Home Run Hero
Out of the 74 boys attending this years SouthEast Alaska's All-Star Tournament only 12 were chosen to participate in the home run derby. Aaron was the second to last in the competition. He hit two way over the fence. They weren't just over the fence, they were waaaaay over! If the field had been set up for the High School they still would have been homeruns. I was so proud! After he hit the first one he turned and looked at me. He is such a cute kid! The second place winner hit three and the next one hit four. I was sooooo proud!

The game didn't stop the awesome day. In the first inning Aaron had this suhweet catch in right field. He had to sprint to get it, but he got it. He also hit a long double and made it all the way home on the next hit. The team continued to play strong through the whole game. The won 11 to 1. This may be Aaron's last game as the team will play tomorrow at 3:00 for the semi-finals.

Hey Now You're An ALL-STAR!!!
Aaron was chosen for the 11-12 year old All-Star Team. He started the year at 12 years old so he was still in Majors this year. He was the only one going into 8th grade. He is also the tallest on the team by 5 inches.

On Sunday they had a meet and greet with the other teams. It was held at a prestigious restaurant here in town. They were introduced to each other and swapped pins. I felt that even though it was Sunday I'd allow Aaron to go. The next day they held opening ceremonies. It poured the whole time! They also held the first three games.

Aaron's team played Juneau East the first night. He played right field. The first hit to him was straight down the foul line. He sprinted for the ball and threw an amazing catch to second. He got the runner out!! It was an awesome throw! His first time up to bat he hit a single to first base. What a beautiful hit! In the third inning the coach substituted him out. I asked the coach why, but he didn't ever answer me. Funny how the sons of locals stay in the whole game. Not mad at all though. Okay, I am, but I'm trying to be good about it! Why take out the kids (not just Aaron) that are playing really well? Why not substitute everyone? Let everyone play equal time? They are all all-stars, they are all equally good players. I'm not good at this relax and let them play. Tonight they play again, I hope it goes better for Aaron tonight.

ZIP - LINE
A very generous family here in Ketchikan gave a free Zip Line Tour to Aaron's All-Star Baseball team. They needed a volunteer parent so I went. It was totally wicked!

We were able to go on six different routes. The guides were so cool and helpful with the boys. They had a blast.

At the end of the tour was a slide. It was the scariest part of the whole thing! You went soooo fast. The instructions before you go down were, don't put your feet up you'll flip over, don't put your hands out, you'll burn them, etc. It was a little daunting to say the least.

Another part of the tour was a rope bridge. At first I was a little nervous, but you are still hooked up to a rope so that helped. I never thought that Aaron playing baseball would be so fun. Thanks Aaron!

CAMPING
During the month of May I realized that it was so crazy I'd have to put camping on the calendar for it to actually happen. Good thing I have Sarah to keep me to my word. As the week got closer I was so tired. I considered canceling, but we had made a deal.
The kids were good in helping to get a little bit ready everyday. Aaron had all-stars and I had to work each night, this made packing a huge feat. Finally Thursday morning we were ready. We loaded up the car as tight as we could and headed out.

We decided to go out to Settler's Cove. We love the beach there and thought the camp spots would be good. Sarah had found one earlier and we went straight for it. It was perfect. Big enough for two tents and lots of kids. Good thing too since I brought my five plus two more. Aaron, Dylan and Morgan were awesome setting up the tent and getting things unloaded.

As soon as we were set up we started to relax. Some of the kids went down to the beach to play, others stayed at camp. Morgan had a new book and dove right in to it. It wasn't long before I had to head back in to town to take Aaron and his friend to All-Star practice. It took me and hour and a half to go to the park and back. AHHH! We got back and had hot dogs and smores. After a few hours of playing we hit the sack. Aspen slept terribly. The boys did okay, apparently when really tired I snore.

The next morning we played at the beach all day. We made sandwiches and goofed around. Morgan spent hours looking for bull fish and hermit crabs. They had a wonderful time. That night we had dutch oven chicken and potatoes. I had to take the boys in to baseball again, but this time they got a ride back out. I'm so glad I went. We had a wonderful time and will do it again in a few weeks!!

It's Official!!
As of July 6th, 2009 Aaron is officially taller than me. After much deliberation and argument we measured. I stand 5 feet 10 inches tall. He is now 5 feet 11. AHHH

He wanted to make sure everyone knew this. Aside from yelling from the rooftop I thought this would work. It's a good thing he's so humble, cuz he's sure cute!

HAPPY 4th of July

Morgan's team was asked to pass out flags at the beginning of the parade. Dylan's team won the championship so they got to help too! They looked so sharp walking along the parade route.

Aspen was very good at staying by the sidewalk to run out for candy. She was also quiet, not so sure she liked the noise.

Aaron was chosen for All-Stars this year. He was on their float. I had to go around the truck to get a picture. He even smiled. He's slowly learning.

Travis appeased me again by wearing the annual shirt! Jayden too!
HAPPY 4th!!

CHAMPIONS!
Aaron and Dylan played in the championship game tonight for Little League baseball. Aaron started out the game as catcher and Dylan on the bench. I know I'm just a mom, but one of their coaches is kind of a dork. Dylan sits a lot, but the one game he was actually allowed to come out and pitch - well he threw for four innings allowing no runs and striking out 8 batters. Not too shabby I'd say. Anyway, after the third inning Dylan came out and played right field. The score was still 0 to 0. Aaron struck out the first time at bat. The second time they hit him with a pitch and he got on base. He got all the way to third and then stranded. At the end of the fifth inning the other team scored a run. We had three up and three down. I was going crazy! At the top of the 6th inning our first batter struck out. Aaron was up again and it was full count when the pitcher hit him again. He got on base and stole to second. The next batter got a bunt and got on base, Aaron stole to third. The next batter got up and struck out. It's now 0 to 1 for the other team in the top of the sixth inning. There is a runner on second and Aaron on third. The next batter got up. He's a rookie which by itself is a lot of pressure. Add to that it's his first at bat in the game, but he's a good hitter so anything is possible. First pitch is a strike. Second pitch a ball, third pitch a strike. The ball goes slightly behind the catcher and Aaron starts in for home. The catcher throws to the third baseball who starts to run Aaron in. Aaron takes off slowly, watching the third baseman. The baseman throws the ball to home and Aaron sprints in for the plate. The throw is over the catcher's mitt and Aaron gets to the bag before he does. It's now 1 to 1!

We are now in the bottom of the sixth and the other team is up to bat. Our pitcher only has a few throws left before he's out of pitches. In this league they keep track of their pitches so an athlete doesn't throw too much and get hurt! It's also a way to keep things relatively even between teams. They have three batters up and three down. No scores! This means extra innings. It's the top of the seventh and we are at the bottom of the batting roster. No problem for these boys! One gets on the base, the next hits a single and puts the runner around to second. The third batter comes up and strikes out. The fourth comes up and hits two home! It's now 3 to 1. The next two batters strike out. It's not over though, we are the visiting team. Our pitcher only has 5 pitches left! He strikes out the first batter. The second batter hits a line drive to him and he throws him out. Now he is out of pitches! Our new pitcher comes in. Noah is a stud! He and Aaron are only a few months apart, but the size difference - well you can see for yourself. Noah gets on the mound and walks the first batter. The next batter hits an awesome hit to left field. He gets all the way to second base. The last batter gets up and Noah strikes him out! The boys won! They are the champions. It was awesome! They were soooo excited. And like tradition they jumped in the river. Weird. I am very proud of both boys.