Typical Saturday...

Saturdays can be quite busy around the Wilcox household.  There are times when it seems like we are always running around, going here, there and everywhere.  I decided to take a moment and create a flowchart of this past Saturday to see if it was just my imagination. (Note: Luckily daughter #1-Ali, had nothing until 5pm and slept until Noon)  Here it is for you to decide and compare:
(click on graphic for full view)

1A: (6:45 AM) - Terry and Brooke have to be at softball fields in Winchester for 7AM pictures and to work at the snack bar.

1B: (7:10 AM) - Jerhi returns home after dropping them off to wake-up boys (TD, Chase).

2A: (7:50 AM) - Jerhi takes TD and Chase to do some weeding for a ward member so they can earn money for their summer Scout Camps.

2B: (8:00 AM) Jerhi heads back over to Winchester for Brooke's 8AM softball game.

3: (10:00 AM) - Jerhi, Terry, Brooke head home from the softball game.

4A: (12:30 PM) - Pick up TD and Chase from work assignment.

4B: (12:45 PM) - Grab them some lunch and head home to get ready for 5A and 5B.

5A: (2:00 PM) - Drop off TD at another friends house to do odd jobs to earn money for summer Scout Camp

5B: (2:15 PM) - Drop off Chase at Wheat Field for his baseball game.

5C: (2:30 PM) - Return home (this actually also included a stop at the church and post office)

6A: (3:30 PM) Jerhi goes to Chase's baseball game with Brooke (Here is where Terry and Jerhi split up as the need to be in two places at once).

7A: (4:00 PM) Terry picks up TD from work assignment #2

7B: (4:20 PM) Terry|TD return home to get ready for 8A

8A: (5:00 PM) - Terry|TD|Ali head to San Diego Temple for youth temple assignment (along with the rest of the YM/YW)

6B: (5:30 PM) - Jerhi|Chase|Brooke head home after Chase's baseball game

8B: (9:30 PM) Terry|TD|Ali head home after completing assignment and after the traditional "In and Out" stop.

Time to rinse and repeat for next Saturday!

The Youngest Gold Digger

Softball is a new experience for the Wilcox family. As Brooke decided that "Boys Stink" and it would be much funner to play softball with friends from school, we have had to adapt to a new approach to youth sports.  It's girls softball (and we have just gotten over the learning curve of girls volleyball with Ali, the BIG learning curve) and we or better said Brooke is a Gold Digger (no idea the significance of the names, last year she was a Flaming Hot Cheeto.

Of course there is "no crying in baseball or softball" (I had that linked to that scene from "League of Their Own" but then playing it back I realized how much cussing there was in the clip, so I unlinked it as this is a family site and Mom just wouldn't approve), but that is hard to learn for a bunch of 9-10 years old that get hit with a ball that contrary to the name is really not that soft.

 

It is also interesting how many more rules are recognized in the softball leagues that are not in Little League Baseball, like; advancing on a dropped 3rd strike and stealing bases when you wish.  The part that is really entertaining are the chants, cheers, and skits performed by the girls in the dugouts during a game.  Not only is it perfectly accepting to taunt and make fun of the other team, you are encourages and expected to do it with style.  We are not just talking about "pitcher's got a rubber arm"... here are a couple of my favorites:

We don't play with barbie dolls (2 times)
we just play with bats and balls (2 times)
we dont wear no minny skirt (2 times)
we just wear pants and t-shirts (2 times)
we dont drink no lemonade (2 times)
we just drink our powerade (2 times)
so if I were you, I'd scoot your booty back (3 times)
but I'm not you so I'd stay where your at (3 times)

There she goes just a walkin' down the line,
Singin' do‐waa‐diddy‐diddy‐dum‐diddy‐do.
Pointing her finger and laughin' at you,
Singin' do‐waa‐diddy‐diddy‐dum‐diddy‐do.
ball two, ball three, ball four,
C'mon pitcher walk some more.
Do‐waa‐diddy‐diddy‐dum‐diddy‐do,
Next batter up says WALK ME TOO!

The Start of the 2010 Baseball/Softball Season

So starts another season of baseball/softball with the running around to different practices, games etc. I can't complain because 99.9% of that running around is done by Terry. No coaching or team mom duties for us this year.  We get to be little league parents with the occasion "snack mom" duties.

As we reach a time in our lives where we have 2 kids that have aged out of Little League, and only a couple years left for those that remain, I have some advice for those parents out there that are knee-deep or even kneck-deep in it all.

1. Skip the banners - they get hung on the dugout and after the initial "that's cute", which the boys after the age of 6 don't care about, they only get in the way (block the view) and then shortly get forgotten.
2. After the age of 11, skip the snacks. Under the age of 12 ther are surely kids that play ONLY for the snack that is given at the end of the game. But after the age of 12 they should play for the love of the game not for the "snack pack" that is put together by the "snack mom".
3. Snack pack competition - let's get serious parents, the competition should be on the field not among the snack moms that compete to see who can put together the best snack pack that many times seems to include all the major food groups along with 7 different types of processed sugar. What ever happened to the traditional "Snow Cone".
4. Picture Day - An age old traditional that will mark my words be forgotten. In this day and age where most soccer moms have better DSLR than the agency taking the pictures, and those that don't know someone that does, paying and posing for a pic of you kid standing there with a stupid grin doesn't compare to the action shots that the photo moms capture each and every game.




Chase would play baseball 365 days a week if he was given the chance, and is excited for each and every moment of baseball. Finally getting out of the shadow of his older brother, Chase while not talking much, carries a big stick, otherwise known as a bat and let's that do the talking. A great eye for the ball, he usually gets on base, and now is developing the power to get multiple bases per hit.

Brooke is strong willed player (that is a nice way of saying a player with attitude). Growing up with 2 older brothers and an athletic older sister, has pushed her to be fearless. After 3 years of baseball (easier on the parents to have the kids on one field), Brooke enters her second season of softball as the star player on her team. She controls the field from her catcher position, letting the players, coaches and umpire know who is really in charge.

Stop by for a game, they are easy to catch during the next couple of months, it is now one (1) down and about eighteen(18) each to go.