More Softball

The theme for this past weekend was softball softball softball and more softball. The weather was glorious so the kids & I made it to all the games.

I’d like to point out that while I do like to keep my kids on a decent routine and schedule, I am not a super stickler for enforcing strict bedtimes. However, it makes life way easier to keep things pretty normal. So this weekend’s schedule wasn’t one of my finer parenting moments.

• Softball Friday night, game started at 8p. Carson is usually in bed by 7.30p, Mallory by 9p. I didn’t leave the ballpark {with two WIDE AWAKE KIDS} until almost 10.30p. Got home, tucked Carson in bed, and then listened to Mallory cry scream for 30 minutes in her bed because she’d lost “sleeping in mom’s bed privilege” that morning by being a bad listener for dad. Neat that Rick doled out punishment that I had to follow through on because he was at work until super late.
• Neither kid slept in on Saturday. Michigan was playing at noon so I figured I’d have Carson fall asleep on me during the game and figure the rest out later. Both kids were awake and a little grumpy/tired during the game, but we were getting crushed so I left a little early, hoping they’d fall asleep and get a little nap in before the 5p game that afternoon. Carson did sleep but I had to wake him up at 4.30p so we could go back to the ballpark to babysit one of the coach’s 8-month old daughter (who both of my kids A-DORE).
• Sat through the 5p game – mostly in the suite because it started to sprinkle – and my kids and Becky’s baby were FAN-TASTIC. It was a super exciting game and we won it in like the 6th or 7th inning. It didn’t get over until almost 8p, my kids were rock stars again, so we headed to a party at a friend’s house where we stayed until almost 10p (with both kids barely showing signs of fatigue).
• Sunday morning was a little rough for Mallory but she turned it around and ran an errand with me while Rick took Carson to the game (started at 1p). We met them at the park a little after 1p and both kids again were fantastic. Granted there was a lot of popcorn and goldfish eating as a general distraction but still – they were great. We lost again to stupid Kentucky and the season ended. It was heartbreaking.

But that’s not the point of the story. The point of the story is how fun it is to watch my kids grow up and learn (and how funny they are as they grow & learn).

During the game Friday night, one of the player’s moms asked Mallory how she knew Hutch & Bonnie & Biggie and if she knew all the players. Mallory shyly told her “no…” and then looked at me and said “but all the softball girls know ME!”. Our seats for this game were right over the Michigan dugout and Carson kept walking down to stand over where Biggie was and kept yelling “HI BI-YEEEE!”. Biggie never heard him but everyone around us was cracking up. He would look back up at me when she didn’t wave at him with this sad look, it was so cute.

After the exciting game on Saturday night, I got to witness Mallory in all her “the softball girls know ME!” glory. She stands near Rick and his laundry cart outside the lockerroom and gets high fives and fist bumps and “HI MALLORY!” greetings from all the players as they throw their stuff in the cart…plus the standard snacks from Biggie. The softball girls told Mallory she had to wear her cheerleader dress again the next day for good luck.

“Chiddy” – the third basemen – is the kids’ favorite player. I think it’s because her name is fun to say. It’s cute to see them yell and cheer for everyone but mostly to hear Carson yell “i-yee” for Chiddy.

Carson LOVES when the ball goes in the air and keeps yelling ‘”UH HIGHHHHHHH” – and the points over the backstop when the balls are fouled up over the backstop. I’m trying to teach him that when Michigan is up – we want the balls to go over the other fence.

Sunday’s game was exciting but didn’t turn out good for Michigan.

After the game Sunday, Mallory wanted to see Biggie. But Mallory was all “YEAH! I want to see BIGGIE!” and was smiling and laughing and I had to explain to her that Biggie and the rest of the team were sad and that Jordan (the pitcher) was crying, so I thought that Mallory in all of her “where are the M&Ms?” glory might not be a good fit for the postgame lockerroom that day. Then I had to explain why Jordan was crying (me: b/c it was her last game MCB: why was it her last game? STB: because you only can play softball in college for four years MCB: so she is sad she can’t play softball at college anymore? STB: yes)

Mallory – in her awesome four-year-old-logic – then informed me that Michigan “shouldved wonned” because we got one run first (Michigan was up 1-0 in the bottom of the 7th and Kentucky scored two to win it). Also, after talking more about the players being sad because we didn’t win, she said “but we USUALLY winned!”, that we can win more next time.

Last night – after dinner and getting ready for bed, Rick & I asked her if she had a fun weekend.

She said no, because she didn’t get to talk to Chiddy after the game Sunday.

We will make little signs for the graduating seniors (and probably one for Chiddy even though she isn’t graduating). I wish that I’d thought to get a picture of Mallory & Carson with the girls at one point during the season. Wouldn’t that be a fun thing to have when you got bigger? The kids don’t quite grasp the company they keep – but I think it’s pretty cool that my kids can say they grew up around an Olympic gold medalist (Biggie), a strike-out record holder (Jordan), Big Ten Player of the Year (Chiddy)! I also think it’s cool that the kids aren’t intimidated or whatever and just think this is normal but it’s a fun part of their childhood that I’d like them to have memories of.

I’m always afraid I’m going to embarrass Rick (and myself) by asking to get pictures of the kids with any of the Michigan student-athletes. Like when Carson played catch with Denard Robinson last month after the Michigan spring game, and then at the softball game a few weeks ago, Denard was there, sitting in the outfield bleachers and Carson kept pointing and yelling to where Denard was. Then it got even funnier when at the next game, another football player with dreadlocks was sitting in front of us and Carson kept pointing and talking to him and I had to tell Rick to tell the guy to turn around so Carson could see that it wasn’t Denard. LOL.