Our 11th Anniversary

Brett and Joy got away for almost six hours on their anniversary for a nice long date. We saw the movie Hunger Games and then spent a quiet slow dinner talking and romancing each other at a downtown restaurant. We enjoyed our time together and the kids had a great time with their babysitter too. All together a win-win.

It is good for us when Daddy and Mommy go out on a date, they come home happier.

Lookin' good Mom and Dad.

We would have liked to have some bites of that dessert. Did you bring any home?

It is not often there is a movie that we want to see around our anniversary, but this time there was one. There was good character development even though the story was frighteningly believable as to where our world could go.

Bulldog Baseball

We started baseball season this year and each of the kids have played their season opener. Bryce has shown a sense for the ball, reacting quickly to any ball hit by the batter. He has been known to run from shortstop all the way to the first base line to pickup a ball if nobody has moved quick enough when the ball first hits the bat. The funniest thing was seeing his coach Chuck, slowly move him further and further away from the batter to give the other kids a chance to field a ball. Garrett has moved up to coach pitch this year and there are some familiar kids who moved up with him from last year's team. Garrett likes to be a part of the action however he can, so he played pitcher and first base in his first two games of the year. He is one of only two lefty batters and the only lefty thrower on his team.

Do I look cute in my pose?

I'm ready to field EVERY ball hit out into the field.

Okay, Coach, I will wait here until the ball is hit, but can I still go get every ball they hit?

Yes, I am having fun playing ball.

The throw was a little off the mark, but I'm going to see if I can get to it before the runner can go to second.

Mommy had an unexpected admirer at Garrett's game, a little homeless terrier was trying to make a case to be adopted as he begged his way onto Mommy's lap.

Quick take the picture, then I have to focus on the pitch coming.

I got ready for my at-bat in the warmup circle and gave Mommy a chance to take a few pictures.

Spring Training 2012

We returned to Arizona for spring training this year. It sure is good to get away, watch some baseball, relax, limit the items on our plate, and have some quality family time. We scheduled our first three days to spend with the Giants at three different complexes. Our first visit to the Camelback Ranch (home of the Dodgers and Whitesox) was rewarded with a Giants victory. We continued with a home date for the Giants in Scottsdale. The first two days we were joined by Grammy and Poppy who were on their tour through deserts of Arizona and California. Then we found out why we had different accommodations than we had planned. Bryce came up sick on Thursday morning with vomiting and diarrhea. So he was a lot more calm and cuddly than normal at the next three games. We drove to Peoria where we were met by Scott and Jill who witnessed a third straight Giants victory with us...I think we even caught Scott rooting for the Giants, maybe we are starting to put a chink in his Cubs armor? The next day we saw our first Athletics game at Talking Stick in Scottsdale which is shaping up to be our favorite ballpark in Arizona--they planned this one right and all the amenities go with it. The Athletics continued our winning streak with a comeback win over the Rockies, during which Scott tried to stump Brett with some A's trivia, you can guess how that went... We packed up all our stuff and prepared for our last game before our flight out. Now for Garrett's favorite story to tell. We were all set for the Giants and Angels game in Tempe, but upon arriving in the area we were greeted with a sign announcing a sellout and this was the one game we had not bought a ticket for in advance. So, it was time for plan B. The Giants other game in Scottsdale was surely going to be sold out as well, so we decided we would drive to the Athletics game in Phoenix. Now picture this: a family of five shows up to the A's game all fully dressed in Giants gear...oops. Brett quickly found his jacket, took his hat off, and ran over the bridge to the box office where he was able to purchase tickets exactly where we would have wanted them had we bought them in advance. Then he headed back over the bridge and pulled out the suitcases and dug through them to find our dirty clothes from the day before which featured A's attire, we put it on and then figured we had fooled everyone except the parking attendant who first saw us in Giants garb. Garrett decided it was a little too funny to keep it hidden, so he told the A's ticket-taker the whole story...what are you going to say in response to that? Well, Brett spoke truth, which was we would probably see a better game where we were (he had a little insider information about the Giants starter in Tempe, but we also found out that we were going to see a little history that day too). Yoenis Cespedes, the Athletics' Cuban free agent splash played in his first spring game and delivered a sharp RBI single up the middle and a booming homerun to left that put the exclamation point on the game for us. When all was said and done we had visited our favorite train park two more times and collected quite a few autographs including Coco Crisp, Dallas Braden, Brandon Allen (A's), Bruce Bochy, Roberto Kelly, Tim Flannery, Hensley Meulens (Giants coaches), Brandon Belt, Nate Schierholtz, Brandon Crawford (Giants), and Troy Tulowitski (Rockies, thanks to an astute observation by Joy). So long until next year.

We had a new airport activity this year, a Cars mat with little plastic Cars characters to race around the variety of tracks.

We always like to remember our vacation car: a silver Hyundai SUV did the job this year.

No, Bryce was not sick here, he was just being cuddly with Mommy. We liked showing Poppy how we do spring training.

I'm pretty sure we paid for three separate seats, but we thought we would see if sharing a seat would work...who wants to give the Dodgers any money anyways!

Loved catching this all Giants advertisement at the Dodgers park! And you gotta love the name Joe Panik...coming to SF in a couple of years, possibly 2013.

Let's go Giants!

Grammy wore her pink (oh wait sorry, we are supposed to say orange) shirt to go with our theme of Giants attire at the Dodgers park.

Oh, no the train is coming.

We are in our favorite jail car at the back of the train.

Look, that is one cool model train display...can we have one of these at home?

We had to show Grammy and Poppy our favorite train park.

Checking out the berm in right-centerfield at Scottsdale, think we'll catch a homerun ball?

Mommy has that special magnetism that draws us all to her, of course she also usually has the food too.

I'm not sure how much of the game I saw this way, but I sure could smell leather.

A Giants victory again!

Grammy and Poppy got to see the Giants turn it on for another victory in their home yard.

Griff and I are ready to be little leaguers too.

Griff and I took advantage of Bryce's illness to be in lots of pictures together.

Yeah, Bryce really didn't want to be in this picture, so for him this was forced family fun.

No Bryce did not vomit here, but he sure was threatening it.

Scott and Jill got a taste of spring training with us and fortunately didn't catch anything from Bryce, now Daddy is another story...

Bryce 4y 8mo

Bryce was a little more involved in the whole process of spring training this year. He wanted to get autographs himself, not just what Daddy could get for him. He also charmed one of the ushers at the Giants game into giving him a ball from batting practice. Bryce has moments when he can be very engaging and polite and friendly to anyone who he comes in contact with, which comes out a bit more when he is in big public places like ballparks. Unfortunately for him, he lost all his spunk and exuberance when he came down with his illness that sapped him of his energy. Now Bryce is starting his second season of tee ball. He still is one of the smallest kids on the team and youngest, but he has some of the best skills and baseball awareness on the team. During the first practice game he scooped up a grounder and chased the runner around the bases from first to third where he caught up with him and tagged him out.

I'm getting bigger each year.

Poppy and I made some great Lego creations.

I'm flying my Star Wars ships through the family room, look out we are here to set up a base.

I set up my base with landing pads and platforms.

I'm so excited to hit some pitched balls, are you sure I have to hit off a tee still?

Check out my Giants autograph ball, and I picked out this cool plastic case for it.

I'm ready to catch a homerun ball!

Yummy pineapple ice cream, the perfect treat on a warm 80 degree sunny day.

Look, I got Bruce Bochy and Bam Bam Meulens on this ball! Maybe you can get your own autographs next year Griff!

I'm a little worried about the A's this year. But if you feed me, I will come.

Griffin 2y 11mo

Griffin has proven to be a good motivator for both of his bigger brothers. He listened and practiced his John 1:1-7 all year and was able to recite it in front of Bryce's teacher. You may need to know what he is saying in order to follow the whole of it, but he can do it, just ask him. Griffin likes to listen to Bryce who often will try to apply what he has learned at school and immediately turn it around and teach Griffin, who absorbs as much as he can.

I'm just starting my documented growth chart on these balls in Arizona.

Check it out, this calf is only two month old, and he's bigger than me!

Hey, how much is it worth to you for me to do this here drawing for you?

I guess I got a little too into my decorating of cookies that I just kept going onto my face.

Today I will root for the Athletics, and I am glad we are here.

I'm gonna hit Daddy's pitch hard, thanks for taking the picture Bryce.

I'm going to put away yet another whole hot dog like I did every day of spring training this year.

I love sitting with my beautiful Mommy in the sun watching baseball.

I just want to run up and down the hill as many times as my legs will carry me.

I can ride in the jail car too, let me out, just kidding, I like it in there.

I have dyed my tongue orange in honor of the Giants.

I can make my own setups when I am given access to cool army toys.