photos {orioles season}

spencer played fall rec baseball from september through early november. with the season finally wrapping up (it was slightly extended, which i will detail in a separate post), i thought it'd be fun to do a recap post of the season.

you may remember, earlier in the year we were excited and proud that spencer was taking a leap into travel baseball. unfortunately, that experience didn't go quite as well as we were hoping, due to a less than stellar coach. it's a sad day when you have to tell a 12-year-old that every man he meets is an example in his life...some are examples of the man you should be, and some are examples of the man you shouldn't be.

spencer chose to quit that team, and we were supportive. we do not encourage quitting and walking away from a commitment, but in this case, it wasn't right for us, as parents, to allow him to continue. this all happened right around the time that fall rec ball was starting. spencer was drafted by a man that we would soon come to know as spencer's saving grace. this man single-handedly saved the game of baseball for this boy. and for that, we are eternally grateful.

this coach made the game fun again. he showed spencer that he is valued both as a player and as a person. he showed him how to work hard and get better, without losing a piece of yourself. he showed spencer what type of man he should strive to be in life.

i hate that spencer had to have a bad coaching experience. but, i know God has a plan...and he led spencer into the arms of coach vinnie izzo where he experienced healing and guidance. for the past three months, spencer has been right where he was supposed to be. i don't think any of us have regretted letting him walk away from that other team. not for a single second.

we have no idea what the future holds for spencer in terms of baseball. but we do know that he has found the passion again and he is willing to work his tail off this year to get results on the field. 

and this is *that* man. we are so grateful.

and a few snapshots from the season...

spencer's birthday was on a game night, so i made some team cupcakes

and brought baseball themed ritz crackers and oreos.

and they got the birthday boy...

coleman watching his big brother pitch

in his catcher's stance while watching the game

signing balls at the end-of-season team party.

as a side note...this was the first time i had ever served as "team mom" and i really enjoyed it.