The Time of Singing (and Playing Ball) Has Come ~ Day 17

Spring.  Baseball.  The two are synonymous in our house.

Long ago, upon becoming mama to three sons, I embraced that my life would include the All-American game---both my boys' and the Brew Crew!  Thankfully, it wasn't much of a stretch, as I've long loved the game!  I kind of wish I had counted the number of games I've attended over the years; the number of bleachers I've sat (and grown numb) upon; the number of times I've embarrassed myself with my spirited cheering for my boys!  It's easy to see why the return of baseball each spring has always, always, always been a holiday at our house.  

Play Ball! (2006)
In the Big Inning (2007)
Opening Day (2010)

Today was no different.  With the Brewers' home opener came our annual party---and our own spin on ballpark faves.  We enjoyed bacon-wrapped hot dogs (a new delicacy my guys discovered in Mexico) and a creation of my very own.  I'd heard of a contest that was being hosted by our MLB park several months ago.  They wanted contestants to submit an original recipe to be featured on their ballpark menu.  Upon hearing about it, I immediately said to Jon, "Apple pie nachos.  What's more American than apple pie and baseball?  And what's more fun to eat at the ballpark than nachos?"  So while I didn't submit my idea, I thought it.  And today I created it. 

As we do every home opener, we donned our colors, ate our food, and cheered for our home team.  Different from every other year, however, was that our oldest son's school and play obligations kept him from joining us.  See?  More change.  :)  But while the change is inevitable, I'm learning---albeit s-l-o-w-l-y---that the love and memories that bind us cannot be taken away.  And I dare say that our older boys are discovering new found appreciation for those memories with each passing year. 

And so we'll continue to celebrate and create traditions and build memories and our shared story. 

Opening Day

I love traditions, and sometimes more than holiday traditions that are acknowledged by everyone else in the world, I enjoy those "made-up" holidays and traditions that are unique to our family; seemingly unexpected days of celebration that pass quietly and without fanfare for most of the world, but extraordinary days for our family. Every family has them: extra reasons to celebrate in the midst of an otherwise ordinary week.

This week featured one such day: the opening day of baseball! For a number of years, we've celebrated the glad return of MLB with an at-home party that features traditional ballpark fare. We don our team apparel. We watch the game on TV and cheer on our team (even if they can't quite manage to pull out a win). But most importantly, we make memories which I trust will remain in the hearts of our boys, long after they've left our home.

A portion of our spread. The popcorn had already been eaten. The ice cream bars were in the freezer. And the root beer had been stolen from our garage the night before. That's memorable.

Our dog, Carson, leaped into the picture right before it was taken. He doesn't like to be left out.

I flipped over the calendar...

...to find August 1 staring back at me.

Now when (and how) did that happen?

I'm swallowing hard as I accept the inevitable reality that our school year begins one month from tomorrow.

Gulp.

Am I ready? Nuh-uh. Not yet.

But I will be.

And for the next month, I'll continue to relish these long, almost carefree days of summer. Oh, there has been a fast-paced agenda (probably more frequently than I would have preferred), and we've been on the go (definitely more often that not). But even through a seemingly fast-paced summer, God has brought refreshment of a different kind. He's refreshed my heart by bringing new, exciting opportunities for ministry that all-too-often I'm too busy to notice or complacent enough not to care.

And while my back still recovers from the torturous bleachers I sat upon at our boys' 6 baseball games per week (Monday-Thursday), I'm thankful that through those times, God allowed my life to intersect with those lives I ordinarily would not have come across. I think of the conversations He ordained and the people He placed in my path. I think of the intentionality with which my husband coached our middle son's baseball team. My heart swells as I consider how he taught them much more than the game of baseball. He taught (and modeled) integrity...good sportsmanship...what it means to be a man.

Admittedly, I generally am not comfortable being the first to make a move in a relationship. And while I can chalk some of that up to my personality, I've also come to realize that I can no longer rationalize my disobedience when God tells me to go. I'm pretty good with taking food to neighbors and reaching out to encourage them once I know them...but making that first move to welcome newcomers to the neighborhood is generally a struggle for me. And I admit that far too many neighbors have come and gone in our nearly 11 years in our home; many without a personal touch from me to get to know them. So many wasted opportunities. But once again, God has given us new neighbors, and I'm practically giddy at the thought, "God has given me another chance!" So, if you would, please pray for me as I seek to take action and reach out in love to these whom God has placed beside me.

While the summer has been filled with new ministry opportunities, it's been filled with a whole lot of fun memories, too. See, of course, the slideshow in my previous post which highlights our two-week visit with my heart friend and her family. What a beautiful time of togetherness we shared! Add to that a staff retreat, camp, loads of baseball, weddings, lunch dates, runs, walks, mucho coffee...and motorcycles?


This helmet is courtesy of our friend and fellow pastor. I don't know whether you can see it or not, but his wife added braces to the skeleton's teeth. Oh yeah, we're a force to be reckoned with!
We're just housing it for our brother-in-law, but the guys have enjoyed cruising around town on it. I'll stick to my van, thank you very much. I think my motorcycle days are behind me. They were brief...all of about 4 months while I was pregnant with our oldest son. They were fun times, though!
This picture was taken after our middle son's play-off game last night. Though they didn't advance to the Championship, this shows my husband giving the team one final pep talk.
And here is our son with his cheering section who came to root him on!

In the Big Inning

As the only female in a houseful of guys, I've found that my interests have broadened and expanded to include topics which previously did not appeal to me. In all honesty, a lot of them don't interest me even now. There's some things I just simply don't understand. But at the very least, I've become "educated" in the world of Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. I've learned to make provision for a boy's desire for video games. My knowledge of animals, insects, and their habitats has skyrocketed. I've observed our boys' natural gravitation toward puddles, dirt, and mud. I've learned more about airplanes and how "things" work. I've even learned a little about WWF---not because we've ever watched it on TV, but because I witness live wrestling in my livingroom on almost a daily basis. Yes, our boys have opened my eyes to a whole new world, and the truth is, I wouldn't trade if for anything!

While my interests and those of my men often differ, we do share many things in common. Among them...baseball! It's one of the few sports I actually understand and am able to follow. Our family loves to watch and root for our favorite MLB team, whether on TV or at the ballpark. Little League is also a pretty major part of our summer schedule. This summer, we'll be cheering for our three boys at a grand total of six games throughout the week!

With our shared love for the game, today---Opening Day---is cause for celebration! My husband came home for "lupper" this afternoon so that together we could catch a couple innings of the game before he needed to head back to work. We feasted on all our ballpark faves while cheering on our team: brats, nachos, peanuts in the shell, popcorn, and Cracker Jack! And to top it all off, our team won!

Yep, it's pretty cool that my husband, our boys, and I can enjoy America's favorite pasttime together. And from what they've said, the boys think that a mom in a pink baseball cap is pretty cool, too.

Play Ball!

My love for baseball began when I was 10. It was the World Series, and "our" team was in! Admittedly, I jumped on the bandwagon, but there began my love for the game. It wasn’t long before I had a meager collection of baseball memorabilia, and I proudly brought it to school for show and tell. My brother and I watched Johnny Bench on the "Baseball Bunch" every Saturday, and we enthusiastically collected and traded baseball stickers for our baseball books.

Looking back, I see that God was preparing me even then for my life today. I’m married to a huge baseball fan, and each of our boys love the game, as well. Our summer months revolve around Little League...games for one son on Mondays and Wednesdays, games for another son on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with a practice for each of them scheduled sometime in between. But the truth is...I love it!

Last year we were buying a baseball hat for my husband’s Father’s Day gift when our boys spotted a pink one. They adamantly declared that I had to have that hat! When I noted that we weren’t buying anything for me now...we were buying a gift for their dad...our oldest pushed all the right buttons and sweetly replied, "Mom, you don’t know how much it would mean to me to look into the stands while I’m playing baseball and see you sitting there in your pink baseball hat." Now how could I say "no" to that??? Needless to say, my husband and I got matching baseball hats that day...his blue, mine pink.

With all that said, it must be known that today is a holiday at our house. It’s Opening Day of baseball season, and we are celebrating! The boys and I are using Amanda Bennett’s "Baseball" unit study to learn more about the history and legends of baseball. We read "Casey at the Bat" and watched the McGee and Me video "Take Me Out of the Ballgame." Later tonight the boys and I will watch one of my all-time favorite movies, "The Rookie." But the highlight of this day was when my husband came home for a late lunch/early supper before returning to work. We created our own ballpark and feasted on brats, nachos, peanuts, Cracker Jack, and popcorn while rooting for our home team. Ah, it’s gonna be a great season! Play ball!