Weekend Update

S. and R. with their  bikes and new helmets on our street today

Well, it's Sunday evening.  I hope that everyone has had a great weekend.  It was fairly relaxing for me, despite having a full day of baseball (2 games) and basketball closing social and potluck yesterday.  It was so busy that I didn't get to my workout until I did 6.2 miles last night (this morning) at 2 a.m.  Yes, I am crazy, but I really needed to get that run in.  And I was happy with my time, so maybe my preparations for Oceanside are coming along.

So without further ado, here is an update on some of the items that I've been blogging about lately:

The Parable of the Bicycle:
Remember this post?  Well, S. has loved his bicycle.  He got it on Monday night and I wasn't able to take him out for his bike riding lesson until yesterday (Saturday).  As I suspected, it took S. about 2 minutes to learn how to ride his bike.  He did great!  (And I feel a lot less guilt!)

He ran out today by himself and was doing laps on our street on his bike.  He will get more confident and faster as he gets more experience, but he is on his way.

After our lesson, I took S. and R. to our local Walmart to get them some new helmets (see above).  Mom, per your instructions, I used the birthday money you sent for S.'s new helmet.!  He didn't have one and he had a lot more confidence today now that he has a new helmet.  He was also really excited to get it last night!

I even took the rest of the kids out to go riding as well since the weather was so beautiful this afternoon:

M. really enjoyed his ride

E. was begging for me to keep doing lap after lap through the neighborhood

My brother even made a surprise visit and wanted to test out S.'s cool new bike

Baseball As Life:
R. had a game yesterday.  He was pretty nervous during batting practice beforehand, but we worked on it together and he actually put the ball in play both times he came to the plate yesterday.  I know that sounds kind of lame, but he didn't strike out and it was definitely an improvement.  I don't care whether he is the world's best baseball player or the world's worst, but I want him to learn to not give up and to keep practicing.  I'm so grateful that he made tangible progress yesterday.

I *Heart* Tyler Haws:
I've been getting my basketball fix with the March Madness tourney.  BYU (and Tyler Haws) will be playing tomorrow night at the Marriott Center.  Too bad I'm not in town.  That would have been a fun game to take the boys to watch.

The BYU women's team is also in the NIT tourney.  They advanced to the third round by beating SDSU on Saturday at the Marriott Center.  They play WCC conference opponent St. Mary's (a team that they played twice this season--beating St. Mary's at home and losing to them on the road) on Wednesday night at the Marriott Center.  Go Cougs!

10 Things I Love About You (Baby M Edition)

February 1, 2013

M. and I got to spend some quality time at R.'s baseball game yesterday.  He is such a cute little guy to hold and I'm trying to enjoy him as much as possible.  He is almost 10 months old and I know that he won't be little forever.

M., here are 10 Things I Love About You over the past 2-3 months:

Holding M. at the game yesterday

10.  I love that he is our biggest baby.  He is chubby which is unusual in our extended family.  At his last check-up, he was in the 90th percentile for height and 85th percentile for weight.  The height thing is normal in our family.  The weight thing is not.  I hope he keeps growing!

Holding M. on my shoulders at Little League Picture Day - 02-23-2013

9.  I love that he loves to sit up on my shoulders.  He does really well up there--I think he appreciates the view!

M. on the swings - 01-24-2013

8.  I love his smile.  He usually gets a big grin on his face when he sees me in the mornings.  I like to call him "Smiley."

M. relaxing at the elementary school's Open House - 02-21-2013

7.  I love how he grabs at the hair on my arms or my shirt when I'm holding him.

M. at play - 01-10-2013

6. I love the way he gurgles and babbles since he's too young to talk.

M. chases down a mini basketball in church - 01-13-2013

5.  I love that M. loves to play ball.  It must be genetic.  :-)

4.  I love the fact that he goes right down at night after I feed him a bottle.

02-01-2013

3.  I love that he is the most snuggly of all our kids.

01-26-2013

2.  I love when he crawls over to me when I'm standing at the sink in my bathroom and stands up while holding onto my leg because he wants me to hold him.

01-26-2013

1.  I love that I'm blessed to be your dad!

02-09-2013

Spring Cleaning

Yesterday was officially the first day of Spring and today was our firm's annual March Madness party.  I decided it was time to do some extensive cleaning of my office.  I figured that I should take some pictures to document the result.  It may never be this clean again!

I'm proud of the door to my office!

It's been a while since this much floor space and desk space was visible

I also got a couple of thing hung on the wall (finally)

The Prayer at Valley Forge - Arnold Friberg

I'm really excited about the Arnold Friberg painting of George Washington kneeling in the snow at Valley Forge.  It was a very generous gift from my sister T.  T., I want you to know that I saw at least one person at our party today going into my office to get a closer look at the painting.

My first trophy in many, many years!

The other major event last night was that I played in the Coaches Game from the Boys and Girls' Club basketball league that R. and S. played in this season.  They just did a schoolyard pick of teams, but there was a referee, a clock, and a scoreboard.  We won 96-90.  I probably had one of the best scoring games of my life.  The basket looked huge and I probably had at least half of our team's points.

I also had a ton of assists and made some really fun passes to my teammates where I threaded the needle just past the outstretched fingertips of the defender.  After the game, they awarded an MVP trophy (which was a huge surprise).  It was pretty fun.  In the parking lot, one of my teammates asked me where I'd played my college ball.  Ummmm....I didn't.  But it was still cool that he thought that I had.  It was just one of those nights where everything seemed to go down and I played way better than I deserved to.  It's just too bad that none of my family was there to see it.

I *Heart* Tyler Haws

Tyler Haws dribbles up the court

March Madness is in full swing now.  For the first time in 6 years, my team--the BYU Cougars--are not going to the Big Dance.  But they did make the NIT tournament, at least.  So their season isn't over...yet!

They played Washington Tuesday night and got only their second post season win in the past 11 years when they didn't have someone named "Jimmer" on their team.  But BYU appears to have a new superstar in the making--Tyler Haws.

Teams have to resort to faceguarding to stop him.

Tyler's line last night:

• 37 points
• 15-24 (.625 FG%) from the field
• 6-6 from the charity stripe
• 6 rebounds
• 3 assists

Yes, he is a big-time player and he's only a sophomore.  So far this season, Tyler (who is among the nation's leaders in scoring (21.4 ppg) and free throw percentage (.872)) has scored 706 points.  He is only one of 5 players in the history of BYU basketball to do so.  The others?  Only Jimmer Fredette (twice--1,068 in 2011 and 751 in 2010), Devin Durrant (866), Danny Ainge (782), and Michael Smith (765).

Not only is Tyler a great player, but he's also a great person.  He hung up his sneakers to serve a two-year mission to the Philippines where he learned Tagalog.  It makes you wonder what he can do in the next two years  now that he has "shaken off" the mission rust from his game.

I love this video about how he and his dad would go practice at their local church.  If your kids love basketball, sports, BYU, or any of the above you need to have them watch this short video (I need to have my kids watch it with me again!):

I got a chance to meet Tyler Haws last summer up at BYU basketball camp and he was so gracious and kind to all the campers.  He is the type of player that you want to root for and that you want your kids to look up to.

I still remember watching Tyler's dad, Marty Haws, play on some pretty good basketball teams at BYU in the 1980s.  I'm looking forward to seeing Tyler continue to lead BYU basketball over the next couple of years!  Go Cougs!

Baseball as Life

R. Playing 3rd Base After His At-Bat

Baseball has never been my favorite sport. I generally prefer a faster pace to a game. But some people love baseball (it didn't become the national pastime by accident) and see it as a metaphor for life.

If you read my last post on Little League and some of my recent posts, you know I've been spending a fair amount if time lately thinking about kids, life, and fatherhood.

Tonight as I pulled up to the field to watch R.'s game, I think I maybe I understand why baseball can be like life. And why it has brought fathers and sons across America bond for generations.

As I got out of the car, my heart sank as I saw R. walking back to the dugout with his bat slung across his shoulder while his teammates hustled and bustled to get out into the field to play defense.

It was immediately clear what had happened. R. had struck out to end the inning. I braced myself for a repeat of last game.

But that's why baseball and life are so great. As in life, we are not bound to failure in baseball. Every day is a new day. Every game is a new game. Every at bat is a new at bat. We can change, get better, and improve. We can hope that the next time we will see positive change. Even if that change is incremental.

R. was smiling when I saw him in the dugout. He excitedly told me that he hadn't been as afraid of the ball. And then he hustled off to go play third base on defense.

Then I walked over to where the parents were sitting. Several of them were kind enough to come up to me--all on their own--and tell me what a great at bat R. had had. He had fouled the ball off a couple of times and had gone down swinging. It may not have been much--but it was progress!

Later one of the coaches spontaneously told me what a great job R. had done.

As I sat to watch the rest of the game, I noticed that tonight's game felt so much different than the last game. Gone were the dark, dank mists and fog. It was clear and palpably warmer. Everything felt...better.

So I will appreciate the sense of newfound optimism that I feel tonight. And I'm looking forward to R.'s next at bat. He's hitting next inning and I'm excited to see him continue to improve. In baseball and in life. :-)

Be a Joyrider

Earlier this week, we were at a friend's house for a get-together with a bunch of people from our ward.  The kids were running crazy upstairs and outside while the adults visited downstairs.  I left my iPhone unattended for a few minutes while I went to get some food.  When I came back, it was gone!

Apparently, my iPhone had gotten lost sprouted legs and walked off been taken for a little joyride.  I looked all over for it.  I called it.  I even tried to track it.  Nada.  Then I went upstairs, where, by a stroke of providence, I "found" my iPhone and ended the joyride.

It wasn't until a day or two later, that I noticed that my iPhone had some interesting pictures that told their own story of the joyride.  So if you ever wonder what your kids are doing upstairs with their friends while you're busy downstairs with your friends, this photo essay may give you some idea.

It's chaos in the kids' bedrooms...

...Thunder dome in the kids' bathrooms...

...and the culprits may leave behind some incriminating evidence...

...but you really can't stay too mad when they flash their cute pearly whites!

The Parable of the Bicycle

The Bike

Some of you may have heard of the Parable of the Bicycle.  It is contained within the book "Believing Christ" by Stephen E. Robinson.  In that story, a little girl wants a bike but only has 61 cents.  She despairs that she will never have enough money to buy a new bike.  The father, however, takes her 61 cents and makes up the difference so that she can get the bike that she had longed for.  The lesson of the parable is that as long as we put in our best efforts, the grace of Jesus Christ will make up for our deficiencies to help us receive the blessing of the Atonement.  This is not that parable.

My parable of the bicycle lacks an inspiring, uplifting theme.  It's the story of a father who tries to put in his best efforts to be a good dad, but realizes that his son is about to turn 9 years old and still doesn't know how to ride a bike.  In fact, that son might be the only kid on the street who doesn't know how to ride a bike.  The reason is that the son's bike was the right size for a four year old (and may have been lost the last time we moved).

The father worries that there are certain things that dads need to teach their sons and he worries that if his son doesn't even know how to ride a bike, he may be missing out on teaching his son other important life lessons as well.  The father resolves correct that mistake, get his son a bike, and teach him how to ride it.  It's never too late to do the right thing.  So maybe there is some hope at the end of my parable after all.  :-)

S.'s Little League Pic

Does this parable sound a little too autobiographical? Well, obviously it's not about me...  *cough* *cough*

Anyway, I figured that it was time to get S. a new bike.  I put a lot of time and effort into trying to pick out the right bicycle.  As a kid, I had a Huffy BMX bike.  It was blue with yellow mag wheels.

The really "cool" bikes when I was a kid were the Diamondback bikes.  I remember being envious of my friends that had those bikes.

I found both types on Amazon.  Then I went to my local bike shop and found a Haro bike that looked really cool but was the most expensive by far.  It has a hand brake and has a freehub, which means that you can pedal backward without actually braking.

I struggled with which bike to buy.  Did I want to spend all night or all weekend putting a bike together?  Or do I want to shell out the extra bucks and get the more expensive bike that is already put together?

Well, if you've seen the picture above, you know which one I chose.  Convenience won out over frugality.

I picked up the bike this morning and I was excited to give it to S.  I stashed it into the closet and hoped that S. wouldn't see it when he got home from school.  He didn't and I wheeled it out at after we did cake and ice cream tonight.  Judging by S.'s reaction, I think we have a winner.  I'm excited to teach him how to ride it.  I have a sneaking suspicion that he's going to figure it out really quickly and take to it like a fish to water.  S. is a really good athlete and he seems excited to start riding.

S. Prepares to Blow Out His Candles

As much as I enjoy riding, I hope that S. can learn to enjoy it as much (if not more than I do).  And maybe it's not too late to learn from my own parable of the bicycle.  :-)

Dominican Sunrise

La Salida del Sol

A friend of mine has a son who just got his mission call to the Dominican Republic.  I had a lot of fun going through old mission pics and reminiscing about my time there to put together a quick blog post for their family last week.

Then, this week, one of my good friends from the D.R. posted this picture from the D.R.  I decided I had to post it, but I wasn't sure how to work it into a post or when.  Initially I assumed that this picture was a sunset, but then I realized that it was actually a sunrise.  (Because of the D.R.'s location in the Caribbean Sea, sunrises tend to be over the water and sunsets are over the land.)

Anyway, Elder Jordan H. and all of my other blog readers, I hope that your day today is as beautiful as this one!

3 Fun Things For St. Patrick's Day

Leprechaun Hunting:
I walked in last night to see R. setting up an elaborate leprechaun trap last night.  It was amazing how much thought and time went into it:

R.'s Leprechaun Trap

As I noted in a past post, my kids still believe in leprechauns.  Apparently.  If leprechauns really exist, I hope they're the nice cartoonish kind.  Not the kind in some of those horror movies.

We woke up this morning to find out that R.'s trap didn't work.  Those mischievous, impish leprechauns had instead decided to wreak their own peculiar brand of havoc on our family room.

Cushions were overturned, green yarn was strung haphazardly about, milk had been mystically turned green, and a trail of gold foil wrapped chocolate coins led down the stairs to the scene of the crime.

My kids were thrilled!  Special thanks to a sweet sister who donated most of the materials used by those "leprechauns."  J.D., you are so thoughtful!

St. Patrick's Day on a Sunday:
Did you notice how many people at church today were wearing green?  I did and I was not one of them.  I literally have basically nothing in my wardrobe that is green.  Last month, I actually bought a green running shirt so that I would have something to wear on St. Patrick's Day.  Apparently, I didn't realize that I wouldn't be able to wear it for church!  #Fail!  (Never fear, though, I'm wearing it now!)

E. relaxing in my chair.

M. has been super cute today.  Just now he was crawling back and forth through my legs.  I wonder if he knows that that type of behavior only makes him more adorable.  Earlier at church, I got him to fall asleep in my arms during third hour.  He never does that.  I love that I feel like we are developing a bond even though he's not even a year.

On the other hand, sometimes I wonder if I'll ever truly bond with E.  I was watching a show by myself after church and she came in and managed to persuade me to turn off my show, turn on some Barbie DVD, and then sit all by herself in my chair.  Maybe I was just charmed by her cute green shirt (which matches my new one) and green ribbons in her hair.

Actually, I call them "green" but there's actually probably  a much fancier term for it (lime green?)  When it comes to colors, I feel like I'm doing well to know the basic ones--you know, ROY G. BIV plus some more "exotic" varieties like black, brown, pink, navy.  :-)  I've always freely proclaimed my fashion limitations--even in my blog posts on the topic.

3 Fun Facts About St. Patrick:

St. Patrick

• St. Patrick initially went to Ireland as a slave.  He was captured from his home in Britain at age 16 and taken to Ireland where he was enslaved for 6 years before he escaped and returned home to his family.  He later returned as a missionary and remained in Ireland for the rest of his life.  He is thought to have died around 460 A.D.  He died on March 17th (St. Patrick's Day).

• The shamrock is an important symbol of St. Patrick because he used it to teach the people the doctrine of the Trinity (three in one and one in three).

• According to legend, St. Patrick banished all snakes from Ireland.  What is more likely, however, is that there never were any snakes to banish in the first place.  No snakes are known to have ever migrated on their own across an ocean to live on an island.  New Zealand, Iceland, Antarctica, and Greenland are also islands without any native snake populations.

In Chicago, they turn the river green for St. Patrick's Day

But maybe one of the most fun things about St. Patrick's Day is how we, as Americans, have taken it and turned it into our very own holiday with our own fun traditions and celebrations.  What are you and your family doing to celebrate St. Patrick's Day today?

Daddy Day Care

Okay, I know that technically it's not "daycare" or "babysitting" when it's your own kids, but it is rare for me to be in charge of all the kids by myself.  I got that chance Saturday morning.  Here's how the day went...

I had a basketball game at 8:00 a.m.  I know it's just Church basketball, but we have some really good players on the team and they are nice enough to make me feel like I actually contribute something when I come play.  But today, I didn't play.  At 7:15 a.m., I had to text my teammates to let them know I couldn't play because I was in charge of the kids.

S. had a Little League game at 9:00 a.m., which meant that he had to be at the field at 8 a.m.  I rushed him over there, but of course, E. didn't want to be left at home, so I brought her as well.  I had to pray the M. wouldn't wake up while I was gone.  I left R. in charge of M. in my absence, and hoped that the neighbors wouldn't call the cops to report that the children had been left home alone.  (Like they actually did one time!)

Ju-Ju-Be's Be Hip Bag--Perfect for Daddy Day Care

Then I came home to get the kids ready to go with me to the game.  R. wasn't feeling that great, so I made the executive decision to leave him at home.  I had actually been counting on him to help me with the younger kids at the game, so it wasn't great news that he couldn't make it.

It took a few minutes to find my Daddy Diaper Bag.  I bought it for myself in the run-up to Christmas and had it all stocked with everything that I thought I would need (i.e., diapers, formula, bottle, wipies, and plastic bags.)  Yes, I know that the color is a little boring, but apparently the most important thing in a bag is that it be wipeable--and this one is!  Ju-Ju-Be has really awesome colors and patterns for their bags, but as a guy, I'm really looking for something that isn't going to draw a lot of attention.  I need to remind myself to add a ball and some toys to the bag for our next outing.  Otherwise, this was perfect!

I got a call from my parents in Colombia on the way to the game.  I don't get to talk to them as much as I'd like, so I found myself carting M. in one arm and a diaper bag, folding chair, and E.'s hand in the other as we walked up to the game.  I probably shouldn't give myself too much credit for that balancing act though.  I have a sneaking suspicion that moms do that all the time.

My cell phone dropped my parents' call as we actually reached the field, which may have been a good thing because I had plenty to keep me busy once we got there.

I got to spend a lot of time holding M., which was actually pretty fun.  He is growing so fast and he's not going to be little for very much longer.  He is definitely our biggest kid and has a pretty healthy appetite.

M. playing with one of our neighbors

I got to put my diaper bag through its paces at the game.  M. needed a diaper change and I totally had it nailed.  The Ju-Ju-Be bag comes with a memory foam changing pad and I threw that down and took care of business.  The plastic bags came in super-handy as well (what would I ever do if those things ever get banned???).  I'm feeling really good about the diaper bag and I'm excited to use it again.

Doesn't M. look comfy?

We had this cute grandma and grandpa couple next to us as well as some of the other moms and they kept on remarking on what a good baby M. was and how cute he was.  What could I say?  I couldn't agree more!  I felt like I had this baby-watching stuff totally under control.

I think E. dressed herself this morning.  But I still think she looks cute!

I admit being pretty focused on M. while E. played on the small playground right behind us.  I remember E. coming over a couple of times to check in with me and I was kind of congratulating myself on how well things were going.  Famous last words...

A few minutes after I took those pictures above, I decided to check in on E.  I looked for her at the playground.  Couldn't see her.  I started calling her name, but there was no response.  I wasn't too worried, but went to check the bathrooms.  Both of them.  Nada.  I went to the soccer field next door--calling her name increasingly more loudly and with increasingly more urgency.  No one had seen her.  I couldn't see her.  My pace quickened as I started checking the far side of the baseball field--she was nowhere in sight.

I completed my circuit and got back to the playground.  I was holding back the panic and was wondering if it was too late to call 911.  My calls for E. had attracted the attention of some of the other moms at the game.  Even though I hadn't asked for their help, they were jumping in to aid me and I could tell that they were concerned as well.  It actually gave me some comfort.

Just when I was ready to give in to utter panic, I spotted E.  She was on the playground at the bottom of the twisty, covered slide.  Apparently when I was looking for her, she had been playing inside the slide and either didn't hear me or didn't respond.  I told her how scared I was and that she needed to always be somewhere where she could see me.  I felt a little silly that it ultimately turned into a false alarm, but the experience made me realize how quickly something bad could happen.  I need to make sure I keep an eye on them!

I think M. is tired.  :-)

Have I mentioned how long these Little League games can be?  M. was an absolute angel, but toward the end (and after the excitement having me carry him around the field in our search for E.), M. started to get tired and would bury his head in my chest.  It was very cute.

Once the game was over, we loaded up the car and I decided to take the kids to Chick-Fil-A to get everybody lunch (and take advantage of our 50% discount).  I had a sneaking suspicion that M. was not going to make it all the way home.  I was right.

My little angel

I got the kids home, made sure they were fed, put M. in bed to continue his nap, and sat down on my bed for a second.  And I woke up 4 hours later!  Apparently, M. wasn't the only one who was wiped out by the morning's events.  Watching the kids is exhausting!  How do you moms manage to do this every.single.day???

Field of (Foggy) Dreams

Hitting in the fog--If you look closely you can see the blur of the pitch as it speeds toward the batter.

R. had another baseball game last night.  Even though I feel like Spring is right around the corner, last night's game was anything but Spring-like.  It was cold (54 degrees at the field in Dana Point) and damp.  You could literally see the fog and mist rolling in from the ocean less than a mile away.

Despite the fact that I was in a long-sleeved dress shirt, I was cold and I actually grabbed my spare jacket out of the trunk of the car.  I tried to send several texts, but my fingers were numb from the cold, damp coastal air.  My thoughts on Little League baseball are too complex and conflicted for this post.  But if my own kids weren't playing, there's no way that I'd ever spend more than 2 minutes at the ball field.

As miserable and physically uncomfortable as I was, R. was even worse.  R. is 11 years old, but has really only played about 2 years of baseball in the past 4.  He has a lot less experience than the other boys.  The coach told us that when they pick teams at practice, R. is always picked last.  When I got to the game, I checked the line-up card.  Sure enough, R. was in his usual position--batting last (signifying that he is the worst hitter on the team).  R. got up to bat 3 times tonight.  He struck out every single time.

Normally I love the fog, but this fog held a more somber feel to it.

On defense, R. only plays in the field about every other inning because he really hasn't mastered a position on defense.  I realized at one point that he was shivering because his uniform wasn't warm enough for the cold.  I took off my jacket and gave it to him.

As a parent, I could sense his frustration and disappointment mount as the game went on.  I know that tonight's game was anything but fun for him.

I don't care whether the team wins or loses, but I want R. to be able to experience some success and to have fun.  Is that too much to ask?  As a dad, I feel like a failure.  Little League was always fun for me.  I had good friends and teammates, made all-star teams, and liked playing.  I'll never forget hitting a home run over the fence for the first time when I was about 12 years old.  It was a play-off game and I was the lead-off hitter in the game.  We won 1-0.

While some of my teammates went on to play in college and the minor leagues, I stopped playing baseball when I reached high school because my passion was stronger for other sports.  I've never regretted the decision to hang up my cleats, but I'm glad that I played.

I want R. to be able to have those same experiences, but it is just not possible to "download" my baseball experiences into R.  Instead, I am trying to be supportive, positive, and encouraging.  Two years ago, R. told me that his dream was to be a professional baseball player.  I'm sure his "dream" tonight would be to quit.  But I'm not in the business of raising quitters.  And even if R. never plays another inning after this season, I want him to feel like he gave it his best shot.

If you build it, they will come...

I don't have any answers for R. or for the questions and concerns that I have running through my head.  When we got home, I suggested that R. and I watch a movie together.  I wanted to cheer him up and that seemed to work.  At bedtime, he asked for me to come in and read to him.  I did, even though I probably should have been braving the cold and fog to put in some mileage in preparation for Oceanside.  I guess I feel like being a dad is more important than getting in my own workout.

I'm grateful for R.'s coaches and his teammates who have been patient and supportive.  The other parents have also been incredibly nice, even though I really don't even know their names yet.  It is a little humbling to see strangers who are willing to help your child.  And I hope that I am reminded of this the next time I have the opportunity to pay it forward by coaching or cheering for a team.

R. may never make the Olympic baseball team, but I'm okay with that.  We all have challenges in life.  But the important thing may well be how we choose to respond to those challenges.  As a kid, my mom made us memorize this poem.  I can still recite it to this day:

Stick to your task till it sticks to you; 

Beginners are many, but enders are few. 

Honour, power, place, and praise 

Will come, in time, to the one who stays. 

Stick to your task till it stick to you;

Bend at it, sweat at it, smile at it too; 

For out of the bend and the sweat and the smile 

Will come life's victories, after awhile. 

-Anonymous 

Ralph Waldo Emerson (and President Heber J. Grant) said: "That which we persist in doing becomes easier to do, not that the nature of the thing has changed, but our power to do so is increased.”  Even if R. doesn't get a single hit the entire season, is it too "touchy-feely" to think that R.'s season will be successful if he learns the power of persistence?  As R.'s dad, my job is to try and teach him these types of lessons.

That doesn't necessarily make the current situation any easier for me though.  This experience is making me think that sometimes the toughest challenges in life may be the challenges that we witness our loved ones struggle to overcome.

So while I struggle to help R. improve his baseball skills and learn persistence, I have some areas of my own life in which I can experience growth--including having more patience and kindness.  And even if things seemed a little foggy last night, I can still hope that R. will achieve his dreams as the fog lifts and disperses--whether those dreams involve the baseball field or another worthy goal.