Tis the Season for Baseball!

I don't know about you, but the moment that spring arrives on the east coast, a trail of mud finds its way into my house and as I follow the mess to the cleats that have been haphazardly tossed near our front door, that can only mean one thing.  It's Baseball Season!  

Both my daughter and son are involved in youth baseball and softball and this year, I'll be logging at least 75 hours on the bleachers as I race from one field to the next attending practices, games, travel games and playoffs.  But am I bitter that my buns get wider by the month as I gleefully watch my son hit a triple?  Absolutely not!  

Over the past five years, I have become a devoted little league and softball mom/fan.  At first, I'd find myself lamenting that I had to stand outside in the pouring rain or sit baking in the sun for hours as I watched a team of five year olds take their swings on the t-ball stand and as the years progressed, it got way more exciting.

Last year, I even got the chance to sponsor my daughter's softball team and each week, I began to form a close bond with all the moms and dads on our team.  By the end of the season, we were hooting and hollering as we cheered on our girls to victory.

On the flip side, my son is absolutely obsessed with baseball.  From the moment the weather hit the above freezing mark, he was eager to play catch with my husband for hours on end.  And within a matter of weeks, he'll be suiting up and getting ready for another exciting season.    

One of my favorite memories from last year's season actually happened off the field.  My son's good friend had just found out that he was going to get the chance to play on our team and asked me a question that was weighing heavily on his mind:   "Since you're the coach's wife, does that mean you're going to be the snack mom?"  I guess he was on to something.  A kid can't play baseball without some good snacks on the sidelines! 

While our kids' opening day starts a few weeks after the start of Major League Baseball, I've discovered that while my weekends are currently not my own, I have truly come to enjoy watching my kids and their teammates play together on the ball field.  There's nothing that quite compares to seeing a child get a hit or catch a pop up fly, or cheer his teammate on to home plate.  While our lives become consumed with baseball and softball every spring, we wouldn't have it any other way.