechanism, I think] they lose their "seriousness" and start this non-stop light hearted chatter with one another on the field.

All of these things together have landed them a spot in the lower part of their leagues' standings.

{In a nutshell, they're not that good!}

And after observing all this, AND having an in-your-face confrontation with the umpire, the coach from the other team felt entitled to tell (yell) my son that his team was a "bunch of PUNKS."

(So what do you call a "GROWN MAN" who throws fits on the baseball field?)

When the game was over, we had lost.  No surprise there.  

As is customary, our team lined up at home plate to wait for the other team to shake hands/"low five" with them and say the automatic, "good game, good game, good game" to each and every member of the team & coaches.

  

And our team waited.  

The other team's assistant coach, on his way back to his dugout from coaching 3rd Base, came by the front of our line, held up his hand in the "STOP" sign and said, "We're FINE, boys" and walked right on by.  Meanwhile, the head coach was keeping his team in the dugout, ignoring our line up of boys.

Apparently, they thought our team was such a "joke" that we deserved NO congratulations.  NO courtesy.  No acknowledgement of a game played.

(What's the definition of "Punk" again???) 

___________________________________________

**As a little continuation of the story, some of our boys just stayed lined up, waiting for what should've been.   After a while, ONE boy from the other team broke free from (snuck out against the coaches will?) their dugout and came out and shook hands with our boys.  He received an applause from all our fans & players with that act of decency (& courage.)  After a few minutes, with our boys still waiting at home plate, a few others followed the example of the first boy, too, but there was still many who never came.

There IS Such a Thing as a Free Lunch

Baseball season is upon us, so we are finding ourselves AT the ball park during dinnertime these days, which is always tricky. 

Well, to feed our brood one evening, we brought along two Little Caesar's pizzas for "dinner" - which we discovered is NOT ENOUGH to sufficiently satisfy our family's hunger anymore. 

So, later that night, Matt wanted to go and get dinner, since, he considered, the couple of measly pizza slices he ate were just a snack.

We headed over to Wendy's since we had some "Buy (something), Get (something else) Free" type coupons.

(AND they have the awesome 2000-flavor-drink-machine!)  

As is often the case, the employee working the cash register didn't quite know how to make the coupons work, or the computer wasn't calculating the correct amount - or SOMETHING!  This problem resulted in him calling over a manager for "help." 

The manager started pushing buttons on the register - while calling instructions back to the cooks - so she must have got distracted, because then she exclaimed, "Oh No!" 

She stared at the register for a few seconds, and then she blurted out, "I can't believe I did that!" 

Meanwhile, both the initial employee and Matt & I were standing there in confusion.
 
The manager then said, "Don't worry about it.  It's on the house."   

We replied with a very intelligent, "WHHAAAT??"

She retorted, "I cashed the order out [by mistake].  You're good.  It's on us.  Nothing's due."

We said we were ready and able to pay, but apparently she couldn't do anything - after she pushes the "final" cash out button, the register CANNOT accept any payment on that transaction.  (THESE AMAZING COMPUTERS!  What would we do without them?!?)   ;)

So, there we sat in Wendy's dining room with two of THE CHEAPEST combo meals we've ever [not] bought!  It was our LUCKY day!

There's the secret:  use a coupon, and it will confuse them into giving you free food!

We DID decide to stop by the counter on our way out and order a few sandwiches TO GO for our teenage sons who are ALWAYS please with a late-night Fast Food "snack."  Then we felt better that we DID spend SOME money while there.

I was received at home with hugs and utterances of, "You're the BEST Mom!" from my boys.
(SOMETIMES you get it right.)

Give That Coach a Valium

Ryan has been umpiring baseball at our city league again this Spring/Summer. He LOVES it!
It involves SPORTS! And his genuine LOVE OF THE GAME.
It involves MONEY!
It involves being outside in [hopefully] pleasant weather, hearing the *crack* of the bat as it hits the ball, and the aroma of hot dogs coming from the Snack Shack!

But when tournament time comes at the end of the regular season, the intensity at the ball field turns up a notch - or ten!  The players are playing their hearts out, the crowd is cheering with greater enthusiasm, and the official scorekeeper is bombarded with, "What's the score?" inquiries left and right when earlier in the season, practically no one talked to her.  It's like this every year.....the championship is on the line, after all!

BUT THAT IS NOT AN EXCUSE FOR COACHES' NON-STOP COMPLAINING when Ryan was calling the game and especially when he called the 3rd out to end the ball game - AND THEN CHASING HIM DOWN AFTER THE GAME TO VERBALLY ASSAULT HIM SOME MORE, ACCUSING HIM OF "LOSING THE GAME" FOR THEM, AND THEN THROWING IN SOME OBSCENE NAME CALLING AS WELL!!!

Yep, these are "grown men" we're talking about here.  "Grown men" who are coaching Little League Baseball - moreover it was the SHETLAND league....which is just one step above TEE-BALL.....which consists of 4, 5, and 6 YEAR OLDS!!!!

Can you say, Unfulfilled Sports Dreams in their Own Childhood?!?  Psychological Problems over Personal Sports Failures?

*********

I happened to be in California at the time, so I did not witness it personally, but it was reported from other eyewitnesses that these "grown men" also refused to shake hands/high five the winning coach after the game.  And some other Moms in attendance (leave it to us "Momma Bears") began yelling at those coaches, "LEAVE HIM ALONE!  GET OVER IT!  BACK OFF!  WAY TO ACT IN FRONT OF THE KIDS!  GROW UP!"
While another Mom gave a shout out to Ryan, "WAY TO STAND YOUR GROUND, UMP!  GOOD CALL, GOOD CALL!"

Thank you my fellow Mamma Bears!  :)

Hometown Pride

Guess what made the list of the 100 best places (small town category) to live in the U.S.?

Our beloved Farmington is #12!

Yep, our secret is out, thanks to this CNNMoney report. (and now my blog post, too!) :)

Some of the reasons we were ranked so high by CNN is because Farmington is safe, quiet, has low taxes, our city is financially sound, Lagoon amusement part, close to Salt Lake City (jobs), mix of high end homes with more affordable ones, etc.

I agree with all those reasons, too, but let me add a few (or more) of the things I LOVE about Farmington....

1. Our Schools. They are high quality - I can honestly say that there is only ONE teacher in our elementary school that I (and a lot of other people) don't want their kids to get. I have no worries about all the others. We have excellent test scores - at Kyle's 6th Grade graduation a few months ago, I was amazed at how many students received the Presidential award for academic achievement (the one signed by President Obama) and then the Citizenship award given by the teachers - they just kept calling name after name after name. I thought to myself, Is there anyone who didn't get it? (There was, it's just that there are so many bright, motivated, good kids!) Our schools also have a good percentage of parent/community involvement. I like that our schools have a manageable number of students. My children are able to know (& be friendly with) almost everyone in their own grades. It is also great that our elementary school is just a little over a mile from our home. I (and some other moms) walk my kids to school every day until from the 1st day of school until Thanksgiving and then again after Spring Break. We wait around & hang out on the school grounds until the tardy bell rings for school. It is a fun time to socialize with the fellow students, parents, crossing guard, and school staff. It is safe for them to walk or bike home afterwards, as well.
2. Our athletic programs. Namely, F.A.B.L. (Farmington Area Baseball League) and Farmington Eagles Football. With three children in baseball (4 next year) and Ryan umpiring, that can make for 2-3 games/week/team, so we "live" at the ball park April - June. Not nearly as much as our league's directors, who are AMAZING btw (named Citizens of the Year 2010 by the Rotary club of Farmington), and is another reason we love being a part of FABL - the PEOPLE! We get to know so many friends through this - including other people in our town who are not at our school. Whenever we run into some of our baseball friends in public, we part ways by saying, I'll see you at the ball park! Then we get to do the same thing, with a slightly new group of people, but some are the same, August - October during football season. Even though we only have one child in football, because it is SO INTENSE (in time, attitude, commitment, etc.) it feels as if we are "living football" during these months. It requires so many volunteers and our citizens come through! I love the camaraderie we have through, not only practices and games, but our potluck dinners, parties, "Football with Dads", ceremonies, banquets, team (which parents/families are considered a part of) cheers & huddles, etc. We also have something unique, where our city has a soccer program with the option to sign up for just Fall or Spring season (or both if you want) so that it doesn't conflict with our kids' baseball or football schedule. AND our practice and playing fields are close enough for the kids to walk or ride bikes to, if the chauffeur is unavailable at any time.
   
3. Farmington Festival Days. The 2nd Saturday of July every year is always blocked out on our calendar for this event. When we first moved here 10+ years ago, it was only a Saturday event. More recently, it has expanded to include the whole week, Monday - Saturday. The parade. IMHO, it is the best around! They pass out REAL candy (READ: not just taffy, taffy, and more taffy). And those who know me, know I am motivated by candy! :) There are Jolly Ranchers, Airheads, Gobstoppers, cinnamon bears, root beer barrel candy, pixie sticks, starburst, fruit snacks, otter pops, and even stuffed animals, "Marti Gras" necklaces, and DVDs. The races. With the exception of one year when I was 6 months pregnant, and another year when I had a 6 week old newborn baby, I have run in the 5K or 10K (depending on my level of physical fitness that particular year) all of the years we have lived here. It is exhilerating to be among my "running friends." The races have now grown to include a Half Marathon and a "10K Flag Rock" (Mountain climb/run) as well. The breakfast. You get in free if you run the race! And it's not just your average breakfast. It is French Toast, big ol' sausages, bacon, cut up fresh fruit, hash browns, juice, milk, AND chocolate milk - all very Brenchley kid-approved! (and that's saying A LOT!) :) Other parts of this we don't want to miss are the Outdoor Family Movie night on the mega blowup screen, the free ice cream, outdoor concerts/bands, youth dance (not me, the teenagers!) and the Fireworks Show. And we enjoy it all amongst the familiar faces of our fellow Farmingtonites.
4. The Farmington Pool. This is an outdoor pool! (I don't like the muggy, loud, unable-to-suntan features of the indoor pools much at all) It's got a zero entry for the babes, slides for the kids, basketball standards for the hoopsters, a low dive and a high dive for.....well, I've seen ages 3 to 73 go off those, a water playground area, morning water aerobics, and lap swimming [life guards provided] for the crazies like me who attempt triathlons even though we're terrified of swimming. And I can always find an open lounge chair. (PLUS!) We can get a Family Pass for $150! And the best part? No matter when we go there, we ALWAYS see people we know! You don't have to take a friend with you - it's a sure bet the kids (& me) will have someone to play with already there.
   
5. The Farmington Trails. One of Farmington’s greatest assets is the location next to beautiful mountains...and the best part - we have trails and open space areas right in our backyard, probably less than ten minutes away! I have been able to take advantage of these trails as I've clocked some running and biking miles in training for my various events. The Lagoon trail is paved and offers lots of shady trees, bridges crossing over creeks, and a pleasant breeze to give respite to an exhausting, sweaty run.....including one section that thrills youngsters in your stroller - a fenced off area with elk, buffalo, horses, and cattle to look at. Our family has also enjoyed hiking on some of the dirt trails that allow us to "go exploring" or take us up in the mountains for a great view of our town and the Great Salt Lake.....although we did hear (and see in the bushes) a rattlesnake on a trail once - and we just haven't quite made it back to that one again! :) And I love how I often see friends (those we know, some we don't) out exercising on the trails, too, so we offer a wave and holler a "hello" as we pass each other.
   
6. Our church congregations. I feel like my family and I have a lot of great examples from people of strong faith, service, and generosity where we live. I feel like there are so many good, good, good people - just "cream of the crop" "salt of the earth" type people surrounding us. I appreciate these "spiritual giants" around us to inspire and strengthen us, and to keep us going.
7. Talented teachers at our fingertips. We don't even have to go out of town to find piano, swimming, cheer leading, preschool, or dance teachers, tutors, scout leaders, etc. It's all right here, and again, the kids can walk or ride their bikes there!
8. I can leave the keys in the ignition of my car [on accident] for many hours, and it's still there when I come back! (based on a true experience)
   
9. The recent addition of Station Park. This has been quite the excitement for us to get a shopping center here in our town since we haven't had anything like it before. The Harmon's grocery store was bombarded it's first opening weeks with all us zealous citizens eager to support it and "experience" a piece of the gourmet market history. In addition to a big movie theater, other stores include: Ross, Sports Authority, Home Goods, Marshall's, Ulta....and there's rumor about a Panda Express coming (Katelyn has her fingers crossed!)
10. Our city service people. I saw our Mayor out while I was on a bike ride last week. He was cutting down overgrown vines & such that were protruding out into the path I was on. As I passed him, he smiled at me and said, I'm just trying to clean this up for YOU! Our previous (and musically talented) mayor participated in a special [singing] concert one Christmas season and donated all the proceeds to a Scholarship Fund that has been set up in my [deceased] cousin's name.
    
11. Hometown Pride. It's not just ME! I know of so many people who have had 2 or 3 different houses in Farmington through the years. When they outgrow their home, they just can't bear to leave the area, so they either find or build themselves a bigger one in our same town. My aunt and uncle love it so much that they have had multiple houses (I lost track after seven - seriously) in Farmington, most of the time never having to leave their school or church boundaries. They don't want to live anywhere else! I also know people who had made additions or remodels to their existing homes, so they can stay in Farmington. There are quite a few "life timers" who cherish living here - and I love how they are so proud of our Farmington. And after living here, we too, have become like them - yes, our home is for sale, but we plan on staying in town, just a different home. I guess it's a possibility that we could grow to love somewhere else, too, (maybe not?) so I just don't want to risk it! :)
    

Much of my list refers to OUR PEOPLE, our school friends, our sports friends, our community friends, our fitness friends, our church friends - my love of this place is very related to them and my privilege to be associated with them, of which I am always grateful.

I don't know....maybe a lot of people feel this way about where they live...but now we've got what not everyone does...we've got the Big Honchos (CNN) validating what I know & feel to be true!

Have I convinced y'all to move here now?!? ;)

We Interrupt this Family...to bring you Baseball Season

The 2009 baseball season is now over for us.

Finished. Done. The End.

The Stats:

# of my children who played baseball this year: 3

# of my children I toted around to watch another child's game: 4

# of different teams my children were on: 3

# of different fields my children played on: 9

# of times my children had games at the same time, but on different fields: 9

# of weeks baseball lasted: 9

# of games in the regular & post-season: 45

# of wins: 22

# of losses: 23

# of "after-game treats" we brought for the team(s): 96

# of hours spent at the ball park: 74

# of miles driven back & forth to practice & games: 447

# at the gas pump (due to baseball related driving): $63.00

# of times I had to wake a sleeping baby to take my children to baseball: 13

# of times I washed AND scrubbed dirty/grass stained uniforms: 23

# of times my children wore dirty baseball pants to a game: 11

# of hours I spent trading/bargaining/wheelin' & dealin' to get time off work so I would be able to see my children's games: 24

# of times we missed nightly homework: 18

# of times we ate dinner at home during baseball season: 31 (out of 63)

# of sunflower seeds consumed: 5,983

# of rain outs: 6

# of times the game DID NOT get called, so we sat in the rain to watch it: 5

# of children who claim to have "the worst life" because their parents don't allow an "All-you-would-ever-want-to-buy-at-the-concession-stand" experience EACH time: 4

# of times Mom (I) yelled/cheered louder than anyone else there: 90

# of times we forgot that "there's NO crying in baseball" (tears of joy & pain): 14

# of games Haylee struck out before getting her 1st hit: 4

# of games before Haylee was ever able to make it across home plate: 13

# of times Haylee gave up: 0

# of Haylee's batting average in the tournament games (by the end of baseball): .800

# of smiles (my children & us): 562

# of new friends made (kids & adults): 57

# of my children who were named to All-Star teams by those with "Political Power" within the baseball league: 0

# of my baseball children who ARE All-Stars in their parents' eyes regardless: 3

# of medals received: 1

# of trophies earned: 2

# of "Most Improved Player" awards acquired: 1

(Haylee)

# of runner-up (2nd Place) teams in the Championship: 1

(Haylee's team, the lowest seed in the playoff bracket going into the tournament, the Phillies!)

# of Championships won: 1

(Ryan - 1st Place in his League - Farmington/Centerville/West Bountiful/South Davis teams)

# of times I wished I had been doing something else these last 2 months: ABSOLUTELY NONE!

Ryan's Still Waiting for Puberty to Hit!

Look at this First Baseman from the team Ryan played last night!It was like a "Freak Show!"

Ryan only goes up to his number (and that's w/ extra help from his helmet!)

We wanted the Ump to check this kid's Driver's License.

But, really, ONLY Ryan's age group (or younger) is allowed to play in this League.

We [lovingly] referred to him as the "Man-child" the whole game.

It did give our pitcher a VERY BIG strike zone to pitch to, though! :)

We wanted Matt to go stand by him, so we could compare their two heights to see how close he is to 6' 3" - but he wouldn't come out of the dugout after the game! I guess he took the LOSS against our 'shrimps' pretty hard! ;)