The Eve of 10!!

It's been another year and I must say 9 has been my best year yet!!  I LOVE playing baseball--it is the greatest sport, EVER!!  This past year I have thrown a gazillion baseballs, hit a gazillion baseballs, and loved every minute of it.

Last fall I started my journey into the realm of travel baseball.  I played with the Easton Elites 9AAA team.  They were above my experience level but I learned so much and improved my game.

During the spring I played for the Everett Panthers.  This team was mostly made up of boys who played on my all star team last summer.   I played left field, pitched and sme at first and second.  Our team had a tough season as we all learned the ins and outs of travel baseball.  We lost almost every game we played but by the end of the regular season we started to figure things out and began winning a few games. We went to Kansas City for the 9A World Series.  Who would have thought that we could battle and beat the Kansas State Champs and the number two team in Missouri.  We didn't take the title but after a hard fight we took Second Place.  Sure it was disappointing to not take first place but taking second place was a huge victory considering the odds were against us.  Even Mom didn't think we would last and didn't bring enough clothes for us. I am still waiting for the coach to tell us how good we played--maybe I should stop waiting because if he was going to tell us he was proud of us for putting up a good fight I am sure he would have done so by now.  

This fall I played with the Saline County Barons.  Coach Justin was awesome and let me play at different positions.  I must admit, the Everrett Panthers kind of worked my nerves but Coach Justin's stern but fair encouragement got my baseball sparkle back.  I really loved playing with the Saline County Barons---most of all I LOVE catching.  I think Coach Justin tried me out there just to shut me up about it but he realized that I could do a good job at home plate.  He was really good about rotating us around so we didn't burn out from playing one position.  

During the fall I also played league ball in Salem.  I had a blast playing on that team.  All of the boys were 11, 12 and 13.  Mom was kind of uncertain about the age gap but after the first practice she realized I could hold my own plus some!   I got to play short stop and catcher.  Both positions were fun but I preferred to catch because it kept me busy.  I had my first true baseball injury in Salem.  Those knuckleheads caused my eyebrow to split open when another player got in my zone and bumped my glove.  Oh well, you are not a true ball player unless you have left your blood on the field. 

Also this fall I made a new travel team for the Spring--the Arkansas Travelers.  I am really excited to see what the spring brings.  I may not get to play my favorite position but I know that I am going to get some excellent coaching and training.  

When I Fell From Heaven!

It has been years since my secretary updated my blog.  Now that I am older, I am a bit more aware of my social media presence and attempt to control the dissemination of information.  I am not always successful--curse you Facebook!

Today is my last day of being eight.  Eight was a great year for me--I LOVE playing baseball.  This year I made the All Star team and spent the spring, summer and fall playing the sport I love the most. I am busy taking pitching lessons from Austin Pfieffer.  I am going to miss him when he leaves to play for the Baltimore Orioles this spring.  He is an awesome pitching coach and I wish him well as he begins his journey as a professional baseball player.

Eight was also a sad year for me.  In the spring my feline buddy Sebastian made his way back to heaven.  Just last week my bestest feline buddy, Rufus, also made his way back to heaven.  I miss them both--especially Rufus.  I still have Cali and my dog Bella.  In the absence of feline friends, Cali is starting to figure out that I am not so bad.  After the first of the year, when I am ready, I will start my search for a new feline friend.

As I prepare to turn nine, my thoughts turn to my arrival almost nine years ago.  This is the question I posed to Mom today---Did I really fall from Heaven right into the arms of you and Dad?  She said "Yes, in all your glory it was the best day ever!"  My reply--Well that explains it!  That's why I pick my nose so much--I must still have pieces of clouds stuck up in there!

From Bad To Worse!!!

The title of this blog does not refer to my life, it refers to my secretary!!!! I use to think that she was a pitiful secretary for neglecting my blog but it seems that just when you think she couldn't get any worse---she did!! I even got complaint mail about her!! Mommy even assured Ms. Mary that she would update the blog a few weeks ago but did she??? NO!!! My deepest apologies Ms. Mary. Rest assured I have taken appropriate disciplinary action against my crummy secretary. Apparently my secretary thinks posting pictures of me on Facebook and a few witty updates about my latest shenanigans is sufficient---Well it's not!!

So here's the skinny on the past six months of my life:

1. Mommy and Daddy felt the need to sign me up for swimming lessons.

2. I let a revolt at swim school which resulted in me and my swim school buddies getting sent home from swim school and I almost got completely expelled. (Mommy was not happy at all about this one---I even got grounded until the next swim class at which time I was expected to act properly).

3. I have blossomed into a champion swimmer!!! I can swim the free-style like a four year old professional, jump off the diving board, float on my back, and swim to the bottom of the deep end to get my toys!!

4. I got to spend a Saturday hanging out with the coolest godparents ever. I took them all over town, went to Chuck E. Cheese, rode the trolley, and showed them where all the cool train tracks are.

5. I have completely mastered that old lingering problem regarding the bathroom.

6. I have moved up to the Care Bear room!!! Yay!

7. I am in the process of learning that a gentleman does not hit girls! Mommy says I can't hit them even if they are begging for it.

8. I am in the process of learning that I should get use to girls taking my stuff from me. Mommy smiled at me and said that I will completely understand this later in life.

9. I am in the process of learning that if my best friend is mean to me that I should find a new best friend.

10. I am in the process of learning that just because one twin girl hits me that doesn't mean I can hit both girls to make sure that I got the right one.

11. I learned that when I am in trouble at the Baby Penitentiary that Mommy is quite willing and capable of making the commute there just to scare me for being bad.

12. I am in the process of learing that Mommy and Daddy really are pretty good at playing "Good Cop/Bad Cop."

13. Mommy is the the process of undoing the physcological damage she inflicted on me by telling me that the police will take naughty little boys to jail. I am now in the process of learning that the police are our friends and will help us when we are in trouble and only take naughty little girls to jail. (Secretary's Note: Zack became fearful of the police and wouldn't go into any store that a police officer was in and his fear was getting worse. To the point of if he were lost and the police were trying to run after him to help him he would probably keep on running. Obviously not a well thought out scare tactic!!!)

14. I am starting my first official team sport---SOCCER!!!! Daddy is my coach (Mommy is the real coach and will be coaching behind the scenes to help Daddy), so I will be learning to share my Daddy with other kids---wish me luck with that!!!

Well that is all for now. I promise that my Secretary will do a better job of updating everyone and I am sure that my very first soccer team will provide her plenty of opportunties to have something to write about. Until next time---CHOO CHOO!!!

Oh Goodness!!!

I must apologize for my secretary. Even though there is a recession and lay offs everywhere, she is pretty confident that she is not going to get a pink slip from me. She explained that since she provides clothes, food, fun and toys that I have to endure with her falling down on the blog. I may be little but she has a valid point there!

So where to begin??? Hmmmm! Well, I do want to point out that one of my balloons from my birthday party is still floating around the house. We are very impressed seeing that it arrived in the house on December 5 and now we are coming up on the Ides of March! Unfortunately though it does not still blare "Happy Birthday To You". I am sad about that because it drives Mommy and Daddy nuts.

Bella is becoming my bestest friend. Mommy even lets her lay up on the bed with us at bedtime. Unfortunately Daddy boots her out of the bed when he comes to bed. Daddy wasn't too impressed this evening when I chose to have Bella tuck me in rather than him. Ha!!

Guess what?? We had lots and lots of snow last month. There was snow everywhere. Daddy helped me make my very own Frosty!! I had a blast playing in the snow and throwing snowballs at everyone.

Also, Grandma spend a few days with us after she had the doctor fix her back. I was gentle with Grandma though. I even told Mommy that I would rub Grandma's back and make it feel better. Mommy just thinks I am the sweetest and most thoughtful boy ever. Well most of the time she thinks that. Anyway, Grandma is doing great now. She even came to visit us the other day. Turns out that I am being raised by parents who are not the brightest bulbs in the box. The other night we were taking Grandma to dinner and well turns out that we left the house to go to dinner right as a tornado was pointing itself right near our house. Granny Bev kept calling making a fuss about tornadoes, so Daddy turned around and took us back home. Well the tornado came in the three minutes it took us to leave and come back. Our house is okay minus a bunch of shingles but a bunch of trees at the other end of our subdivision were blown down. Needless to say, Daddy was ordered to get the weather alert back out of the closet so we don't make the mistake of leaving in the middle of a tornado again. Anyway, we got to go camping that night because we didn't have any power. Mommy promised the power would be back on the following morning. Guess what?? She was right!!!!

Today, I helped Daddy pick up all the sticks and branches in our yard. Bella helped too but really think she was a mulcher because she chewed up all of the branches. Well that really is all for now!

Oh My Goodness!!!

I cannot believe that my secretary went this long without updating my blog. I really ought to get me a new secretary! Well, where should I begin??

It turns out that Santa thought that I was a very good boy last year because he visited me at school, video called me on Skype and came to my house on Christmas Eve. Mommy did have to explain to me to not get my hopes up at school about Santa bringing me the HO train set from Target because the school Santa only brings books. Turns out Mommy was right--I got 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. Turns out that Santa didn't want to chance catching double pink eye from Mommy so he Skyped me instead. Guess what? Santa really is magic. He told me that he left me a present by my beloved vacuum cleaner. Guess what? I ran to the closet that my vacuum lives in and there was a train set! Santa Rocks!!! The bestest gift though was the present that Santa brought me while I was sleeping on Christmas Eve. Mommy and Daddy assured me that if Santa thought I was a really good boy all year long he just might bring me the big wow HO train set I threw such a huge fit over in Target. (Yes, it was a super huge screaming bloody murder fit--I did apologize the next day over the fit because I didn't get any toy that day because of it. Mommy is mean though because the very next day she made me walk by the train set while we were trying to locate the toy she authorized me getting the day before. I am happy to report though that I did not throw a fit and merely told Mommy that Santa would bring me that train set if I were a good boy. Unfortunately for me though, Mommy made me walk past that train set every time we went Target from that day forward. I was really sad the day we walked past the spot and the last train set was gone.) Fortunately for me, Santa felt that I was a really good boy all year long because my big wow HO train set at Target was waiting for me!

I got another great train set for Christmas too. I got a super fast train set from Grandpa and Granny Bev. I am not allowed to break it though! I got all kinds of other trains and accessories. I got some clothes but I wasn't at all impressed with them. Mommy is sad about that, I use to at least fake an oooooohh and an awwwwww when I opened clothes, now I just toss them aside and say "oh clothes!" Thanks everyone for making my Christmas a very Trainy Christmas.

Mommy had double viral pink eye for ten days over Christmas. She looked horrible and we banished her to the garage apartment. Daddy and I had complete run of the house. Mommy did come down at one point because I was bossing Daddy around. I explained to Mommy that I was in charge and that she needed to go back to her "sick room". Mommy just stared at me for a minute then explained to me that I was going to have a hard time adjusting to reality when she got out of the sick room. Ha! I enjoyed my reign of terror while it lasted. Daddy did great and we left each other in one piece.

Mommy and I welcomed in the New Year by falling into a deep sleep by nine o'clock. What can we say, we are morning people! I think Daddy and Sebastian were the only ones up at the New Year. Oh well, Mommy and I partied the on New Year's by entertaining Grandpa and Granny Bev when they came over for lunch.

Mommy and Daddy took me to Grandma Dale's for a belated Christmas (turns out Mommy may as well have been a leper because nobody wanted her around them with those eyes!) Guess what Grandma got me??? Yep, you guessed it---I got a train. Ha! I sure love trains.

Well, this past weekend I went to Baby Jacob's first birthday party. Guess what? He isn't a baby anymore. He is the big ONE and is moving around all on his own. I had a blast at Jacob's party and I got to help open his presents and blow out his candle. Thanks Ms. Courtney and Ms. Courtney's Mommy. (My own Mommy wasn't too understanding about me wanting to help after all, the memory is fresh in her mind about my tantrum about having to open my own presents and blow out my candles at my party. All I can say is, it was my party and I could have a tantrum if I wanted to.)

I guess that is all for now.

Happy Birthday To Me!!!

Guess what everyone??? I turned the big 4 today!!! I got to stay home from the Baby Penitentiary today because Mommy says no boy should have to spend his birthday in the Baby Penitentiary! I got all kinds of presents today...I got a new car, new trains, a computer (so I can get on the Internet--Mommy says, "Yeah right") and a new Little Einsteins book. I even got to eat Birthday cake for breakfast. Am I lucky or what???

I get to have a big birthday bash on Saturday. It is going to be a Little Einsteins birthday party and everyone is going to come and partay!!!

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