T-Ball Fun

We decided to sign Robert up for t-ball this year.  A few weeks ago, the team got organized and held their first practice.  He is playing in our county's 3 and 4 year old t-ball league.  Let me tell you, this was one entertaining practice.   Practice was at 5, and I worked in Nashville all day, so we rushed home, grabbed our gear, and headed to the ball park. 
Practice basically involved letting the children take turns hitting while everyone else played defense.  The coaches spent the first five minutes trying to get the children to spread out in the field, but they finally gave up and just let them play.

The first few hits, no one knew what to do with the ball.  Finally, some kids caught on and started trying to get the ball.  After Robert "caught" (I use that term loosely) the ball one time, he became upset when he didn't get it every time.   But the boy is no dummy -- he quickly figured out that if he moved to the front of the pack (approximately 10 feet in front of the batter), he could get the ball first.  He then started getting most of the balls that were hit.  Although he and James have spent time in the yard practicing catching, Robert decided to adopt a new approach at practice.  Rather than catching the ball with his hand or his glove, he decided to step on the ball as it rolled toward him.... stop it with his foot.... and then pick it up.

He also enjoyed a few good swings at the tee.  We have been pitching to him rather than practicing with a tee, so it took him a couple of hits to get the hang of it, but by the end, he had some good solid hits.  He would hit the ball and then run to first with the bat in his hand the entire way.  Every time.

Perhaps my favorite child of the day, though, was a little fella who took a literal approach to the instruction to "be sure to tag every base when you run around."  He stopped at every base and touched it with his hand rather than his foot.  It was priceless.

The season is now underway, and we already have several games under our belt.  These games are so entertaining, and it is so exciting to watch the children improve. 

This past week, James brought the camera along and stepped out into the field with the kiddos to get a few pictures.

At bat....

Base running...

And playing some defense...

My favorite shot of the day, though, was not of Robert... it was of our buddy Noah, the youngest and smallest kid on the team.  He is too cute!

We are looking forward to a fun and entertaining rest of the season!