We Are (Almost) The Champions.

Hey hey, friends!!  Welcome back!!  We have 3 days left of school (including today) and I think we're all just about tapped out.  Was it really necessary for us to go until June 7th??  I'll never understand.

But this weekend was a great distraction from our never-ending school year.  Craig left for the Elite 11 Finals (a football camp) in L.A. on Thursday and my parents came in Friday afternoon.  My dad just retired and this was his first time ever to see the boys play ball in person.  His work schedule never allowed him the chance to come for a game before and I think all of us were so excited for them to be here.

Both boys were playing in their postseason tournaments on Saturday and Sunday so it was the perfect weekend to catch a lot of games.  Those boys were ready to show off for Nana and Papa.

Friday night, we decided to head over to one of my favorite Mexican restaurants.  Mason played in the splash pad HARD while we waited for our table.

God forbid this child stop moving for 2 seconds. ;)

But Matthew was still hurting from his swimmers ear just enough to keep him on the sidelines for the most part.  By Friday night, most of the pain was gone but he was still completely aware that water is what made his ear hurt in the first place and was just not willing to risk it.

Look at that sad face!  Breaks my heart.

Mason ended his time at the splash pad by colliding with another kid at full force and dissolving into tears.  By bedtime, he had a giant, purple, goose egg on his eyebrow.  The perfect accessory for his game the next morning!

We woke up Saturday morning ready for some baseball!  Matthew played his first game at 9:45.  We were still nervous about his ear but thankfully, he woke up that day feeling almost 100%.  Our biggest concern was that he wouldn't be able to get his helmet on and off without bumping his ear. But it was no problem.

 So glad we finally got past all that pain.  It was awful for him.  (And not super fun for me either.)

But the boys played a great game, got the win, and were so excited to get to advance in the tournament.

As soon as Matthew was done, we headed straight over to Mason's game at 11.  This was the only picture I got at Mason's game.

The boys played so well and we started the tournament with a win for them too!

We only had two games on Saturday, so after Mason's game we headed back home.  My dad stayed home with the boys while my mom and I took advantage of the free afternoon to do some shopping.  They live in Texarkana and the shopping isn't the greatest there.  So she's always eager to hit up some of our stores.  I ended up with a cart full of the most random things at Home Goods. I should have snapped a picture.  That place is hard on my wallet.

We got to bed relatively early Saturday night because we had a LONG day the next day.

Mason started us off with an 8am game against our biggest rivals.  Those games are always super tense.  They beat us in the preseason tournament but we beat them twice in the regular season..by one run...both times.  The boys were on their A-game though and ended the game with a home run to win the game 12-11.  You would have thought they'd just won the World Series.  The stands went NUTS!

But oh Mason.  The poor baby went to field a grounder at second and a bad hop caused it to pop up and smack him right in the face.  He went down hard and started screaming and holding his face.  Coaches started running, players took a knee and all I could think was "Please don't let it be a tooth or his nose!".  I jumped out of the stands and speed walked to the dugout but stopped short of rushing the field.  My mom instinct was telling me not to panic and it was right.

The coaches helped him to the dugout and I went in to see how bad it was.  I expected a giant bloody nose but instead, all I saw was a slightly bloody mouth and a busted lip.  After a little ice, he was ready to take the field again for the next inning.  #crisisaverted

Look at those fingernails!  (Or don't.  Maybe don't.)  I have to cut this kid's nails every week.  I've never seen anyone's nails grow as fast as his do.

This is one tough cookie.

We were all on Cloud 9 because of that big win though!  The next game was at 11 so we had just enough time to run to get everyone some food.

Matthew ate a purple Blow Pop and wanted to show off his purple tongue.  I've given up on normal smiles in selfies from these boys.

And getting off track for a minute here, but these are my favorite "go with everything" earrings.  Find them here. (Similar sunglasses here.) I am such a sucker for hoops and have been since high school.   I feel like hoops keep me young.  I don't know why.

I'm throwing in some of my favorites below in an array of sizes, shapes and prices.

Our last game (the championship) was not great.  We went in a little cocky I think and ended up placing 2nd.  But these cuties were still pumped.

Mason was done so he changed clothes in the car before we headed over to Bub's game at 12:30.  

This was the first time my parents got to see Matthew pitch and he was awesome.  And I'm not just saying that because I'm his mama.  ;)  He did so great and I was so so proud.  

We beat a really good team and found ourselves in the championship!!  Our team came in last (or close to it) in the preseason tournament so this was HUGE for us!

Papa was proud!

And so was Nana.

Mason was just over it and wanted to go home to play with his friends.

My parents had to leave after that game because my mom had to work the next day and they had an almost 3 hour trip back.  Of all the things that could have gone wrong on their first weekend to see the boys play (rain, swimmers ear, broken noses, or losses on their first games which would have ended their play) none of that happened.  That in itself was a miracle.

We were able to go home and rest for a couple of hours but had to be back by 5:45 for our 6:30 game.  Which didn't end up starting until 7:30.

Sigh.

The boys played hard and almost came back to win it in the final inning but even placing second was a HUGE accomplishment for them.  We were so proud of our boys.

 

We got home around 10 and they were in bed by 10:45.  Everyone was exhausted.

But we couldn't have asked for a better weekend.  Except if we could have turned those silver medals into gold, of course.

Tonight, Matthew will play in his first ever All-Star game!  He was so stinkin' pumped to be chosen for All-Stars this year so tonight will be fun.

And then we get to enjoy a little break before Mason has his last tournament at the end of June.  I'm not going to lie.  Baseball life is rough sometimes but it is so much fun.  It just gets more fun with every year.  So I will be a little sad to see it go for awhile.

Next up is flag football for Mason this summer which is indoors, thank goodness.  It's hot in Texas, y'all!