Blaine's Trip to Milwaukee

 We just got back from an incredible trip with Blaine Butler. We are doing individual trips with our kids and Blaine was up first. We traveled to Milwaukee to take him to his first Bucks game. We also visited a very cool museum and planatarium while we were there and had fun at the hotel pool and game room. It was seriously so much fun and it brought us so much joy to watch him living his best life! The pictures are sort of out of order but we got to the hotel on Friday night around 8:30. We hung out in the hotel and went to sleep. Blaine and daddy woke up early on Saturday morning and walked the long mile trek to get us all Dunkin Donuts. It was very cold and Blaine decided that on Sunday he would let daddy make the long trip on his own so he could stay in the cozy hotel room. Once they got back on Saturday we hung around the hotel for a little bit and then headed out to do a little shopping. We went to TJ Max and then out to eat a restaurant called Uncle Buck's. We then headed to the Milwaukee Public Museum and Planetarium. It was so much fun and Blaine was in heaven! We then headed back to hotel to get ready to go to the game which started at 7. We got there shortly after 5 because we thought the doors would open at 5:30 but they didn't actually open until a little before 6. It was pretty cold and windy standing outside the doors but we were only 4th in line and Blaine was so excited! After a little trouble showing our tickets through daddy's phone, we were able to get our free pair of Bucks mittens and headed up to our seats. On our way, we found this fun little stand where people could make their own sign to hold up during the game. We got something to eat, found our seats, and enjoyed the game. It was so much fun to watch Blaine during the game. He alternated between holding up his sign and swinging around his rally rag. He was so into it and they did a great job at entertaining the crowd by doing lots of Christmas games such as This or That, Finish the Lyrics, Blurred Out Movie Scenes, Character Look Alikes, and Christmas karaoke. They also had a really great halftime show with the Rim Rockers which were his favorite. They were a group of guys that used trampolines and mats to make super impressive flips and dunks. They even came out in the 4th quarter in Santa suits. It was such a fun trip and I am so glad that we were able to make it happen!

Meet the Team and Football

 It sure has been a fun fall attending a variety of RW high school football games as well as a few middle school football games to watch Hayden play. Bryce played 5/6 tackle for the first time and Blaine played 3/4 flag football for the first time. Our Saturdays and Sundays were definitely busy and sometimes we had to split up with one parent in one direction and another parent in another direction. Both boys seemed to really enjoy it and they are already talking about next year. Daddy even got to join in the fun during Meet the Team night by volunteering for the dunk tank! Ali was a trooper of course and got drug along to all the games. She didn't seem to mind too much. She always brought a variety of toys to play with to keep her entertained. Bryce got to be the ball boy with Bentley during the RW away games. He really loved that and learned a lot about the game being on the sidelines with the players and coaches. 

Halloween

 We had a fun Halloween this year and once again we didn't spend any money on costumes. After finding a random panda head at Nannie's one weekend, Ali decided that is what she wanted to be for Halloween. I sewed on some white felt to a black sweatshirt we already had and it turned out pretty cute! Blaine borrowed an army uniform from his cousin Jake when we went trick or treating in Billtown but then decided to be a football player for school after trying on his cousin Hayden's uniform. Bryce was a catcher and got to walk around town for the first time with a few of his buddies! When exactly did he grow up?

I got to dress up with my coworkers as crayons! 

Weekend in Chicago

 The long weekend over Veterans' Day Shane and I headed to Chicago to see the show Wicked. The kids got to spend 2 nights at Nannie's and they had a great time as well. We did some shopping, walked way too much, and of course ate our favorite Chicago foods like roast beef sandwiches, donuts, and deep dish pizza. We sure love visiting the windy city!