Henry's last t-ball game...

Henry had the BEST time playing t-ball this summer!  He had wonderful coaches and some really nice kids on his team.  We debated on whether or not to sign him up this season, but I am so glad we did!

Our little t-ball player...

Henry is on the far left with his glove down.  The little girl on the right with the pink glove would always come up to Henry before the games and say, "Henry, c'mon, let's go play!"  As soon as she asked, Henry would jump up from the bench and follow her to the outfield so that they could throw grounders to each other.  It was adorable!

The way the kids fielded the ball was hilarious!  They would all run over to the ball and dive on top of it...

After they finished piling on top of each other, the coach would help them untangle and then the game would resume.

A little Henry hitting sequence...

And this is what Charlie (& Levi) spent their time doing during the last game...

After the game Henry got his FIRST TROPHY!  Oh my goodness was he excited about this.  He now sleeps with it every night!

The past couple of nights he's woken up at 3 in the morning and come into our bed.  And, you'll never guess what he bring along with him...yep, his trophy!  He wakes me up to tell me that he's putting it on my nightstand and then crawls in and goes to sleep.  We've gotten the biggest kick out of this!

And here he is with his trophy and one of his little friends...

Henry especially loved it when his grandparents, aunts and uncles, and even Great-Grandpa Art and Great-Grandma Donna came to his games!  He told me that he wanted me to make sure that all of our family had his schedule so that they could come if they wanted to.  This was a great experience for all of us, and I know one little curly-haired boy who is already looking forward to next season :)

Rawhide baseball...

We made some progress on our summer activity list last week when we had a picnic dinner and attended a Visalia Rawhide baseball game.  Going to Rawhide games is probably one of our very favorite things to do together as a family.  John gets to watch baseball, the boys get to play, and I get to sit back and enjoy watching them in their element.  Seriously, everything about these games is perfect for us.  I hope we get to go to a few more games before summer's end!

We picnicked at Plaza Park, although we noticed that the park next to the stadium had a new play structure, so maybe we'll have to try eating there next time.  Here's Henry with his favorite picnic item: BBQ chips!

The boys did some swinging...

And then it was on to the game.  One of the highlights at the stadium is that you can look down into the bullpens and watch the pitchers warm up...

The big grassy "pasture" seating area provides plenty of play space for the playing of "wallball" and catch...

Love this picture of Charlie (he is so much bigger now than he was at his first Rawhide game!)...

The boys like to wrestle on the blanket with me...

We made it to the 5th or 6th inning before the boys started to meltdown.  We changed them into their pj's in the stadium bathrooms and headed home before the game was over.  We can't wait to go back again!

Every day after work...

...John takes the boys to the high school baseball fields.  And every day, before they can leave the house, Henry has to put on his complete Dodger uniform: Matt Kemp Jersey (3 sizes too big), baseball pants (3 sizes too big), his "up socks" (these actually fit him), his cleats (4 sizes too big), and his Dodger hat.  He cannot go to the baseball field in any other outfit!

John says that when they get to the field Henry has to pitch to him from the mound while John stands in the batters box at home plate.  Obviously Henry can't throw the ball that far, but he always tries.  Henry also likes it when Uncle David brings the girls to play at the field.  He told me that he likes it when they come because they can be the infielders :)  This reminds me of a story Sharon told me of one of John's early birthday parties.  All John wanted for his birthday party was to have his cousins over to play baseball with him.  There is even video documenting his older cousin Kristen's role as pitcher.  Like father like son...

John has to push the boys in the stroller and pull the wagon with their gear in it...

More baseball playing...

Now that baseball season is in full swing Henry has become completely obsessed with all related things lately.  And why wouldn't he?  John spends his evenings listening to Vin call the Dodger games on the radio, he watches the highlights in the morning with the boys, and he takes them to the high school baseball fields every afternoon after work!  I think daddy is pretty obsessed with baseball right about now too :)

Last week we spent the afternoon at my parent's house and Henry organized a baseball game with Grandma Gail, Aunt Denise, and Aunt Kelly.  When you play baseball with Henry he is in charge!  He tells you where to stand, how to play, and anything else you need to know...

Henry won't play baseball anymore without his Matt Kemp jersey...

Coach Henry bossing around his aunties!...

Grandma Gail as outfielder...

Charlie and I were banished to the "bleachers" (aka: the picnic blanket)...

After playing baseball at my parent's house, the next night we headed to Visalia to have a picnic with John's Penner cousins.  Henry had his baseball gear packed and ready to go at 9am that day.  We didn't leave until 4:30 :)

The big boys let Henry play with them and he was so excited...

It's all about the gear...

John and 4 of his 6 Penner boy cousins...

I hope Henry looks back at these pictures when he is older and has fond memories of playing baseball with his family members.  I know John's sports playing days with his cousins are probably his most cherished childhood memories.  It's fun to see Henry enjoying himself in much the same way!