Favorite Pastime

After every game I ask Elijah's favorite moment. It's always sliding into home.

 

 

 

 

      

The pitcher and batter in action, and Lydia resting at first base.

 


These pictures depict what much of our life is right now.  Either watching machine pitch baseball at the field or playing wiffle ball in the backyard.  Elijah has a way of bringing the whole family outside to play with him.

        It really is hard to play baseball by yourself.  With soccer you can practice kicking into a net, with football, you can throw through a tire or kick field goals, with basketball, you can practice free throws, but with baseball, you really need someone else.  It's a friends' game. 

     And though Lydia has stepped up her sister duties and turned into a pretty good batter and a great ball retriever when the ball is hit over the fence, she only wants to play if the whole family is outside with her.  And so the after dinner prodding begins.  "Everyone ready?  Let's play baseball.  Don't waste time.  Come on." And though we tell Elijah we'll play when everything is cleaned up, it doesn't stop him from coming in the house and reminding us that he's ready.  And there's something a little irritating about that, especially when his impatience turns to tears of frustration that "there won't be enough time to play!"  

Any baseball attire will do.

       But we usually come through, at least a little while, though it's never enough for him, and we all play in our little backyard.  First base is the playset, second base is one of the rocks that make a pathway to the trampoline (you can choose your rock), and third base is the porch support beam.  You can get a dirt double, a trampoline triple and a home run is over the fence.  You would think we'd move our game to the park across the street and play "for real", but I think we all like the coziness of our small space, the familiarity of our code terms, and how easy it is to get a home run.