A Nail Biter

We finally got to play baseball today! Our first district game. We didn't look good early. We got down 4-0, inched back 4-1. Then 5-1. Then 5-2, 5-3, 5-4, 5-5, 6-6. But in the bottom of the 7th we gave up a run on a passed ball.

Sigh.

Nathan got up three times--and out three times. But all three times he hit the ball, and one ending up being a sacrifice RBI in that crucial big inning. He also fielded the ball nicely at shortstop and threw the batter out at first.

Next game, he's on the mound.

Off and Running

We went to our first track meet of the year yesterday. It was sunny and beautiful--except for the 20 mph winds!

We aren't real sure what the coaches are thinking this year. They have taken Aaron out of the 1600 and 3200, where he has always done well, and put him in shorter races. Yesterday he ran the 800 and the 4 x 400 relay. He also did the triple jump.

He didn't do very well in any of those, but then again, most of the schools there were much larger than our school, so maybe he'll do okay come district. We'll see. We have two more meets before the district meet.

Rain has prevented baseball for the past week, but we're hoping to get a couple games in this week, so check back for those updates.

On the Mound

Nathan's team lost their game last night. He was the starting pitcher. Walked three batters in four innings but also had several strikeouts. Several fielding errors led to runs, so I'm not sure how many were actually earned by him. I guess if he's going to pitch, I need to learn more about that aspect of the game!

Anyway, the final score was 15-5, but they did play five innings, which was better than their losses in the tournament! His coach is pleased with their progress, knowing they have so much to learn.

We're off for spring break, but both baseball and track will begin in earnest after that!

Tournament Play

The varsity baseball team took the field for the first time this year in a tournament this weekend. Again, a young team, so we'll take our lumps. And in this tournament--a mish-mash of public and private schools--our lumps were the size of mountains! But we have a new, good coach who is very encouraging and is trying to get a feel for each boy's strengths and weaknesses before district play begins. So here's the run down.

GAME 1:

Our opponent in this game was a 5A public school JV team. It's a good thing it was JV--more equity in ages, although that didn't really mean much in the end. We lost 25-0 in four innings. Only two of our batters reached base--Nathan on a hit-by-pitch and his cousin Chris with a walk. One of our juniors hit a ball to the fence, but the outfielder caught it. And those are the highlights.

GAME 2:

We played a varsity team this time, but from a 1A public school. We played better, though we still lost 20-0 in four innings. This time we had several put the bat on the ball (Nathan hit a fly ball that the shortstop caught), and two of our juniors actually got on base with hits. Fielding was obviously still an issue, but Nathan pitched the final two innings and in those innings only gave up 4 runs, all of which were unearned.

GAME 3:

Well, our opponent (our district rival) didn't show, so we played the same team from game 2, but this time they played their 2nd team. And we made a game of it! I, of course, missed it. Aaron and I were on a local college visit. But I'll reconstruct the game a bit via Jeff's text messages. (Gotta love technology!)
We started well, down only 1-0 at the end of the 1st innings. In the second inning, Nathan bunted to reach first base, but we still couldn't score--until the third inning. Then we managed to hit one in and tie it, 1-1. In the 4th inning, Nathan was hit by a pitch for the second time in this tournament, but again, he couldn't get around the bases. 1-1 at the end of the 4th inning. In the top of the 5th, the other team scored two runs, but we answered with one, so at the end of 5, we were losing 3-2. In the bottom of 6th, Nathan reached base yet again, this time on an error by the 3rd baseman. He stole 2nd. Then he scored! End of 6, we were all tied up, 3-3. Top of the 7th and final inning, the other team scored, leaving us down by 1 going into our last at bat. We managed to get two on base and then one of our players ripped a single that scored both runners! WE WON, 5-3!!!!!!

I'm so thankful this ended on an up note for these boys. After those first two games, they were pretty down. But this should give them some confidence going into district play.

New Experiences

In the past couple of weeks the boys have had some interesting new experiences. Aaron participated in the academic competition for private schools in the spelling and persuasive speaking categories. He also participated in a debate tournament. His new ventures were not "successful" in the outward sense, but I was so proud of him for stepping out and trying new things. In fact, he enjoyed debate so much he said he'd do it again next year!

Nathan's new experiences involve art and music. He made a pottery vase (which I haven't seen yet) that received an honorable mention at our district art meet. He is really enjoying art and computer this year, even wondering if the fusion of those and his music would make a good career choice. Another new thing happened yesterday. He showed up to practice with the Praise Band and they discovered their bass player was absent. So Nathan played bass in chapel that day--the first time he's ever played the bass guitar! But my musician friends have always said a piano player that understands chords can move easily between instruments. I guess they were right!

Ending in Like Fashion

We ended the basketball season tonight--finally. It's been painful. We lost by 30. Aaron had 2 points, Nathan had 5 points.

On to baseball and track . . .

Thoroughly Modern Millie

I really missed Elizabeth this weekend! Last night we went to our school's production of the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. For the past four years, I've loved the weekend of the play. Costumes and makeup and kids hanging out at our house between the matinee and evening performances. From that freshman year "coup" of landing the part of Bloody Mary in South Pacific to last year's wonderful portrayal of Aunt March in Little Women, I had a ball watching Elizabeth and her friends perform.

At least this year I had a few ties to the cast. My niece Sarah was in the chorus, as was Nathan's girlfriend. Aaron's girlfriend had the lead role (Millie) and one of Elizabeth's good friends had the humorous supporting role, the kind Elizabeth often played. They did a great job. I loved it all. But it made me miss my drama girl!

Uniform and Knives

Well its the start of the second semester and i received my uniforms and knives for my culinary lab classes so i just wanted to post some pictures for everyone to see

Losing is Hard Work

Another loss, 76-25. In our defense, two of our tall boys, including our leading scorer, were out sick. Aaron managed 5 points, Nathan 6 points (2-3 pointers late in the game). I have to say, no one at our house it very sad that the season will soon draw to a close.

I know the Lord is teaching my boys through these dismal seasons--teaching them to persevere even when it looks like their effort is for naught. But that's a hard lesson. One some adults don't even understand! And so we journey on . . .

Another Pounding

We played a small public school last night. After the first quarter, we were only down by 2 points! But then they brought in two boys that apparently start, but didn't start that night. And it went downhill from there. We lost, 64-24. It didn't help that our leading scorer was home with a temperature of 103!

After a very slow start, Nathan ended up the leading scorer and rebounder for this game--seven rebounds, seven points. His cousin Chris scored six points. And Aaron, after many, many shots that just wouldn't fall in the bucket, finished the game with four points.

Six more games to go, mostly district games. And since we are in one of the hardest basketball districts, a win would be a miracle. But we will persevere with our young lineup and hope their experience pays off in the future!

Battling the Refs

Not sure what the refs were doing tonight. The other team mauled us--knocked Aaron all the way to the ground on at least two shots with not a call in sight, and yet if we stood still with hands straight in the air, we got called for the foul. Then at the end, when we were trying to foul, they refused to call our obvious fouls so we could try to get the ball back! It was truly one of the most awful games I've ever watched. And the shame of it is that even with all that, we only lost by 7!

Aaron finished with 4 points, Nathan with 3.

Now we have to switch our focus to finals!

A Better Game

We won! 50-25. Aaron scored 7 points. Nathan scored 12 (two of them were 3 pointers!). Both had a few rebounds and an assist. It was nice to have a bit or a breather from the hard games. But the break won't last long. Another district rival comes to town this week.

Stay tuned!

An Ugly Game

We lost tonight. We knew we would. But the officiating was so bad that it made everything worse. At the least the other team put 4 bench players on the floor for the second half (mostly). The score ended up 50-something to 20-something. Not really any high points to speak of.

On to next week.

Back to Basketball

I've been a little slow getting this up, but we started back with basketball on Monday night. We actually looked better than I thought we would after the break! We lost 35-53, but the game was much closer than the score indicates. In fact, we pulled to within 2 points in the 4th quarter! But then we had a run of fouls, ending with Aaron fouling out of the game. And, frankly, without Aaron on the court, our young team falls apart.

Aaron ended the night with 6 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists. Nathan had a tough game for turnovers, but still managed 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. He was 2 for 2 from the free throw line and two of his assists were to his brother!

This was the first district game. As in football, our basketball district consists of at least 3 teams that usually go deep into the state playoffs, so just a win or two would be quite an accomplishment for our young team. We'll see what happens.

'Tis the Season

 For the HCA mission trip!

The boys are down in south Texas helping with various projects. Apparently they've learned to tape and bed!

Third Time's a Charm

Yes, it's the third time we've played this team in a week. And the third win. But considering the fact that our team was winless last year, we'll take these three wins!

Last night we scored a total of 47 points to their 21. And our scoring was spread around, which was good, too. Aaron had 5 points, Nathan had 6. Both played well on defense and stayed out of foul trouble, too!

december Tournament Play, Game 3

We ended the tournament on a high note of sorts. We won, 47-29, but it was against the team we had already beaten last week (and the one we play again on Monday!) Still, it was a good game. It was close until the second half. Then we pulled away (after their leading scorer fouled out!)

Aaron had the second most points, with 13. Nathan was the leading rebounder with 10.

December Tournament Play, Game 2

I missed this one due to a doctor's appointment in Dallas, but they lost a heartbreaker, 49-42. Aaron fouled out with 3 minutes left in the game and apparently they floundered a bit out there without his leadership on the floor.

Aaron ended with 14 points, Nathan with 6.

Football Accolades

Although this season didn't afford as many high spots as seasons past, we did get some bright news recently. When the district awards were announced (and remember, of the four teams in our district, one was state champ and the other one state runner-up), my boys were honored as follows:

• Aaron was named 2nd team all-district wide receiver, cornerback, and kicker.
• Nathan was named 2nd team all-district quarterback.
• Nathan was named the District 2A Freshman of the Year. 

Wow! I was blown away! Congrats to them for their hard work during a tough season!

December Tournament Play, Game 1

First let me say: we played a small public school. We got pounded--literally, 52-13. (One boy on the other team was even thrown out of the game at the end for his flagrant fouls.)

But there were some bright spots. In spite of a ton of turnovers, we also had several steals. And the boys never quit hustling. Never.

Of the 13 points we scored, 8 were Aaron's (4 from the field, 4 from the free throw line) and 3 were Nathan's (a bucket, with a foul, and he made the free throw.)

We'll see what happens tomorrow!