Mike & Mike In MY Morning

I'm going to start with saying - 4 AM is not an hour I don't want to see again for a very long time! But man was it worth the early rise! I stayed at Jac & Todd's last night so I could guarantee that I wouldn't oversleep and miss my big morning at ESPN Zone! We had a nice but short visit before it was time to hit the bed so we could attempt to get a decent amount of sleep before the alarms started going off. Then there it was - 4 AM but I couldn't be more excited! Mom met us at their house around 4:30 and we headed out to the Metro a few minutes later. We were down there quickly and in line by 5:35. Luckily it wasn't too cold and the doors opened shortly after we claimed our spot. Once we got in, we signed up for a raffle to win tickets for tonight's MNF game (I'd already turned down a few sets of tickets - I mean really? Who wants to see that debacle!?) I digress..... for signing up we received a Mike & Mike In The Morning Tshirt and then were escorted to our table. We were in the corner but we could still see the guys so no complaints. We were all told as soon as we sat down that they would be signing autographs and taking pictures throughout the morning. It was at this point that I was cursing the fact that I hadn't totally put myself together as I normally would! LBH - we all know I'm a pretty vein person but I was in no mood to do my hair and I had convinced myself that I would never get the photo op that I was hoping for! Apparently I was wrong and there I was - ponytail and all. HA! Dear Crazy! I'd like to let you all know that this ponytail made it on TV just before 7am when mom and I were in line for our pics. ;0)

I'm not going to lie - I'm a little tired now but I would do it again and I plan on it once the Skins are good enough to have another home MNF game so M&M come back! Wishful thinking huh?

Here are a few of my pics.......

Pumpkinville

This morning, Heather and I decided to get out of the house before the rain came around and took Taylor to Pumpkinville at the Leesburg Animal Park. Once we got through admissions and turned the corner, Taylor saw all of the animals and her face lit up like a Christmas tree!! Cows and sheep and roosters - Oh My!! We walked around and she laughed and pointed and made noises for each individual animal that she recognized. Then we got to a part of the park that we were able to enter an area with animals that we could pet and get face to face with. The pic below is far from flattering but it was the funniest part of the day. Taylor made a beeline for the sheep that was minding his own business - she got as close as she could comfortably get and just stared at him. Then out of nowhere - she (not quietly mind you) screamed" BAAAAAAAA" in the poor things face. I cracked up so she did it a few more times before I felt bad for him. I know what he was thinking.....who is this little girl?? DEAR CRAZY!!

She's a pretty brave little one....she let the goat get right up in her face and giggled. Personally - I was the one a little intimidated until Heather reminded me that they wouldn't have this "contact area" if it wasn't safe. Ok- True Story.

We spent a little over an hour with the animals and sliding down slides. Taylor picked out her own little mini pumpkin at the end. All in all - it was a perfect morning!

Coolest. Mom. EVER!!

No - I'm not talking about myself silly! I'm talking about MY MOM! Why you ask?! Well - yesterday I received a very excited phone call from mom asking what my upcoming Monday looked like. Not too much going on I told her and she asked if I wanted to take the morning off so we could go down to ESPN Zone in DC with Jacqueline and Todd to watch Mike & Mike In The Morning LIVE!! Um - YES PLEASE!! For those of you that don't know who Mike & Mike are (please don't admit it to me) - they have a daily tv & radio show on ESPN2 from 6-10am and the Dadiani ladies LOVE them! I'm super excited to be able to have the chance to see them in person! Not too excited about the time we have to wake up to get downtown for when the doors open at 5:30 am but I will survive! So now that you all know - I expect you to get up early and watch for us on TV! Hahahaha - I know what you're thinking.....DEAR CRAZY!!

NC Weekend

This past weekend we traveled down to North Carolina to visit with the Elliott's and Kevin & Katie. We left EARLY Friday morning! When I say early - I mean 5:30 AM early. It worked out really well though since Taylor fell back to sleep after we got on the road and gave us a few solid hours of driving before we had to stop for breakfast. She was a rock star the remainder of the trip - she moo'd at the cows we passed going down 81 and enjoyed being able to watch Dora from the comfort of her car seat! (Thanks Scott & Leslie for letting us borrow the portable DVD player)

That afternoon -after nap time was over for both Taylor and Jonathan - we walked over to the playground so the kids could run around on a beautiful afternoon. Good times were had by all!


Saturday it was Pumpkin Patch day! We went back to the same one that we visited last year and we had an even better time than before. Over the last few weeks - Taylor has learned different barnyard animal sounds and man did she put them to use that morning! She moo'd at cows - baa'd at sheep and I can't even type out her impression of a rooster but believe me when I tell you it's hilarious!
We all took a hayride (tractor ride was more like it) that went around the whole farm and ended up in the pumpkin patch. Jonathan was so excited to pick out a pumpkin. Taylor was more interested in sitting in the dirt and eating her goldfish! HA! Dear Crazy......
That afternoon was spent playing at the house. Taylor found Jonathan's inflatable hippo that was filled with balls and she had a blast in it.


Sunday - I have to start this off with saying Jen is the hostess with the mostest!! She and Ian had a set of FREE club level tickets to the Skins vs. Panthers game and she gave up her ticket to me so I could go and see the Skins play!! I tried (honestly I did) to say no and convince her to go but she didn't go for it! She got to spend time with her BFF and I got to go to see my miserable awful football team lose yet another game. Don't get me wrong - I had a fantastic time hanging out with Ian and getting to see Kevin & Katie at their tailgate! And club level seats!?!? Man am I spoiled! ;0)
Ben and Jen took the kids to Monkey Joes - a super fun place with tons of "moon bounce" type contraptions!! Clearly - they loved it!
Later that evening -after the kids went to bed - Jen, Ben and I went out to meet up with Kevin, Katie and all of their friends that were in town for the game.


Monday - sadly the long weekend was coming to an end. We were trying to figure out what to do that morning before we had to get ready to hit the road and I could only think of one thing! STEAK 'N SHAKE!! Obvi - I couldn't be within 20 minutes of one without going! Plus - Taylor had never been so I could not deny her the shoestring fries! YUM-O!! It was everything I remembered and more.
Then it was time to head home but the fun wasn't over quite yet! After we started our journey - we decided to stop in Christiansburg for a quick visit/dinner with some of the Dadiani family friends and Billy! It was so nice to see Suzanne and Michael who are expecting their first baby! It's crazy to think about since Suzanne and I have known each other since we were ity bity little things - we are both going to have kids ages apart about the same as we are! Also - what a BONUS that Billy was so close and was able to join us. I can't begin to tell you how excited Taylor was and believe me when I say - she let everyone in the restaurant know it as soon as she saw her Uncle Billy!

So that's the wrap up of our fabulous weekend! There are soooo many pictures that I couldn't begin to pick a few for this post. If you are interested in taking a look - click HERE!!

Oooops! I did it again.....

Over a month has gone by again with no posts! I have to tell ya - once the evening rolls around and I've been on my computer all day - getting onto the laptop isn't high on my list of things I want to do. Now that I've given you my excuse - let me tell you about our month of September.

Once again - it was a BUSY month. Let's start at the beginning.....

Labor Day weekend/Scott's birthday. We had a family dinner at the Bradley's to celebrate Scott's birthday - moon bounce and all! Yep - you read correctly - there was a moon bounce for the kids! Taylor LOVE LOVE LOVED it! She got in and Ben bounced her up up and away for a good amount of time and she just wanted more. I'd say it was a great purchase on Leslie's part.

The next night we went over to Tom & Angela's for a BBQ. Taylor had a blast playing with their little pugs. They didn't mind her either since she was feeding them Chex Mix all night! HA!

The next weekend was the girls football weekend in Green Bay. I couldn't believe it was finally here. Heather, Stacy and I had been waiting since back in Spring for this weekend together! A little history behind the trip.....Heather and Stacy meet up once a year for a Bears game. Sometimes in Chicago - sometimes other places. This year, the first Bears game of the season happened to be the first Sunday Night Football game in Green Bay. So naturally this was the game they chose to meet at and I was the lucky one that got an "invite" to join them. It was a no-brainer on my part - especially when Ben said he didn't mind having a weekend with Taylor all to himself. (Yes - I know I'm the luckiest girl!!)

The weekend was nothing short of outstanding. The only thing that would have made it better was a Bears win over the Packers. If you are a sports fan - I highly encourage you to make your way to Lambeau Field at some point in your lifetime. They are BY FAR the nicest people/fans you will ever meet. We made a lot of new friends in our short time there - both Bears and Packers fans. I'm already looking forward to finding out where we are going next year! ;0)

The next weekend marked the start of my working every other Sunday at Glory Days for football season. I haven't worked a Football Sunday in years but I was happy to take it on once asked. I get to work with Heather so that just makes it even more fun for us - and the guests (LBH)!

The last weekend - our friend Tony from NC came into town to visit. If you remember a few months back when I solicited all of you for votes for Taylor in the photo contest for best Caniac - Tony was the one that submitted the now famous (in my world) photo. I haven't seen him in years so the visit was much anticipated. He and a few of his friends came over on Saturday for the Hokies game! Taylor - being the flirt that she is - enjoyed having a few more guys in the house to show all of her toys and books too. They were good sports and played along great. Tony didn't come empty handed - he brought Taylor her first Carolina Hurricanes t-shirt to wear while watching hockey with Aunt Heather. It's cute but we all know she is a CAPS fan at heart. Hint hint Uncle Todd - she needs CAPS gear! ;0)

So there you have it - our month of September in a few short paragraphs. I will make every effort to post more often but October is looking crazy - starting with a trip to NC this weekend to see the Eillott's and Kevin & Katie. Looking forward to it!!