Little League

 I am always complaining that Coop is on three baseball teams at once, but when push comes to shove, I love baseball. I *think* I even prefer when Ben is the coach (he coaches 2/3 teams) because he is a Very Uptight spectator, so he might as well be getting a neck sunburn over on the third base line doing all his weird signals, right?

Cooper’s regular season Little League team has not played great. Going into the league playoffs, they were the 7th seed and had won only 5 games out of 17. We did not have high hopes for the first play off game, so Minnie and I (along with my aunt) set up shop at the playground where we could sort of watch Coop’s game and Dorothy’s softball game that was happening at the same time. Honestly, the only reason I even went to the game in 90-degree weather was because it was going to be his last one, and I wanted to support him and his coach dad. Sometimes when the kids have simul-games, Ben watches Dorothy’s with like half an eye while he coaches because I am the worst sportsball mom.

Anywho, Dorothy’s team beat “the undefeatable team” (goodness I love it when she reminds me she is still a little kid and says things like that), and she scored the winning 9th run.

Then, unbelievably, Coop’s team won their playoff game!

Minnie got “HUPER DIRTY” and found tons of rocks and sticks to put in her treasure chest

On Sunday, Coop’s team faced the #2 seed in quarterfinals. AND THEY WON 20-13. It was sensational 12U baseball.

Also, now that I am looking at these pics, maybe Minnie’s dress is a lucky charm?

Probably because she didn't wear it on Monday, and the Tree LOST in semifinals. 

It was fun to watch them playing on the penultimate night of the summer league-- people on eliminated teams were there and also people on the other team that had already gotten through to the championship game. Cooper played SO WELL. He pitched 2 very efficient no-score innings (20 pitches total!), scored, made bananas plays as catchers (that kid can throw down!). But the other team was great and hit SO WELL.  The Trees lost 7-13 and played the whole 6 innings-- very exciting.

During the game, Harry threw himself a birthday party at a golf place. I gave him my credit card and some grocery store mini cupcakes and sent him on his way. Around 8:30, very engrossed in the game because our team made a mini comeback from 3 to 7, I thought I'd check my phone and see if he was still golfing. I had a bunch of texts telling me that he was going to a lake beach with his friends and one of his friends was driving. I had a notification that he left the house.

And then I had TWELVE MISSED CALLS.

I called him back. No answer. I called him back many many many more times. NO ANSWER.

I was so worried! Like, the rational part of my brain knew he was probably at the lake swimming and had just called on the way there to make sure I knew where he was so I didn't freak out. BUT TWELVE MISSED CLASS AFTER HE VERY CLEARLY TEXTED ME HIS PLANS? 

TL;DR: He was fine. 

I ended up texting the other moms, which he thinks is pretty much unforgivable because it is SO DORKY, and pulling Ben from the end-of-game post mortem to go to the lake (he got a block away from the park when Harry finally called us back, and he and Coop returned to their post-game celebration). Harry was like OMG I called you a bunch so you would not freak out, and I was like OMG I only freaked out because you called so many times AFTER YOU TEXTED AND LEFT THE HOUSE.  He was like ugh now you are going to be mad at me, and I was like no! I'm not mad because I am so glad you aren't dead. And then Minnie piped up with MY BRUDDER HARRY IS ALIBE? HE IS NOT DEAD. So that was awesome. (She is always listening).

We came up with a better comms plan for next time.

 THANK GOD I LIVE WITH A COMMS DIRECTOR.

Now Coop just has his Little League tournament team and his travel ball team, and I know it is not much, but being down a whole team feels good, even though we will still be at the fields for softball, and Ben and Coop (and also Harry and Jack and Dorothy and Minnie) love Little League so much it is basically always a check in the joyful experience column.