Lincoln's First O's Game

Last Wednesday Eric unexpectedly got off early from work.  We found out the O's were playing an early game at 4:35pm and tickets were pretty cheap so we decided to take Hayden to his first game of the season and Lincoln to his first MLB game ever.  Hayden gets off early from school every Wednesday so it seemed like the perfect chance to go and still get home for normal bedtime on a school night.  There was a chance for storms but we decided to risk it.  The game ended up being delayed until about 5:45 because of rain so we tried to keep the boys entertained at the kid space and just walking the park.  Outside of eating his ball park hot dog, Linc did not seem too excited to be there so it was a little bit of a struggle.  We probably won't take him to another game this year but it was worth a shot and we did have fun overall.  We didn't get to stay until the end of the game but the O's won and we got to see a couple home runs.  Here are some pics from the night...

Walking towards the stadium

Found our seats!

Boys with the bird

Hot dog!

E & H

South Seas Island Getaway

For our 8th Anniversary Eric and I planned a trip away to Captiva Island, FL.  We had not really done any trips like this since our honeymoon so we were super excited.  We booked Grammy and Pops a few months out and decided 3 nights and 4 days was probably the longest we could be away from the boys.  The resort we chose was called South Seas Island Resort.  It was a family friendly place and we definitely would like to take the boys in a couple years when Lincoln is a bit older.  Our main goal of vacation was to basically relax on the beach or by the pool, enjoy some nice dinners out, and just spend time with each other without distraction.  The weather was great everyday and the gulf water felt awesome.  The resort provided umbrellas and chairs so it did not feel overly hot despite 90 degree temperature days.  Two of the mornings we rented paddleboards.  It was the first time trying for both of us and we really enjoyed it.  We enjoyed lots of great seafood for dinner and I probably had the best salad of my life on the last night out.  It was the perfect little getaway for us.  The boys did great with Grammy & Pops and we were so grateful to them for helping out.  Here are some pics from our trip....

Just arrived!!

Ahhh

Beautiful Grounds

Paddleboard Selfie

Drinks at the Pool Tiki Bar

E looks so relaxed at dinner :)

Watching Preakness at the Tiki Bar

Last night dinner out at Doc Ford's

Cheers to 8 Years!

Little League Day

Last weekend Hayden's baseball league planned to take part in Little League day at Camden Yards.  The kids were supposed to parade the field and meet a few players before the Orioles game and we were all super excited about it.  Unfortunately the O's had to move their series to Tampa Bay because of the riots and all the craziness going on in the city.  We were pretty bummed but a few days later we got word that the league coordinated with the Bowie Baysox for the same experience at their Sunday game.  My parents and my sister and her kids all met us there too.  It was a beautiful day and Hayden had had a great time.  He sat with his big cousin Ryan, who is his baseball idol.  :)  It was probably better for Lincoln too since we could move around freely and sat close to the kids play area.  Here are some pics from the day....

Hayden and his buddy Landon ready to parade on the fiield

Mommy and Linc ready to watch

High fives

Fist bump

My niece Sarah also got to join in on the fun

Hayden and Ryan

Lincoln and E

Pirate Hayden

Both boys at their first baseball game at the Bowie Baysox!

Sugarloaf Mountain

This past Saturday we planned a last minute trip to Sugarloaf Mountain for a family hike.  It turned out to be a beautiful day and the boys did great.  Lincoln had a few rough moments but overall did great for what we put him through.  We climbed some pretty tough spots and trying to get back down the mountain was even a little tough for me at one point.  Hayden enjoyed every second of it and never complained of being tired.  We estimated we probably covered about 3 miles on the mountain.  We stopped at a couple of the overlooks to take in the view and have water and snacks.  We headed to Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard on our way back out to sip some wine and enjoy more of the awesome weather.  They had cornhole boards out so Hayden was super excited about that.  :)  Here are some pics from our day....

And we're off!

Hayden was our lookout for colored markers

Nice ride!

1st overlook

2nd overlook - Vaillant Fam

Family Selfie

This hike is exhausting

Fun at the vineyard

Chillin

Love this shot of Bo

Trying to hold wine and my big boy is tough.   :)

Raleigh, Hunt Cup & Thomas Weekend

This past weekend weekend I flew to Raleigh to celebrate a 40th wedding Anniversary that one of my home town best friends was planning as a surprise for her parents.  My parents also drove into town for the event so they picked me up from the airport early on Saturday.  Me and my mom did a little shopping before heading over to Jessi's to help prep for the party.  Mr. and Mrs. Ward recently moved to the Raleigh/Durham area from MD so she planned to make the surprise at their new home.  We had a couple hours to set up and get everything ready before they returned.  It turned out to be a rainy day so we had to move everything inside.  We were all waiting in the garage when they got home and it was so fun to see their surprise when they opened the door.  Jessi had the party catered by an awesome southern chef so we enjoyed shrimp and grits and fried green tomatoes to name a couple dishes.

While I was gone on Saturday, Hayden had a baseball game in the morning and then they headed to North-West Baltimore to attend the Hunt Cup horse race.  A doctor Eric works with has everyone meet at his house before the race to hang out and eat before driving over to the actual race.  Eric was prepared with lots to entertain the boys and he said they had a great time.  Turns out Hayden is pretty awesome at Corn Hole and its his new favorite backyard game.

On Sunday, Eric took the boys to Day out with Thomas at the B & O railroad museum.  This was Lincoln's 2nd year going and Hayden's 4th year.  They both had lots of fun and Hayden gave me his top 5 favorite things when I first saw him on Monday morning.  I spent Sunday hanging out with Jessi.  We met up with my parents and the Wards for dinner at a place I like called Cowfish before I had to fly out.  I didn't get in until after the boys were in bed but they were happy to see me Monday morning when they woke up.  Its nice to know they had such a great time with daddy while I was gone.  I doubt they even noticed I was gone.  :)  Here are pics from both of our weekends....

Hanging in daddy's truck at Hunt Cup

Ain't no thing but a chicken wing

Love these 3!

Jessi, me, and Mere at the surprise party

We re-created this old favorite pic.  I think we were in 6th or 7th grade!

 Mere, Greg, me, my mom, and Mrs. Winters

Mr. and Mrs. Ward about to cut their cake.  Happy 40th!!

Hayden with Thomas

Day out with Thomas 2015

Linc loves the train rides

So does his big brother

Cuties

Building with Legos

Playing trains together

Sir Thomas Hayden

Sir Thomas Linc

The boys loved the petting zoo.

Dinner at Cowfish - Burgers and Sushi