The Boys of Summer

Normally when I think of Jamie as a coach, the first sport that comes to mind is basketball....which is natural after all these years of watching him coach! But this summer we got to see him coach another sport....Baseball!!

Several parents from our church decided to start their own baseball league to teach their children the basics of baseball. A lot of them play themselves, so this gave them just one evening of baseball with all of their children, rather than having a whole week of games. It was so neat to see all the kids...probably 35-40 of them out in the field with their parents, read mostly dads, coaching them.

Jaxon was in the Preschool group which was pretty interesting to watch!

Aidan got moved up into the Advanced Group that consisted of mostly children in Grades 1-3. He absolutely loved everything about it!

It was so fun watching the difference in the boys...Jaxon, well Jaxon enjoys the journey! Whether that means picking up balls from between his legs, putting grass in his glove or the occasional baseball skill learned.

Aidan on the other hand took it very seriously, from learning how to throw the ball, catch the ball, hit the ball, or run the bases.

I love his perfect form as he gets ready to catch the ball on this picture!

He listened to everything Coach Billy said.....Billy is a teacher and coach in real life and treated this just like another day in the hockey academy that he runs.

Aidan hung on to every word that was said....

 His smile as he ran for home tells it all....

he absolutely loved every minute of it!

And Jaxon...well Jaxon loved it all too! And just might have learned a little bit about baseball along the way!

It was fun watching the boys enjoy learning about baseball, but even more than that it was such an incredible blessing to see all these young families from our church out there spending time with their children. Dads taking to teach their sons and daughters how to throw a ball, how to catch a ball, and how to enjoy the basics of the game. Moms there cheering them on with younger children playing nearby in the sandbox.

It was about family the way family should be done - Taking time away from work, computers, televisions, and instead enjoying one another, spending time together outside with other young families with similar values, laughing together, and trying to stay warm together.

I will remember these snapshots for a long time...for the smiles on the faces of my grandsons but for more than that...for the blessing of family!