The End of 8U Softball

It's funny thinking back now to May when Emmy had her last Yadkin Ignite 8U tournament, and we thought it would be the end of 8U softball. Little did we know that over the summer and throughout August, she would play five additional tournaments with our friends at the Carolina Cardinals and one more Friday Night Lights with Ignite. We would travel to Concord, Greensboro, Statesville, and even as far away as Myrtle Beach. Within a 24-hour span, she would play 7 games between the two teams. And at these tournaments, rings and home run medals would be collected, but most of all, our girl has grown in confidence, has worked hard, and has made sweet friendships with her teammates. It has been a fun ride, and we will be capping it off next weekend with the 8U Top Gun All-Stars Tournament in Myrtle Beach. Many of her teammates will be there too, so it should be a memorable weekend. There is no doubt that our girl has fallen in love with the game, and we never miss a chance to watch her play!

 

I can't leave out our little man in this post. He was recognized this past week for "Bow Tie Behavior." He was selected by his teacher and got to pick out a prize from the principal. We are proud of him for demonstrating positive behavior at school. While Emmy was playing lots of softball this weekend, Eli spent some one-on-one time with Grammy and Grandpa. In between his own baseball practices on Friday and Saturday, he tagged along to Maddox's soccer games to cheer on his cousin. I'm not sure how much he enjoyed the soccer, but he did enjoy the chocolate and other treats he got from Aunt Megan. I was able to watch Maddox play today, and he made an exciting game-winning goal in the final minutes. In other news, Emmy's recorder arrived in the mail this week, and she immediately started playing it. I have a feeling the Kennedy household is going to be even louder than usual!

First 7U and 10U Tournaments

This weekend we pulled double duty at the ballpark, with both kiddos having their very first tournaments of the fall season. For Eli, it was his first travel tournament ever, and for Emmy, her Yadkin Ignite team moved up in age from 8U to 10U. Originally Eli wasn't supposed to have a tournament until September, but then the team added this earlier one since the boys seemed to be ready. With the conflicting dates, Boomer and I came up with a plan to divide and conquer: Eli and I would go to his tournament on Saturday morning in Clemmons, and after he played his two games, we would join up with Boomer and Emmy in Greensboro for bracket play in the afternoon. Then, on Sunday, we would all four go to Clemmons for Day 2 of Eli's tournament. With some prep on Friday evening, we were able to execute our plan and make it to all the places we needed to be. Eli's team kicked off their season in a big way and went 4-0, winning the championship! Eli played mostly 3rd Base, which is a new position for him, but he loved it. Emmy's team went 1-3, winning the crucial first game of bracket play, so that they too played in the championship game of their bracket. For the girls, there are a lot of new rules in 10U, and of course the biggest change is that it is player pitch. Emmy showed great plate discipline (as Boomer called it) and had the patience to draw some walks, and she also took one hit to the back like a champ and hustled down to 1st Base with no tears. I know the girls will learn a lot this season. They had good plays and good hits - lots to build on and grow. Overall, it was a double ring weekend for the Kennedys! 

Amongst all the excitement at the ballfield today, Eli lost a front tooth that was barely hanging on by a thread. It seems that Eli has a knack for losing teeth in unlikely locations, given that the last tooth he lost was at the beach. His sister has started to call him "jack-o-lantern" since in fact his smile has a big hole in it. We will have to see what the Tooth Fairy brings in the morning! Here are a few other pictures from the last two weeks :)

Emmy & Eli's First Day of School

The 2026-2027 school year is off to a great start!  There was a lot of excitement Monday morning as the kids put on their first-day outfits and posed for photos. When I think back to last year, the first day brought a lot of changes: Eli was leaving preschool to begin kindergarten, and Emmy was moving to the upper grades in the new building. This year didn't bring the same big milestones, but of course there were still some butterflies for the first day. It was comforting to know that both kids are in familiar spaces and around familar faces this year. Now after Day 2, we are finding our routine again of checking homework folders, filling water bottles, signing paperwork, and fitting family time into our busy evenings. On Monday, Eli had ball practice, but luckily after school today we were home and enjoyed a slower evening and earlier bedtimes.

P.S. I had to laugh at the photo of Emmy on that her teacher posted on the class Dojo app. Apparently the students were showing off their talents, and Emmy did a cartwheel in the hallway! I loved to see her having fun - I can only imagine the energy of an elementary school this time of year!

Update 8/12/2026: I had my first day of school a couple of days after Emmy and Eli, and since I tortured them with lots of photos, I took a first day pic, too! Here we go, Year #18!