April 24

The Dons had a game in Danville this afternoon so I picked Isaac up at the appointed time and we headed north on the freeway.

It was a cooler and definitively overcast day but aside from the tennis ball that escaped a nearby court and nearly whacked me in the head while I waited for the game to begin, it was a pleasant enough afternoon.

Once the action began, it was a mixed bag for Isaac: he had a pair of swinging strikeouts, but his third at-bat netted a single while his fourth was a pop-out. Defensively he played the entire game in left field, where he made a great running catch to snuff out a mounting rally (among other contributions). 

Although they came out on the losing end, he was chatty as he emerged from the dugout, and spent the ride home talking about the game and various other topics. Given that I'm well-versed with The Moodies these days, I'm very grateful for that chattiness.

April 23

This is what a walk-off wild pitch looks like.

And fortunately, that's Brady's team doing the celebrating.

They engaged in quite the competitive game this evening against a team they'd played (and beaten) twice before. Since Brady threw 67 pitches during his Babe Ruth game Sunday he was ineligible to take the mound, but he contributed in other ways: offensively, he had two hits and a pair of stolen bases, and defensively, he turned a key double play when we caught a hard liner and tossed it to second base to erase the runner who'd prematurely headed for third. 

Anyway, the score was knotted at 3-3 when his team came up to bat in the bottom of the first extra inning. Our runner who began the inning on second base --because today's umpires said we needed to follow the international rule on that even though we never have before-- stole third base, and then, a few balls later, ran home on a wild pitch. And the celebration commenced.

We don't always come out on top in this life. In fact, much of the time I think we fail more than we win, probably because failing teaches us so much. But those winning moments are pretty darn sweet, so I am thankful for this one.

April 22

I was pretty sure I hadn't taken a single photo today, but I was wrong because as I was scrolling through my images a few minutes ago, I found this one. It's time stamped 11:26 AM.

It's one of those oopsie shots that you take when you're fumbling with your phone. (At least that's what happens with me. Maybe everyone else is less clumsy with their pricey electronic devices.)

It's kind of nice, in its own accidental-photo sort of way. It has elements of light and dark and is mostly in focus. And it reminds me that not all unintended happenings are disastrous; in fact, in some cases, they're even kind of cool.

April 21

Brady had a pair of games in Berkeley this morning so Adam shuttled him up there in the dad cab while Isaac and I stayed behind.

Isaac isn't a morning person so we were a little late leaving for church, which meant I couldn't stop by the Mother Ship for my dose of java. 

So when we got to church, I poured a cup of coffee from the pot in the family room (as we call the entry area) and then settled into my seat in the sanctuary. I took a quick sip and sighed because --much to my surprise-- it tasted really good. 

And I sat there holding my cup, just breathing in the fragrance of the coffee and the sweetness of being with fellow Believers in Jesus. 

April 20

It was another multi-game Saturday for Brady and us spectators.

By the time his head hit the pillow this evening, he'd played in three match-ups (two for Intermediates, one for Babe Ruth) which netted two wins and one loss. He had a hit in each game and played solid defense all over the field(s). It was beautiful outside and Adam's parents were able to join us for game number two, which is always nice, and I got to chit-chat with my fellow baseball moms. So it was, all in all, a very pleasant kind of day.

But what I really want to focus on is what I'll call The Big Comeback, which could alternately be dubbed The Proof That These Kids Are Clearly Not Awake Until 10:30 AM game. It was the first match of the day between Brady's Intermediates team and one from Bollinger Canyon Little League. It was technically a house-level game, although (like our team), the opponent has something of a floating roster that includes players of varying ability levels.

To be blunt, Brady's team looked bad from the outset. It seemed like they suddenly didn't know how to play defense and before we knew it, they were trailing by five runs. They could very well have given up and accepted what looked like certain defeat, but that's not what happened.

Instead, they buckled down, woke up, started making plays and chanting like crazy, and entered the bottom of the final inning knotted in a 10-10 tie. Brady wasn't supposed to pitch, but his coach asked if he could please have his services for an inning and we agreed, so he threw a terrific bottom of the seventh, notching a groundout that he expertly fielded himself, a walk, and a strikeout over just 13 pitches. He even dispensed with the runner he walked by executing a perfect pick-off move to second base. In the extra inning that followed, his team scored 3 more runs to secure a 13-10 win.

It was infuriating and then nerve-wracking and then exhilarating. That's often baseball for ya. And it was a blessing to see them rally hard and fight for the victory. This life often takes mettle, and those boys certainly showed theirs today.

April 19

Isaac was in a good mood following the JV Dons' 7-6 win over Dublin, so when we got home and I pointed out that he hadn't yet taken a pic with his yard sign, he decided he'd make it happen. Sort of.

Rather than just standing next to it, he chucked his bags on the lawn, put down the box of cereal he'd been munching from in a central location, and turned around to reference the number 27 on the back of his jersey. (And yeah, the sign says 21 because 21 is technically his home number. His away number is 27. Today's game was at home, but none of the boys like their dingy home jerseys so they wear the purple away ones all the time now. So I guess Isaac is actually #27. But not according to the sign. Got that? Me neither.)

Anyhow, it was a gorgeous day for baseball and my allergies didn't bother me, so I'm grateful for the time at the field.

April 18

I really enjoy the creative process, so I've had fun putting together this scarf this week.

I'm not using a pattern and it's done in something of a stitch sampler format, with blocks of various stitches separated by rows of double crochet. This evening during Brady's game, I even inadvertently came up with a stitch pattern to use as edging. 

It's satisfying to choose different stitches and it's relaxing to weave a hook through the yarn in the appropriate rhythmic fashion. 

Given that I've felt a bit stressed of late, I'm grateful to have a hobby that brings me a sense of well-being.