Newbie's First Football Game

Last night when the Hubs got home from work, we hitched 'em up and headed 'em out to the Hubs' old high school for Newbie's first football game.  There are lots of memories swirling around that field from our dating years for me, and tons more for the Hubs since he played football throughout high school.  It was really fun to go back and watch the game with our little man in tow.

The place was a throwback to Friday night football games when I was 17...there were enthusiastic highschoolers in the stands and middle schoolers congregating in groups throughout the stadium. There were wanderers and banders and flag twisters and football players and parents and die-hard alumni, all out there to get a taste of some Friday night football. Speaking of the taste of football, I don't miss much from my adolescent days, but I do miss a good walking taco or caramel apple sucker on a Friday night.  Yum.

[We interrupt this broadcast for the following public service announcement: After taking a look at the student section while finding a spot to watch the game, I noted that in the same way leggings are not pants, body paint is not clothing.  Ladies, for crying out loud, put some clothes on.  We appreciate the team spirit, but would like to pass on seeing 99.9% of your bare skin smothered in team-colored paint. Let's leave that to the middle aged men in the NFL stands.  If you wouldn't wear it to the grocery store, don't wear it to the game.  And that's coming from a woman who's been caught in her pajamas in the refrigerated section.  Pleaseandthankyou.]

Annnnnd back to the game.

Newbie did a lot better than we thought he would.  We knew he would like the football (he did) but we thought he'd cash out by halftime (he didn't).  Instead, he lasted all the way into the fourth quarter. 

He loved watching the boys on the field and cheering with the crowd.  The band had him intrigued for a while, but his favorite part by far was yelling and clapping any time the crowd did, and sometimes even when the crowd didn't. 

(TOUCHDOWN!!!)

He gets his general drama and enthusiasm from his momma, but when it comes to football, his daddy is in on the game too. =)

(Another fumble?! Oh no!)

Newbie did great for the entire game, and we were really tickled by how much he was really into the hoopla.  I think he could have made it all the way through, but when there was about 8 minutes left in the fourth quarter, we looked over to see him snuggling his blankie, and we decided to hit the road. 

When we left the game the score was something like 18 to 34, with the rivals ahead, and somehow by the time it all ended, the score was 40 to 46.  I sure wish we had asked Newbie to stick around longer because even though we lost, I have a feeling that was one mean fight to the finish.

I love a good football game every once in a while when it doesn't mean there is a man sitting on my couch for 12 hours on a Saturday.  Football in moderation, even in heavy moderation, can be a really good time.  Leaving the game last night left me looking forward to corn bread and chili and sweaters and scarves and apple cider and more football.  I can't wait to go back.

As for today, it was coffee and cartoons with my boys in the pajama clad AM, then a trip to the Farmer's Market and a driveway car wash in the PM. After washing the car, the Hubs and Newbie went to the gym to play in the raquetball court.  Newbie always brings the little basketball Uncle Chad gave him, and he loves going to the gym with his daddy. Daddy loves Newbie and the gym, and it gave me a nice quiet break around the house.  Win win win. It was a full, fun day!

Happy Weekending!

That's why its called fishing and not catching.

I have a post in the works about my weekend, the only problem is that I'm lazy and the pictures span two different cameras and its Monday and that just isn't happening. Oh my goodness.  Its not Monday.  Its Tuesday, which should really only further explain why that just isn't happening.

Where is the coffee? 

Yes, I know its 1 o'clock in the afternoon, but I've recently become addicted to a series on Netflix and have not been getting to bed before midnight. So I'm only functioning on half of the sleep necessary to keep track of days of the week. ...Where is the coffee?

In the meantime, I'll give you a hint what we did for my birthday weekend:

 Two tin cups plus 80,000 gallons of water...any guesses?

In other news, we went fishing last night. It was after dinnertime, a real risky move.  But we are nothing if not ambitious, so we loaded up the car and hit the park to drop a line before bath and bedtime.  Newbie was content to sit in his wagon and slobber a bobber while his daddy fished and I snapped a few pictures. 


We had been out for about 20 minutes when I looked at the Hubs and said, "Babe, we're not really catching anything."

That's when I got schooled, and the Hubs replied, "That's why its called fishing and not catching."

 

  (If you're asking yourself if this is a choking or bio hazard, the answer is probably both.  But worry not, this lasted all of 5 seconds before I played the Mom Card and swiped it.)

 

 

 

 I wish it was called catching because it would have been nice to see a fish or two.  Maybe next time. =)

Happy Tuesday!

WordFULL Wednesday

Newbie's got a few tricks up his sleeve that I haven't posted about because I was waiting for a morning when he was in the right frame of mind to show off.  At the grocery store two weeks ago, I asked Newbie to say "hi" to someone in the aisle and he exclaimed, "HI!" for the first time.  Ever since, he's been super chatty when he's in the mood to talk.  He says "doggie" and "bad dog" (ha!), "Daddy" and "Momma", "Grandad" and "uh-oh", "hi" and "bye bye"....just to name a few.

Some mornings I ask him to say something and he won't make a peep, and others he'll say just one word and be done for the day, but then there are days like today when he doesn't stop chattering. 

Now introducing Newbie's new words:


Happy Wednesday! =)

The Boy and the Jackrabbit (and I could really use some waffle fries)

Last week we hit the mall for....actually I don't remember why we hit the mall, but I know we got some Chinese food out of the deal.  For the record, mall food used to be so, so much better.  When I was a kid, we had a Chick-Fil-A in the food court at the local mall.  I LOVE Chick-Fil-A. Like more than Oreo Blizzards love it.  A. LOT.  Its at least two hours in any direction to find one today, so the fact that there was one in the mall when I was a little girl is nothing short of awesome.  I am not kidding when I tell you I still have the Chick-Fil-A Christmas ornament that came with a kids' meal I got back in 1988.  And I still hang it up on our Christmas tree.  And that is how much I love Chick-Fil-A.  Eat mo' chikin. 

If you haven't had Chick-Fil-A, you need to Google maps that puppy and take a road trip.  You need to order yourself the 12 piece chicken nugget meal with waffle fries and an Oreo milkshake.  Your culinary fast food experience will never be the same.

All of that to say, we went to the mall, and there was no Chick-Fil-A, so we had Chinese food.  The food court at this mall has a merry-go-round plopped right in the center, which is what I consider the crown jewel of the mall.  Food and fun all in one place.  What's not to love?

Up until last week, Newbie was never old enough to get his kicks and giggles out of the merry-go-round, so I had to shop and eat my Chinese food without the thrill of a carnival ride for dessert. 

NO MORE, my friends.  No more.

As soon as we sat down at the table to eat, he was all over that merry-go-round like stank on a zoo.  He was strapped into his stroller, but he was pointing and yelling and signing "please" like nobody's business.  And let me tell you something: I was excited.  Because I have always wanted to have a kid begging to go on the merry-go-round at the mall, and the hour was finally upon me.  The Hubs emptied his pockets and found a dollar to exchange for the special gold token that gets you inside the gates, and then me and Newbie were off.

I'm ashamed to say my son's first merry-go-round experience involved a relatively freakish looking jackrabbit.  As a kid, choosing your merry-go-round steed of choice was a BIG deal.  And now, here I was, plopping my son down on a lamesauce jackrabbit.  But I was frazzled with excitement, and Newbie didn't really seem to care at first, so we opted for the rabbit that was within good photo-opp range as opposed to the rockadellic horses on the interior of the ride.

I strapped a long leather belt around Newbie that could have wrapped around his body 50 times and tried not to think about why a leather belt on a food court merry-go-round might look rusty or feel sticky. Gross, man.  Just gross.

That's when Newbie got a little peeved that he wasn't riding a horse. I think it was while I was looping that nasty leather belt around his waist that he noticed he was not on a horse, but rather, a distant cousin of the famed Peter Cottontail.  Big kids hopped up onto the pretty horses around us, and Newbie watched while he sat strapped down to a jackrabbit.  It was not a proud moment for me.  Having been raised a Texan, I should have known better than to make my little man ride on a rabbit when he could have been rockin' it out on a horse.  Next time I'm going to do him a solid and find us a warrior-like steed to sit upon.

At least we weren't on the frog in the background, because LAME.

Newbie kept pointing to all the horses around us until the merry-go-round started, and then he forgot all about his less-than-stellar riding companion and ATE IT UP.  He looked around with big round eyes and waved to everybody and their Build-A-Bear from his place atop the jack rabbit.  He was a BIG fan, and I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a momma milestone for me because I have this fabulous picture of my mom holding me on a merry-go-round in Somewhere, Texas, and I was super excited to be doing the same thing with my little guy. We had such fun, waving to Daddy each time we went around and smiling while he caught it on video with his phone. 

Yes, good times were had by all at the food court.

And that's not something you can say every day given that the food court is missing a Chick-Fil-A.

Happy Saturday, and hope y'all have a wonderful weekend...and possibly some killer waffle fries. =)

What Blizzard?

"Do I have something on my face?"

Last night Newbie and I went to the park before dinner and met up with some friends to feed the ducks.  While we were waiting at our rendezvous point, we split a blizzard. 

And when I say "split," I mean split.  Each time he took a bite, I would scoop a spoonful for myself and before it even hit my tongue he was signing "more". 

On an entirely unrelated note, I cannot emphasize enough how much I love chubby baby hands.  Yum.

While we shared the blizzard, Newbie was really hamming it up for me. 

Here's just a few of the many faces of Newbie I captured while we were hanging out:

When our friends arrived, we headed out to find the ducks. Once we found them at the pond, the boys went crazy chasing the ducks and tossing eating the bread. It was Newbie's first time getting out of the wagon and really getting after it.  He was so excited!

And don't let this little lady's sweet smile and adorable sundress fool you: she was all over those ducks too.  The best part?  The soles of her shoes had little squeakers in them, so as she chased after the ducks she squeaked with every step.  The faster she ran, the faster she squeaked.  It made for some great entertainment.

Newbie loved running after the ducks, and when his buddy got crafty and ran towards him from across the grass, they managed to corral the two ducks and were within a hands' reach from them.  I adore little boys.  They are SUCH fun!

Another thing I'm adoring?  This little Zutano jumper Newbie's great grandmother, Mutte, got for him.  It is so cute and easy breezy for summer.  I am going to have to keep my eyes peeled for more.  He's sporting a navy and teal striped one today.  He was sneaking around the corner of the kitchen table to play peek-a-boo with me before breakfast this morning:

See? Adorable.  The baby and the striped jumper.  ...and the sleepy morning eyes. *LOVE*

When we got home from the park last night Daddy-O was home so we grilled up some phenomenal kabobs (Thanks, Mom!) and some mac and cheese.  Newbie + mac and cheese = a really good (and messy) time!

(This is what Newbie does now when we say "oh no!" He came up with it on his own, and it cracks me up every time!)

We're off to see what kind of summer we can find today.  June is here, which means every day we are on the search for some sort of summer adventure.  It could be playing in the water table on the porch, eating some watermelon in a diaper, checking out the splash pad, chasing some bugs...you know, anything that screams "Hooray!  It isn't 40 degrees outside!  And hey, look!  The SUN!!!". 

Happy Friday, friends!  Here's hoping you find your own bit of summer to enjoy today. =)

Memorial Day Weekend...milkshake style

We had a fabulous Memorial Day weekend. I am so afraid this post won't do it justice. We savored every last drop of this weekend like the last of a Chick-Fil-A cookies 'n cream milkshake.  It was straw slurpin' good, baby. The Hubs had Sunday through Tuesday off, and we lived hard! 

Disney Pics and Some Ice Cream
Sunday Aunt Corndog and Uncle J met up with us at Grandad and G-Mama's house to share some Disney World pictures and videos.  The Hubs and I started dreaming of a family trip to Disney and decided we'd better start saving now for all the turkey legs he wants and all the Mickey Mouse shaped cotton candy I want. After the Disney recap we went downtown for ice cream and had a fun day in the park.

The Beach
On Memorial Day we hit up the beach for Newbie's first official Beach Day.  It was blazing hot outside, but the wind was blowing like crazy, so we ended up working in a Plan B after our first beach visit.  Our first stop was at a remote beach we love, but the wind was whipping sand in Newbie's eyes, so we hopped in the car and headed 12 miles down the beach to a little town and enjoyed their boardwalk for a while before hitting the beach again where Newbie loved playing in the sand.  The water was too cold for anything but a quick toe dip, but he adored playing in the sand and waving to people from his wagon as we made our way down the boardwalk. 

The Best Park Ever Round 1
Later that evening after Newbie and his mama took an afternoon nap, we met up with some good friends of ours for a picnic dinner at our favorite park.  I made up some homemade sloppy joes and beans and we had a delicious meal in the shade.  Newbie enjoyed his first watermelon rind and showed his daddy the ropes on the playground.  We love this park because there are four HUGE playgrounds in varying sizes for littles and there are tons of lakes and boardwalk docks to explore.  We make it a point to get out to this park as a family as much as we can because it is so darling and full of family fun opportunities.  We are all about the family fun.  There are nature trails all over the place and it is the perfect picnic spot.  And that's just the outside of the park.  We waited until Tuesday to hit the inside.

The Best Park Ever Round II
We hesitated to commit to another day in the sun on Tuesday, but when the temp hit 80, we were lathering on the sunscreen and out the door in a flash.  It was time to take the Hubs and Newbie on their maiden voyage to the best kept secret of the best park ever.  This park is a fabulous place for picnics and walks for most of the year, but in the summer, in the summer it has the best secret: Past the playgrounds and the nature trails is a gated entrance where you pay a steal-of-a-deal four bucks per adult to get into the beach and splash pad sprinkler park.

I have taken all the littles I nannied for to this beach since the park opened a few years ago, and the summer camp I worked at always hit up the beach for at least one field trip a summer.  It. is. the. best.  There is a TON of sand and a fantastic lake where kiddos can wade in to their hearts' content.  The best part?  On a good day, if you look really close, you can find minnows and even bigger fish in the water.  SO fun.  The worst part?  No lifeguard.  Major downside, but when you're a helicopter beach parent like myself, its no biggie because you're all up in the littles' biz splashing in the water and playing in the sand with them anyway. 

I was giddy with excitement when the Hubs and Newbie walked through the gates because I knew the Hubs would love it and finally see the summer secret I have talked about since I discovered the place for the first time myself.  Oh, the fun!  The Hubs kept saying how awesome it was and how surprised he was that we'd never been there together.  I reminded him that it was probably because we didn't have a kiddo old enough to enjoy it with us until this summer.  And boy, did we ever enjoy it together! We hit the splash pad first where Newbie went berserk running through the sprinklers and splashing in the water.  He was absolutely fearless!  There is literally water spraying from every direction on the splash pad, and that boy was LOVING it. 

After the splash pad, we headed a stone's throw away to the beach.  Newbie had a blast wading in the warm, shallow water and building a sandcastle with his daddy.  HELLO, SUMMER!

And because I simply can't resist, here are a couple videos.  The first one is one I took while Newbie and the Hubs explored the splash pad.  Pay close attention at the end...I was running under a bucket of water that tipped and poured all over me with a force that whooshed my sunglasses right off.  Impeccable timing. It might be worthy of an instant replay.  =) The second is of Newbie and the Hubs checking out the lake at the beach.  *Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of my blog and pause or mute the music so you can hear the fun!





We had such a wonderful weekend together.  I hope you all had a blessed weekend as well and are working your way through a great week! 

Happy Wednesday, friends!