Annual Red Sox/Twins Series

With all of the places we have lived and all of the friends we have around the country, it seems the only way to make sure we stay in touch with many of them are our 'annual traditions'. With the Caldarellas, its the Red Sox/Twins series. Both Nora and Dave are from Boston and are HUGE Red Sox fans and Dave played D1 college baseball, so he's a big baseball fan of any kind. They live in La Crosse, WI so the the drive up here it's feasible for a weekend. And although we occasionally make it down to La Crosse to see them and a few other friends, it's this baseball series that ensures we will see each other at least once a year. Thankfully Dave and Matt see each other during the year at various conferences and Nora and I will randomly text/call each other, but they are the type of friends that we can just pick up with right where we left off, as if we saw each other daily.

Dave and Nora have 4 boys ages 7 and under, so it's definitely a crazy bunch when we are all together! But so much fun! We met them at the game on Saturday and we all went to that game and then on Sunday, just Matt and Dave went with Wyatt and their two oldest boys while Nora and I hung with Sadie and all the younger boys at home.

Of course we got there early to watch batting practice and to try and snag some autographs

They were handing out eye black stickers when we walked in and Blake wore it well.

We hung out over by the Red Sox dugout since this is one of the only Red Sox games the Caldarellas will go to this year and we can go to a Twins game anytime. But Wyatt, being as loyal as he is, had no interest in trying to get an autograph from a Red Sox player and was a bit bothered that we were even on that side of the field. So when Nora broke out some new baseball she had gotten for the kids to get signed, Wyatt just held his and hung back while some fans let the kids get to the front of the area by the dugout where (hopefully) the players might stop and sign some autographs.

(Sadie, Jac and Leo)

So a bit of background.....Leo Caldarella is a HUGE sports fan and also super competitive. And his favorite player is Dustin Pedroia. Last year at the game, we were hanging out behind the dugout yelling "Pedroia, Pedroia" and he looked right at Leo and tossed him a ball. We were all yelling and high-fiving and so excited for Leo. So this year we were positioned to get an autograph and noticed Pedroia was the only player sitting in the dugout while the rest of the guys were back in the clubhouse. I was up with the kids while they were waiting and several fans around us started to get antsy--apparently once it's 30 min. before game time, they kick everyone out of this area to make room for the people who actually have these seats. So when I saw the usher start walking over, assuming he was going to be asking us to leave, I leaned down, looked into the dugout, and yelled, "Pedroia! Pedroia!" which, of course, elicited no response. Then I waited a bit and tried again. This time he held up his finger, as if to say, "Just a minute" while he was talking with their manager. Then I had to use the kids--"Please Dustin! Do it for the kids! Please!" 

He looked at me and said, "I will. I will. Just a minute. I have to finish this."

And then Dustin Pedroia and I entered into a legitimate conversation

Me: "they are gonna kick us out. Can you please just sign these baseballs for these kids?"

Dustin:"I will, but I have to finish this first"

Me:"Really? It's not like you have a game to play or anything? (insert sarcastic tone) These kids have been patiently waiting and if you don't come now, we're gonna get booted back to our seats."

Dustin: thinking......

Me, seeing that I may have gotten through to him, "Oh come on! Just really quick!"

Dustin, hangs his head and gives us bargaining with the crazy lady and walks over to us and signs some baseballs

Seriously, I have lots of respect for this guy and how kind he has been each time we've seen them play. 

You gotta love that Sadie was right in there with the Caldarella boys yet she couldn't have cared less about the actual baseball game or who the heck this guy was. But she got a ball signed and then gave it to AJ Caldarella (#3) who was too little to get in there. 

Wyatt was still being a loyal Twins fan, hanging back and refusing to get an autograph from a player that, although he's a great major leaguer, is not on his team

While Wyatt stood there behind the dugout, he noticed a group of people over by home plate. Upon further inspection, Wyatt immediately recognized them as three WILD hockey players--Tom Gilbert, Zach Parise and Josh Harding.

(For this of you unfamiliar with the WILD, they are the three guys in a row starting with the black hat and long hair and black t-shirt (Gilbert) on the left, Canada shirt (Harding) and black tshirt and black hat (Parise).

They proceeded to walk into the outfield to be introduced on the jumbo screen and then began walking back towards third base. I asked Wyatt if he wanted to go ask for his autograph and he had mixed emotions--he really wanted one but was torn because he didn't want the attention or the awkwardness that comes from asking. I told him I'd be happy to go with him and ask for him if he wanted me to (after all, I was fresh off my convincing conversation with Dustin Pedroia, so I was pretty sure I could get an autograph from a hockey player at a baseball game.)

Side note:Only in MN would there be a larger crowd calling to the progressional hockey players at a baseball game than the baseball players themselves! 

We called his name and he came right over, was so kind and humble, and seemed almost honored that a kid like Wyatt looked up to him so much. All we had for him to sign was a baseball, but he was happy to do it. I told him that this was the highlight of my son's night and he said, "Oh really? That's so great. Thanks...that means a lot."

Seriously, I was already a fan of Parise but after meeting him for a few moments and watching him interact with Wyatt and other fans, he is definitely a class act. And as a mom with kids who look up to these guys, I really appreciate those that take their 'role model' status seriously.

All that excitement and we haven't even gotten to the actual game yet!! I was on such an adrenaline rush that the rest of the game was actually not very exciting. But the kids had a blast, the fans around us were fully entertained and Nora and I got to catch up a bit. 

Nora was holding Sean in this picture so we still didn't get all the kids in one picture together!

And of all things, Sadie also got to be the "Cutie of the Game' for our section. One of the ushers in our section picks out a "Cutie" each game and introduced Sadie to everyone in our section and they all cheered as she helped him lead a cheer or two. It was perfect for Sadie, as she does her best to keep up with all the boys and stay engaged in the game, but she would really prefer to be playing some make believe game or dancing or playing with babies. 

I had to include this pic--as I was taking it, Wyatt came over to see what she got. You know she loves when she has something that her big brother is curious about and wants to check it out!

My boys 

Dave and Matt had a great time with the older boys at the game on Sunday, even though the Red Sox swept the Twins that weekend. Sunday night we went out for dinner sans kids and had such a great time catching up and discussing real life issues. It's always too short but sweet at the same time.

The next morning, Wyatt had to head off to school and the Caldarellas headed out around the same time. We attempted to get a picture of all the kids, but Wyatt had to run out of the pic to get on the bus and Sean had to be buckled into his carseat. So that left us with my two pajama-wearing kiddos and Nora's three remaining boys.

At least we still remembered to get one of Nora and I

Such a great friend and I can't wait until we see each other again! 

Batter up!

This picture doesn't really have anything to do with this post--I just had to put it in here to say that Uncle Ty is a great brother-in-law! I recently bought two kayaks for Stormy Lake on craigslist but I've been weary of picking things up (from Craigslist sellers) by myself because of all the weird stuff you hear about. And I'm pretty trusting of people, which worries Matt most of the time, so I thought I'd be extra cautious this time. Thankfully the guy selling them was up in Arden Hills, right by Bethel, so Ty graciously accompanied me. I was able to squeeze both kayaks inside my car, but only with the front seat all the way up---Ty had to sit sideways to fit in the car but he was such a good sport!

 He's been living with us for the last two weeks, since classes finished, but will be leaving tomorrow morning to head back to Kanakuk for one final summer of being a counselor. We are going to miss him so much but know those campers will be so blessed to had him! 

On with my post....I took a few pictures the other day at Wyatt's baseball game. Although he'll tell you that he likes hockey a lot better, he still enjoys playing baseball and was excited to finally get a uniform with a belt this year (as opposed to the elastic waist and t-shirt in the past). This year is the first year of machine pitch, which means only one more season until kid-pitch. He's been having fun practicing pitching with Matt at the field across the street and seems to really enjoy it, especially being a 'south paw' and knowing that if he's good, he'll definitely find a spot on just about any team!

I couldn't get over how old he looked in this picture as he cheered on his teammates.

Final dance class of the year

Sadie had her final dance class of the year this spring and they let the parents come in (usually we aren't allowed in the room during class). Sadie loved having us in there to watch her and the boys marveled at what a great dancer she really is. 

She definitely understands the connecting of 'posing'.

Sadie had a great year in dance but she did miss the studio we left last year. She really loved getting to do tap as well as ballet and has been asking if we can return. Matt and I both agree (not in front of her, of course) that her former studio had some really talented teachers as well as kids and the level of dance is quite different. Ugh---I had thought we solved the dilemma by switching studios. But she really loves dance and her former studio was definitely a 'dancer's studio', for girls that dance as their primary activity. The 'dance world' is unchartered territory for both Matt and I and brings with it certain concerns and questions. Yet there is no denying that God made our daughter a dancer....just this morning she stood in front of my full-length mirror and turned the music up loud and danced for over 1/2 an hour. The girl loves it and we don't want to stifle it......oh man, parenting can be so hard! 

We have some decisions to make this summer about where she'll be dancing next year, but we know she'll be dancing somewhere! You can't take the dance out of this girl--and that's a beautiful thing!

She's getting married!

Yes, my youngest sister Mary Jo is getting married and the planning is in full swing. The wedding will be next November, which seems like forever away (for someone like me who lately couldn't tell you what's on the calendar for two days from now) but in wedding planning world, that's fairly soon! My sister wanted to get as many of the bridesmaids together to look at dresses, but with our other sister living in New Zealand and the other bridesmaids in New York and Colorado, we had to settle for getting three of us together. Mary Jo's future sister-in-law also lives up here in the cities, so MJ planned a day for us to all meet up here and go to some dress shops. My mom, MJ and another bridesmaid drove up here on Friday night and then we met Mary Jo's future mother-in-law and sister-in-law at the dress shops on Saturday. Of course Sadie got to come along and I am quite sure, as the pictures will attest to, that Sadie may have had the most fun out of anyone (and we all had a lot of fun!)

Mary Jo already found her dress, which is usually the hard part, so this outing was all about our dresses. And since Mary Jo is such a giving person, she wanted us all to like the dress that she would eventually pick for us to wear. Of course we kept telling her to pick whichever she liked best, but if you know a truly selfless person, you know how well that advice goes!

Sadie and the bride, Aunt Mary Jo

We tried on lots of dresses, but thankfully everyone had similar tastes and Mary Jo also had some great ideas about what she did/didn't like. Sadie was just happy to keep trying on new dresses every few minutes.

me and my girl

Sadie had my camera for a bit and found this dress pic-worthy

Lunch with the ladies at D'Amico (mmmmm....just makes me hungry thinking about it!)

We went to the infamous "Wedding Shoppe" in St Paul, where virtually every bride in the twin cities goes, and narrowed our options down to 2 or 3 different dresses there. We had lunch and had some time before our next appointment, so I called a friend of mine who works at a beautiful little bridal boutique in St Paul (where coincidentally we ordered the bridesmaid's dresses for my sister Lindsay's wedding) and she had some time to squeeze us in. 

I love this shop for all the little girlie touches and for things like this....

I LOVE hats and often wish I lived down south where they are more socially acceptable....or maybe Matt could just take me to the Kentucky Derby someday!

Mom rocked a black one!

Ok, back to business on finding a dress....we tried on a few here and they were all gorgeous. 

Mary Jo even found some for the rehearsal dinner

But Sadie loved this shop for all the extra attention my friend Stacie gave her...adding sashes and accessories with each one

What a fun place!

Sadie loved this giant mirror in the shop

After we determined that the top 2 dresses at Che Bella (the boutique) were now our favorites, we headed over to our 2nd official appointment of the day. Rachel (Mary Jo's future sister-in-law) and Mrs. Kronberger (Mary Jo's future mother-in-law) had to run home to pick up Rachel's daughter, Morgan, while we were at Che Bella. So they met up with us at the next place and brought Morgan along with---Sadie had been waiting for this moment all day!! Finally, a baby girl to hold and play with!

Sadie did a great job holding Morgan, but she was getting a bit squirmy for Sadie, so Sadie happily got right down to business trying on dresses. Ironically, there weren't any bridesmaid's dresses at this shop that any of us liked better than the two at Che Bella, but Sadie found plenty!

Sadie loved standing on the boxes with all the brides in the shop!

And since everyone working at these shops seems to love giving Sadie all the extra attention, the woman who was helping us went and got a crinoline skirt to put under Sadie's dress for some added volume. With this girl, the fancier the better!

And then Nani found this 'cape' to complete her outfit.

Before we ended the day, we went back to Che Bella to try the dresses on again and make sure Rachel was able to see them as well. We were all happy to return to such a fun place!

(The bride--Mary Jo and Sades and I)

And of course Sadie took one last opportunity to try on another dress, accessorized by Stacie

Happy to pose for Nani (or anyone else who might want to take a picture)

And fully enjoying the snacks and sparkling lemonade

Mary Jo--what a fun day it was! Can't wait until the big day in November!