for real.: September 2011

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

a night at the ballpark

friday night

diamondbacks vs giants

playoff clincher

we went to the diamondbacks game this last weekend.

we took the transit system and it was unbelievably crowded.

i had no idea that that many people used that thing.

people were everywhere.

jonah cried the whole time. (45 min)

he decided to cut four teeth at one time and was spiking fevers.

when we got into the ball park it was just like the transit: unbelievably crowded.

it was a sold out game.

i have never been to a sold out diamondbacks game.

i didn't know it could sell out minus when they were in the world series.

but this was not the world series.

just a playoff clincher.

our seats were close, to the outfield that is but still cool.

(thanks dad for getting the seats.)

jonah still cried most the time.

our kids didn't sit still for not even a minute.

we must have made 50 trips to the bathroom.

eden wouldn't wear her shoes (which is pretty normal, even in public)

from the 20 minutes of what i saw, it seemed to be a good game.

they won but we booked it out of there before we could see them win in order to make a less crowded train home. (and our kids were being horrible)

we were literally running for our lives to make the train and we did... by seconds.

phew.

jonah cried the whole time, again.

but at least this time our family was together and we weren't all smashed up against perfect strangers.

(just in case you were wondering what it would be like to take 4 kids, 7 and under to a baseball game.)

what can i say?, good times.

it's always an adventure whenever we go further than 50 ft from our house.

(ava staring out the window while jack plays games on jason's phone)

the end to that adventure.

Friday, September 23, 2011

ava turns 5

ava's birth-day

9.21.11

our traditional birthday breakfast: a pancake man.

birthday dinner at "migamigos" (mi amigos).

checking out her present.

being sung happy birthday while wearing a giant sombrero.

posing with the giant sombrero.

and more posing with the giant sombrero.

at last, making a final birthday wish as the day comes to a close.

ava is officially five.

she can fill up a whole a hand.

she is pretty excited about it, too.

sweet ava, we love you so much.

you are a breath of fresh air.

you are the one i know i can trust.

so loving, so nurturing, so sweet, so full of life.

everyone loves to be around you because of your infectious personality.

i am so lucky to have you as my daughter.

happy birthday.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

our front yard

dear front yard,

it's nice too see ya again.

it feels like forever since we've hung out.

what? like 3 months.

anyways, we are really looking forward to getting to spend more time with you.

we enjoy being outside and watching the kids play and the cars go by.

jonah especially loves the change of scenery and the fresh air.

thanks for the lovely afternoon.

p.s. if you could make the ants go away, that would be great.

Monday, September 12, 2011

never forgot

(ava and eden playing in the rain from this past weekend)

its hard to believe it's been 10 years since 9-11. i was living in connecticut and going to college at the university of bridgeport which was 45 minutes from new york city. i was sitting in my soccer coaches office and he had the radio on in the background. he said, "did you here that?" "they said a plane just ran into the world trade center." i didn't know what to think at the time and so we just sat there and kept and talking. then it came across the radio again that a second plane hit again. At this time, i booked it across campus back to my dorm where i flipped on the the tv to see the burning towers. it was so strange. like watching a movie on tv but only it was the real thing. i could see and hear people crying in the nearby dorms. many of the people who attended my college were from the tri-state area and they knew people who worked in the world trade centers. the whole thing was so bizarre at the time. and then the first tower fell and shock just came over everyone's faces. and then the second. around that time we were starting to get word that our school was being evacuated. our school was an international school and there were many people from many places who attended. so, for precautionary reasons we had to leave. my whole soccer team ended up at my coach's house where we glued to the television for the next couple of hours. everyone was just in such disbelief.

i can only speak for the east coast since that was where i was living, but i have never in my life seen and felt such a unification in our nation that lasted for the next couple of weeks. you would be driving down the highway and you would see hundreds of signs referring to our country and standing together as one. american flags where everywhere. i think i had goosebumps for three weeks straight. i didn't want it to end.

at the time, it was the middle of our soccer season and many of our games were played near new york city such as in queens and long island. i remember driving to one of our games and we were crossing a bridge looking over new york city about a week after the attacks and we could see the tip of manhattan which was still covered in smoke. we all just sat there in the van staring with our mouths hanging open. it was silent. reality hit all of us. it was so surreal. i think some were crying. i will never forget that moment.

this day will always bring back a flood of memories and emotions. i am grateful that i was living where i was at the time and got to experience a nation really pulling together in a time of distress. it makes me thankful for my country.