History Colorado

Part of a summer fun pack I picked up at the boys' school auction included tickets to History Colorado downtown. So when they had a Lego exhibit and a baseball exhibit at the same time, I decided that was a good time to visit. 

They had a bunch of fun postcards that if they stood in the right spot and I stood in the right spot, the photo would look 3D. Pretty fun.

They had built a huge Lego model and even had a scavenger hunt to find certain figurines. It was very impressive.

The baseball exhibit had artifacts from all the greats. 

You could even create your own playing card.

Thanks for the fun visit, boys.

Sandlot Bees Spring Season

Josh started spring baseball in January with a new team. Same organization (Sandlot) but new coach and all new teammates. They were a tournament only team so kept us busy most weekends. He loved it.

He got to pitch a lot this season and became quite the center fielder. 

The little boys liked the tournaments because it meant hotel stays. They love the pool.

Fun season, Sandlot!!

Cooperstown Baseball Tournament

Each year, Cooperstown, NY hosts a baseball tournament every week in the summer months. The maximum age of any player is 12 years old by May 1st that year. So, this was Josh's last shot. Luckily, his new baseball team was able to get a coveted spot in the tournament in early June. So we loaded the family up and headed to New York for a week long baseball tournament. (The things we do for our kids).

The way it is set up, you leave your kids at the park for the entire week. Each team has a bunk house with 10 bunk beds. 13 boys and 4 dads for a week. 😬

Josh's team stayed/played at the Cooperstown All-Star Village. 

We dropped him off at the Yankee Stadium bunkhouse in the Mickey Mantle Suite with his team Saturday morning, then didn't see him again (except at games) until Thursday night 

In between games they got to enjoy swimming, an arcade, and had meals in the mess hall. 

A popular activity in the village is pin trading with each team. It took Josh a while to get used to talk to other players, but his brothers were really into it. They would get pins from Josh when he had doubles and trade them with other teams. 

Josh finally got comfortable asking and ended up with a nice collection.

His team brought a few all gold pins that were highly coveted by other teams during the week. I think they were all traded away by the second day. 

After he was settled in and we joined him for a family BBQ at the Village, we headed over to the house we rented with another family for the week. They also have a younger son so the three boys had a great time hanging out and playing all week long.

Then we headed back to the village for the opening ceremony. It included a team parade and skills competitions.

Patrick had fun burying himself in the rocks outside the fields

They played six games over three days. We would come watch every game, see Josh for a little while after, and then head out to entertain ourselves. I don't think he minded at all.

We found some fun things for the kids to do...

..and the parents.

We found some fun places to eat in the area. Very different from Colorado.

The week included tickets to the Baseball Hall of Fame. That was a fun museum to walk through.

At the end of the week, they hold a closing ceremony where they induct all the participants into the Youth Baseball Hall of Fame. 

Josh's coach had to talk about the kids

Every player got a ring

It was a once in a lifetime experience. I think Josh really enjoyed it and I'm glad the whole family got to experience it with him.