7A State Baseball Champs!

6 o'clock finally arrived last night! Can I just start off by saying, I have never, EVER seen so many people at the UCA baseball field!  It was a freakin' MAD HOUSE!  I really didn't want to have to take Ryder because I knew it was going to be an intense game & I wanted to actually watch, but everyone & their grandma was going to the game & his dad getting him fell thru.  So...I took him to Sonic first & got him a "sthweeet tea" & we headed up to the field!  Luckily dad had been there since 2, & mom since 4:30, so we actually had seats!

My sweet little Punkin' loves "battthe-ball" so much!  He squeals just when we turn into the field's parking lot & is so jittery I can't even get him out of his seat fast enough!  We were walking up to the stadium & something good happened in the game before our & the crowd roared, so he SCREAMED like a little girl!  I was like OH MY WORD!  He is too funny!  He sure was happy to his KeeKee & Pops!

{he loves his KeeKee!}

{GAME time!!}

There were three or four sweet little girls sitting in front of us.  Of course Ryder did his usual flirting...high five, knuckles etc. & then the next thing we know he is sitting down there with them!  Ha! At least it was something different for him to do!

Thank goodness, two of my FABULOUS friends, who were trying to help me AND Ryder out, said they were take Ryder down to the grass & let him run around!  I was SO thankful!  This meant I got to actually watch most of the game & enjoy it!  Thank you Abbey & Kelly!

{sweet thing was SO sweaty when he came back!}

{The FINAL score!!  =)}

It was just like all the movies, when the team wins a big game!  I LOVED IT!  They all RAAAN to the mound & dog piled each other!  It seriously was just like a movie!

This is sad, but I have very vivid memories of this from just four short years ago when this was my team & my best guy friends.  They were the ones out there receiving the second place trophy & having to pose & smile after they had just lost probably the biggest game of their lives.  I broke my heart to know that their hearts were breaking.  

I think it was even harder on our boys back then, than it was on Bryant, because we had been ahead the ENTIRE game & then one Fayettville came up there & hit a 2 run homer & automatically won the game.  I will forever hold a grudge to Fayettville.  Lol...So it was like we had it in our hands, & then let it slip out...AKA heartbreaking.  But at least Bryant knew this was coming...we'll they should have.  

{I love the shirts, & that they were selling them before the game was even over!  :P}

{Ryder with his favorite player!  =)}

{I love that I got this on camera!  Father & son..}

This is funny...they were taking a team picture & we were just chatting with G & then we told him to run over there & he had Ryder & just took off!  So...Ryder got to be in the middle of the action!  ;)

{The MVP of the game & his Mama!  Sweet moment!}

{Ryder with his second favorite player..."JAAAYY-TEEEE"!}

{such a TRUE smile!}

{proud parents...I remember my dad kept saying "wow"  "wow"  over & over again!}

{last little talk from Coach Boucher!}

One of my favorite baseball boys!  ;)  Adam & I graduated together & his dad is the baseball coach & his little brother was on the team with my brother.  I was so happy to see him & for Ryder to take to him like he has known him his whole life!

{LOVE this!}

{& because we never do this...bro & sis}

And wouldn't you know that this little was the happiest kid on the block out on that baseball field free to run around!  I couldn't even keep up with him!  Again, I pray that his love for baseball now, stays with him & continues to grow!  My dad already talks about coaching his 5 year old T-ball team & "taking it all" just like he did when Uncle G was little...(they really did go undefeated & win the tourny one year...IN LITTLE LEAGUE!)  Ha!

I am so proud of these boys, & they did not disappoint us this year!  It was fun to watch them grow up playing & loving this sport, & so many of them went out with a BANG!  A few of them are even going on to play college ball which is so exciting!  Needless to say, I am a proud big sister!