Batting Cage

Jared has been thinking about building a baseball field in the pasture behind our house. Someone called us to tell us about a batting cage that was for sale in the paper. By the time we got the people called they had already sold it. Then one day Jared was chit chatting with someone and mentioned he was looking for a batting cage. Lo and behold this guy had one he wanted to get rid of. He had the netting that was 75' long, 13' wide and 10' high, an almost new awesome pitching machine, a bucket of the balls and a screen thing you stand behind so you don't get hit when they hit the ball, all for $300!!!!!! We were so excited about this deal that we stopped and got it all the next day. We still have to get the screen. Jared had some help from one of his friends Brad, Braylon and myself getting this bad boy up. After getting it up and together, Bronson was our first batter!

I am so excited about this awesome deal we got. Had we had to buy this all brand new it would have cost us around $1500. I am positive that we will get lots of good use out of it and I am sure a lot of our friends will too.

Stixx tourny in Columbia

The Stixx team played in a few tournaments this year. Everytime we go to a tournament Bronson and Braylon look forward to the swimming part of the trip! I don't blame them. They are actually very good when we go to the ball parks, but seriously they don't know any different. They have grown up around it pretty much all of their lives.



Braxton and some of his buddies were playing some game in the pool. They had to race across the pool with another person on their back. Whoever lost had to jump in the pool bocking like a chicken. It was hilarious!



Here they all are getting ready to jump in together bocking like chickens!
While Matt and Amy were watching Tyler play ball we kept Logan with us so he could swim and hang out with us. Him and Braylon had a great time together. This is them jumping on the bed after they woke up from their naps.
Little Miss Maty is so cute and is fantastic at all the games.
I LOVE this picture of my dad and jared's dad. Who would know what they were cracking up about!

This is the tournament where we ended up having to play at 10:00 and 11:15 at night due to the rain backing things up. We actually played better at that time of night then we had been playing when we played during the day. We thought maybe we were going to have to start requesting midnight games.
This is the ball that Braxton hit and got a triple out of it. He told me after the game that he thought he was getting faster because he made it all the way to third. I had to burst his bubble and tell him that I didn't think he was getting faster, I just thought he was hitting it further:) If you have ever watched him run, you know that he doesn't run fast. We are always teasing him and telling him to unhook the plow. He is a pretty good sport about it.
Here he is after flying around those bases to get to third on his hit!


The boys ended up getting third place and did a very good job. All of us parents were really excited to see that the Stixx were back and were playing ball like they knew how.

Tallman Auto Parts

Bronson played for Tallman Auto Parts this year. He was actually suppose to still be in the 5 & 6 year old age group but we thought he might hurt someone when he hit in that age group so we moved him up to the 7 & 8 year old age group. He did great! He also got to have lots of his friends on his team and he also made some new friends. All in all it was a great year!

I love how I caught him blowing his bubble in this picture!

Brax's 2010 Baseball Season

It seemed like baseball season was here and gone in about 2 weeks. We live for this time of the year. We get all excited to go to all the league games during the week and then travel on the weekends to watch Braxton play for the Stixx.

But this year seemed..... different!

With all the rain it felt like a lot of our practices got canceled and we were having games here and there and not getting all of them in. But then I look back and realize that we did play most of our games. Braxton's league team had a tough year. I don't know if they just didn't want to play ball or if all the different schedules of playing, then not playing for a week, just threw them off and they never really got in the groove of playing ball. It wasn't a lot of fun to watch them play because they didn't act like they wanted to play and there was a lot of bickering between the teammates, my son included.

The coaches and parents were all just as aggravated and discouraged as the kids were. As a parent and coach you can talk to them till you are blue in the face and do what you think needs to be done, but if they don't have the want to or are not willing to give 110%, then why should we try and waste our breath?

Hopefully next year the kids will get their crap together and go out there and play some ball. They all have too much talent to be wasting it on doing nothing.

R & S Excavating (league team)

Here is a picture of Braxton pitching for his league team, R & S Excavating

Coach Jared

This picture cracks me up. He has a big ole grin on his face while up to bat. I don't remember who we were playing but if I had to guess his buddy Aaron Buford was on the other team and was pitching to him.

STIXX BASEBALL (traveling team)

Braxton plays first base for the Stixx

One of the Stixx's best fans, Maty!

We went to Quincy for a tournament. We were suppose to play on a Sat and Sun but due to RAIN we only got to play on Sunday and it was a single elimination game. We lost our first game so we didn't get to play anymore.

I am on the other team's side taking pictures of Braxton batting below. I couldn't get a good picture from our side so I had to go to the other side. I think this picture is funny because I had just yelled, "COME ON BRAX" and then he looked at me like... what are you doing over there. I guess I threw him off.

Looks like he was safe here.

I really enjoy watching my boys play baseball. I really hate for the season to come to an end.

Bronson's first game of 2010

Another year has begun with Shaw baseball!  I love this time of year and look forward to it like a kid looks forward to Christmas.  

With the way Bronson's birthday falls he will have to spend 3 years in one age group.  So we decided to move him up to 7 & 8 this year instead of keeping him in the 5 & 6 year olds for 3 years.  I think that this was a very wise decision on our part.  Although he is the youngest on his team, you would never know it.  He keeps up with all the other older boys and is doing marvelous!  He has hit every at bat the last two games but once.  He has gotten on all of those times but once due to a kid catching an awesome pop fly.  I am enjoying watching him so much already! 

Batter up!  He is the lead off hitter....

check out that awesome lettering on this helmet~

Rounding second....

listening to the coach

love this picture!

down and ready at the pitchers position.

last night he played 2nd base and did great.  he caught a pop fly and then made an awesome catch that someone threw to him at 2nd base, but he didn't realize the he had to tag the kid so he was safe.  he knows now and i bet he doesn't forget!

this is what you call multi-tasking.... listening to the coach in the huddle and working on getting that front tooth out at the same time!

eyes on the ball.....

SMACK!!!

defense!

I can't wait to see him improve all year long and see the joys on his face as he does something outstanding!


Great job so far Bronson!

Baseball has begun!

And boy am I ever glad!

Last weekend was our first Stixx Tournament. We headed off to Columbia for the wet, soggy weekend. We did get two of our four games in. Friday night we lost 6-3 and then Saturday morning we lost 11-1. The first game wasn't too bad... but that second game! We could have done without it! Braxton did have an awesome hit the second game though. He has been struggling hitting the ball the last couple of years so it was great to see him get a great hit. I asked the coach how far he thought he hit it and he said probably 175 ft. It was a long high fly ball, but the center fielder made a heck of a catch. Even though he caught it, it was great for Brax to get that great of a hit! I can't wait to witness more hits like that this year.

So here are a few pics from the weekend. Since we didn't get to play much, I didn't get very many pictures. Someone asked me if I got a picture of Braxton hitting that ball and I said no, I was just too excited!

Braxton and Skeeter hanging out in the dugout

Brax playing first base.