Team Red Thuuuunnnder!

Morgan has played soccer with his friends for years after school, but today marked his first official game on a team. Coach Vince and Key are a perfect compliment to his rookie status. He amazed me with how he jumped in and never quit trying to make a play. He didn't hog the ball and really tried to see where the play was going. I was simultaneously amazed and proud of him.

The super serious face means he's having fun.

He sat out the first quarter...a good thing so he could see how things play out.

Then...he was in! What a player...and he played hard. He was visibly worn after these first 12 minutes.

his biggest fan.

For the third quarter, he volunteered to play goalie!

He let one slip by, but he also saved one! I was so proud he jumped in and tried something totally new.

He scored a goal in the fourth quarter. Sadly, it didn't count, because he was accidentally off sides (he had no idea what that even meant), but still...the glory was there!

He had really...really a good time and to be honest...so did we! Looking forward to the rest of the season!

his day in the city

Today was his day. His day for us to do whatever he wanted. There had been talk of Maggie Daley Park and the Willis Tower all summer so today he cashed in.

We started out on the train nice and early - 7am - to get to the park for a bird walk. He invited his "bird friend" to join us.

binoculars in hand...ready

This was a really great way to see all the features of the Maggie Daley Park. The birds weren't too abundant, but he still enjoyed it.

After the walk, he had to play. Understandable. The play structures are amazing here!

This is where he asked to go home...hot and hungry. Instead, we went indoors for a little bit and had a snack. That was good because the next activity up was...

The CLIMBING WALL! He was surprisingly comfortable scaling this giant wall. What wasn't surprising was how good he was at it. This kid is amazing. I love that he doesn't recognize that things like this might be difficult...so he just does it!

When our time was up he was more than ready for lunch. Naturally, pizza was his choice. Then we were off to the Willis Tower. He considered a taxi, but then decided we should walk the mile to get there so we could stop for some popcorn. What ever you want, buddy.

All caramel...and please note what it says on the side of the bag.

On the way there he told me that he knew today was going to be great, but he had "no idea it would be this great"! The Tower was cool and since we already had his binoculars, he really got to zone in on the sights.

there was a huge sailboat out on the lake today. he could see the people walking around on it.

trying to find home.

...wonder what daddy is doing at work today?

We smashed pennies and found a souvenir baseball, but couldn't pass up the photo booth on our way out.

All in all, we spent the day being tourists in our own city and it was pretty amazing doing it all with my biggest little man. Ten hours later we started home. One happy and worn.out.dude.

a boy and the birds

The bird love has not waned for this guy. Oftentimes, I'll catch him reading and studying his North American Bird field guide. Seeing him in his element and watching him explore his interests is just so cool. 

Today, we went to the zoo with a special request to spend "like a lot of time in the bird sanctuary". 

writing down the birds he's seeing...

The favorite of the day was the Fairy Bluebird. His markings are the most similar to Nightwing...worlds collide. This bird is found in Asia, Complete Birds of the World field guide has been ordered.

The Tawny Frogmouth...funny looking little guy.

When we got home, he found some paper and started writing a letter to his "bird friend", Erin. She accepted his invitation to go on a bird walk with us.

all baseball...all the time

One short minute after spring baseball ended, summer baseball began. This was a pretty intensely scheduled month of practices and games that introduced Morgan to the world of kid-pitch and strike outs. To say the least, these games were slow with a lot of overthrows and walk-in runs. Hard.to.sit.through...but every now and then, something awesome happened and smile on the kids' faces made it all worth it.

Morgan started out pretty apprehensive. He didn't want to get hit, was afraid of hitting the catcher, waited too long for that perfect pitch (spoiler: it wasn't coming), and he felt over matched. By the end of the month, he was making plays, swinging AND hitting the ball, and even pitched a couple of innings. Their record may have looked like a losing one, but this group of 8 year olds played teams consisting of 9 & 10 year old guys with at least another year of experience on them, and they held their own. It broadened his view of the game and sportsmanship and what it takes to be good at something you love. I call that a win.

finding his "rally cap"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

In the middle of summer ball was the 8 year old Grand Slam Tournament. Hands down, it was the most fun we've had at baseball. The Kelly Green team had 10 kids from 5 schools. They met up that morning and just...played. The games were fast paced, exciting, and tons of fun for everyone. The first game ended up in a tie after extra innings. Game two was a win, which meant Morgan's team was going to the championship the next night to play under the lights.

The championship game was played hard and Morgan's team came from behind to tie things up in the last inning. Extra innings...and it ended in a tie 20-20. What a game! With as well as everyone played and the level of sportsmanship these guys were displaying, co-champions didn't seem like a disappointment at all.

Co-Champions!