By Anna Jones

At just a few minutes after 7 p.m. on a spring Sunday in Chesterfield, an appreciative group of moms and daughters listened as Albert Pujols welcomed them to the second annual Pujols Family Foundation Mother/Daughter Bowling Event.

Just a few feet away, the giggles, smiles and hugs of Leah, Emily and Mackenzie, who were all clad in matching pink athletic skirts and tops and neon glow bracelets, said it all.

The girls had gotten to know each other at a PFF pizza party at Chuck E Cheese and have since become a tight-knit group that has even created its own pompon squad, which has been busy gearing up for their first public performances this summer.

“It’s been a total God thing,” said mom Mary Suzanne Crockett, who after the pizza party helped spearhead the Totally Awesome Girl Group’s pompon program with friend and instructor Dae Cochran. “We just want to show the world how awesome our girls are!”

The group consists of about 13 girls from ages 7 to about 16 who live across the metro area. They’ve been getting together every other Thursday for the past few months to work on routines. But the chance for all the girls and moms to get together at a Pujols event is always a special event.

“It’s been the greatest thing,” said mom Kristin Moranville. “There were years when we didn’t get invited to birthday parties and those type of events but now they have their own thing.”

At the bowling event, held May 23 at Brunswick Zone, the TAGG members were also able to bowl in lanes right by each other as the lanes were assigned by age, with the younger girls and their moms at the east end of the alley and the adult women and their moms at the west end.

And the formation of friendships old and new could be seen from one end of the lanes to the other. Just a few lanes from the TAGG members were a group of teenage and young adult women, many of whom have been members of the High Five volunteer group and/or also play on the Pujols All-Star Team each summer.

“I’m having a great time, I know all the people, I love Pujols,” said Laura Bindbeutel, who was with another group of friends just a few lanes away.

Laura, who’s 24 and has Down syndrome, was in the midst of throwing two spares and a strike in her first five frames while having fun with her mom and friends.

Meanwhile, DeeDee Pujols bowled with daughters Isabella and Sophia and had new baby Ezra with her too. (Oldest son AJ was at a baseball game of his own.)

And Albert, who had helped the St. Louis Cardinals rally for an extra-inning win earlier in the day, made sure to stop at all 40 lanes, spending about 40 minutes greeting the girls and their moms, about 200 in all, and posing for lots of pictures with everyone.

The night also included a big visit from Cardinals mascot Fredbird and a Mother/Daughter picture for each family by Lace Images.

Charlie the Tortoise from Petropolis was also there, and the moms and daughters had a chance to enjoy the arcade area and balloon creations as well as endless pizza from Papa John’s, ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery and cookies from McAlister’s Deli.

“It’s a great chance to see friends and make new friends,” said mom Karen Kramer as she watched daughter Emily talk with old friends and get to talk more with a new friend named Elizabeth.