The ALDS - Baltimore Style!

For anyone that doesn't know, we are huge Yankees fans around here - HUGE.  For our sixth anniversary two weeks ago, I got Brian a Lou Gehrig shirt as his "traditional" gift - get it?  Iron is the traditional sixth anniversary present. Ha!  

We watch a lot of games, and the way the Yankees play has been known to affect my husband's mood.  Brian and I finally made it to Old Yankee Stadium in 2008 before they moved to the new one.  I had never seen them play before, so I was very excited!  Brian had been to a handful of games in Baltimore and has taken many spring training trips, but it was still just an amazing place to see a game!

If you follow baseball at all, you know that Orioles and the Yankees were going back and forth for first place in the AL East in September.  We started talking then about the "what if's" of the Yankees playing in Baltimore, but didn't get too into it. Brian and I went to the NLCS in Atlanta in 2001.  It was an amazing experience - we got to see Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, Curt Schilling, and Randy Johnson pitch.  Seriously, it was fantastic!  Then the Diamondbacks played the Yankees in the World Series, and well, that didn't turn out very well for us.

We've always talked about taking Wyatt to a game before Jeter retires.  We have some time, but we wanted to make sure he was able to see Derek Jeter play in person.  The Yankees play Baltimore at really inconvenient times next season (and really, they did this season, too), so on Friday night while we watched the AL Wild Card game, Brian started looking for tickets for him and Wyatt.  The forecast in Baltimore called for rain, the tickets were expensive (but not nearly as expensive as a regular game at Yankee Stadium!), and I would be without the van for a day.  But we both kept justifying it, so Brian bought tickets and it was done!   

Seriously, every Yankees fan has to love this guy!

 The way Swisher, Cano, and ARod are standing cracks me up.  I used to say mean things about ARod, but I promised myself I would stop after he got a clutch hit in the 2009 World Series.  That doesn't mean I can't still think them, though.

 

 The line up!

 Cano and Jeter played catch right in front of the boys! 

 The Captain! 

 CC pitched a great game.

 Curtis Granderson is currently Wyatt's second favorite Yankee...let's just hope they re-sign him.

 I'm not allowed to say bad things about ARod, so let's just pretend that I'm NOT saying that I think this is the only time he's gotten on base in two games, okay?  I didn't say that!

Of course it still rained (the game started two and half hours late), but they had a great time - more about that tomorrow!

iPurge - Finley Edition!

So I just dumped my phone (hopefully getting my new one today!), and I found SO many pictures that I really have to break it up.  Seriously, I didn't realize that I had so many pictures on my phone!  I figured I would start with teeny tiny Finley.

This one is from the hospital.  They gave her a hat and a blanket!

In this picture she looks like a Wyatt-clone in pink and purple!

...okay and she looks like him here, too!  I love, love, love this coming home outfit!  The bonnet kills me!

In this one I think she's a little more of Reesie look-alike!  We were out shopping at Dick's and she was wide awake!  And no, she doesn't drink from a sippy cup, that's where Hudson wanted his.

All geared up for her two week well check up!

So sleepy!  She can only sleep swaddled!  She actually prefers to be swaddled all the time.  Even in the Moby or my sling, it's her favorite thing!

A day old and soooo sweet!  She honestly is just so precious, and sometimes I can't get enough of her snuggles!

Sesame Street Live!

When I saw that Elmo and the Sesame Street Live crew were coming to town, I knew we had to take Hudson!  Brian was able to get enough tickets for all of us to go, but we thought it would be more fun if Hudson was able to enjoy some time on his own with Mommy and Daddy (and Finley!).

When he woke up from his nap on Saturday we asked if he wanted to go see Elmo, and we got a great big Yes!  Brian's dad came over to watch the big kids (Brave Baba!), and we took the Littles with us!

Brian and I were joking about how hard an outing like this would have been for us 4 years ago, but it felt like a date for us with just these two!  Excuse the crappy iPhone pictures!  Ha!

This little guy's face lit up as soon as he saw Elmo!  He was so excited!

Daddy went to get a "nack" and came back with a grilled cheese and apple juice for Hudson.  Add in Elmo and this kid was in heaven!

The 4 of us!

Finley was good through the show.  She did need to eat, but she finished up and then was content to be held until the end.

Hudson was just an angel the whole time.  He got to ride on Daddy's shoulders back and forth to the car, he got all of our attention (and talked up a storm), and he made the trip really, really fun!  I'm so glad that we took him!

Last night when I tucked him in, I asked him what his favorite thing that he did this weekend was.  He looked up and me and "Melmo and Cashew!"  "Cashew" is Hudson speak for Caillou, who wasn't there, but it was the show he watched right before bed!  Ha!  He is just the sweetest little guy ever!

Another Crazy Saturday

Yesterday I posted this on Facebook: "How is it that I'm up two hours before we're supposed to leave the house and I'm still running behind?"

That is the truth.  It is almost physically impossible for us to get out of the house at the exact minute that we are supposed to leave the house!  I can do half of the work the night before to get bags packed, make sure every uniform is clean...and we still leave the house 4 minutes late!  It's harder to get out of the house on Saturday mornings than it is on week days!

Reese was up first with a 9AM soccer game.  I couldn't even get out of the car when we got there because we ran late and I hadn't fed Finley yet!  I got there about 10 minutes in. She had a great game!  She stayed with the ball, played defense when it was time, and did a great job being a team player!

Brian and Wyatt left the soccer game early to make it to baseball on time!  I can't believe that this season is almost over.  The hustle and bustle every Saturday can get a little crazy, but I know this little guy loves to be outside, and he loves to play sports.  I guess I need to ask him if he wants to play basketball again this year!

They all played a great game yesterday, and Wyatt had some good hits.  He also worked with his buddy Aden to get an out at second base.  I wish I had gotten that high 5 with the camera!

After baseball Brian and Wyatt headed straight for Wyatt's (already in progress) soccer game.  I knew that by the time I loaded up the kids, drove to the soccer field, and then unloaded the kids it would be time for Finley  to eat, and the game would almost be over!  So we came back home.  I have missed almost all of Wyatt's soccer this year.  I went to the game two weeks ago, but I haven't seen him and his buddy Jack in action!

Jack was on a different team than Wyatt last spring, and he frustrated Wyatt because he was good and Wyatt had to work to keep the ball from him!  He also scored, and Wyatt isn't a huge fan of that.  But now that they're on the same team they like to work together.  They have some of the same issues (they both do some pushing and shoving), so they're trying to work on it.  The coach (who is also Jack's dad) told them yesterday that he was going to be mad at them if they scored any more goals.  I have no idea how many Jack scored before Wyatt got there, but he was only there for the second half and scored 4 pretty quickly.  I am desperately trying to work with this kid on being humble and modest.  I think that with the first born there's a tendency to praise everything (coloring!  walking!  being kind!) and they start to think that they're the greatest thing since sliced bread.  Or at least, that's what it's like with Wyatt!

I'm not going to lie, my very favorite thing about our busy Saturday mornings is that they usually equate to long Saturday afternoon naps!  Wyatt slept for over two hours.  He also woke up around 11 the night before and started watching the Orioles/Rangers game with us for about 20 minutes, so he was probably extra tired!

One Month Old!

How is it possible that an entire month has already passed since this little girl was born?  It is absolutely insane that she has already been here for 31 days! I know that I was completely uncomfortable at the end of my pregnancy, but I don't remember any of that now that I have this sweet little girl here!  Even the um, unpleasantness after my C Section has been forgotten (right now)!

This little girl is just a dream.  It's not easy to be a baby in this family.  There are no lazy days at home, no days where we just hang out here.  We have school drops offs and pick ups, and practices, and we run out of food frequently which requires shopping, and well, all of our Saturday mornings are spent at games.  But she is such a good girl!

Here is what Miss Finley Quinn is up to this month:

• She weighs in at about 10 pounds.  She can still wear Newborn diapers, but it's a tight fit.  It's almost like she grew over night!  I bought another pack of Newborns last week, but ended up not opening them and taking them back because they seemed tight the next day.  I'm glad I never opened them!
• At her 2 week check up she was 7 pounds, 12 ounces and 20 inches long!  That means that she's put on 2 pounds in 2 weeks!
• She is a fantastic eater.  We had some issues with her latch for about 4 days, but we fixed it quickly, which meant I only went through about 7 days of pain!  She does spit up though. But only on days that I've gotten up, gotten dressed, and felt good about what I was wearing.
• She does NOT like her car seat.  In fact, when we drop the big kids off at school in the morning, the teachers who do car pool get excited when she's not screaming and congratulate me!
• She's still in her sleepy phase.   I try to keep her awake for about an hour and a half before bed time every night so she actually sleeps!
• She has been growing through a growth spurt over the last week!  She was on a streak of waking up once a night (around 2 or 3am), but she's been up every two hours this week.  Hopefully it ends soon!
• Not a fan of being left alone. Tummy time? Nope.  Left laying on her back?  Nope.  She just wails!  Wyatt usually lays down next to her and whispers, "It's okay, it's okay!" 
• She is perfectly content swaddled up in her swing or wrapped up in the Moby wrap.  I don't even try to take her anywhere in her car seat!
• She is starting to make more eye contact during her awake time, and she's giving half smiles.  Hoping for a real smile soon!
• Here eyes are actually still blue!  Reesie kept calling her "Blue Eyes" and I tried to get her to stop because I didn't think her eyes would stay blue...maybe I was wrong?

Finley is the sweetest baby girl. I love how her cheeks are starting to fill out, and I'm anxiously awaiting her first real smile!  We love this little girl so much, and as much as I love watching her grow, I'm kind of okay if she slows down a bit :)!

Planning Hudson's Birthday Party

Hudson is turning 2 next month, and there is no doubt that he wants an Elmo party.  He loves to watch Elmo, play with Elmo, read about Elmo, and talk about Elmo!  I've been pinning things for his party for awhile, and now I'm getting around to do the actual work to get ready!

I ordered this invitation (but you know, with Hudson's picture) on Sunday night while I watched the Real Housewives of NJ reunion.  Can we just say that the reunion was a hot mess?!?

Source: etsy.com via Brittney on Pinterest

I made a balloon wreath for his birthday last year, and I think something like this would be super cute on the front door!

Source: allthingsgd.com via Brittney on Pinterest

How cute are these little food labels?

Source: mybabyfaves.blogspot.com via Brittney on Pinterest

I think that this balloon idea is adorable, and it would probably be easy to put the monsters faces on them, right?  Or just primary colors would work, too!

Source: nibsblog.wordpress.com via Brittney on Pinterest

There are going to be kids here, but most of them will be older.  We've had Wyatt and Reese's parties out of our house for the last few years, so I know we'll need to keep the kids entertained (without destroying my house)!  These ideas look fun.

Source: karaspartyideas.com via Brittney on Pinterest

Source: annies-eats.net via Brittney on Pinterest

Source: smilelikeyoumeanit.net via Brittney on Pinterest

I seriously can't believe how fast the last year has flown by.  It really seems like our little guy just turned 1!  But we can't wait to celebrate his second birthday with him!

Disney on Ice

Brian was able to secure us tickets to the Disney on Ice show this weekend.  We took the kids to see the Toy Story on Ice show two years ago when I was pregnant with Hudson, and they had a lot of fun.  This year's show is "Rockin' Even After" and it featured Ariel, Rapunzel, Merida, and Belle.  Reese loves the princesses, and Wyatt is easy to win over when Tangled is involved,  He really like Flynn..or Eugene.  Whatever you want to call him.

Reese got a little scared when The Little Mermaid part of the show started.  She gets scared easily, so she rushed down to sit on my lap, which was really convenient because I already had Finley ON me in the Moby wrap!  It wasn't that bad or scary, and once the Tangled part started she perked right up.  I have to say that I probably looked down on Tangled when it first came out because I didn't think it could ever top the movies from my youth, but I really like the movie and the music! 

Hudson has really gotten into "MOUSE!  MOUSE!" lately, so he was very excited to see Mickey, Goofy and Donald!  I didn't hear him call for Toodles while we were there, but he's been known to.  We were watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse the other night before bed, and after Mickey asked, "Hey everybody, wanna come inside my clubhouse?," Hudson said "No!"

The kids had quite the Disney weekend, because Brian also took the two big kids to see Finding Nemo at the movie theater.   Apparently Reese also got scared there, because she hid under the table at the beginning!  I guess she doesn't like watching the shark part either!

I'm really looking forward to another trip to Disney World, and I'm planning on exposing Hudson to a little more Disney goodness over the next few months.  He already recognizes (and says) Mickey, Daisy, Goofy, Simba and other Disney Junior characters (he will lose it when he sees Jake!), but I think we'll probably watch a few movies.  He's a big fan of Toy Story and "Bzzzz" and "Woody", so I hope he's a little nicer to poor Woody this year! Of course, Cinderella is coming out of the vault tomorrow, so I'm sure we'll watch that, too!