Rhys at catcher:
Batting in coach pitch for the first time:
Playing left field for the Belton Tigers:
Trophy ceremony:
Receiving his special gift from the team:
Monday, September 21, 2009
The weekend in photos
The fearless Muckdog pitcher:
Rhys at catcher:
Batting in coach pitch for the first time:
Playing left field for the Belton Tigers:
Trophy ceremony:
Receiving his special gift from the team:
Rhys at catcher:
Batting in coach pitch for the first time:
Playing left field for the Belton Tigers:
Trophy ceremony:
Receiving his special gift from the team:
Muckdogs, Tigers, No Bears, Oh my! (aka Have Glove Will Travel.)
Guest blogger :: Bill
At 8 a.m. Saturday Morning Rhys and I headed to the baseball fields to pick up the team uniforms for fall ball. Yes, we were supposed to have them 2 weeks ago, but that's another story. A few hours later we kicked the Muckdog season off with a big win. Rhys did a great job playing catcher for a couple of innings and left center field as well. In his first coach pitch outing he managed a couple of really good hits and put the ball in play in every at bat. I pitched and will likely get an ulcer from the stress.
Fast forward 24 hours and Rhys was playing in a select league tournament in Georgetown for the Belton Tigers. Wait ...
... let's back up a little bit.
I've got a friend at work (Chris) who coaches a Belton Select League team aptly named the Belton Tigers 2020(it's 8u Coach Pitch). He had mentioned a few months back that he was putting this team together and wondered if Rhys might like to fill in on the rare occasion that his team might need another player to complete a tournament roster. I told him I'd talk to Rhys and as you can imagine Rhys was more than amped to play more baseball. Anytime. Anywhere. Well, that call actually came Friday and after calling Rhys to see if he was on still board I let Chris know that we'd be glad to come out. So 24 hours after playing his first ever coach pitch game, Rhys was playing left field in a select league tournament.
It was a great time and Rhys had a great experience. Nothing got past him in the field and he made some good stops, he shook off some early inning nerves to knock out same base hits and scored a couple of runs as well. We dominated the first couple of games despite only having 9 players in the field, the other teams all had 10. (in coach pitch you can have 4 outfielders) In the end we came up three runs short of winning the tournament. Still, we took home some cool hardware for the second place finish and had a fantastic experience. The Tigers team and the parents could not have been nicer or more supportive and were just a really nice group of people. Griffin made quick friends with one of the other little brothers and played with him through most of the day and Avery read and took some pictures and video of the game, while Lexy watched and cheered from the bleachers and I paced the entire grounds. (I don't know how anyone can just sit and watch their kids playing.)
After the game and the team trophy presentations, the parents took team photos (one of which will be running the Belton paper) and had their post-tournament meeting with the coaches and parents. Chris presented Rhys with a mini-Louisville Slugger bat which the kids from the Tigers signed, thanking him once again for coming out. It was really touching and just another example of what their team is all about. Good parents. Good kids. Good baseball.
At 8 a.m. Saturday Morning Rhys and I headed to the baseball fields to pick up the team uniforms for fall ball. Yes, we were supposed to have them 2 weeks ago, but that's another story. A few hours later we kicked the Muckdog season off with a big win. Rhys did a great job playing catcher for a couple of innings and left center field as well. In his first coach pitch outing he managed a couple of really good hits and put the ball in play in every at bat. I pitched and will likely get an ulcer from the stress.
Fast forward 24 hours and Rhys was playing in a select league tournament in Georgetown for the Belton Tigers. Wait ...
... let's back up a little bit.
I've got a friend at work (Chris) who coaches a Belton Select League team aptly named the Belton Tigers 2020(it's 8u Coach Pitch). He had mentioned a few months back that he was putting this team together and wondered if Rhys might like to fill in on the rare occasion that his team might need another player to complete a tournament roster. I told him I'd talk to Rhys and as you can imagine Rhys was more than amped to play more baseball. Anytime. Anywhere. Well, that call actually came Friday and after calling Rhys to see if he was on still board I let Chris know that we'd be glad to come out. So 24 hours after playing his first ever coach pitch game, Rhys was playing left field in a select league tournament.
It was a great time and Rhys had a great experience. Nothing got past him in the field and he made some good stops, he shook off some early inning nerves to knock out same base hits and scored a couple of runs as well. We dominated the first couple of games despite only having 9 players in the field, the other teams all had 10. (in coach pitch you can have 4 outfielders) In the end we came up three runs short of winning the tournament. Still, we took home some cool hardware for the second place finish and had a fantastic experience. The Tigers team and the parents could not have been nicer or more supportive and were just a really nice group of people. Griffin made quick friends with one of the other little brothers and played with him through most of the day and Avery read and took some pictures and video of the game, while Lexy watched and cheered from the bleachers and I paced the entire grounds. (I don't know how anyone can just sit and watch their kids playing.)
After the game and the team trophy presentations, the parents took team photos (one of which will be running the Belton paper) and had their post-tournament meeting with the coaches and parents. Chris presented Rhys with a mini-Louisville Slugger bat which the kids from the Tigers signed, thanking him once again for coming out. It was really touching and just another example of what their team is all about. Good parents. Good kids. Good baseball.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Blowing bubbles
We are very proud of our son, who seems to be a bubble blowing savant. At barely four, he can out blow any of us. Of course, it might have something to do with the vast quantities of gum that he goes through, but we figure we need to encourage his gift.
Family Reunion
At the end of July, we drove to Lampasas for a family reunion. We don't see Bill's side of the family nearly as often as we see mine, so reunions are always very fun. Bill has a cousin with a daughter that is 8, and the kids love to see her.
Bill's aunt rented a big blow up slide for the backyard, and the kids spent hours sliding on it.
Bill and his cousins:
The aunts:
Bill's aunt rented a big blow up slide for the backyard, and the kids spent hours sliding on it.
Bill and his cousins:
The aunts:
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Baby Noah
The biggest event of the summer that I have failed to blog about was the birth of sweet baby Noah on July 19th. He is my cousin Elisha's first baby, which makes him my first cousin once removed and the kids' second cousin. But from here on out, he'll be known as their cousin and my nephew. He's the closest Bill and I get to having a nephew, and we look forward to spoiling him as such! We've all been so excited about the addition of a new baby to the family, and he really is one of the top four babies I've ever known. ;-) His parents have adjusted beautifully and are already wonderful parents.
Here he is, just minutes old:
And with his many admirers:
And with his favorite aunt:
And now at 8 weeks!
Here he is, just minutes old:
And with his many admirers:
And with his favorite aunt:
And now at 8 weeks!
Monday, September 14, 2009
While the Cat's Away
by Guest Blogger :: Bill
Oh, how the menfolk played. With Lexy, Avery, Linah, and Mamar off in France, we men had the run of the place(s). We spent most of these dog days of summer swimming at Mamar's. We also mixed in the final two baseball tournaments and a few select outings. It was truly a fantastic time. Most mornings we would get up and chat with Lex and Ava (sometimes Mamar and Linah as well) over the internet on our webcams. It was pretty awesome to get to chat with the whole crew as they traveled thousands of miles from us. It was so hard to be without them, but it was great to see them and it helped soften the distance for sure. I took the majority of the time off, but did have to work some here and there. Between our great friends and some Nonnie time, the boys had a blast every single day.
We'll start with baseball. Rhys played for the aptly named Heat. My God, the Heat and the ragged clothing. It was brutal out there those last 2 tournaments with temps that reached up over 110+ on the field both weekends. Griffin stayed with Leigh and Bob and I'm pretty sure they had so much fun with him that they wanted to keep him. He felt the same way. Rhys turned in an MVP performance in the Georgetown Tournament, which the Heat won. The following week they made it to the Tournament Finals but lost by a run. It was a great season though. He learned so much and had a great time.
The first post-baseball weekend, Rhys, Griffin, and I headed to Main Event. They had a 4th of July weekend special and we jumped in with both feet. Getting there just as they opened, we bowled for a couple of hours before the crowds hit. Once they did we turned our attention to the video games, which we played until our eyes nearly fell out of our heads. It was a good time.
Griffin agreed that the only place to spend the hottest summer in the history of Austin was in the pool. With Mamar away we spent most of the entire two weeks at her house mixing the pool, the dogs, baseball, junk food, the old XBOX, and the Texas Rangers in pretty equal doses.
Griffin says to Rhys, "You're going down!"
The 4th of July was a beautiful night. We watched the Rangers while swimming. (Rhys would always get out to watch Ian Kinsler's at bats).
We got some sparklers, which the boys were fairly scared of, and later in the evening we drove out to the lake and sat on a hill watching three different fireworks displays across the horizon while listening to Harry Potter on CD.
We men partied into the night every night until sleep overtook us.
Oh, how the menfolk played. With Lexy, Avery, Linah, and Mamar off in France, we men had the run of the place(s). We spent most of these dog days of summer swimming at Mamar's. We also mixed in the final two baseball tournaments and a few select outings. It was truly a fantastic time. Most mornings we would get up and chat with Lex and Ava (sometimes Mamar and Linah as well) over the internet on our webcams. It was pretty awesome to get to chat with the whole crew as they traveled thousands of miles from us. It was so hard to be without them, but it was great to see them and it helped soften the distance for sure. I took the majority of the time off, but did have to work some here and there. Between our great friends and some Nonnie time, the boys had a blast every single day.
We'll start with baseball. Rhys played for the aptly named Heat. My God, the Heat and the ragged clothing. It was brutal out there those last 2 tournaments with temps that reached up over 110+ on the field both weekends. Griffin stayed with Leigh and Bob and I'm pretty sure they had so much fun with him that they wanted to keep him. He felt the same way. Rhys turned in an MVP performance in the Georgetown Tournament, which the Heat won. The following week they made it to the Tournament Finals but lost by a run. It was a great season though. He learned so much and had a great time.
The first post-baseball weekend, Rhys, Griffin, and I headed to Main Event. They had a 4th of July weekend special and we jumped in with both feet. Getting there just as they opened, we bowled for a couple of hours before the crowds hit. Once they did we turned our attention to the video games, which we played until our eyes nearly fell out of our heads. It was a good time.
Griffin agreed that the only place to spend the hottest summer in the history of Austin was in the pool. With Mamar away we spent most of the entire two weeks at her house mixing the pool, the dogs, baseball, junk food, the old XBOX, and the Texas Rangers in pretty equal doses.
Griffin says to Rhys, "You're going down!"
The 4th of July was a beautiful night. We watched the Rangers while swimming. (Rhys would always get out to watch Ian Kinsler's at bats).
We got some sparklers, which the boys were fairly scared of, and later in the evening we drove out to the lake and sat on a hill watching three different fireworks displays across the horizon while listening to Harry Potter on CD.
We men partied into the night every night until sleep overtook us.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Home again, home again
Day 16
Day 16 consisted of getting up early, sitting at the airport, sitting on a plane, more sitting at an airport, and even more sitting on a plane. Nothing exciting, but thankfully no problems either.
As much as we were sorry to leave Europe, Avery and I were so anxious to get back home. We had missed our guys more than we even imagined. The webcam was nice, but it can't hold a candle to being there with them. I'm so glad that Avery and I got to have this experience, but we definitely won't be going anywhere without our three favorite guys anytime soon!
Day 16 consisted of getting up early, sitting at the airport, sitting on a plane, more sitting at an airport, and even more sitting on a plane. Nothing exciting, but thankfully no problems either.
As much as we were sorry to leave Europe, Avery and I were so anxious to get back home. We had missed our guys more than we even imagined. The webcam was nice, but it can't hold a candle to being there with them. I'm so glad that Avery and I got to have this experience, but we definitely won't be going anywhere without our three favorite guys anytime soon!
Au revoir, Paris!
Day 15
Back to good ol' Paris. This time, we took a cab from the train station to a Marriott by the airport. We were able to check in early and we all rushed to take showers while we waited for room service to bring us breakfast. We felt much better once we were clean and full. Mamar decided that she'd had enough adventure and wanted to spend the day resting up for our return flight. The rest of us were tired too, but wanted one more chance to see the sights of Paris before we left.
We took the hotel shuttle to the airport where we hopped on a train to take us back into downtown Paris. We got off near Notre Dame, and stopped to have ice cream at a sidewalk cafe that looked out on the Seine.
We walked over to inspect Notre Dame up close.
Next, we walked along the Seine towards the Musee d'Orsay.
We spent the afternoon in the Orsay, seeing countless Degas, Renoir, Cezanne, Gaugauin, and Manet works. Heaven.
I think we would have stayed until they kicked us out if Linah's shoes hadn't been killing her feet. But, eventually, Avery and I took pity on her and agreed to say good bye to the Orsay and to Paris.
Back to good ol' Paris. This time, we took a cab from the train station to a Marriott by the airport. We were able to check in early and we all rushed to take showers while we waited for room service to bring us breakfast. We felt much better once we were clean and full. Mamar decided that she'd had enough adventure and wanted to spend the day resting up for our return flight. The rest of us were tired too, but wanted one more chance to see the sights of Paris before we left.
We took the hotel shuttle to the airport where we hopped on a train to take us back into downtown Paris. We got off near Notre Dame, and stopped to have ice cream at a sidewalk cafe that looked out on the Seine.
We walked over to inspect Notre Dame up close.
Next, we walked along the Seine towards the Musee d'Orsay.
We spent the afternoon in the Orsay, seeing countless Degas, Renoir, Cezanne, Gaugauin, and Manet works. Heaven.
I think we would have stayed until they kicked us out if Linah's shoes hadn't been killing her feet. But, eventually, Avery and I took pity on her and agreed to say good bye to the Orsay and to Paris.
Leaving Monaco
Day 14
We woke up early on our last day in Monaco. The plan was to pack up, check out of the hotel, and leave our luggage with the concierge while we spent one last day enjoying Monaco. We had tickets for the overnight train to Paris that left at 7pm. The plan seemed simple enough, until a few days before we were scheduled to leave, when we discovered that the Grand Depart of the Tour de France began in Monaco on our departure day. We were repeatedly assured that it wouldn't be a problem to take a taxi from our hotel to the train station, regardless of the fact that the time trials passed directly in front of our hotel. I (stupidly) took their word for it and thought Mamar was silly for being so concerned. I was just so excited about seeing the Tour de France in person, that I want to bother myself worrying about potential trouble.
We went ahead and left our luggage at the hotel, and hit the streets of Monaco. After a little shopping and a little lunch, we stationed ourselves along the street in front of our hotel and watched the athletes ride by. What an experience! I certainly never expected to be able to witness the Tour de France!
Austin's own Lance Armstrong:
Many of the cycling teams stayed in our hotel. It was neat to see them wandering around the lobby (but less fun to try to fit in the elevator with them and their bikes).
So, after watching for a couple of hours, it was time to catch that taxi from our hotel to the train station. The concierge retrieved our luggage, no problem. The snafu came when we told him we were ready for him to call us a cab. "Oh, no. Impossible. There are no taxis until after the Tour ends tonight," we were told. Ummm, what?! This, after we were repeatedly reassured that it was not going to be an issue? The buses also weren't running along our street, so essentially, we were trapped. After about 30 minutes of standing around with various hotel staff attempting to come up with a solution, they settled on one: all the bellhops would help us get to a bus station. This was no small feat. Have I mentioned how much luggage we had?
Long story short, we were helped along the long walk across intersections, up elevators, and down streets to the bus stop and get to the train station. Whew, we made it. Thankfully, we had planned ahead to get there early. The closer it go to to the end of the Tour, the more packed the station became. It was like a cattle call with hundreds and hundreds of people pushing and shoving (and urinating on the nearby wall). Finally the crowd thinned and our train arrived.
Now, I don't know about you, but my expectations for an overnight sleeper train may have been a little unrealistic. I imagined something out of an old movie...or maybe from Harry Potter. Clean, comfortable, maybe a little old fashioned. Let's just say it didn't quite meet my expectations. The four of us shared a room with two sets of bunk beds. In the middle was a tiny aisle, which was crammed with suitcases. It was hot, humid, dirty, and very uncomfortable. It was a very long night.
We woke up early on our last day in Monaco. The plan was to pack up, check out of the hotel, and leave our luggage with the concierge while we spent one last day enjoying Monaco. We had tickets for the overnight train to Paris that left at 7pm. The plan seemed simple enough, until a few days before we were scheduled to leave, when we discovered that the Grand Depart of the Tour de France began in Monaco on our departure day. We were repeatedly assured that it wouldn't be a problem to take a taxi from our hotel to the train station, regardless of the fact that the time trials passed directly in front of our hotel. I (stupidly) took their word for it and thought Mamar was silly for being so concerned. I was just so excited about seeing the Tour de France in person, that I want to bother myself worrying about potential trouble.
We went ahead and left our luggage at the hotel, and hit the streets of Monaco. After a little shopping and a little lunch, we stationed ourselves along the street in front of our hotel and watched the athletes ride by. What an experience! I certainly never expected to be able to witness the Tour de France!
Austin's own Lance Armstrong:
Many of the cycling teams stayed in our hotel. It was neat to see them wandering around the lobby (but less fun to try to fit in the elevator with them and their bikes).
So, after watching for a couple of hours, it was time to catch that taxi from our hotel to the train station. The concierge retrieved our luggage, no problem. The snafu came when we told him we were ready for him to call us a cab. "Oh, no. Impossible. There are no taxis until after the Tour ends tonight," we were told. Ummm, what?! This, after we were repeatedly reassured that it was not going to be an issue? The buses also weren't running along our street, so essentially, we were trapped. After about 30 minutes of standing around with various hotel staff attempting to come up with a solution, they settled on one: all the bellhops would help us get to a bus station. This was no small feat. Have I mentioned how much luggage we had?
Long story short, we were helped along the long walk across intersections, up elevators, and down streets to the bus stop and get to the train station. Whew, we made it. Thankfully, we had planned ahead to get there early. The closer it go to to the end of the Tour, the more packed the station became. It was like a cattle call with hundreds and hundreds of people pushing and shoving (and urinating on the nearby wall). Finally the crowd thinned and our train arrived.
Now, I don't know about you, but my expectations for an overnight sleeper train may have been a little unrealistic. I imagined something out of an old movie...or maybe from Harry Potter. Clean, comfortable, maybe a little old fashioned. Let's just say it didn't quite meet my expectations. The four of us shared a room with two sets of bunk beds. In the middle was a tiny aisle, which was crammed with suitcases. It was hot, humid, dirty, and very uncomfortable. It was a very long night.
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