Tuesday, August 31, 2010

On the Runway

Seamus was asked a few months ago to participate in a special fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House of Albany.  I’m a volunteer there, and the kids love coming to the house to help out and play with the guests there.  Our house manager asked Seamus if he’d like to take part in a fashion show – and he of course said yes!

The fashion show and luncheon was held at the Saratoga Race Track, and was quite the fancy affair with beautiful dresses and fancy hats everywhere (while I, in my jeans, spent a lot of my time trying to hide behind waiters and potted plants.)

These are just a couple blurry pics of Seamus getting ready on the stage with the other kids.  Since we weren’t actual paying guests at the luncheon (hello - $150 per ticket?!), I had to sneak in pictures when I could!

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He did a great job walking down the runway holding hands with a very adorable little girl.  There was a professional photographer snapping pics of the kids, so hopefully we’ll be seeing those soon.

Here’s our little model looking very dapper!

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A great experience, and a great way to help out our favorite “House That Love Built!”

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Thirty-Four Weeks…

…and looking ready to pop!  Please stay in, Baby Brother!

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Saturday, August 21, 2010

Giants Training Camp!

My parents recently took the kids to watch practice during the Giants training camp at SUNY Albany!  The Giants have been coming to Albany since 1996, and the training camp always draws a huge crowd.

Seamus did not have any Giants gear to wear (shocking!), so Devon cut a few inches off one of his own t-shirts and let him wear that!  020 021 024 025 026

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They had a great time and Seamus got an autograph on his t-shirt from #73, Shawn Andrews!  A very cool experience, and we hope to see the Giants again next year!

Monday, August 16, 2010

Betting on Fun!

Another great visit to the Saratoga Race Track!  We spent the day with family and friends to celebrate my parents’ anniversary.

Fun is just about the ONLY sure bet when we spend a day at the track…picking a winner just doesn’t seem to be in the cards for us!

But we have a great time anyway…the kids are beyond excited to see the horses!

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(That black sweatband was a giveaway from Southpaw’s “little brother” – he’s barely taken it off since he got it!)003

Seamus is going to be a pro…I can feel it!  All this early exposure to the customs of the track is going to pay off when he’s old enough to bet!

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Flying high with Poppy!

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Waiting on those horses to come by!007 008

At the starting gate!  They love seeing the race up close!

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So no big wins for us…other than the new Shake Shack that currently resides at the track…I’d say the salted caramel and cocoa milkshake was a jackpot for sure!

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

More ValleyCats Excitement

On Tuesday evening, we went to “Irish Night” at the Joe Bruno Stadium, to hear some music and watch another game.

It ended up being a very exciting night, because Seamus was asked to race Southpaw around the bases during the game!

I seriously think this was the most thrilling moment of Seamus’ life – so far!  Southpaw had quite a lead on him, but Seamus made a comeback and won the race, and was awarded free ice cream coupons from Stewart’s!  It was so awesome to hear his name announced over the loudspeaker, and have the crowd cheering for him!  He absolutely loved it.  Just a few pics to share!024025

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Grace had fun too – in the bounce house of course!

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Thursday, August 5, 2010

Let’s Go ValleyCats!

One of our favorite summer activities is catching a Tri-City ValleyCats game!  The baseball stadium is just a few minutes from our house, and we love watching our local team and having fun at the games.

Here’s Seamus with his hero, Southpaw!  He has already stated that he wants to be Southpaw for Halloween  :-)

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This guy is new…we weren’t sure of his name, so we just called him Southpaw’s Little Brother.

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The kids’ area is tons of fun – bounce houses, obstacle courses, carnival games and face painting!

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Finally game time!  Enjoying a little pizza while we watch the antics on the field!

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Can’t forget the ice cream cone…and the 47 wet wipes that it takes to clean up!

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Gasp!  It’s Southpaw! 

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This is one of my favorite family pics from a ValleyCats game three years ago…Look at how little my kiddos are!

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Still a couple more games to hit before the end of the season, can’t wait to have more fun!