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 :)