Select Ball

So...talking about Rhys's baseball season can get confusing.  This season, he played regular league ball on a team called the Voodoo.  But he also played some tournaments on a select team called the Voodoo.  And earlier in the season, Voodoo select was known as the Titans.  Why so many teams?  For the past year, Bill and his friend Rick have been working on putting together their own select team.  League politics get frustrating, and at a certain point, the kids that have been playing baseball for many years -- especially those that eat/drink/breathe baseball -- grow out of league ball.  So, this is how Voodoo Baseball came to be. 

Since we have been around the block a time or two in the ten seasons that Rhys has played baseball, we know just how important it is to get the right mix of kids and parents.  So, this spring, we were able to use the select tournaments to try out different kids and figure out the best combination for the select team.  Bill had bought some jerseys last fall that look like Rangers uniforms (with a big "T") when they played a holiday tournament, so for most of the spring, the boys played as the Titans.  By the last two tournaments of the year, they'd gotten the Voodoo jerseys ready to go, and Voodoo Baseball was official!  We're very excited about the fall, when we'll only be playing Voodoo select.  Rhys played a lot of baseball this spring, while we figured it all out.  Not that he was complaining!  Now league ball and select are over for the summer.  All that's left is All-Stars!

Rhys playing outfield at the Valentine's tournament in Taylor.

Rhys with a bunch of the core kids that come out for every tournament.  He loves these guys!

2nd place at the Valentine's tourney!

Sliding into home at the Voodoo's first official tournament.  2nd place!

Running the bases in Georgetown.

The boys presented their moms with roses on Mother's Day at a tournament in Kyle.

Congratulating the first place winners.

Final tournament of the year.  2nd place again!

Voodoo League Ball

We played this spring again in Hutto.  We have had a really good experience there and met some really great people.  Rhys played on the Voodoo this season, which was his last season of coach-pitch.  He mostly played short stop, but also helped out some in the outfield or wherever else they needed him. 

 

End of season pool party:

Thunder t-ball

Griffin finished up his third season of baseball earlier this month.  Despite some disorganization on the team, he still had a fun time.  He settled into the 2nd base position early on in the season and got pretty good at covering the base and being the cut-off man when balls went into the outfield.  He made several outs over the course of the season -- especially once he got the hang of tagging a runner out with the ball, rather than his empty glove! 

He also has turned into a pretty good little batter.  He can hit well into the outfield when he has a good at bat, but of course, his favorite part is sliding.  He slides pretty much at any base, regardless of where the ball is.  But he does so with style!

 

 

We Visit the Rangers

This will be the second in a series of baseball posts before I can get to vacation pictures. This month has been a lot of fun, but it has felt like a whirlwind, with wrapping up baseball and chamber music, plus recitals, a Rangers game in Dallas, and a vacation to Florida. Never fear, there are many pictures to come.

A couple of weeks ago, we went to Dallas with our good friends and baseball buddies, the Lucases. We try to go to at least one Rangers game at the ball park in Arlington every year, and we decided this year we needed to see the Rangers play the Oakland As.  Because of our busy baseball schedule and my class teaching schedule, the only game that would work was a weekday night game.  It seemed like a good idea when we bought tickets, but leaving for Dallas mid-afternoon for a 7pm game and driving home that night made for a long day and a very tired family.

After a relatively easy drive to Arlington (with more bathroom stops than I can count, between the five kids in our caravan), we stopped for a bite to eat, then headed to the ball park.  We had great seats in the second row, right behind the right field wall.

The view from our seats in right field.

The kids settled in quickly and were anxious for the game to get started.

The game started uneventfully.  As the action heated up, the boys got more and more excited.

A couple of innings in, Pennington (from the As) homered into right field -- right to where were sitting!  The bigger boys jumped up, gloves raised, desperate to get the ball.  It sailed right to Zach (the sweet little guy sitting next to Griffin in the picture above) and the guy next to Zach caught it right over Zach's head.  Convinced that he'd be given the ball, Zach raised his hand excitedly.  But...alas...the guy threw the ball back onto the field, rejecting the ball hit by the opposing team.  Zach was crushed and cried big, crocodile tears.

Thankfully, all was not lost.  Since we sat right next to the Rangers' bullpen, Zach managed to get a ball from one of the Rangers pitchers a few innings later, simply by being cute. 

Shortly after the home run excitement, we started to feel some sprinkles.  Then more rain drops.  And soon it was pouring.  The grounds crew rushed onto the field to roll out the rain tarp, and thousands of fans rushed from their seats into the covered areas.

After about an hour rain delay, the players got back on the field.

Toward the end of the game, Rangers closer Neftali Feliz, one of our favorite players, came out on the field to start warming up his arm in right field between innings. 

 

 

Thanks to the rain delay, we got an even later start to drive back home.  But, thanks to much caffeine, we made it! 

The Rangers Visit Round Rock

Since we're going to Dallas this week to see a Rangers game, I figure it's about time to post the pictures from the Rangers visit to play the Express...which happened at the end of March.

Three excited boys...and one not so happy.  But don't fret, he got into it later!

Chicken Dance!

Rhys's idol, Ian Kinsler, up to bat.

Michael Young and Chris Davis chatting it up at 3rd base during a time out.

Spring Piano Recital

Rhys has been taking piano lessons for almost three months now, and he's really enjoying it. He had his first recital this weekend, and he played beautifully!

{this moment}

Inspired by Soulemama.

Busy Sunday

Our Sunday started out bright and early, when we headed out to Georgetown for a baseball tournament.  This was Voodoo Baseball's inaugural tournament, and they broke in those new uniforms with style.

 

The Voodoo played very well, and ended up winning second place in the tournament.  As the championship game was over, we jumped in the car and headed to downtown Austin for Austin Chamber Music Center's Performathon.

Avery performed Pachelbel's Canon with her trio on the stage of the Long Center.  It was the biggest venue that she's ever performed in, but she handled it beautifully. 

Spring Violin Recital

Avery playing Bach's Concerto for Two Violins in d minor with her fabulous violin teacher, Elizabeth Warren.

Happy Easter!

Spring Break in Dallas

We spent most of this week in Dallas, taking a belated Spring Break. Our first stop in north Texas was Great Wolf Lodge, a fantastic indoor waterpark just outside of Dallas.

Since Spring Break for Texas public school kids was last month, we pretty much had the park to ourselves.  We spent all day Monday and half of Tuesday at the waterpark until the kids pretty much begged for mercy out of sheer exhaustion.

From Great Wolf Lodge, we headed into Dallas, where we stayed with Mamar in her new apartment.  She lives in an area in the middle of town, and it was fun to be able to walk out of her apartment to shops and restaurants.  After dinner and perusing the shops, Bill and I got to sneak out to the movie theater next door for a quick date!

The next morning the kids were up bright and early and itching to find a Corner Bakery.  They fell in love with the Corner Bakery that we ate at every morning when we visited Chicago a few years ago, so anytime we go somewhere urban, the kids insist on finding one. We managed to locate one a few miles away in the art district.  We didn't stop at any of the museums this visit, but we are looking forward to exploring the Dallas Museum of Art and the Nasher Sculpture Center in future visits.

After breakfast, our next stop was the Dallas Central Public Library.  Wow.  This was the mother of all libraries.  Located in an enormous building downtown, the library is home to eight incredible floors of books, including a to-die-for children's section.

And, if the books aren't a big enough draw, the library also has an original printed copy of the Declaration of Independence from 1776 AND the first complete printing of Shakespeare's plays from 1623!

Rhys wrote, "Harry Potter rules and so does baseball!"

After lunch, we met back up with Mamar for an afternoon outing.  Since she conveniently lives on the DART line, we decided to it would be fun to try out the train.

We spent the afternoon exploring the Dallas Zoo, which we'd never been to before.  We had a great time, and were thrilled with how close we could get to the animals!

All in all, a great week. And we're already planning our next adventures in Dallas!