Take Me Out to the Ballgame

A few weeks ago I took the boys outside to play baseball. It was chilly and overcast, but that's how a lot of days are. They had a great time playing. I was impressed by Elliott's ability to throw the ball up and hit it with the bat. Derek generally uses the bat more like a golf club, but he loves to play!

Last week Brent got tickets to the IronPigs game. I was just going to take Elliott, but then Brent got another ticket, so I decided to go ahead and take both boys. (Brent stayed home.) I wasn't sure how it'd go, since last summer neither of the boys were very interested in the game. This time was totally different. They had a blast. Elliott doesn't usually like to cheer or get involved with the crowd. He got into it this time. Derek was awesome. When a batter was getting ready to hit, Derek would say, "Hit the ball!" Anytime a cheer would start, he would be ready to say it. He loved saying "Let's go Pigs." During the 6th inning, it started pouring, so the game was stopped. We headed inside and waited it out. It was a school night, so I didn't really want to stay too long (and really I figured the boys would have had enough after an hour or so, but that wasn't the case). After 30-45 minutes, the game resumed. By that time it was after 9. Most people left once the rain started. An usher took us back to our seats and dried them off for us. During the 7th inning stretch, the boys sang along with "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." Derek LOVES that song now. Then they played the "Chicken Dance." Elliott recently learned the dance at school, so he had fun doing it. I was holding Derek and dancing along. We were even featured on the Jumbotron! That was exciting. (Like I said, there weren't that many people in the stadium by then.) I told Elliott we wouldn't stay past 10. Right before 10, Elliott was ready to go. Just before we left, the other team tied the game 3-3. We were up 3-1 before that. I'm pretty sure the other team ended up winning. Elliott thought it was pretty cool when one of the batters broke his bat. Derek also loved the pig mascots (Ferrous and FeFe). Aside from the rain, the weather was perfect for a ballgame. It was 80 degrees during the day, so the evening temperature was just right! I am so glad I took both boys to the game. We all had such a great time.

As a bonus, the pregame show was Mixed Martial Arts. This picture shows 2 of Elliott's Senseis fighting each other in a demonstration. It was fun to watch people he knows on the field.