March 5

After Saturday's league-wide rainout, Brady finally had his first Single A baseball game this evening. We arrived at the prescribed time, and he headed off to the field to both warm up, and to receive his jersey and hat. When the time came to play, the coaches herded the boys into the dugout, put them in the batting order for the game, and sent them out to the diamond for the first inning of defensive play.

I watched as, one by one, the boys trotted out to the field to assume their positions. My heart sank as he called out first base, second base, third base... and still Brady sat, waiting. And then he finally go to my little muffin... and told him he was pitching. He smiled his impish little grin and ran out to the mound.

I watched him toss the ball to the plate throughout that inning with a nervous, teary-eyed pride. He notched two strikeouts, and just before the game ended, he tagged a solid single toward first.

I think he had fun. (Well, I know he did. He loves baseball too much to have not had fun.) And I was reminded of a few things: first off, to not make assumptions or be discouraged so easily because having your name called last doesn't automatically mean you're going to get screwed. And secondly, that I should take more time to actively delight in the things that make my kids happy, since the clock doesn't stop ticking and we can't get this time back after it's been spent.