Monday, May 11, 2009

Take me out to the ball game....

Friday night we went to a surprise party for a dear friend. Here is a picture of the lovely Darlene!

It just so happened that the the part was at a minor league baseball game. Some picnic tables were reserved and we had a picnic buffet with a great view of the game. It shouldn't surprise anyone that it was the girls' first time to a ball park (I love football, soccer, lacrosse...baseball not so much). Ella was full of questions and excited until we pulled up and she saw all the people and cars. For some reason, who knows why, she got all freaked out and claimed that she had no idea we were coming here and she wanted to go home and all she wanted was a night at home with her family. Of course, her nervousness was contagious and Catherine started getting upset, again for no apparent reason! It took some time, but once they saw some familiar faces and I promised them ice cream if they could pull it together, they started enjoying themselves.

Look, she looks fine, doesn't she?

Catherine was fine, but didn't like when the announcer, or in her words "the big guy" spoke - which was basically every couple of minutes.

But then this guy made an appearance a few feet away.....


And all hell broke loose! Actually even though Catherine screamed at the top of our lungs and Ella hid under the picnic table they really didn't do that badly. Ella was scared but she didn't cry and Catherine just clung to me and I kept her head turned away from....baseball man (is that what he's called, cuz that's what he is???). It's kind of funny that I would think that screaming and hiding under a picnic table was not that bad.
This guys was one of three mascot type things the kids had to avoid. There was a big turtle man and a recycle man (trust me, that guys was scary). Because of course it was a family friend place and most kids love that stuff. Ella really can't understand that and kept asking us why the mascots came over to the kids, why did the kids want to see the mascots.
It was close to nine by that time and we knew it was time to go. We were walking on the sidewalk outside of the ballpark and I heard a loud "thunk" and something bounced on the ground beside us. We all stopped and I assumed Ella was hit in the head with something...oh yeah...that baseball laying right there on the ground....but wait, she's still on her feet and not crying. Instead of thinking that it missed her I thought first that it was one of those "soft" balls that they were slingshotting in to the crowd earlier in the evening and that's why she wasn't hurt. That's how close it was to her head. Thankfully (as we walked away I said many many thanks to God for protecting Ella) it hit the telephone pole next to us and then past Ella's head.
So instead of a trip to the hospital we got a nice little souvenir from our first baseball game!

8 comments:

Renee said...

ahhhhh! the baseball man, the turtle man and the recycle man?!?!
do these people just know where your girls will be at all times so they know to fully jab at their tender hearts, scarring them for dear life from all humans dressed like characters/animals/(trash?)?! oh so sorry about that...
you're right ella, not MANY kids really want to see those things... i don't know why they must be at events...
especially that chick-fil-a cow...he should stay on the tv commercials. he's a lot funnier that way.
;)

so glad she didn't get hit in the head!!! she'd be scarred from all baseball games for the rest of her life...
see you soooooooon!!! can't wait!!!

Happy said...

Oh my goodness...I'm still stuck on the part about Ella just wanting a night home with her family...how sweet.

Catherine looks like such a big girl in the picture of just her...oh my!

(Again, as if I've known them since they were babies or something...)

So glad that ball missed both girls and hit the telephone pole instead...a blessing indeed!

Tasha Antonia Hoover said...

what a fun time of celebrating Dar! So glad that you (mostly) had fun and that Ella didn't get hit!! Looked like a great time and a yummy cake... did you make that??? :) In my book, you are always the woman for the job.

Crafty P said...

Catherine looks like such a grown up little girl in that picture! I love that she wanted to stay home with the family. precious, Megan.

I can picture all hell breaking loose, too. My kids have never been afraid (well, mabye I'm wrong) of mascots. I guess we'll see when we go to Kennywood in a few weeks, don't they have people in costumes walking around there?

anyway, Rachel could certainly chime in here about the mascots issue. Her kids are terrified of them as well.

THanking God (and her guardian angel) that Ella was not hit by that ball! What a close call and what a story to remember your first game by!

ps what are you reading lately?

Megan said...

Answers...
Tasha- no I didn't make the cake but I would have! Thanks for your vote - I'll make a welcome home cake for you when you move back!
Christina - I am rereading Twilight...but on a slight hiatus until I pick up the final book from the library. Definitely has distracted me from getting into any new books. Did you ever decide to read them? I remember around CHristmas you weren't going to....

Crafty P said...

oh my... where did you go? did you get spammed on FB? I got a weird message from you and then you were unfindable over there! eeks!

report back, megs!

Steph said...

oh yay darlene! so much fun. love to hear that the girls are still wary of costumed strangers :)

Cindy said...

can I just say I laughed my guys out and had to read this to Tim! First of all we are a baseball family and are enjoying our second year of the kids playing t-ball and we are not a soccer family, well Tim isn't, so we don't play that as much but we do play baseball and all my children have been to the ball game, to see the Pirates of course!

Thank second of all I too have a child who used to freak out when he came any where near one of those character things. Derek lost it at the Awana fun fair one year when we had a pastor friend dress up as Barney. Then once he lost it over a clown in a restaurant and the clown had to stay away from our table or Derek would go balistic.

He now really enjoys the pirate parrot though so there maybe hope yet for your girls. Although didn't Tex still hate clowns when he graduated from GCC, so...

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