Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Summer was coming (at least the calendar said it was) so we headed to Chicago and Milwaukee to help kick-start our summer break.

My brother Greg is crazy about baseball. I'm not really sure where that comes from, because it wasn't like he was a serious player growing up, and outside of the World Series, I don't remember it being on TV a ton when I lived at home. However, as he has grown up and moved around, it has become something of a conquest for him to see Major League Baseball games, and it is an endeavor that my parents have been all too happy to enjoy with them. Fortunately for my little family, we're lucky enough to go every once in a while. This year found us at a Chicago Cubs game and a Milwaukee Brewers game.

I was so excited to go to Wrigley Field. It is historic and it was FREEZING!!!! I knew the weather was going to be on the cool side, but it has been at home too, so I didn't worry too much about it. We packed jackets and headed to the game. We had great seats. Check out the view from our seats....

Now I have no fast and hard evidence, but if it was 55 degrees in the sun, then I'm guessing that it was in the 30's where we were sitting. The way the stadium is constructed, it was like we were sitting in a wind tunnel. Instead of ice cream, we bought hot chocolate and Grandpa invested in some nice stadium blankets..... gosh, it was cold!! Add to this the fact that the Cubs sucked that day and the first four innings took 2 1/2 hours. Normally my kids make it to at least the 7th Inning Stretch, but by the top of the 5th, we were all ready to go. By the way, the Cubs ended up losing to the Pirates so I don't think we missed much. Here are some photos of us trying to enjoy the game, nonetheless.

Aren't these photos great? My favorite things about these trips is the time my kids get to spend with their cousins.

The next game that our family went to was on Sunday at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Stupid me, I didn't realize that the Miller in "Miller Park" was Miller Beer. Add to this the fact that Milwaukee was settled by a lot of German immigrants, and it was one giant beer and brat fest. Which was...... pretty much awesome! I have to say that I have seen some interesting fans in my lifetime, but the Milwaukee fans take the cake.... so far.

First off, the tailgating. I didn't know that people tailgated for baseball games, but they do! And they are hard core! It was amazing. As we made our way through the parking lot to get to the stadium, I do believe we could have found anything and everything our little hearts desired to partake of. People were playing games, grilling, talking.... it was really something.

We got to the stadium and headed to the Team Store. This is yet another perk of traveling with my dad. All the kids get something so we can "root, root, root for the home team." Here are the kids decked out in their gear.

Can I just say that I loved Miller Park??? For starters, it is an indoor stadium with a retractable roof, which means, when it started to rain, we didn't even know. The kids' hot dogs and drinks were $1, which is virtually unheard of in professional sports and we had AMAZING seats. We made it through the entire game, literally a first for my kids, and as a reward at the end, they got to run the bases. What???? It was so fun!

This is Erin and her cousin Lizzie, who are completing the run they watched these five guys take earlier in the game.

That's right.... those are sausages that are racing. This is actually a relay race where the big guys pass off a baton to the little guys. They have identities; are you ready for this???

1. Brat

2. Polish Sausage

3. Italian Sausage

4. Hot Dog

5. Chorizo

Jack came home with a stuffed chorizo that he named Teddy. Here they are posing with Bernie Brewer.

Yes, just like a little boy to strategically place his stuffed sausage. However, after watching my brothers at the ballgame, I can't say that I'm really that surprised.

Oh, what a fun time we had. Thanks so much, Grandpa for the trip, and for Uncle Greg, who is continually patrolling Stub Hub for tickets. As a matter of fact, the Pirates/Orioles game has just been added to our summer schedule. Batter up!