Weekend visit with GK and Papa

We got to spend a weekend with GK and Papa Ton! They came to soccer on Saturday and Baseball on Sunday. We wrapped it up with a birthday lunch for Papa Ron at Super Mex!

The Post Season, #boothsbleedblue

This was the year. The one where we got to go to Dodger games, with kids, who not only paid attention, but enjoyed the games. They cheered, yelled, clapped, sang and hung in there until every single bottom of the ninth. Yeah we are among the rare breed of fans that do their best to get in the seat by the first pitch and not leave until after the last out.

We bought season tickets for next year so that we could have the option for post season tickets. And MAN! We got 4 seats to every home game! Especially as the regular season was drawing to a close, we attended more sold out games that I ever have before. In the series against the Braves we all went to the Sunday night game. It was electric! JT said it was his most favorite dodger game ever. I knew the feeling. The last winning post season Dodger game that I had attended was in 2004 when Lima pitched in Game 3 and I was 7 1/2 months pregnant with Baby JT. We ate lunch with our friends who also had tickets to the game and it was awesome seeing the sea of Dodger Blue everywhere you turned.

Mr B and I went to the game the next night when we clinched the division. THAT has to be my favorite game EVER!

Our post season seats were in the MVP reserve so THIS was the amazing view!

It was rad. Beyond belief. 

October was a busy (and amazing) month for Rock Steady. Mr B knew he was going to be busy but this was the Dodgers! How could we not at least secure the chance to attend a game! As we advanced to the next round to the League Championship Series against the Cardinals, we had tickets to 3 home games. Night 1, suddenly after I have the kids rounded up from school and ready to head to the stadium, a crisis occurred at the Shop and Mr B found himself unable to go with us. I took the kids, texted every baseball fan I knew and offered them a ticket to the game and hoped someone would come through!

Sure enough, Coach Kimbo (who we LaLaLove) was AT work, got his shift covered and met us at the game by the 5th!

These kids were so excited to see him there! HeaBug learned how to make the L-A with her fingers and she looked like she was throwin' up signs all evening.

I was SO glad I took the kids, as scary and overwhelming as it can be, it was worth every minute!

The next day showed just how much of a fan I am...

I talked to my MIL (who lives in Fresno btw) and Dodger Love runs deep in our family. I told her my dilemma of wanting to go to the next game but not being able to figure out child care... Get this. My MIL drove (yeah) from Fresno on Tuesdy morning to watch my kids that evening so I could go! Now I normally have my sister (amazing Auntie Nini) babysit but she had something going on and I do ask her to sit for me a lot. She met me at work, took HeaBug for a bit until GK got into Long Beach and JT went over to his buddy's house after school. 

I got a ride up to the stadium with our friends who had tickets in a different section. 

I sold the other 3 seats in our 4pack to friends and got a ride home with my pal Nate (who btw was my first friend in first grade so we've known each other since we were 6 and then had an 18 year hiatus and became friends again as adults! Cray cray right?!).

It was a fun time! The next day, we also had those same 4 seats but after all my favor calling and moving/wrangling, I knew I wouldn't be able to swing a mid day game. Part of the deal for my MIL coming down to watch my little monkey kids was that she and my Sister in law, Auntie Amber, would take two of the seats! So we all got to go to amazing post season games! The kids an I listened in the car on the radio as they won their 2nd game of this series keeping them alive and heading back to Atlanta.

Well we all know what happened then. They were out. Just like that. Blue heart broken. And voice hoarse from yelling at the TV. The kids even left the living room that night to go watch a movie elsewhere since I was "yelling too much".

Sigh.

I have been wanting to post about every game but I didn't want to mess with the juju. If you're a sports fan you know what I mean.

Now they are out. And that is that. But this season was amazing. To go from very last place to first and then take the west and the division... October meant crazy work schedules and games, practices, school events, volunteering commitments (really the every day plus extra Rock Steady stuff) but so much was just put on hold or we were just distracted from... Because of our Dodger Love.

Now life may return to your regularly scheduled programming.

Nutshell summer: This is July

We went up to visit Gramma Kamae and leave flowers. It's been 12 years.

We spent a great weekend with our Brandow Ohana who met us in San Francisco to watch the Dodgera play (smash) the Giants at AT&T park. Another ballpark to check off the list! We sure do love this family of ours. It was great fun to spend time with them!

I started a series of (6 weekly) cooking classes! Yum and loved it!

JT continued Dirtbag baseball camp earning the most improved player of the week award!

GK came down for the weekend to visit!

HeaBug started daily swim lessons that went on for a whole month. We rode bikes every day. She loves Ms Julie.

JT ended another week at camp, this time earning the Dirtbag Hustle award! This is his THIRD year winning this award!

We cut down a tree in our backyard, loaded it up and took it to the dump!

Our sweet nephew Kalani came to visit from New York for a week! We had so much fun!  We went to the circus.

We spent his 4th birthday at Disneyland!

Took him to his first Dodger game, they won and we got to see fireworks!

We wrapped up his awesome week up with a superhero birthday party celebrating this super special boy. Can't even say how much we enjoyed getting to spend time with this part of our heart that lives on the east coast.

Continued cooking classes

JT got an Iron Man award for attending so many weeks of Dirtbag camp! He was so excited! The award was signed by all the coaches.

Using my new crust recipe, we made apple pies with our friends the Mabry's! So much fun!

Busy and fun month!

Summer. All of it. One Giant Nutshell part 1 of 3

May and June

Mother's Day sweetness from HeaBug <3

Coach Kimbo came to JT's school for Special Person's Day.

JT started boxing at DG Boxing in Long Beach. HeaBug can't wait to start too when she's 5!

Went to a Dodger game with our homegirl MsLeiDy.

Took a quick midweek overnight to Vegas to snap cake smash & 1st birthday pics of Ms Abby

Went to a Dodger Game.

Auntie Nini moved  out :(

Went to a Dodger Game with our Imbach Ohana.

Celebrated our girl, Maile's 5th birthday

HeaBug moved into her own new room!

JT had his last day of 2nd grade!

We kicked off Summer with Jamba Juice!

Both kids too swim at the YMCA

Celebrated Fathers! Especially this amazing guy.

Spent a week in Laughlin at Lake Mohave/ the River with our Booth Fam.

Our nephew Elisha celebrated his 12th birthday!

Spent the weekend in San Diego with our friends watching the Dodgers beat the Padres at PETCO Park.

Left early on Sunday because Mr B was in intense pain! Drove straight to Maga's to drop off the kids then went to Urgent Care where tehy sent him to the ER where they admitted him for Gallbladder issues.

He never stops. We were in the hospital for 4 days! Thanks to my wonderful sisters and mom, I was able to stay with him almost the entire time!

After having the blocked stone removed, he was scheduled for a laproscopic surgery to remove the gallbladder.

After being discharged (and a quick stop at work) he went home to recover. Took a day off and then painfully got back to the grind. Thank you to everyone who brought meals, picked up kids, brought meds, sent texts, prayed and offered good healing thoughts!

Kids spent some time at the shop and we bought a new piece of equipment called a CNC machine.

And JT went to his first week of Dirtbag Baseball camp. 

Phew!

Up next, July!