A Night of Baseball and Star Wars

This evening was Star Wars Night at the Rockies game. Marina originally wanted to dress as Princess Leia, but at the last minute she changed her mind and decided to wear her Rey costume instead.

We arrived at the stadium early, so we went around the concourse to find as many cosplayers as we could and took pictures with them. When we finally made it to our seats we learned there was a weather delay. We sat and waited for a bit until it started to rain fairly hard. So we decided to pick up our Star Wars t-shirts. By the time we made it back to our seats, the game had finally started.

After the first inning, we headed toward Dinger’s photo spot for a picture. The line had already started to form. Fortunately it moved quickly when Dinger arrived. He was wearing his Jedi robe and had two stormtroopers with him.

On the way back to our seats, we stopped for snacks. Then we settled into our seats for the rest of the game. It was a fun one to watch and the Rockies won 4-1.

Mother's Day Baseball

This year for Mother’s Day, Marina and I decided to go to the Rockies game. We slept in a bit and I made breakfast. We left a few hours before the game.

When we arrived at the stadium, we got into the line for the parking lot. As we waited, the man in the car next to us got our attention. He handed us a parking pass for the front lot and wished us a Happy Mother’s Day. We were both amazed at the gift. The pass allowed us to park within a very short walk of the stadium.

Once we got inside the stadium, we were each give a Rockies bracelet as a giveaway. We were hoping to arrive in time to get them! Our seats were on the upper level. It took us a while to get there but once we found our seats we found that our view of the field was great! We had about an hour wait before the game began. We watched videos and participated in the national anthem. We talked with some the people sitting around us while we waited.

We were happy when the game finally started. It was chillier than we expected and we wished we had brought a blanket with us. After the first inning, we went to wait in line to have our picture with Dinger. We were pretty early, so we were close to the front of the line. Dinger showed up with his mom!

After our picture, we picked up hot dogs before going back to our seats. By then, the Rockies were down 4-0. We spent the rest of the game in our seats. The Brewers pitcher has a no hitter into the sixth inning. We cheered when the Rockies finally broke that up. They hit two homeruns before the end of the game, but they still lost 7-3.

We had a quick walk to the car thanks to the parking pass and we arrived home around dinner time. I made us a nice meal and we relaxed for the rest of the day.

Zoo Treats

One of our annual Halloween traditions is going to Boo at the Zoo. This year we decided to leave early in order to avoid the issues with parking we’ve had in the past. Marina decided to dress as Princess Zelda this year. I was Belle.

When we arrived there was plenty of parking and we got a great spot. We headed in and picked up a copy of the schedule. They had lots of character appearances during the day but we were actually early for them. So we made note of the times and started our trek into the zoo.

There weren’t as many trick or treat stations as in years past, and they were harder to find.  As we looked for them, we looked at the animals. It was a sunny day, but very windy. The animals didn’t seem to mind a bit, they were very active.

By the time we reached the carousel, Tinkerbell was there greeting people. Of course, Marina wanted to talk with her. Then we went into the Primate Panorama, which was set up with pirate decorations. Marina was thrilled to spot Captain Jack Sparrow. He remembered us from all our recent meetings and we had a nice talk with him.

We went through the primates and they were quite active. A golden checked gibbon seemed to be following Marina around its enclosure. She loved that!

We checked out a character meet and greet area which turned out to be filled with Star Wars characters. Of course, she wanted her photo taken with all of them. Next we went to Predator Ridge where we ran into one of Marina’s friends and her family. We talked with them for a little while before moving on.

We made our way through the zoo and got to all the trick or treat stations. We saw the sea lions and tigers. We also watched an elephant demonstration.

We had plenty of time to settle in for the Princess Sing Along. After a short wait, Snow White appeared. She sang songs and told a story before posing for pictures. She remembered us from previous events and spoke with us for a while.

We had been told Fawn would be near the carousel, so we went o see her. We found Zarina instead, but we were happy to get pictures with her. Then we went back to the Primate Panorama where Moana was meeting people. We waited our turn and then got photos with her.

We decided we were ready to go but on the way out we saw the Rockies mascot, Dinger. Of course, Marina wanted a photo with him as well. Once we did that, we went to our car.

Baseball and Star Wars

We usually attend at least one Rockies game every summer. This season, Marina was most interested in going on Star Wars night. Despite the warm weather, Marina wanted to dress as Jyn Urso, even though her Rey costume would be cooler.

We arrived early and Marina was concerned when we saw most people dressed in Rockies gear and not in Star Wars costumes. But when we got on the shuttle we saw a man in a Jedi robe and she relaxed. As we got closer to the stadium, we saw many more cosplayers.

Marina wanted to take part in the parade of people in costume before the game. We arrived just in time to line up for it. (I wasn’t in costume, but I was allowed to go with her.) We were at the back of the group and took a long walk through the stadium until we arrived on the field. As we walked, Marina waved at people and even high -fived people who had their hands out. It was a fun experience! She was pleased to note she was the only one dressed as Jyn.

After the parade, we settled into our seats. We had brought peanuts, so Marina was happy to dig into those. The family in front of us had two girls a little younger than Marina, so we talked with them for a bit. We all decided to go together to have pictures taken with Dinger during the third inning.

When we arrived for Dinger, the line was already long. We missed most of the inning, but it was worth it. Dinger wore a Jedi robe and he was accompanied by cosplayers dressed as Rey and Captain Phasma.

We picked up a snack on our way back to our seats and settled in for the game. It was a fun one to watch. The Rockies ended up winning 7-3.

Baseball Dolls

School ended for Marina and her classmates yesterday. We celebrated the beginning of summer by going to a baseball game. The Rockies were playing the Dodgers in an afternoon game and we thought it would be a fun day. We invited Ainsley along with us.

The girls both wore purple and black and brought along American Girl dolls dressed in Rockies shirts. We arrived shortly after the game started.

Today was the hottest day of the year so far. Even our seats were scorching. The girls were not happy about that. So we went to get drinks and then the girls had their picture taken with Dinger, the mascot. Once we had those important errands complete, we ventured back to our seats.

Neither girl was particularly interested in the game, so they busied themselves with eating peanuts and stomping the shells into powder. As the day got even hotter, they enjoyed playing with our misting fan. They took turns spraying each other and the fans around us (who really appreciated it!)

The girls entertained themselves nicely and only got restless near the end of the game. So when they cheered the Rockies scored the final out they were more excited that the game was over and we could head home!

Sports Saturday

This morning, the Broncos Bunch had their annual Summer Kickoff. We'd had such a great time last year that both Marina and I were looking forward to going again. We got a Bronco jersey that fit her American Girl dolls, so McKenna went with us today.

We arrived early, so there was a line outside the stadium to get in. Once the event started, most of the people went to the inside, so we decided to check out the outside activities. The inflatables from last year were all there. Marina literally ran from one to the next. She was excited to meet two cheerleaders who were there. She ran a few of the football drills, but she was much more interested in the inflatable equipment.

I finally talked her into going inside. We looked at the Lombardi trophies again. She met two more cheerleaders and two retired Bronco players. She really wanted to go into the face painting line which was really long and very slow. But she was insistent, so we spent the rest of our time there waiting in line for that. She got a blue and white mermaid on her arm.

We had a quick lunch and then headed for our next stop, the Rockies and Dodgers game. McKenna exchanged her Bronco jersey for Rockies pinstripes. Today was Photo Day. We weren't sure what that meant. It turned out that fans were allowed to line the warning track around the field and the players walked around and let the fans take pictures with them. It was crowded, but were were able to get a few.

First off, we met Walt Weiss, the Rockies' manager. Marina chatted with him about McKenna for a bit before we got a picture. We also photographed third baseman Nolan Arenado and pitcher Wilton Lopez. We were nearby the Rockies star, Carlos Gonzales. There was quite a crush of people, but we managed to get a picture just before Photo Day ended.

Marina hadn't enjoyed Photo Day much, so I bribed her with cotton candy. She was happy with that arrangement. We had a while to wait for the game to start, but Marina did pretty well during that time.

Once the game started, Marina paid more attention to the multimedia presentations and the crowd than the actual game. Part way through, we left our seats to have her picture taken with Dinger, the mascot. We also picked up a snack on our way back to our seats.

By the seventh inning, Marina was tired. The game was tied and I convinced her to stay. She wasn't happy when it went into extra innings although she did create her own rally cap. I had decided if it went past the tenth inning we'd leave. However, the Rockies pulled out a win with two outs at the bottom of the tenth inning. She was cheering loudly and high fiving people near us.

After the exciting finish, we were ready to head home. We covered enough sports for one day!

Birthday and the Ballpark

Today was my birthday. Marina woke up and the first thing she said was, "Happy Birthday, Mommy!" So sweet!

We relaxed around the house all morning. Then after lunch we went out to see The Lion King in 3D, Marina had seen the movie on DVD, but never in the theater, so it was fun for her to see it that way.

We had a quick dinner and then headed out for another Rockies game. My company organized a night at the ballpark. We led a group over to meet with Dinger early in the game. The kids played together while we waited. Then after that, her buddy Jayden came over and sat next to her. They were a bit rambunctious, but they had fun together. Once he left, Marina was bored. She really wanted to go home after that.

It was an entertaining game, but the Rockies lost again. We were out pretty late and Marina was tired. Despite that, she held up pretty well.

Play Ball!

We had tickets for tonight's Rockies game. We arrived as the first inning was ending. Since we were walking by, we decided to wait to see Dinger before going to our seats. We were first in line when he showed up at the beginning of the third inning. Marina gave him a big hug and had him sign her cap. Marina wanted to play on the playground for a while, so we stopped so she could do that. It was the fourth inning before we finally made it to our seats. Marina had fun cheering on the Rockies even though she really didn’t understand what was going on. She yelled, “Bad throw!” a few times. The Rockies weren’t playing very well and Marina’s stomach was upset in the later innings. So we left after the seventh inning.

I was surprised she didn’t fall asleep in the car on the way home. Her stomach seemed to be better by then. It took a little while to get her settled down to sleep. We’d been busy today!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Marina is a big Rockies fan. So she was very excited when her school offered tickets for a game. The weather wasn't as nice as we'd hoped, but it wasn't too bad. We invited Aunt Ann and Cameron. Marina even checked with her teacher to find out if cousins were allowed to come.We had a pretty good view of the field but Marina was distracted by Cameron and some of her classmates. We waited in line to meet Dinger, the Rockies mascot.

She and Cameron tried out the batting cage and we all had some snacks.

The day would have been even better if the Rockies had won, but they were blown out 8-2. Marina even tried a rally cap, but to no avail.