Woo Hoo--A WONDERFUL Championship Weekend!

Yep, that's my girl Delaney with the First Place Trophy from our first travel softball tournament of the season! Her team--the Birmingham Thunderbolts--won out of a field of 7 other teams in the 10-&-under league. We really felt like this was a good team, but you just never know until you get out on the field and play in a real game. Going into the tourney, we felt like we would compete, but we were so pleasantly suprised (thrilled!) to win it all!

It was a very tiring weekend, that's for sure. The girls played a total of six games--two on Friday evening and then four on Saturday (the more you win, the longer you play--since it is a single-game elimination once you get into tourmanent play around noon on Saturday). On Friday night we won 13-3 and 12-1 (with Delaney pitching that entire second game) and then on Saturday we lost 4-12 in the last pool play game, then came back and went undefeated in tournament play 12-0, 11-5 (with D pitching in that game!), and 5-2 in the championship game (we had to come back and play again the team that had beaten us earlier that day; in fact, both that team and the one that we beat 11-5 had been undefeated and were the top seeds up to that point). We played just great and we were so proud of the girls!!

They are sweet girls and Delaney really likes all of them; and the coach is an amazing "teaching" coach who has got them really in the mind-set of playing well. (And he has a very realistic attitude toward winning; after they won their first three games, he told them, "We came out here and met our goal for the first tournament of the season. We won three games. So now, let's just go out there and do our best and have fun." That attitude really drove them to keep winning, I think!)

Anyway... sorry for my rambling (I could go on and on, as I'm sure any of you with kids will understand!! LOl). Here are some pictures from Friday night of Delaney pitching and hitting . . .







And then on Saturday (we put on our purple uniforms!), some pics of Delaney pitching again . . .



Watching the ball. ..


Having a huddle with the coach . . .


Playing centerfield (this is the first time D has played outfield on a team since she was like 5, but the team is so strong all the way around that she understands where she contributes--through pitching, and then through subbing in at second base and outfield) . . . (And hey, how about that purple Alabama cap she put on? LOL)

Hitting (she struck out once during the weekend and most of her other hits were infield drives, with the exception of one good hit to the outfield; she didn't hit as well as usual, but still pretty good). . .

She LOVES to run bases (just let her steal and slide and she is one happy girl!) ...

And laying down a bunt (she had a gorgeous bunt on Friday, that she hit and it landed dead on the dirt about a foot off the base) . . .

And then the celebrations begin . . .


Way to go Thunderbolts Purple!!!!!

And then my FAVORITE picture of the weekend. She just loves softball. Can you tell??

We are all still giddy over the wins this weekend, but now it's back to reality!! Another tournament this coming weekend, so time to move on I guess!!

This week, I've got going on . . .
* Take McKenna to golf practice (Yes, she joined the golf team at school!!!)
* Have my calendar class at Scrapbook Mania (I'm teaching paint techniques)
* Walk three times this week (still trying to get going with my Lent challenges to myself)
* Watch McKenna and Delaney's park softball games (they both have games tonight!)
* Query a few article ideas
* Wait for results on Gary's heart monitor (he had a 48-hour monitor installed this morning)
* Fill out my NCAA tournament brackets (I've got something planned for all of my blog readers in regards to this, so be watching around mid-week!)
* Enjoy the Weather!!! (It's hitting 80 degrees today!!! Yee-haw!!)

(I just HAD to put this song on my video bar today. It is one of the sweetest songs ever--"Father and Daughter" by Paul Simon--and it reiterates the feelings I have toward Gary. Softball season always puts his love for his girls in the forefront of my mind, because he loves to be out there cheering them on. He has never coached for McKenna and is doing it this year for her park ball team. And he has always been Delaney's biggest fan! But he is really the most wonderful father in all other ways as well. So, this song's for you G! And the rest of you--enjoy!)