Game Day

I don't think things could get any busier at the Hochstein house on Saturdays. Oh no, let me take that back; things can always get worse. Saturdays are a very busy day at the Hochstein house. Our morning started bright and early with an 8AM football game. Dalan has been waiting for football season since arriving in Arizona. I love how happy it makes him. He is really good too. The first game of the season he was asked to be quarterback. He wasn't too sure about this idea since it meant he would necessarily be the one making the touchdowns. After a bunch of hype, he wearily accepted the position. Now the second game of the season and all he talks about is being quarterback, so when the coach didn't put him in that position he was a little disappointed. That disappointment quickly went away when he scored the first and only touchdown for his team. He really is growing so fast right in front of my eyes. I love the little man he is and can't thank God enough for sending him to me. I'm so proud to be his mommy!
My other children didn't cease to amaze me either. Brilyn, my often times quiet and shy little girl, met another little girl at the football game and became "close" friends. The little girl had a tablet with her and was playing games and watching movies. Brilyn very politely asked if she could watch. When I looked over again, they were sitting cheek to cheek in her very tiny lawn chair; "close" friends! But what melted my heart even more than her breaking out of her shell was what I heard her ask her new friend. She noticed Jayen watching from over their shoulders and asked her new friend, "Can my brother watch with us too?" She didn't push him away and take her new friend and her tablet away from Jayen, instead she invited him over and asked for him if he could join. The two of them are always fighting, but I know they love the other more than anything. They may be further apart in numerical age, but they are so close developmentally that it often is challenging for both of them. I couldn't have been more proud or have seen more love between them than I did at that moment.
I wish it could have lasted a little longer, but Saturdays are busy busy busy and Jayen and Matt had to make their way over to baseball. Thankfully the football fields and baseball fields are only a large city block apart. Dalan finished his football game strong and passed out his treats to his friends. Snacks were our responsibility. So glad that is done so I don't have to worry about forgetting our turn. (I freaked out last week thinking it was my turn and I forgot the treats!) We quickly loaded up our stuff and headed over to buddy baseball.
This is honestly one of the reasons we chose to live in the city of Surprise. In Nebraska we participated in a program with the Miracle League called All Play. This buddy baseball is the same concept. We have been trying to convince the organizers to add in some of the things we loved or helped from our Nebraska games. I had asked last season about painting feet on the ground in the batter's box to help the kids identify where they are supposed to stand when they hit the ball. Last week I brought along a door mat I painted feet on and placed it in the batter's box waiting for the organizers to notice. When I saw them looking at it and talking about it, I walked over to see if I was in trouble. Ms. Jenny loved it and was thankful. She was trying to find a way to put it there without having to paint them on the ground.
This week she had a surprise for me; we told her about how we used the PA system to announce the kids' names when they were batting. Ms. Jenny had been working with an electrician and was able to present me with the microphone. What? I just said it was an idea. I didn't say I wanted to do it. I bit the bullet and fearfully announced the second inning. The kids were in awe. I loved seeing their faces when their name was announced. One child in particular made it all worthwhile, maybe because he was the last batter at the bottom of the second inning. He was patiently waiting his turn to bat as I announced child after child. I could see him out of the corner of my eye, he stared at me waiting for me to call his name. When it was finally his turn he jumped up out of his seat with excitement. While standing in the batter's box he would often turn and look at me directly behind the batter's box. I got caught talking to another family that came a little early for the next game. They were very excited to hear the announcing. They were hoping I was staying for the next game and announcing theirs. While talking the excited boy hit the ball and stood there waiting for me to announce his hit. I looked up only seconds later to realize I was missing my cue and quickly announced his HOME RUN! (The last batter of each inning is a home run to get all the kids in!) I obviously had to make up for my mistake and went a little soccer on his home run; think soccer announcer yelling GOAL! I think we showed the staff at the stadium how this little addition really makes a difference. And apparently now I have a contract to announce the rest of the games this season. I guess I better start watching baseball and learn some of this commentary stuff.
After the baseball game we changed all uniforms to Husker gear and headed to meet more Husker fans. My friend Karrie has been teasing me about going to a local Mexican bar and grill to meet up with the West Valley Huskers. We found out where they were meeting and decided to try it out. We also heard that they were having a raffle for tickets and airfare to next weeks game. We weren't sure how early we had to be to get a seat but we were hungry and ready to eat. We were about an hour early, but worth the wait. I loved seeing the flags outside the building as well as the front door welcoming Husker fans. My smiles only escalated as each new fan arrived in their red gear ready to cheer on their favorite team. I didn't know a single person there, but I felt at home. The game didn't start out well, but I became best friends with the entire bar towards the end of the fourth quarter. Holy moly what a game! The kids were all so good. I truly couldn't have asked for them to be any better. The raffle was drawn and sadly we didn't win (weren't sure what we would do with the kids anyway). A little sad it didn't end the way we wanted, but fun to watch and be with friends none the less.
A great day filled with many great games. Hope we can repeat next week!