Jacob took the boys in the backyard to play baseball today. It mostly consisted of hitting, running wild through the yard, screaming with delight, and finally some practice throwing and catching. Ian wanted to hit with the hard ball, so I did what any good mom would do and hid around the corner each time he hit. There's no need for serious maternal injury. That boy can hit HARD! Once, he sent a ball careening through the air right at his dad. Lucky for Jacob, he has a quick glove and managed to divert the direction of the ball so that it hit him on the top of the leg, rather than square in the jewels. CLOSE CALL! Ian showed his detail oriented personality by focusing on stance, form, and calling out the bad pitches. He was very pleased with his running speed, which I have to say, the boy is pretty fast.
Next up - Aaron. Tikki takes a little more time at the plate. He has not really played baseball much, but with each swing, his face lit up like the runway at O'Hare. He had a couple great hits, and he would drop the bat as fast as he could and run through the yard fast as his three year old legs can take him. He was so patient with himself. I really admired that. Aaron has a strength in throwing the ball. He can throw directly to you almost all the time. He kept encouraging me and saying, "Good catching mom!" Little did he know, had the throw not been on target, it would have whizzed past me. I love watching his development.
Eli. With dad at his side, assisting with the swing, he took a couple and sent them down field. What pride for a boy when he's there with his pops doing something physical. I think I saw Eli grow a couple inches as he stretched up to his be such a big boy. Eli enjoyed chasing his brother's hits and throwing the ball back to his dad. Interesting to see that Eli is still undecided about which hand to use. Will he be left or right? Time will tell.
Something about watching the four boys play together makes me smile. They are so exciting!
