FNL & Top Gun All-American Games

This past Labor Day weekend looked quite different than any of the others in the past. Usually we have spent the long holiday weekend at Lake Tillery with the Kennedy family. However, this year we split our time between baseball and softball in two different states. Wow, what a weekend to remember!

Many months ago, we made plans to go to North Myrtle Beach for the Top Gun 8U All-American Games. Many of Emmy's Yadkin Ignite and Cardinal teammates also received invitations, so with a bit of peer pressure, we signed up too. The events for the weekend, including registration and team photos, began on Friday, and Boomer and I even planned to take the day off and leave on Thursday evening after work. Our plans changed though when we found out that Eli had a Friday Night Lights tournament. Boomer and I tossed around some ideas of dividing up between the kids, but in the end, Grammy and Grandpa came to the rescue. They took Emmy down on Thursday after she got out of school, and they made sure that she got checked in and registered on Friday. I was relieved knowing she was in good hands until I was able to be there on Saturday morning. 

After work on Friday, Boomer, Eli, and I headed to Clemmons for his tournament. The team's first game was at 7PM, with the second pool play game immediately following at 8:15PM. After winning both games, they played in the championship...and won that game too! Eli was so excited to add a second ring to his collection. Is there anything cuter than his big smile with the missing front tooth? One of the moms brought her camera to the ballfield and took several photos of the boys. I love seeing his concentration and passion in so many of the action shots. We arrived home around 11PM and set our alarms for just a few hours later. We knew we would not get much sleep, but it was worth it to see our #8 play. 

On Saturday, we were up bright and early to hit the road by 6:30AM. It felt a bit weird to have only one kiddo in the backseat; we missed having Emmy along with us. However, judging from the pictures we received from Grammy and Grandpa, she appeared to be having a wonderful time. I have to say, I did a pretty good job of picking out our accommodations. We stayed at the Hilton North Myrtle Beach Resort, and the room had an ocean view from the 14th floor, with a balcony that was great for reading and enjoying breakfast. The resort had several pools, easy beach access, and a fun oceanfront bar. Plus it was only 17 minutes from the sports complex. Before check-in on Friday, Grammy, Grandpa, and Emmy went out for a pancake breakfast and then made their way to the complex. Emmy collected her swag bag with a visor, two jerseys, long-sleeve hoodie, and lots of other merch. With 41 teams and over 400 players, it was quite a big event. Emmy was on Team Wheat, which made us all laugh. I suppose with so many teams, they quickly ran out of the primary colors. On Saturday, Emmy's team had a practice game at 8AM against Team Tomato. Boomer and I were not there that early, but we arrived around 10:30AM, in time to see the first pool play game against Team White. We joked that it was the Battle of the Breads! On Sunday, they played their two other pool play games versus Team Thistle and Team Teal. One of the most exciting moments was when Emmy hit a walk-off single in the game against Team Thistle. We were all cheering, and one of the coaches even lifted Emmy in the air while the team gathered around her. At the end of pool play, Team Wheat was 2-1 and seeded 17th in the Bronze Bracket. The bracket games were played on Monday, so after checking out of our hotel, we headed to the ballpark for the final round. The girls won their first game but sadly lost in the semi-finals. We thought the team would make a comeback as they had several other times, but they came up just a little short. While the weekend was mostly about softball, we did fit in some pool and beach time with the Simpsons, a delicious seafood meal at Flying Fish, and ice cream at the Crafty Cow with the Hutchenses. (Oh and there was an unexpected trip to the Myrtle Beach Airport Enterprise to swap out our rental car!) It was a special weekend to officially close out Emmy's chapter of 8U softball. Boomer was once again one of her coaches, and I had the best view from the bleachers watching them together on the ballfield. I was especially proud of Emmy for bonding with new teammates. I could often hear her calling out to them on the field and cheering encouraging words from the dugout. If this past weekend is a glimpse of what life is like with both kids playing sports, I'm here for it! (...but maybe with a little bit more sleep, please!) 

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!