Proud Aunt

*

Pardon me whilst I brag. I just can't help it -- I'm bursting, I'm so proud.

My nephew's high school baseball team won the state championship yesterday. This is the front page of today's Sports section in our local paper:

( ^ click for big)
*

That's my nephew in the far right of the photo, with his hat in his hand, about to dive on the flesh pile. I'm so proud of him and happy for him, that he's ending his senior year of high school on such a high note.

(The article can be read online here, and nephew is quoted throughout. Wicked cool!)

Here are a few of photos of him at an earlier game this season:

pick-off attempt (he was safe)

I remember the day he was born. I was in school at MCV, working on my second degree at the time, living with my parents to save money. We got the call from my brother one hot August day that my sister-in-law was in labor, and my parents and I drove over to the hospital to wait while their first grandchild, my first nephew, made his debut on Planet Earth. I remember my brother coming out of the delivery room in tears, announcing with joy that it was a boy! Later, we were allowed in the delivery room briefly, to meet this new addition to the family, and what an honor that was! That was the one and only time I've been so close to the delivery of a nephew or niece, (or anyone, for that matter). I still tear up a little now, thinking about that day, almost 18 years ago.

This boy has made his parents very proud. He's a hardworking bag boy at Ukrops; he's been on the drumline of his high school's marching band; and he's played baseball ever since T-ball. But more than that, he's just a good kid. He's intelligent, respectful, courteous, thoughtful and athletic. I suppose he's a typical teenage boy. And I love him like my own.

Tomorrow, this same kid, the oldest of my parents' twelve grandchildren, will be the first to graduate high school. He'll be attending JMU in the fall. I better start scouting out some nice purple and gold yarn for his hat!

And speaking of hats, you may recall the solid black hat I knit for nephew #3, (one of the baseball star's younger brothers). Earlier this week, his parents held his birthday party and I was finally able to give him his hat, and capture him giving it a test drive:


He looks pretty cute, wearing it, I think. And it received the teenage stamp of approval when he opened the gift and said "Cool". That's all an aunt and a knitter can ask for! :-)

*