Take me out to the Ballgame!

Ah, Spring... flowers are blooming, everything is green, warmer weather (except here in California, where it seems like Jan/Feb was a whole lot nicer), and BASEBALL!

Ryan has been a big fan of the Oakland A's ever since he was a child - which is surprising, given his dad is a Giants fan, and that's he's stayed true amongst all the ridicule living in Yankee territory these past few years. I also grew up going to A's baseball games as a child, and have fond memories of giveaway nights and ice cream sundaes in little A's helmets.

So when we saw Opening Night was coming up we said "Hey, let's go!" Luckily, A's tickets aren't too hard to come by (ie: they are not very popular and have a huge, old stadium that no one likes to go to in a somewhat scary part of Oakland). We got decked out in our green and gold, packed along a backpack full of candy and Ryan's fleece A's blanket that I made for him 6+ years ago. The kids were really excited to go, and were very enthusiastic about the magnets they received at the gate with the A's schedule printed on them. Ryan and I both felt quite nostalgic and I think it really warmed Ryan's heart to see so many people who were {finally} cheering for the same team that he loves.


The absolute highlight was the National Anthem, which concluded with a fly-over and fireworks!! Awesome!! The game itself was nothing extraordinary (the A's lost), but the kids behaved (and ate a whole bag of cotton candy and a box of Charleston Chews), and we all had a fun time. I'm sure we'll be back again throughout the season...probably on $1 hot dog night or bobblehead giveaway night :)

Lincoln's 5th Birthday!

This was the first time that we had a "real" birthday party for Lincoln, and he requested a Star Wars-themed party WELL in advance. Nana was visiting with us for the week and helped me prepare all the fun things for the party.

Each kid got a special Padawan robe to wear, and got to customize their own Lightsaber (pool noodle and duct tape):





The littlest Padawan, cousin Lily:


Then they had to complete a special obstacle course to get to the Death Star:



They flew their spacecraft into the Death Star:


And then had to battle the evil Darth Vader:



(Ryan was a very good sport and took quite a beating from the kids) haha:)

Linc got to claim a new Lightsaber as his prize for defeating Lord Vader!


The Vader-beating continued with a go at the pinata:




Star Wars cupcakes and cookies for the birthday boy:






A goodie bag for all the kids:


It was a great party and so wonderful to have so many family members join us for the fun! First party will be considered a success!!

(Pleased mommy, also sporting Star Wars shirt and baby belly) :)

Lincoln, you are a great Jedi and son! We know you will continue to use your powers for good as a big brother and son and keep improving your skills. We love you, big five year-old!!



{Special thanks to Brett for the photos and the Jedi Linc banner!}

Lincoln starts soccer

We just signed Lincoln up for his first soccer class at the community rec center. He was very excited as we bought cleats, shin guards, soccer socks, and little cones to practice at home. It turns out the class is indoors, so the cleats had to go :( But he sure looked cute with his tall socks and little shorts!


Stretching out:



(notice a certain little sister who wanted to participate as well)

Linc was pretty impressive with his skills - especially for his first time! We think his height is definitely going to be advantageous to his athleticism - he is very fast! He had a great time and we look forward to {possibly} MANY more years of Saturday soccer. :)



(Um yes, that is one of his "coaches" wearing Ugg boots and capri sweats during practice...Ryan and I got a good laugh out of that!)