Go Cubs!

Our friend Wayne generously offered us four tickets to Saturday's Cub game. Call it temporary insanity, but Jay and I decided it would be a nice family activity to take both Matt and Ally (leaving J.J. asleep with a babysitter). So after we got home from Matty's soccer game, we told the kids that we had tickets and would be going to the game after they took a nap. While they were asleep, I started to picture myself sitting in those tiny seats with an antsy two-year old next to me and tried to suggest to Jay that maybe we should leave Ally home with the babysitter. She's not really a sit-still kinda girl. Jay wouldn't have it...stating, and I quote "I want her to come because she says funny stuff and makes me laugh." And with that it was done...we were off.

Here we are walking to the train...as you can see, we are all deep in thought. Me - "What the heck am I thinking?" Matt - "What can I buy there?" Ally "Why does this shirt have buttons?"

Ally gets a little distracted on walks, I figured a piggyback would speed things up.

On the train - Matt in my shades, Ally in Jay's.

We got to the game in the bottom of the second inning. Unbeknownest to us, it was Build-a-Bear giveaway day at the ballpark and so both Matt and Ally were given bears upon entering. Ally was so incredibly excited, I think we could have turned around and gone right home and she wouldn't have thought anything of it. But we kept walking and she was in awe of everything that is Wrigley Field. No hand-holding for this little kid, she was on it.

Ally with her bear, her free necklace thing, and still with Jay's sunglasses walking through Wrigley.

I can't say that we will do the Wrigley thing again anytime soon with the whole gang (Matt is perfectly fine, Ally likes to be moving), but we sure had fun. Ally had more fun than I think she realized...she wanted to keep her ticket and has it still on her nightstand and loves her bear. Matt had a great time as well and Jay and I are already looking forward to taking him another time this year to watch some uninterupted baseball.

When we got home, we played in the alley a bit and Ally was still so inspired by the whole baseball experience, she asked Jay to get her fully suited in the catcher's gear from Matt's baseball team.

She's so excited!

She actually walked around in this for quite a while.

And she's done...

What a day...like I said, Ally really likes her Cubs bear!

Thanks for the tickets, Dogger!

My Birthday Celebration

I turned 28 on May 18th. Wohoo.

We were not planning on any type of birthday celebration. Instead, Jay agreed to drive me and the kids to Indy for the day so that I could see my friend Gretchen and her beautiful new baby, Cooper. That night my Mom made delicious chicken burritos, per my request, and a chocolate on chocolate cake, which she knows is my favorite.

Mom and Ally decorated cake #1 - Yep, those are Good N' Plenty

I was given great gifts from mom and dad, Laura and Joe. Also while there, Jay took me to the mall for a pair of new sandals, a pair of shorts and to look into what type of golf clubs I would like to purchase (I did have the most wonderful, hand-picked selection of irons, woods an a putter in a perfect bag with all my perfect little golf things in it...then some lovely Chicagoan busted our car window and stole them - love this city). That was certainly enough birthday for me.

All the while though, Matthew, my almost eight year old step-son insisted on and begged Jay to host a "birthday celebration". When asked who would be on the guest list, he thought it perfectly appropriate to invite his best buddy, Connor, and his parents...and that was it. Jay wisely called a couple other friends to join and before I knew it (since it was a "surprise party"), we were having a Wednesday night pizza party in honor of me.

Nothing makes you feel old like
having your cake say "mom" on your 28th birthday.

It turned out to be a great night and I am glad that Matt spearheaded the shindig. We have some of the most wondeful friends in our neighborhood and with summer right around the corner, I am excited that many of us (Jay, Ally and Matt) have summer birthdays! You can never have too many cookouts in a Chicago summer.

Jay and Matt bought water guns for all the kids...Ally was ready for action.

Connor, Ally and her friend, Tommy - How about those smiles!

Matthew and Connor - Check out Connor's cool shirt!