Go Irish!!!

We are so excited (and extremely nervous) for the BCS National Championship game tonight! Go Irish!!!  Not sure I will let the girls stay up that late though...

Goooo IRISH!

The girls were representing the Irish, even at Mass this evening.  We had to DVR the end of the game to go to church, but what an ending!  Go IRISH!

Notre Dame at Soldier Field...YES, Please!!!

 When we found out that Notre Dame was playing at Soldier Field, on our anniversary no less--we HAD to go!  The girls were a little bummed not to get to go to the game, but they were pretty satisfied with going to the American Girls store, Jamba Juice, and Sprinkles.  It was a bit chilly in Chicago--and windy of course--but, we made the most of it.  We left after school on Friday, dropped the dog off in Indy, and arrived at our hotel on the "Magnificent Mile" that night.  Saturday morning we headed straight American Girl after breakfast.  The girls did not get a new doll, but were allowed to pick out one outfit each...it took a while to decide.  Then we went to Jamba Juice.  It had been way too long...it was so good!  I LOVE the pumpkin smoothie!  Then we bought some Sprinkles to go, and even used the new "Cupcake ATM" to get a treat for Pumpkin ;)  We did a tiny bit of shopping before eating a late lunch/early dinner.

Ready for fun in the Windy City...

 

Cutie girls...

 

Jamba Juice...

 The Hancock Building...

Sprinkles...

Barry and I left the girls in the hotel room with my mom to watch the game on TV, while we walked over to Solider Field.  That's right.  We walked.  2.5 miles.  Each way.  But, walking is a free way to burn off all those calories from the pizza we ate ;).  We had great seats for the game (thanks to our neighbor).  And, the Irish were awesome! 

Cheering on the Irish...

 

Happy 11th Anniversary to us...

Soldier Field...

 From our seats...

 This morning we checked out of our room after breakfast, and walked to Mass--such a beautiful, old cathedral!  Then we had a delicious lunch at Giordano's...so good!!!  What a fun weekend!

Little Maren...

 

On the way to church...

Chicago pizza!

Gooooo IRISH!!!

The girls are all ready for an Notre Dame victory today. Go Irish!

Go Irish!

When the girls got off the bus from school Friday, we already had the car loaded up for our trip up to South Bend. After a small debate about where to stop for dinner, daddy broke the tie and we ended up at Cracker Barrel. With full bellies the girls went right to sleep in the car. We got to the Marriott pretty late. The next morning we had breakfast in the room before heading over to campus. Luckily our hotel offered free shuttle service on game days. We had such a blast walking around, showing the girls all the famous scenes from "Rudy", and shopping at the bookstore. It was a gorgeous morning and early afternoon, but by kickoff it was pretty hot. We were so excited to take Logan and Carsyn to their first Notre Dame game. They were great at the game, despite the heat. The were extremely impressed by the cheerleaders--even more so than the players. Since we only had four tickets, Nana and Maren continued seeing the sights and watched the game from the student center. It was a good game, and the Irish won! After the game we met Nana and Maren at the Basilica for mass. We had such a great time at the game and on campus! What a fun way to spend our Anniversary weekend--hopefully we can continue the tradition.

The girls before dinner...

In front of the Golden Dome (somewhere back there)...

Logan...

Carsyn...

Maren...

Our family: nine years and three beautiful girls!

St. Mary's Lake...

The Grotto...saying a little prayer for an Irish win?

At the game...

Halftime...

Meanwhile...

Touchdown Jesus...

Irish: 23, Pitt: 17...

The Alma Mater...

At the Basilica before mass...

Cheer, Cheer for Old Notre Dame...

Since Notre Dame was playing on the day of our wedding (almost eight years ago,) it's fitting that we've made it an anniversary tradition to go to a game. It also helps that we're huge Irish fans! Our first game was back in 2005 at Ross-Ade: a win. We missed 2006 because Maren was still very little. But, we resumed the tradition in 2007 to see Notre Dame's first win of the season against the Bruins at the Rose Bowl: a win. Then, albeit later than our actual anniversary, we saw them play Navy up in Baltimore last year: another win. This year marked a first for us--we got to see them play at Notre Dame Stadium. Fortunately our next-door neighbor is an Irish alumnus.




The only down-side was that Mommy and Daddy missed Logan and Carsyn's cheer game...and it was parent appreciation day ; (. But, luckily Nana volunteered to take them and stand in for us. We had a great time up in South Bend. We had forgotten how beautiful Notre Dame's campus is. The game was another nail-biter. It also rained from the middle of the 2nd quarter on. But, it was all worth it. What an exciting overtime win! Gooo Irish!

Our family before the games...

The girls w/ Nana at their game...

Happy Anniversary, Daddy and Mommy!

From our seats...

Irish win...

Block Party...

After cheerleading we headed down the street to a Block Party organized by our next-door-neighbor. It was really nice getting to meet everyone on our street. The girls had a great time playing with some friends from school, and meeting new friends. We had a great time, and got home just in time to watch the Notre Dame @ Purdue. What a nail-biter (again!) But, a win is a win--we'll take it.

The new girls on the block (sorry, I had to say it)...

Gooo IRISH...

We (Mommy and Daddy) went up to Baltimore today to see the Notre Dame vs. Navy game. Rain was in the forecast, so the girls stayed home with Nana. The game was going really well for us (the Irish) until the rain came. At that point we started running for the car. We made it just in time, just before it started absolutely pouring. We listened to the game on our drive home though. It was like a really bad joke. We were like, "Seriously!?!?" When we left the score was 27-7. Then Navy recovered two on sides kicks in a row and made it a six point game. CRAZY. But, luckily we held on to our lead and beat the Midshipman!!!

GO IRISH!

Go Irish!!!

Who's ready for another season of Notre Dame football? We sure are. Let's hope this year is better than last year (it really couldn't be worse!) At least it's not raining in South Bend--it's been pouring here all day long because of the tropical storm. GOOOO IRISH!!!

Only Maren was up for a photo...

Next year...

That's what we always say. But, that's the way you have to look at it. What a disappointing ending to our 2007 season. On a positive note however...

Thursday we went down to Anaheim. (We were listening to the Cubs on the radio--what a bummer). When we got down there we went over to ESPN Zone to catch the game in the third inning or so (even more of a bummer). On Friday we went to Disneyland and had a great time. We rode all of our favorite rides and went on the new Nemo Submarine ride. It was so fun to have our Daddy there with us this time! He loves to spin us on the Tea Cups and hold us tight on Pirates and Peter Pan!

Carsyn as Cinderella, Logan as Belle, with Cinderella and Belle...

Little Cinderella and her wicked step-mother and step-sisters...All of us w/ Mickey at the Halloween Party...After we ate dinner and changed into our Halloween costumes, we went back to California Adventure for the Halloween party. It was a blast. Logan and Carsyn were so excited to see Cinderella and Belle. We got tons of candy and some healthy treats too. The girls didn't make it to the end though.

On Mommy and Daddy's Anniversary...On Saturday we went back to Disneyland for just a few rides before heading over to Pasadena. Our Mom and Dad went to see the Irish play at the Rose Bowl for their Anniversary. While we were very sad to see the Cubs get swept, it was a great game for Notre Dame--their first win of the season. On Sunday we went to mass and did some shopping in Pasadena. We went out to eat at one of our favorite restaurants for dinner--Buca's. Then we went back to the hotel and watched the Bears pull out an awesome win! That was our fun weekend! Now we're home and back to school.

GOOOOO IRISH!

Well, we put up our Notre Dame flag this morning and dressed the girls in their Irish gear--and they lost! Oh, well...it was only the first game of the season, and it was still awesome to see them take the field for the first time of the 2007 season.

We're going to Disneyland...

Disneyland was still decorated for Christmas...

After we left Pasadena, we drove down to Anaheim for a couple of days. The girls love Disneyland. It was nice because we seemed to miss the Holiday crowds. Of course Daddy was a little upset about missing Notre Dame play in the Sugar Bowl game, but they lost anyway--big time! We all wore our Irish gear though, to show our team spirit. We did our usual stuff: spent most of the day in Fantasyland, relaxed at Big Thunder Ranch (the girls visited with Mr. and Mrs. Claus,) rode "Pirates" and "Buzz Lightyear." We also learned about the "Junior Cheff" activity at the Plaza Inn. Carsyn was too young, but Logan got to help make chocolate chip cookies. It was fun for her and fun for us to watch, plus we got free cookies afterward--yum! Maren did great. She still loves the carousel, but is a little iffy on the characters yet. We also ate at the Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney. This is a huge favorite of the girls. We try to make it there every time we go.

Santa in his "Ranch attire"...

Maybe Pluto isn't so bad...

Secrets...

Carsyn in Fantasyland...literally

Logan at the Rainforest Cafe...