Cleveland

James and JoJo

For the second year in a row we have headed out to a different ballpark. Last year was Baltimore and this year, that lovely city of Cleveland. Umple Eddie had all the plans made weeks in advance and James hadn't stopped talking about it for months it seems.

On Tuesday we awakened at about 4am with Jimmy prematurely waking up at 1am to tell us it was time to go. The flights were great and before we knew it we were in Cleveland.

On the first day we went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It was a really cool place and was packed full of stuff, the exhibits never seemed to end. They had a video of a live Bruce Springsteen concert. Jimmy fell asleep during it. Downstairs they had the Xbox thing with the guitar and he played that for a long time.

At 7pm we had the Indians/Red Sox game. Dice-K was pitching and all was well in Red Sox world. During the game James and I were able to sneak into the first row behind home plate. We got tons of phone calls from people who saw us on TV. They threw us out of there in the sixth or seventh inning. We went back for the ninth inning. the place wasnt that filled with people.

to be continured..i'm still tired from no sleep

Feis

Two first place trophies !!!

My beautiful little girls got to Irish step dance on Saturday. Laura had her first real competition where not everyone gets first place and she did win first place in her group. she's been stepping for a couple of years now and is getting really good at it. This was Catherine's first ever feis and she just loved, loved it. My goodness it was so fun to watch the little buggahs doing the step step thing and striding left and right. I love the smiles.
Maura, of course, is the star. She is one of the organizers of the program and the kids think she is a bigshot. There was a girl that was involved in helping the little girls. She was dressed in a leaopard skirt. I asked maura to invite her to our next party. We need personalities.

There was a judging scandal, but I think ultimately they woke her up.

More games (Laura Softball)

Laura hustling out a hit

Welcome Fenway Ev

The Games are on

the days of having three games at once are among us. In the morning Catherine had a game in the morning after we woke up at a god awful time for Jimmy's team pictures. After a fun filled day we ended up under the lights at night for Jimmy's game. He pitchedthe fifth and sixth. during the fifth he got them out one, two, three without throwing a ball. It was exciting to watch.

Click the arrow to watch a solid hit. See how balanced she is so her helmet doesnt fall off.

Happy birthday Jimmy...

Daddy and Jimmy at the Fisk pole

Jimmy and Umple Eddie in the front row

Nine years ago we started this excellent adventure. It turned into quite the nostalgic day and night. His celebration started with going to the new Pizza joint that was so much like the old joint. My old pizza place re-opened after several years being closed. The original owners had sold the business and the new owners thought it was too much work to beat the dough the right way, people noticed and out of business they went. Imagine the delight of many of us when they re-opened. Well, Lyn and the kids had never had Geoge's Pizza before so off we went for Jimmy's afternoon. The Ump went with us and held back on his portions but was soaking in the memories of those two feet tall subs. Before we went we also picked up Charlie. It was delicious as ever.

Back at the homestead we had a birthday cake and Nana and Doe joined us there. We had to get ready for the Red Sox game with tickets that Aunt Jo had given him for his birthday. Jimmy was especially excited as the Ump went online and got a ticket to join us. We had such an awesome time. Umple was sitting above us in the pavillion for the start of the game. The people in the section we were sitting in sang Happy birthday to Jimmy after the third inning. Its on video, of course.

At one point Eddie came down and I went up to take pictures of the park from the pavillion. Being the curious sort, I went over to the left field area where I got permission to enter the monster seats. So eventually we all headed up and stayed on the monster for the rest of the game. I've always wanted to get up there, just once. For alot of the time Jimmy stood next to the Fisk pole and we eventually ended up in the first row of the monster seats. Papelbon almost blew the lead in the ninth. I was actually hoping the Orioles would at least tie the game.

click to play the whole section singing Happy Birthday to Jimmy

Same thing different day

Once again Jack and i found ourselves picking up Catherine at her pre-school and wondering what to do. Once again, the three of us found our way to the Coffee shop, then to Black Gordon and then to the Train that doesnt move. Even though it was cold and raining they knew where they wanted to go. It is absolutely my favorite day when we go to all these places. We just missed getting a ride on the trolley. I'm thinking maybe the trolley coductor saw us and speeded up his stop.
While making our pitstop at the coffee shop, Jack's girlfriend Patricia was not there but Eddie was. I ran into an old friend from the neighborhood Colleen. She is Eileen's age and we used to go play tennis together. I remember how good she was at it. It was fun to play against her because the games were very competitive.
It was raining and cold so I really didnt think the kids would want to play on Black Gordon but once again, I was wrong. On top of the train we went in the cold and rain. Jack would yell choo choo and Catherine would rattle the chains. We sat and just hung out, me in the wet stairs and them on either lap. Then off we went on the train that doesnt move. That trolley is obviously stationary and if made for kids to play on. Inside there is a bell that requires that you take a coin and bang it again it to make trolley sounds. The slide on the trolley was soaking wet so I had to keep an eye on Jack so he wouldnt freak from having his pants wet.
At night Lyn took them over nana's house for some much needed Friday night Pizza. The Ump showed up and even took Jimmy to his Friday night pitching clinic. Jimmy was very frustrated because he didnt feel like he was throwing strikes. He's convinced he stinks. I had to go over the whole Spring training thing about how you're not supposed to be "on" right after the winter. He's such a competitor. Tomorrow morning, in the cold and rain we are going to have to be on the front lawn practicing. Good thing I'm so healthy and agile...yeah right !!!!

Catherine's Birthday in Boston

Off we went to Boston for Catherine's fifth Birthday. It started on the train to Boston. It was touch and go as to what we were going to do but we ended up on the Duck tour. Driving around the city, Catherine really didnt like the idea of a truck going into the river. Once we were floating around the Charles the driver asked for volunteer drivers. Catherine got a good long turn at driving the duck boat. What else did she want?? She wanted to get a hot dog. She still calls them HOP dogs and I love it. The only place I could think of was in the Boston common....off we went on the green line to park street. After eating dogs and sausages(for me) we went on the playground in Frog park. She really didnt want to leave the playground. Dont you get envious as an adult that you cant go flying down the slides and through the tubes without ridicule.
After we were done it was time for the ride home on the train. All we ate all day was junk, junk, junk and we finished it off at the North Station with two Cheeseburgers from McDonalds. I said to Catherine that all we ate today was junk. She corrected me and told me that she ate hot dogs so it wasnt all junk. It was so awesome that she got to ride the duck boat on the Charles.

She got a bunch of phone calls from less than stellar sounding voices singing Happy Birthday. She didnt want to go to sleep until she heard from the UMP and she wasn't dissappointed because you knew he'd call .......and then when we are home and everyone asks her what she did today, she says something about Boston and then talks about hop dogs, cheeseburgers and the playground. That's the way it goes. . Sometimes, maybe more than sometimes, I'm thinking that we might do this for ourselves just as much for them. Kids have this way of making you happy. She absolutely loved the train though and all day long she kept saying how she got to pick what seat we were going to sit in, what drink we were going to get, what ride to go on because she was the birthday girl.

When she was playing in the park, she had to go to the bathroom (of course). She did the hands to her mid section hop hop and began to give me the ole I gotta go, I gotta go. We went to what was quite possibly the most disgusting bathrooms around. It was in McDonalds off of the common. I would let her pee her pants instead of sitting on that toilet seat. No toilet paper either. So we went downstairs and grabbed about a hundred napkins and spent about five minutes cleaning the toilet seat and surrounding area before she could finally sit.

Also, when we were in the park, some kid came out of the tube for the slide crying because someone had pushed him. Out of reaction from experience I went looking for Jack. How easy it seems just taking one, but how lonely it would be without the others.

I got to go to Laura's softball practice tonight. Jimmy was there with Charlie because Lizzy was having a practice with her team too. She is finally more comfortable because she isn't surrounded by all those crazy boys and she gets to hang with girls. She seems to really like it and the coaches are very nice and patient with the little girls. She takes it serious when she is out there and they give her homework to do on her hitting, catching and fielding. She must have asked me a hundred times this week to do her homework on pop ups. Her swing is phenomenal.

Speaking of swings, Jimmy has been in baseball camp all winter long for hitting. Holy crap I say. He had practice the other day and took about five to ten swings. He missed most of them. When he gets to practice his swing its going to be a killer. wow what an improvement. Ahhh baseball..

For the next morning in School, Daddy got to go into the class and read a book for her. It was "on the day you were born". Its got some wear and tear on it but it can tear you up thats for sure. Mommy made gift bags for all the kids with jump rope, bubbles and other little toys. The smiled didnt leave her face.