On growth

What a difference a year makes when kids are this young. Last year, I watched C-man excitedly get to the games and race around, occasionally throwing his glove in the air. Today, he had two strikes (the first was for a check swing that really wasn't a strike, but we won't be petty) and actually stepped out of the batters box, took a couple of practice swings (you could almost hear the mental self-talk going on), and then stepped back in to slug one hard down the third base line to drive in a run. (It would have been 2 runs, but the first run he drove in hit the 5 runs in an inning limit.)

I love seeing this kid grow. With it, of course, comes challenges. But he's such a special kid with so much to offer, I often question how I got so lucky.