Opening Day

At our house, I run off a schedule. It drives Mark nuts but I think deep down he is super thankful for how well thought out every second of our lives are. Opening Day was no different; in fact I think my planning was even more over the top.

Friday we got our teams uniforms in, so I carefully packed all 12 t ball uniforms for our team in their cute brown bags. I wrote the names on each bag and “Go Rangers”! We delivered and had all of the uniforms picked up by 7:00!

For dinner I made pizza, ok I defrosted pizza. But we all sat around the table together and talked about Mason and Gracie’s first games and the fact that Nolan was going to pitch! Everyone was excited….I think Mark and I were the MOST excited! After dinner everyone had their baths and brought me their uniforms. I laid them out on the dining room table in the order they would put them on. Their hats and wrist bands were in front of their uniforms. Then it was off to bed! After everyone was tucked in I went and looked at the table and realized how our family was growing. Not in numbers but in experience. Everyone is getting older. No more babies in this house!

By 6:30 am on Saturday, everyone was up and EXCITED! Donuts for breakfast and then came getting four children ready and out the door within an hour! Nolan and Mason have a routine of how a baseball player gets dressed! I am so thankful for Nolan teaching Mason how to get everything on, tucked, and situated! Gracie was awesome getting herself ready and then letting me get her ponytail just right. In true Kari form, pictures followed before we could leave!

Opening ceremony was awesome. The teams all looked amazing, but I was partial to ours! As a team mom, I received a yellow rose from the boys. It was so sweet. Grandma and Grandpa Nowell even came to watch three Burdette’s play on the same day. We enjoyed whole morning supporting Nolan, Gracie, and Mason.

Mason and Nolan played at the same time. This was a first for us. For the past few years the whole family has supported Nolan. Mark has never missed a practice or a game. This was the first game he had to miss part of. Mason’s game was so much fun. Four and five year olds are just adorable on the baseball field! Mason hit the ball without using the tee! It was so cool to watch him play! It was also nice to have Grandma remember Kade! She brought him a bat and ball so he would have something to keep him happy!

 The second Mason’s game was over, we ran to watch the second half of Nolan’s game. He pitched! He did great at bat and is a pretty impressive batter! He is the tallest player on the field so there is no missing him! Nolan’s girlfriends mom was at the park (Mason played against her brother Buzz…they are now good buddies!) Well she came over after the tball game and sat with us and cheered Nolan on. I don’t know if Mark is ready for the girlfriend thing but it was awesome for her to get to cheer Nolan on!

As soon as Nolan’s game was over, you guessed it, we ran to Gracie’s game! She can hit! She looked amazing on the field. She was confident at the plate and has an arm too! She had the most amazing throw from the pitcher’s mound to first base. I think she liked having so many people cheering her on as she showed off her mad skills!

I have to admit I was one of the most proud moms at the ball park! It was great to have Mark coach and the three big kids shine! Having Grandma and Grandpa Nowell there was icing on the cake! Nolan also introduced the family to his girlfriend Stewart. Overall it was a great family day!

Irmo Little League put together a day that we will remember! It is fun to be a part of such a neat organization where we can hang out with our friends and family and enjoy our favorite sport.

I am not going to lie; I was worn slap out by the time we finally left the ballpark. It was a long day but all of the preparation was worth it. The day was truly perfect: perfect weather, perfect playing, and perfect time together.