Spring Sport Season AKA Laundry Season

Spring Sports are in full swing at our house. Which means that, in addition to watching various "games," we are also keeping the shower and washing machine busy. Added to the mix of practices and games is the fact that our springtime allergies are in full gear so there as also a lot of nose blowing, coughing and watery eyes in the mix.

Mr C, in addition to adding the Track Team to his plate, has taken on umpiring baseball games for our league. His first "game" was Saturday morning and the Umpire Commissionor was thrilled with his decision making and quick learning. He told C that he was very "teachable" and loved how his strike zone and play calling improved from the first to third inning. He's going to be a great umpire and is loving the fact that he can earn a little bit of extra cash, too.

My husband went to watch the C's first game behind the plate and commented how weird it is to cheer for the umpire.

C is again playing baseball and loving it. He's not a super star or hitting machine, but his decision making at second, his attitude and team spirit is contagious. He's the kind of kid you want in your dugout. He loves the sport, cheers and encourages his fellow ball players, and takes all the coaches advice to make himself better.

Miss M is playing softball and, after their first game yesterday, her coach "father" commented that he thinks he had as much fun coaching as the girls did playing. It was a great first game, and M who had the lead off batting position got right into the swing of things. We're blessed that our "team" has been together since 1st grade for the most part and the new girls who have joined have just fit in so well. Rumor has it she's pitching the next game! That might cause the mother to have a little stress, but Miss M's nerves will be steady.

Miss A has no interest in joining the crew on the ball field however she loves the "Snack Shack" and was thrilled that finally after a long winter off from ball game,s we are able to once again get Pretzels with salt, Ring Pops and Bazooka Gum. For her, it's all about the snacks and the siblings she gets to play with while "watching" the game. I have noticed, however, that after every game she asks the same question; "So, did our team win?"

Maybe she's not paying as much attention as I thought.

Miss A's real love, however, is soccer. She's thrilled that once again she's playing and scoring goals. I've even had the opportunity to "Coach" the past three games as the real coach has been out of town. I'm only suppose to be the Team Manager meaning the Snack Guru, but it's been fun to cheer on the girls and see them running and kicking and scoring goals.

Thankfully, I've remembered to assign "snack duty" to various families as it's not really a soccer game if there are no snacks at the end. Miss A might be willing to count up her "goals" and comment on how great she passed the ball to her friends, but I'm certain she would never forgive me if we didn't have snacks too!

Watching all the various games from the sidelines and cheering them on to victory is one of my favorite spring time rituals. The laundry and dirt that comes along for the ride is a small price to pay for the memories. At least, that's what I keep telling myself as I throw another load in the washer and clean up the kid's bathroom one more time.