Happy Holidays and Merry Xmas

Wishing all "Happy Holidays" and a Happy New Year

Reindeer Run 2009

Just completed the Reindeer Run.  It was my 1st 5K in about 10 years.   It was sponsored by LifeTime Fitness and was a lot of fun.  The T-Shirt Logo below

Here is a link to the race map.   

http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/ga/alpharetta/973126133769573992

Fall Clean-up

The weather was great this past weekend.    It allowed us to get a start on some Fall cleanup and rake some leaves.   As our leaf pile grew, it became more and more enticing to jump in.

World Champs! - The Yankees Win!

 

It's been a long time!   Even though they could not stay up late to watch the final game, the boys were super excited when they awoke.  We watched the final 2 innings on replay and Noah was counting down every out.

Whirlwind weekend in NYC / NJ

Cole and I  made some for a guys weekend.    I booked the trip back in April soon after Laura and I saw Springsteen in Atlanta.   We both knew that Cole needed to experience a concert like that once in his lifetime.  Plus, I wanted to do something special for a kid who normally gets brushed aside due to all the activities that take control of our lives so I got our tickets and we've been counting down the days ever since.   Anyway....  We had a Blast.

He was up really early Friday morning just so excited to get on a plane.   What's great is, that no matter how old and mature we think Cole is, he's 9, he is still young and immature, if that makes sense.   He can hold his own in any conversation but at the same time, he's just a kid.  It was great to see things through his eyes.   From the airport train to the flight itself, he was wide eyed.   The questions did not stop.  Are we going to do this ?  When do we go to this?  Will we see this or that or them? 

As soon as we arrived, we hopped into a car and headed up to see Mimi.   He was really excited to see her new place.   We picked up some really good Sicilian Pizza and it made for a really good visit.     Then it was off to the show...

Cole got to experience or at least see how REAL tailgating takes place.   It was fun walking around Giants Stadium, seeing the sights, smelling the brats, sausage and peppers and everything else.    We went into the stadium early to grab our seats and by the time Bruce came on stage around 8:15, it looked like Cole was going to fade.  He was so tired but once the concert started, he got his 2nd wind.    The show itself was amazing.  

You can check out the reviews on NJ.com or  Backstreets.com but the bottom line was this. Energy, Energy, Energy.    The highlight for most in the crowd was playing Darkness on the Edge of Town, which was performed for only the second time ever in full album sequence, and it was awesome.   This was the first show I've ever seen where it was a party atmosphere all night and songs were all about fun.  The place was rocking when he played Elvis's Jailhouse Rock and Cole was laughing and dancing along.  During Thunder Road - To hear 55,000 people sing along was magical.    The fireworks during American Land was very cool.   We knew it was getting close to ending but there were 2 more songs to go.  Cole and I started to head for the door during Dancing in the Dark but then they showed Little Stevie on the big screen pointing to a sign in the crowd. Bruce read it out loud: "Eli Manning called. He wants Rosalita!"  and that was an incredible end to a great night.

We woke up early Saturday morning because we had Ferry tickets to the Statue of Liberty. We stopped at Ellis Island fist and toured the museum.  It was very interesting and we learned a log.  We tried to visit the area where you can look up your ancestors but unfortunately it was closed.  

Our next stop was Lady Liberty.   This was really cool.   We had pedestal access and easily managed the 153 steps up to the observation level.   It was overcast but we still had great views of the Verrazano Narrows, the Manhattan skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge.    

Then it was off to NYC.     We drove through the Holland Tunnel and parked up by 56th street.   Since we did not have a lot of time, we decided to play tourist in the Theater District / Times Square area.   Lunch was at the world famous Carnegie Deli.   - WOW!

The rain seemed to be letting up so we walked back to our car and headed over to the Bronx to check out the new Yankee Stadium.   Words alone can not describe how awesome that building is.  It was a bit surreal to see the old Yankee stadium right next door ready for demo.   Lots of memories came back to me and I remember going to many Opening Day games with my dad so it was great to share that with Cole.    We hit just about every souvenir shop before he was able to make a decision on what to buy. (a miniature bat with commemorative logo).

As we started towards Times Square, the rains came. It definitely put a kink into our plans but we had a lot of fun. We walked around taking in all the sites, people and things going on all around us. Visited to Toys R Us ("This is AWESOME", M&M world "Mommy would love this place" and of course Modell's "Can I get Noah a Derek Jeter Shirt?" In all we spent about 3 hours walking around just taking it all in.

 

Then it was off to see, "the Godfather".    As tired as he was, he was really excited to visit Uncle Eddie.     We got to spent a few hours visiting the family and Cole and Dailey got along great.  Both Aiden and Dailey have grown so much.

Sunday am - Heading home today but not before taking Cole to the Tick Tock Diner  http://www.tictockdiner.com/ for some breakfast.   This was Cole's first time experiencing Disco Fries. (Fries with Cheese and Gravy)  - Yum!

We crammed as much as possible into a little time but it was well worth it.   Not only did we have a good time visiting places and seeing things, but we also had a lot of fun just hanging out.

Kids having fun

Noah is 6

Just a few weeks after Jordan's party, we were right back at it. Noah wanted to have a bowling party with all his buds.  It was Cosmic bowling and the kids had a really fun time. 

Fall sports 2009

Saturday kicked off the official start to Fall Ball and other activities and it seems like our weekends will be jam packed until the end of October    Both boys were selected to AL teams (more competitive) so the past 3 weeks have been spent on the baseball fields 3-4x a week.  Jordan started her U8 soccer and was very excited to get back out there after a 1 year hiatus. 

The day started with an early Game for Noah and The Hooks.   AL ball is much different then what we played last Spring and it was great.  While we lost 5-2, our guys did great.  Noah had a good game going 1-2 and making some nice defensive plays. One at SS and one at 1B.

Jordan's Soccer game was next.  I'm not sure of the final score but it didn't go to well for Jordan's Red team.   On the bright side, she thinks they only lost 4-2.   She played great, was very aggressive on offense and when given 

the opportunity to play goalie, she made a great save. No goals allowed!' 

Next up was the much anticipated debut for Cole playing Mustang AL ball.  Mustang moves up to the bigger fields at Harrison Park and the rules are much different. (Bunts, walks, steals, tagging up, kid-pitch etc.)  Up to this point, Cole has only played Coach pitch ball so this is his first time facing live kid pitching.   

He is definitely the youngest (and smallest) on the team, also the Hooks.  He started at 2B for the first 2 innings but did not get any action.  When it came time for his first AB, it looked like he could either toss his cookies, or wet himself.  After 2 or 3 deep breaths, he settled into the batters box. First pitch - swinging strike round down the middle.  Next low and away and I think he started to relax a bit. Until pitch 3 which was high and inside right above his head.    He got back in there and in the end, he worked the count full, fouled off 3 more pitches and ended up walking after a 10 pitch at-bat.  

The Hooks took a big lead and he was much more relaxed for his next AB.  He drilled the 1st pitch right down the 1B line for his first official Mustang hit.  For his final at-bat, he got a base hit with the bases loaded to pad the lead and the Hooks won 13-7.   

It was a great day for the kids, long day for the parents but it was all worth it in the end. 

Jordan is 7

Can you believe it.  Jordan turned 7 years old this weekend.    On Friday, she was able to have a birthday celebration with her class and a little cake with her cousin.

Saturday, her birthday, she was soooooo excited she was up at 6:30.

  She could not wait to open her presents and get ready for her party.    This year, it was a cooking party.  We had the party at Catered Tastes where they host parties and have cooking classes.   Jordan and 8 of her friends learned how to make Cookies and Cookie Cakes.  It was really cute to see all the girls stirring, mixing and rolling dough.   The best part....they got to eat their work.  They baked the cookie cake which was the birthday cake.   They also got to bake sugar cookies in the shape of their hands and decorate the finger nails with different colored frosting.

All the girls had a lot of fun.

Kayak Fishing

Cole and I tested out the new fishing kayak this weekend and we had mixed results. The kayak, now formally known as Big Red, was awesome! The fishing, well not so much.

We had a great time but didn't get much action. Sunday we hit Lake Allatoona and Monday am, Lake Acworth.  It really was a blast. We explored a islands, broke through some boat wake and had a lot of fun.    Even without catching a single thing, it was great to be on the water just hanging out.

Heading up to lake to test out new toy

Fully rigged and ready to go

Too Cute

This is a picture of Jordan baking. She is planning her Birthday Party at a cooking school and this was used as the inviation to her friends.

1st day of school - 2009

The summer seemed to go by so quickly and today was the 1st day of school! It was a big day in the Schwartz household today. Noah is officially a Kindergartner

Here are some pics of the gang. Check out the Big Man on Campus as he heads to Kindergarten for the 1st time.

So Excited

Walking to the Bus Stop

After the 1st Day - Still Excited



The Real BMOC

MLB Stadium Tour 2009

Sometimes I really love my job. Over the past 3 years, I have been travelling quite a bit. This year I have been fortunate enough to coordinate my travel schedule to cities with MLB teams.

Stadium Tour 2009

Chicago Cubs - Wrigley Field - 7/7 Brave's vs. Cubs. This was, to me, a once in a lifetime experience. Wrigley is not at the top of my favorite fields. The history, the train, taking the EL, the Cubs fans.. the whole thing was awesome.
Food - The Chicago Dog - Grilled Onions on a dog - awesome.
Here's a few pictures

Minnesota Twins - Metrodome - 7/8 - Yankees vs. Twins. Well..... A night after visiting Wrigley, this was a major letdown. Great Seats, Great Game - Yanks Win! Highlight of the night...The 1/2 Pounder


Philadelphia Phillies - Citizen's Bank Park - Marlin's vs. Phils. A really nice stadium. The seats were great, the fans..well they are from Philly so let's not go there. The Food, awesome. I experienced my 1st Schmitter - Apparently it's a world famous (or Philly famous) sandwich from McNally's Tavern.

It was definitely an experience and I can't wait to get back for another.


Turner Field - Atlanta Braves - I had to list them since we go often

July Update

The kids summer fun continues...
We spent the July 4th weekend at a cabin in Blue Ridge with some friends of ours. It was nice and relaxing. We spent the days fishing and on July 4th we headed to the Historic district of Blue Ridge where they put on an Old Time 4th of July Parade. The kids had a blast and ended up with pocketfuls of candy.

That night we went up to Lake Blue Ridge and were "treated" to a great fireworks show.
Jordan said it was the best 4th ever.

Our first night at the cabin was really special because it was the day that Jordan lost her 1st tooth. Luck for her, the Tooth Fairy found her way and left a sweet surprise.


The following week, Laura took the kids to the beach for a few days. The weather was not so great but they were fortunate to get 1 day of beach and surf time.