My Friend, Louis

My dad has been spending a lot of time with Louis lately...

Only because my mom can't help herself.

Can you blame her?

The American Experience

This morning we all rose bright and early.

The girls put on their dresses.

Then put their dolls in their matching ensembles...

We walked a few blocks towards our day's destination taking in the beauty along the way...

Our day today was to be girl's only.
The men went off and did their own "man thing".
Whatever that means.
We arrived at the American Girl store ready for an experience of a lifetime...

The day began with a little shopping...

Then along with my girls getting spoiled, their dolls got pampered.
Elizabeth Nesbitt got her hair done...

Cindy Lou Who got both her hair done and her ears pierced (she didn't even cry)...

While the plastic girls got pampered, the rest of us showed up for our reservation at the American Girl restaurant...

The restaurant could not be any cuter.
It was decorated with pink flowers everywhere against a black and white background.
So girly...

There were highchairs located at each table for the little dolls...

The napkins were tied up with these little bows that were actually hair bands that could be taken home...

I didn't expect much from the menu, but was pleasantly surprised by the options...

Our first course were these tiny cinnamon buns...

Followed by this platter of yummy delights...

Elizabeth and Cindy's prep work was done and they were able to join us for lunch...

Lily shared her lemonade.
Pink of course...

Lunch then arrived.
The girl's got the All American Girl Picnic lunch.
It came with all of these mini favorites.
How cute is that...

I had the strawberry salad and was very happy with the taste...

Lunch was followed by these incredibly clever desserts...

We left with our tummies full.
The stroller was full as well...

I kept reminding myself that it is all about the experience.

This is one experience I won't soon forget.

Giants Vs. Cubs

The many first pitches were thrown.
The National Anthem was sung.
The peanuts were bought and cotton candy was being consumed.
We found our seats and it was now game time...

Tim Lincecum was on the mound for the Giants...

Facing Ryan Dempster of the Cubs...

The game was a close one...

The Giants had been on a tear as of late.
I believe prior to this game, they had an 8 game winning streak going.
And the Cubs, well, let's just say they haven't been faring as well.
My dad of course wanted to see the Giants win...

As did I...

We had been giving Joe a hard time all week.

All our razzing of the Cubs fan backfired.

The Cubs ended the Giants win streak tonight.

Joe was happy.

My dad and I were a little irritated.

And Lily cried.

She wanted her Giants to win.

I wasn't aware she was such a die hard fan.

Lucky Ball Girls

Going to a baseball game and watching the game is always fun...

But it's the batting practice that is and has always been my favorite part.
It is the main reason we arrive two hours before the first pitch is scheduled.
It's great because you get a chance to see these elite athletes up close...

Being this close sometimes has added perks as well.
It increases your chance of catching a foul ball during batting practice.
Not an easy feat, but it has been known to happen...

Or you can just use your child's cuteness to win over a player...

All it took was for Sophia to catch the eye of Pablo Sandoval and after warming up his arm by playing some catch, he tossed the ball over to Sophia...

There must be something about Sophia and Wrigley Field because last time we were here, she was lucky enough to receive one then as well.
That is not an easy feat...

Post ball happiness...

Of course seeing Sophia get a ball was quite upsetting to Lily.
She wanted one too.
Who could blame her?
But the odds of both of them receiving a ball seemed really low.
I mean, all of those people line the wall waiting for one and players maybe throw a total of twenty balls throughout the whole batting practice.
Those aren't good odds.

Unless you are an adorable mini Giants fan...

My dad raised Lily up just as Eli Whiteside picked up a ball that was hit down the left field line.
Lily waved her arms, he noticed and now both of my girls had a ball...

Sophia wasn't too sure that she should be happy for Lily...

Until she remembered she had a ball as well...

Receiving a ball is always the most thrilling part of a game.

I remember getting my first one when I was 10.

I was at an Oakland A's game.

It was Father's day and they were playing the Texas Rangers.

Most of the people had started to trickle out, so my dad and I moved behind the first base dugout.

The game was over and as we started walking up the steps, we heard some guy shouting.

It was Art Howe.

He was the first base coach for the Rangers at the time.

He caught my dad's attention, tossed a ball to my dad and said, "Here, give this to your little girl." 

I still can't tell you who was more excited, me or my dad.

That was my first, but certainly not my last.

It seemed every game I went to, I came home with a ball.

Some people are lucky enough to get one their entire life, but I have a nice little collection saved up.

This luck must have been passed on to my girls.

This was Sophia's second ball.

For Lily, this was her third.

She actually received two balls in one game (St. Louis Cardinals).

Just like when I was young and now with my girl's, I can never tell who is more excited, us girls or my dad.

I think for a true baseball fan receiving a ball is like a dream come true.

And having your father and papa there to witness it is what makes the dream perfect!