8.30.2010

Summer Vacation (Part 5)

The boys like to branch out from cartoons every now and then and watch shows on Food Network, Discovery, and the Travel Channel. One of their favorites is Man vs. Food, which basically follows the host (Adam) through various towns where he eats at local restaurants that have some sort of food challenge. Just before we left, we watched him stop in Pittsburgh to eat at Quaker Steak and Lube. Lucky us we discovered during a stop to check out the Erie Sea Wolves ballpark that it is chain in Pennsylvania. How could we not stop?



Summer Vacation (Part 4)

When we last left off on the 2010 Baseball Odyssey Recap, we had stopped in Louisville for a long lunch with Jordan and a very quick run through the Louisville Bat Factory/Museum. We were then back on the road with our eyes on Pittsburgh. Zach was especially thrilled with this leg of the journey because Rick was nice enough to take the route that drove him right past the Cincinnati Reds ballpark just as a game was getting started.

Pittsburgh was our big "splurge" of the trip as we went to see a Pirates game at PNC Park. The bad news was that we arrived late (about 1 AM) and then I had to spend most of the morning working, which put a major dent in our hopes to tour the city. If there is another baseball odyssey to the east coast next year we have all agreed that we are going to stop in Pittsburgh again next year. Our only complaint or change is that we won't stay at the same hotel. I try to book hotels based on proximity to ballparks in hopes that we can walk or take public transportation. I specifically booked the Holiday Inn Express because they offered a shuttle to and from the game. We signed up to have the shuttle pick us up after the game and opted to take the river boat ride to the game. The only problem was no one at the hotel bothered to tell us that no matter what time the game ended, the shuttle stopped promptly at 10 PM. We exited the game over the Roberto Clemente bridge with the rest of the crowd at the end of what was a normal 9 inning game only to discover we were stranded 10 miles from our hotel. We ended up taking a taxi back to our hotel, which the boys thought was fun despite the fact that it wasn't the Cash Cab.

On the boat ride to the ballpark
Getting off the boat

Two punks a the ballpark


JT picked the seats on the 3rd base line

A Small Miracle

No one cured cancer or solved world hunger over here nor did I find a way to clone myself but this Sunday we went for a family bike ride. Odd thing to get excited about but as I recently chronicled Zach had been on a bike strike since the spring and during said biking strike we convinced him to go on a family run/bike ride out at Brushy Creek (our new favorite trail). As soon as we arrived Zach dug his feet in and it ended in a very unsuccessful run for me and Ella and a mediocre bike ride for Rick and JT.
So fast forward to Sunday and we loaded everyone up (well except Ella because none of us - including her - know how to do that ride a bike and walk a dog thing) and headed to Brushy Creek. Zach was a biking champ and he and I managed to ride 5 miles while Rick and JT did 10 miles. Zach loved every minute but the last few when Rick told him to turn for a short cut at the same moment he noticed that the gravel was too high to make that quick of a turn. Zach got his first major biking injury (just some blood, nothing broken) and managed to cry for a good mile of the ride back to the truck but by the time we were home he was talking about his plans for the next ride.

All that said, I have successfully trashed the house with the moving of furniture in the boys room, a mass cleansing of closets, and the announcement that I hate having my books alphabetized. All of that means I have lots of piles of stuff to go through, stuff to donate, stuff to trash, and stuff that needs a home. It also means that I have totally neglected chronically our vacation and getting my parents and Aunt Paula some long awaited photos.

Maybe after we get back from meeting JT's teacher (it is 2cd grade orientation), I will get some more photos loaded. Just maybe...

8.24.2010

First Day of School 2010

Well today marked a milestone, it is officially Rick's and my first day at home with no kids. We have no idea what to do with ourselves until 2:30. Okay, technically I am supposed to be working but it is a bit creepy quiet over here. There are no cartoons on (I may be bold on turn on HGTV), no one is asking to play Wii, no one wants to go outside and play baseball. Honestly, it is a bit sad.

Both boys were up and excited to go to school this morning despite their bad parents who let them stay up late at a baseball game. The morning was oddly smooth, boys showered, dressed, ate, grabbed their bags, and hopped on their bikes.

JT seemed a little more nervous than Zach and asked to be dropped off first. I think I am going to like JT's teacher, she is a no muss no fuss sort of gal and she had things in order and clearly did not care to waste time chatting to parents. She had the kids sitting at their desks and working. Rick and I would have lingered, said good-bye to JT but Zach had no patience for waiting and took off down the hall to his class.

We caught up to him jumping right on in to his day. Rick helpd him get his stuff put away and Zach was sitting down and talking about Star Wars with the little boy that sits next to him. I believe the conversation started with the boy looking at Zach's Star Wars backpack/lunch bag combo and making a comment about only liking Star Wars a little bit. Zach jumped all over that announcement with a long list of all the Star Wars stuff his has.

It is such an odd feeling to have your child(ren) be so comfortable and ready for school. I know I should be thankful that both boys are ready and excited to be at school. The alternative is that they cry and have anxiety issues about being at school. Instead I am the one that wants to cry because this is just the start and life is moving so fast almost too fast.






8.19.2010

My Baby

Tonight is Meet the Teacher Night for Kindergarten and I have to admit that I am in a bit of denial about what this means. When JT started school my emotions were a mix of anxiety, excitement, and sadness. Now after two years it is just part of our routine. We spend a lot of time at the school with volunteering, attending school functions, and just the every day drop-off/pck-up routine. Zach is well known (and in a good way) by lots of the faculty and staff and even students. Taking Zach to school seems second nature but whenever we have gone, I have taken him back home with me. I have never left him there for an entire day! Is he really ready? Shouldn't he stay home one more year? Maybe two more years? JT was ready, JT begged to go to school! Zach says he wants to go to school but he isn't counting down the days or driving me crazy about having all his supplies ready like his brother.

 Honestly, Zach is so laid back and easy going that it is hard to tell what his take is on this whole school adventure. I think he is excited to be "big" now, going to to school with his brother, and most importantly he is dyring to meet some friends his age so he doesn't have to tag around with his brother or get left behind by his brother.

I know I will cry. I will probably cry tonight when we take Zachy to meet his teacher and I most definitely will cry on Tuesday when I have to drop him off. And the worst part is that it dawned on me the other day when our favorite babysitter came by to say good-bye before leaving for college in Missouri that this is just the beginning. We joked about her mom crying when she drops her off but inside I realized that soon (and I know time is going to fly) that will be us, and if kinder gets me this worked up then there is no telling what college is going to do to me.

Just to lighten up this sad post a little, I am jumping ahead a bit from the vacation overview to post a few photos of Zachy turning 5. I didn't edit these yet but with a little guy this cute, who cares!



Yes - his mom and his nana forgot to bring candles to the lake

8.17.2010

Summer Vacation 2010 (Part 3)

En route to Pittsburgh we made a quick stop for lunch with Rick's nephew, his girlfriend, and baby. Not only did we get to have a nice visit with Jordan but we got to watch the fire department track a person who was walking on the edge of the bridge that crosses the Mississippi to connect Kentucky and Indiana. We all sat on the deck of the restaurant watching the rescue crew ready their boats.

Louisville was a lat minute thought that I wish we would have planned out a little better because we completely overlooked the Louisville Slugger Museum. we managed to squeeze in a little bit of time but will definitely need to plan a trip back.



The first chapter book that JT read was the biography of Roberto Clemente so he now has a special place in JT's baseball heart. This is his bat signature for his customized LS bat. Only appropriate that we got to see Roberto's bat on our way to Pittsburgh.

Summer Vacation 2010 (Part 2)

After our visit to Arkansas we left early for Evansville, Indiana. Rick picked Evansville because it is the home of Bosse field one of the oldest baseball fields. It is the field that they used for the movie The League of Their Own.

Lucky for us Barb and Allen (more of Rick's college friends) were willing to take a 6 hour drive from Chicago to spend 24 wild hours in Evansville. Accompanying Barb and Allen were their two boys, Everett and Henry. The boys all hit it off instantly and we had a great visit albeit short.

The big boys (including Rick and Allen) went to a 10:30 PM Evansville Otters game at Bosse field. This game may be the highlight for JT as not only did they all get balls but JT and Everett both walked away with broken bats. The opposing team (the River Rats) gave the boys the bats for their loud cheering.





This trip also included a stop at the Willard Library, which is noted to be haunted by the Grey Lady and then a stop down at the river. There was a nice walking path at the edge of the river and included a small park with seals for each of the 50 states. The boys each selected their favorite states: JT: South Dakota, Zach: Rhode Island, and Everett: Montana.

We wish we could have stayed longer but we still had to stop  in Louisville before reaching our final destination of Pittsburgh. Hopefully we will get ourselves up to Chicago to visit the Haileys in their new house.


Summer Vacation 2010 (Part 1)

Our Baseball Odyssey 2010 started at Springdale, Arkansas with a Naturals game. Rick's college friends Brad and Patty met us with their sons Tucker and Will. The craziest part of seeing Tucker and Will was realizing that just 10 years ago Tucker and Will were the star attractions at our wedding reception especially when Will was caught stealing a bottle of wine.

This was the first baseball game of the trip and JT walked away with his first baseball (thanks to Will).

 Strike the Bigfoot mascot.
 Check out who is in between me and Patty.
JT and Will who moved down close to get the coveted ball from the dugout.

We also got to enjoy a few days in Harrison with Sue and Gene. The boys had time to show off their stellar swimming skills at the city pool including their success at diving to the bottom of the 12 ft section of the pool.

8.13.2010

Vacation Photos

I sat down last night to start sorting through my photos and realized that I took almost 700. Maybe I won't be posting photos as soon as I had thought.

While you wait, help me decide which lake house in NY Rick should buy me.


8.12.2010

Training Wheels

Last May Rick and I were going to take Zachy for a bike ride while we ran. Rick headed went out to the garage to get Zach's bike ready and was caught red-handed raising the training wheels in an attempt to get Zach off of training wheels and riding. After 30 minutes of screaming and crying along with two neighbors coming out to see if Zach was being abused, Zach refused to ride his bike and neither of us ran. We dealt with this attitude for the next two months until the day before we left for vacation Rick and I decided to give in to Zach (yes, we caved as parents and will no doubt live with this mistake for years to come) and lowered his training wheels.

While on vaction, Zachy rode his bike several times with lowered training wheels and proudly annouced that he would be taking off his training wheels. Flash forward to today, our next door neighbor's grandson comes over to see if the boys want to ride their bikes. After being couped up inside for a few days because of 103 degree weather the boys jump at the chance. I got the boys bikes out and realized that since returning from vacation we haven't put the training wheels back on. Rick told Zach he would put them on at which point Zach announced that it is ok, he will ride without them. Rick and I followed Zach to the street and watched as Zach got on his bike, wobbled for a little bit, and then took off down the street to meet up with his brother. It was as if he had been riding his bike sans traning wheels for the past 6 months.

Rick and I can't stop talking about Zach's new skill tonight. He is such an interesting and challending little guy. He will sit for hours and watch JT at a task such as a Wii game or baseball, refuse to play, and then one day he will he decide to play and he knows exactly what to do. I know we are in for lots more battles with Zach and I both dread and relish them.

8.09.2010

Roadtrip 2010

Well we made it to New York and back in just 3 short weeks. I have loads of photos to go through and edit. A few  highlights from our 18 state, 3990 mile trip:
  • One super cute little boy turning 5!
  • No puking in the car (although JT did puke the first night in Arkansas around midnight but thankfully he made it to the bathroom)
  • 5 awesome baseball games (Arkansas Naturals, Evansville Otters, Pittsburgh Pirates, Auburn Doubledays, and Chattanooga Lookouts)
  • Getting to see some fabulous friends along the way
  • Getting to spend a relaxing week with the Flisakowski clan in the Adirondacks