Tigers Game

Today, Brad and I got to go to the Detroit Tigers game at Comerica Park. The Tigers were playing the Kansas City Royals. We got free tickets from Brad's grandparents, who have season tickets, but can no longer attend the games due to health. We had a lot of fun, but boy was it hot!!! We sat right behind home plate but in an upper level. They were actually perfect seats because you could see everything really well. Before the gameAt our seats..like I said, we had a great view of everythingWe each got a "ball park frank" (a.k.a. a hotdog), some chili cheese fries, and a drink. Guess how much we spent? $22!!!! It is amazing how much they charge for food, but we bought it anyways because that's what you do when you go to professional ball games. Plus, it adds to the fun of it all.

Here I am stuffing my face

Brad stuffing his

The beginning of the game

The fountains they shoot off at the beginning of the game

The scoreboard

Someone hitting- can't tell you who because I have no clue. I'm not that into baseball.

Here's when the Tigers coach got ejected from the game. He's the guy furthest to the left. The other two men are the 1st and 2nd base umps. The 1st base ump is in the motion of ejecting him. Believe me, it was the most exciting moment in the entire game. The crowd was up on their feet yelling and cheering the coach on. When the coach got ejected, the crowd went wild!!! It was so funny!!!

It was unbelieveably hot today. There was not a cloud in the sky and the sun was on us the entire time. There were a few times when I had to go to the hallway just to get a break from the sun. We got frozen lemonade to help keep us cool. It really helped.

Besides the Tigers winning (4-2), there were a few other highlights we had from the game.

1. Right after Brad made the statement that he really wanted to see a homerun, the very next hit was a homer but one of the Tigers players.

2. We got to see those cool jets that the military fly. They flew over the stadium twice which was really cool. We think they were in Detroit for the Grand Prix races that were going on today as well. It was a nice treat for us though.

Those 2 specs in the sky are the jets (also notice not a single cloud)

3. We almost caught a ball!!! You wouldn't think that a ball would come up to the upper level right behind home plate, but actually 2 did and one was exactly right in front of us just 3 rows up. If it would have been a little harder, it would have honestly hit Brad or me on the head!! It was pretty cool though!

4. We didn't have to pay for parking. Everywhere around the stadium you have to pay to park. Well, we got off at this different exit and went down this side street (we honestly had no idea where we were going, but we could see the stadium, so we kept heading that way) and found a parking area where they don't charge you to park. Plus, it was only 2 blocks from the stadium. So, we were super happy to save $10!!

Although we both got burnt, we sweated up the wahzoo, and neither one of us is that into baseball, we still had a lot of fun! It was a great day!! Thanks Grandpa and Grandma!!!

On a side note-today was Brad's grandma's birthday (the grandma who gave us the tickets). We weren't able to celebrate with her because they had the little party while we were at the game. She was born in 1930!!! We looked up the price of things in 1930 and compared them to today. It's amazing how little stuff cost back then. 10 cents for a gallon of gas, $ 7,000 for a brand new home, 9 cents for a loaf of bread... Wouldn't it be nice to have those kind of prices today?

Happy Birthday Grandma!

School Shopping

Well, we finally found some time and got to go school shopping for Halle today. We're kind of waiting till the last minute here as we only have 1 more week until school starts. Our first stop was Old Navy, as they were having their big jeans sale. All kids jeans were $7 and adults were $12. Of course, by the time we got there, the girls jeans were all picked over, but we found 1 pair that fit Halle okay. I also got a pair, and so did Brad. You can't beat a cheap pair of jeans. I'll tell ya though, it was smart on Old Navy's part to run this sale. There were TONS of people in the store. The lines were super long-when we got in line, we were standing in the back of the store. Thankfully, the line moved fast.

We then headed over to the mall. We were with Allyson, Scott, Jess, Preston, and Mom and Dad D. Everyone kind of split off and went their own way. Our main objective was to find Halle a backpack. Earlier this week, I had been shopping at a different mall and had seen a little girl with the coolest backpack on. I was almost going to go ask her where she got it, but I didn't. I thought it looked like something Halle would really love. I figured we would never come across that backpack again, so we just started looking at a bunch of different stores. We came across a few Halle liked, but I kept saying we should keep looking around and we could always come back. Well, we went into the Disney Store and to my surprise, there hung the backpack I had seen on the little girl earlier. It was exactly what Halle wanted. I thought it was super cute. And to make things even better, it was a Hannah Montana one. It's totally glittery, and the great part is that none of the glitter will come off as it is underneath the plastic overlay. It has a built-in speaker to hook your ipod or mp3 player up to. I doubt Halle will use that feature though seeing as how she is only in 1st grade. They didn't have any lunch boxes that matched and the saleslady said that no store in MI has any of them. They flew off the shelves as soon as they came in. So, we will look for a purple one or something that goes along with her backpack. I will keep my eyes peeled whenever I pass a Disney Store though. I did check online and they do have some in stock, however, the shipping is more than the item itself, so it isn't worth it to me. Halle is happy with just the backpack anyways. She also got a Hannah Montana hat that is all glittery too. She is sure styling. She was wearing the hat and backpack around the mall and she stated that she felt like she was a teenager!!! She's only 6 1/2!!!!

THE BACKPACK

The whole silver part it pure glitter!

After that, we went to our usual stores-Children's Place, Limited Too, Macy's. We ended up getting her a couple things from Children's Place- a pink hat and a pink shirt. She is planning on wearing it the first day of school.

We also went for the very 1st time into abercrombie kids. I have never been in the kids store before and we were surprised to find that a few of the shirts actually will fit Halle. She ended up getting her grandma to buy her a couple shirts. So, now, I can't believe I am saying this, but, Halle is wearing abercrombie!!!! She said she wants to start shopping there now!!!! YIKES!!!!

She also got her grandparents to buy her a very nice dress and a Puma shirt. She is definitely set for school now! We just need to get her a pair of shoes and all her supplies (whenever we get a list from the school-nothing like waiting til the last minute teachers!!!).

We (Brad, Halle, Parker, and I) were all hungry while shopping, so we ate a quick snack at Panera. We were all planning to meet up again after shopping and go to Logan's Steakhouse for dinner. Finally, at 9pm (when the mall was closing), everyone was finished shopping. We were all hungry!! We had a great meal. Their rolls are delicious!!!! It was worth the wait. We thought Parker was going to be horrible in the restaurant because it was way past his bedtime, but he actually was really good. He scarfed down a ton of macaroni and cheese.

On the way home there was a TON of lightning. It was amazing to watch.
It was a very successful day. Everyone got some new things for school and we all had a lot of fun talking, eating, and my favorite of all-shopping!!!

Parker's 1st Birthday Party

Although Parker's 1st birthday was on Wednesday, August 13th, we couldn't get everyone together to celebrate it until Sunday, August 17th! His birthday party was a sports All-Star theme. We got the table clothes, plates, napkins, and a banner and we had blue silverware. We also got a bunch of green and blue balloons and had green and blue streamers everywhere. I made a cake that looked like a basketball jersey and Brad made one that looked like a basketball. We had hotdogs-with tons of toppings, baked beans, watermelon, Oriental coleslaw, and chips and lemonade to drink.

Here's the cake table.

The Jersey Cake.

Here's the Birthday Boy!!!

Loving his hotdog

Over 20 family members were there: all of our immediate family-Papa and Grandma Franklin, Uncle Andy, Aunt Al, Papa and Grandma DeLange, Uncle Scott, Uncle Todd, Aunt Jess. We also had some extended family-Brad's Aunt Mindy, Uncle Kelly, and their 3 kids, My Aunt Terry, Uncle Mike (who was here on business from AZ), Aunt Mel, cousin Rachel, and Grandma Podulka. We were so excited everyone could come!!!

After eating lunch, we had cake and ice cream. Parker got his own cake (the basketball) and really didn't like getting dirty. He started off by just putting one finger into it and sucking off the frosting, so I tried to push his hand into the cake, and he hated all the frosting on his fingers. So, he just licked a little of the frosting off and that was it. By then though he was extremely tired, so he went down for a nap. While he was sleeping, we all (everyone but my grandma) played a game of whiffle ball. We divided up into two teams, mainly the Franklins vs the DeLanges. It was a lot of fun. My team lost though!!! We are planning on doing it again with everyone on Labor Day!

While we were singing "Happy Birthday" to Parker

Not wanting to get his hands dirty

Parker got lots of new toys and clothes. Everyone spoiled him!!! He is all set for fall/winter clothes (until he grows out of them all) and is definitely set on toys. He got a baseball toy, a basketball hoop, a lion that he can either push or ride around on, and a toy that blows balls up into the air (that's what Halle got him). He also got a bunch of balls and a huge Tonka truck. He also got some Converse All-Star sneakers, which were adorable. He got an Air Jordan sweat suit, a Ralph Lauren sweat suit, a bunch of jeans and tees. He also got a bunch of money and gift cards to go spend later!!! I'll definitely have fun spending those!!!Not looking too happy to open all his gifts

Getting his new Converse sneakers

Loving his new balls- he bit a huge chunk out of the football that evening

Parker's wondering what else could be down in that bag?

Loving his new ball

It was a great day. It rained a little, but never enough that we had to go inside. The guys-Brad, Todd, Scott, and Andy all played volleyball and basketball too. They were really into the "sports" theme of the party. :0)

I can't believe my little guy is already 1. Before I know it he will be starting school!!! I don't want him to grow up anymore. Happy Birthday Parker! I love you!!

Jessica's Surprise 18th Birthday Party

Jessica, my sister-in-law, had a big birthday this year. She turned 18 on August 15th!!! She is finally considered an "adult" now. Her birthday landed on a Friday this year and we had a surprise birthday party planned for her on Saturday. The entire week leading up to her birthday, she kept asking if anything special was planned or if she could have a party. My mom-in-law, Micky, just kept telling her that it just wasn't going to work out this year to have a party because we were celebrating Parker's 1st birthday that weekend and all her friends were busy on Saturday. So, on Friday (the 13th) we just acted like we were celebrating her birthday just with the family. We all ordered take-out, which upset Jess because she felt the least she could have gotten was a homemade meal and Mom made a cake. We all gave her her gifts too. It was really low-key and you could tell she was a little let down. At about 10pm she actually admitted that she really thought maybe a party had been planned for that night, but realized nothing was going to happen. She said she had a good birthday, but you could tell she had really wished something special would have happened. I mean, how many times do you turn the big 1-8???

Jess with her cake

(btw- the cake was really dry, which just added to the hilariousness of it all)

Halle and Jessica

Here we are all watching her open her gifts

On Saturday, we had Jessica's boyfriend's family invite her to go to the Family Football Game at her school. Her boyfriend, Preston, is on the football team, so it all worked out perfectly as she would have wanted to go anyways. They also took her out to lunch afterwards to waste some time. While she was doing that, we were all scurrying around getting the house decorated, cakes picked up, and games all planned out. Kids started showing up at 1:30pm and we all waited out on the front porch for her to drive up. Preston was able to come separately as he told her he had to go to work after lunch, so he was there to see her surprised. She was super surprised when she got out of the car. She actually had no idea about the party at all. All of her friends had helped as they had told her they were busy that weekend and wouldn't be around to do anything. She was so elated and happy that we had made her big birthday pretty special.

Here's the sign I made that was hung in front of the door

Everyone waiting on the front porch

Here she is- SUPRISE!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Still surprised

Parker loving it all

We started the party off by playing 5 games. The kids were divided into 2 teams, with 6 kids on each team. (I keep calling them "kids" when really they are all 15-20 years old). They competed as a team for the grand prize of a candy bar!!!

The first game was the Life-Saver game, which you hold a toothpick in your mouth and have to transfer a Life-Saver onto the next person's toothpick (which is in their mouth). It is quite funny to watch.

Jessica and Preston

The second game was the Golf Game. Each person got to hit 10 golf balls and try to land them in a targeted area. Each ring of the target was worth a different value; the middle, obviously, being the biggest value.

The third game was the Bike Relay. Each person had to put on swimming goggles, a snorkel, a beach towel, flippers, a life jacket, and a baseball cap and get on Halle's bike and ride around the circle in the driveway. It was hilarious!!!

Preston

The fourth game was Ladder Ball. Each person threw 3 balls to gain points for their team. We ended up playing 2 rounds because everyone loved it so much.

The fifth game was to make a video message for Jessica, wishing her a Happy Birthday. Both teams did a really cute job!! (Jessica went inside and couldn't know what we were doing)

After eating the big cookie cake (Jessica LOVES chocolate chip cookies) and snacks, everyone went out and played Volleyball. It was fun to watch.

I think everyone had a lot of fun and the party was a success. We tore everything down that evening and got started on making everything for Parker's 1st birthday which was the next day, Sunday. It was a very busy day, but a lot of fun. I know Jessica LOVED the party and was so happy. I guess that's all that matters.

Happy 1st Birthday Parker!

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY PARKER!!! I can't believe my little guy turned the big 1 today! It doesn't seem like a whole year has gone past us. I can still remember going to the hospital to have him. I went in at 6am and was induced (I had asked to be induced because I was induced with Halle and everything went so smoothly I wanted to do it again) and had him at 12:30pm. Brad had said he wanted him to come before lunch time and I'd say we made it right around lunch. I remember my contractions not hurting too horribly bad (compared to my contractions with Halle, which were horrible), but pushing him out just about killed me. I did not have an epidural, so I felt everything and boy did it hurt. He came out with his hand in a fist right by his face. But boy, once I saw the little guy, I couldn't help but forget the pain and I just began to cry. I fell in love with him even more the minute I saw him. He was 8lbs 7 oz and 21.5 inches long. He was so soft and smelled like a brand new wrinkly baby. I couldn't help but hold him and just stare.

This year has flown by so fast. Parker has grown lots, especially in height- he has always been in the 95% for height ever since he was born. He has lost his dark brown hair and now has a head full of bright blonde hair. His eyes turned from a dark gray to a beautiful brown. He hasn't ever been real chubby, but he does have a few small rolls on his legs and his cheeks (on his face) are chubby, which make for great kissing spots.

He is now walking all over the place and is really working on turning totally around without holding onto anything. If you ask him "How old are you Parker?", he holds up 1 finger (it is SO sweet). He has 2 teeth on the bottom and has 4 teeth on the top. He is eating everything, but still loves his bottle for bedtime. He loves being outside and points at the door all the time to go out. He is counting (like mentioned in a blog before). He has been giving good hugs lately, where he will wrap his arms around your neck and squeeze his cheek up against yours. I absolutely LOVE it when he does that.

I have enjoyed this last year so much. Parker has been such a blessing to our family. I couldn't have asked for a better addition to our family. I love you Parker and HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUBBA!

PS. We are having a BIG birthday party for him on Sunday, so there will be more celebrations and blogs to follow about my little guy turning 1!!!