Two Free Golden Tickets

This past weekend was a fun one. My roomie from college came to visit for the football and brought her boyfriend along, too. It was too much fun to get to chat each night just like when we were in school especially since Ashley is one of the few people in the world who thinks I'm funny and doesn't blink an eye at my use of Sabrina the Teenage Witch as a source. 

Ryan's reaction to the approaching band.

I wish I had captured a photo of the leprechaun high-fiving Ryan, but this was, in fact, the look on his face. 

At the beginning of the season, we decided that Ryan could go to a game only if tickets were miraculously handed to us. The kid may enjoy shrieking, "Football! Tackle! Touchdown!" all day, every day (which would make an interesting game if you think about it ... a touchdown for every tackle?), but let's not be confused ... he is twenty months old and has no real concept of those Go-den! helmets. 

Well, luck was on Ryan's side. We were walking home from tailgating and band-watching with about twenty minutes before the game started. Ryan was perched atop Chris' shoulders, and as we passed a house, one of the guys called out to us, "Do you guys want free tickets to go to the game?" 

Ryan was so excited:

And he was so impressed that his dad's prediction for a boring and ugly game was right on the money so thank goodness we didn't spend any money!

In all honesty, it was really fun to go to our first game as a family even though it was just Michigan State and Ryan was just twenty months. Our section was right above the band which is perfect for a toddler, and he finally got to let out those, "Tackle! Touchdown!" shrieks in an appropriate setting. Much better than in church.

In other news, my amazing little sister ran her second half-marathon on Saturday! So proud of you, little sister! Who knew what those size five feet could do.

(Yes, she really has size five feet).

My sister and my dad enjoying the post-race refreshments. 

7 Quick Takes

Linking up with Jen for 7 Quick Takes. Head on over to her to see some other than alma-mater-centric takes. 

In honor of the start of the the football season tomorrow (I'm talking the ND football season not NCAA in general), all seven of these quick takes will be about Ryan's obsession with our Irish. It really seems to have exploded the past two weeks, but realistically, I think it is just a word explosion coinciding with the our non-stop anticipation of the first game rather than being an ND savant. Either way, it is going to be blog-documented. 

1. When we were in Texas, Chris' Uncle Steve (Hi, Uncle Steve!) so generously gave us a framed photo of the Snow Bowl, which just happened to be Chris' very first Notre Dame football game when he was six years old. When we got home, I just propped it up on this dresser until I can hang it (at eye level, of course! Uncle Steve is a master at decorating his house and that is one tip that I remember). Ryan kept staring at the photo and then started chanting, "Game! Game! Game!" 

Chris asked me if I had told him that the frame was a football game. I had to furrow my eyebrow and think about the past events of the morning ... I actually didn't. 

2. Later that afternoon, Ryan upgraded his jabber to, "Football! Game! Daddy!" The pressure is on, Chris ... 

3. I mentioned that Ryan enjoyed my rendition of the fight song during our little road trip. When we traveled to Charlotte for Laura's wedding, he kept requesting, "Dame!" which normally means he wants me to sing Notre Dame, Our Mother, the alma mater. When I started to sing it, he would vehemently demand, "Dame! March!" After some Ryan-translator eyebrow furrowing, I realized he was asking for the fight song. Which means that he can understand words in songs even when I am not making my hands into an itsy-bitsy spider or singing about animals. Bye-bye non-censored Mumford & Sons. 

4. He has known known that Jesus was on the front of the library for a while, but during a bike ride past the mural this week, it was finally upgraded to, "Touchdown! Jesus!" The touchdown portion is said with a lot of gusto.

5. He has been bringing me this book to read to him. "Gipper!" he says. Well if that doesn't warm a Domer heart, what does?

6. We can't ride past the stadium without him seeing a football statue and then saying, "Football! Running! Fast! Tackle!" 

7. We have been practicing the phrase, "Go Irish!" 

It sounds like, "I-shit."

I'm going to be a typical, optimistic fan and say that his shoddy pronunciation is not foreshadowing the outcome of the upcoming season. Let's just hope he doesn't ask for a fork at a tailgate tomorrow right before he sees a leprechaun shirt. Oh me, oh my.

Ryan's buddy, St. André Bessette

A week ago, I was scrolling down my Facebook news feed when I stopped to read the status of one of my favorite economics professor out loud to Chris. Upon finishing reading it, I looked up to see a thrilled husband who tipped his head back with a maniacal, triumphant laugh and then rubbed his hands together like a kid about to open a present he has been waiting for for twenty-five years. This is what it said:

"St. André Bessette's feast day is January 6, which this year falls on a Sunday. St. André is the only recognized CSC saint. From the Ordo for the celebration of the Eucharist on January 7: "in the United States, when 6 January falls on a Sunday: St. André Bessette, religious." In other words, the national championship is being played on the observance of André's feast. Coincidence?" -Professor Eric Sims. 

Appropriate pause for a silent moment of awe.

So we thought that was cool and maybe another moment of the destiny that the media and fan base have been playing up since we beat Michigan State, but then it kind of slipped my mind until yesterday morning when Chris, Ryan and I were in the little foyer on the west side of the Basilica during Mass because someone had too many ants in his pants to sit still...a little hint...the someone has just recently joined the, "I say my age in years club."

There is a little shelf on the wall next to the sacristy that displays little prayer cards and pamphlets about the Congregation of the Holy Cross and Catholicism that is at the perfect height for someone who is thirty-one inches tall. Ryan thinks it is amazing. Cards with people's faces on them? A potential mess? Jackpot! Although the usher who normally chuckles as he sees Ryan making a beeline for anywhere but his parents' arms told us that Ryan could have as many as he wanted, we only let him take one per Mass. The past two times his Mass buddies have been Our Lady of Guadalupe and Blessed Basil Moreau. 

Well, imagine my crazed-fan-glee when I looked down at the prayer card that was trapped in Ryan's hand the day before the national championship game to see St. André Bessette's kind face. !!!!!!

Now I have never been one to cheer things like, "God's on our side!" But St. André Bessette? Only canonized brother from the Congregation of the Holy Cross, the order that founded Notre Dame? Welcome to the team!!!

Now we are off to the Grotto for one last prayer. I don't pray for us to win, I always just pray that no one gets injured and that everyone is able to play to the best of their ability (boring, I know). And you can bet that I'll add a St. André Bessette, pray for us. 

Rescued from a little's boys squeezing hands and placed next to the TV. Happy Feast Day!

Party in the City Where the Heater is On

Go Irish! Slam Bama!

It's beginning to look a lot like...the night before the national championship game! Every social media site that I visit (while wearing thick, cozy socks) is chock full of photos of my friends in swimsuits with South Beach in the background, a caption referring to lyrics from Will Smith and the hashtag #GoIrish. Well, this South Bend mama wants to add to the convo since we are having our own little party in the city where the heater is on. So from my South Bend to your South Beach, here are the school-spirit-full displays of affection in this fine city. 

As a Country Biscuit Breakfast fan and an Irish fan, I am quite proud of Robert Evans, as my dad would call it. 

Glad to see the American Pancake House is supporting the team that visit frequently. Happy New Year to you, too, pancakes! 

Numero Uno

Roll the Tide. 

We all know Pat Mulligan is a fan! 

And with that, Weichert Realtors blows the other real estate agencies in town out of the water

We even have the support of the animals! I am disappointed to report that Mikado, the neighbor of the Roseland Animal Hospital and the land of sake bombing, did not mention anything Irish on their sign.

Now we're serious.

And last but not least, the glorious #1 atop Grace Hall. May you always shine brightly...especially after tomorrow night. 

And now I will leave you with my own Will Smith inspired lyrics. Enjoy. 

Party in the city where the heater is on
Nursing all night till the break of dawn
Welcome to (life as a) mommy (bienvenido a life as a mommy)
(Mom) Bouncing in the house where the heater is on
Nursing all night till the break of dawn
I'm (not) going to Miami
Welcome to (life as a) mommy. 

P.S. As always, GO IRISH! 

That Golden Number One Feeling

Oh, this feeling...I could get used to this feeling. Our beloved Irish have a Midas-like influence on me; everything this week gains a golden shine when I remember, "Number one. We are number one!" Ryan is super fussy? He is soothed with some mom bouncing to the tune of the Notre Dame fight song. We need a little pick me up? Move over, Defying Gravity. It's time for some highlight videos. Obsessed doesn't even begin to describe the atmosphere in this household. 

Ryan woke up right before Stanford and Oregon faced off in overtime in the late hours of Saturday night. I guess our little fan didn't want to miss out on the party. Right after Stanford prevailed, we read a tweet from Louis Nix saying, "Campus just erupted!" And with that we grabbed the baby's coat and a blanket and made our way to campus at midnight. I was thankful as we drove to campus that my baby refuses to sleep through the night so we could easily whisk him away (see what I mean about obsessed? I am okay with my baby waking up in the middle of the night! Oh ND, what you do to me!). 

First, we visited the home of Our Lady, the Grotto, to cheer along with her as we prayed to God. What a sight it was to see all of those praying candles touched by the golden shine of a victory. Then we followed the roars of celebration all the way to Stonehenge where one big scene of insanity was occurring. 

You can see the bagpiper standing in the middle of Stonehenge

The sound of a bagpipe rose above the jumbled renditions of the fight song and shouts of, "Beat SC!" and, "We're number one!" while exuberant profanity littered the air. It was quite the atmosphere. We went to bed very late and very happy. 

The happiness continued the next morning when we should have been groggy from lack of sleep (stark contrast to what we would have been groggy from if we were still students). Yawns were golden, tired stretches were golden, morning bed head was golden. We made our way to Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, arrived fifteen minutes early and our whole group still had to stand in the overflow in the hallway. The Basilica was stuffed with thankful fans who have stuck with the team for so long; you could almost hear the silent prayers of thanksgiving just from people cracking smiles and the little pep in everyone's step. I watched priest after priest walk through the door with ND caps on before they headed to the sacristy to prepare for Mass. I smiled as I heard Fr. Rocca announce the opening hymn, "Sing Alleluia, Praise the Lord." 

Praise the Lord, indeed.

Nevertheless, four quarters on Saturday await. Let's do this and keep this golden feeling alive. 

Go Irish! Beat Trojans! 

7 Quick Takes (Volume 2)

Time for some 7 Quick Takes! Happy Friday!

- 1 - 

Still not over it 19 years later. Last Saturday, we watched the Notre Dame - Boston College game (we won!), and the commentators kept trying to liven things up a bit since the game definitely lacked spark. They mentioned the 1993 match up when Boston College ended Notre Dame's undefeated season and road to the national championship on a last second field goal. Chris looked at Ryan and confessed that he cried after watching that game at the ripe old age of seven. I facetiously asked, "So you were upset?" 

"I was upset...I'm still upset."
And he was serious.

- 2 - 

Never too late to take wedding photos. I read a story this week about a couple who had the opportunity to finally get their wedding photos taken...after 88 years of marriage!  Best wishes! 

- 3 - 

What Mom sees is different than what Dad sees. Check out this meme that accurately shows the difference between a mom's view and a dad's view. Daredevils. 

Source 

- 4 - 

A trail of onion peels. Hansel and Gretel left a trail of bread crumbs. Sweet baby Ryan leaves a trail of onion peels. Hmmm. Guess it is time to move the onions.

.- 5 - 

Frozen KitKats. I grew up enjoying KitKats because, well, because my nickname was in it! I ignored the fact that I found them to be kind of mediocre. Until I threw the bag of candy (that Ryan got into as you can see below) into the freezer and then tried a frozen KitKat one pre-Halloween candy binge later. Try it! You won't be disappointed.

- 6 - 

Typing one-handed. A peek at how I blog. Thank you, naptime.

- 7 - 

Senior Day. Tomorrow is senior day for the Notre Dame football team and students. You can watch this primer if you would like to get goosebumps or possibly shed a tear or two (or too many to count, like I did). Go Irish! 

7 Quick Takes (Volume 1)

This will be my first time participating in the 7 Quick Takes link-up. Here goes nothing:

- 1 - 

GO IRISH! Tomorrow night. 8pm. Notre Dame at Boston College. 

My boys watching ND videos and highlights

- 2 - 

South Bend residents. We have now been South Bend residents for one whole year...what?! And, to be honest, it has been a pretty darn nice place to live. Thanks for the year, SB. 

- 3 - 

Baby morning enthusiasm. This photo displays the level of of excitement our baby was at this morning all five seconds after he woke up. There is no gradual wake up with sleepy, giant yawns in the mornings for Ryan. "It's a new day! It's a new day!"

My enthusiastic alarm clock that does not come with a snooze button

- 4 - 

Futile explanations.  I was washing the high chair tray and explaining how it is important to keep it  clean, get rid of bacteria, yada yada when I turned around to see Ryan banging on the trashcan. 

- 5 - 

Naan. I tried my hand at making naan for the first time this week! It actually turned out pretty delicious for an Indian food rookie, but I don't think I will be making it again until I have a cast iron skillet because it was the first thing that has stuck to my non-stick pan. 

- 6 - 

Dinosaurs. While perusing the board book selection at the library this week, I found ABC Dinosaurs and promptly added it to my pile for my husband. Yes, my husband, not my baby. You see, when he was little, he was obsessed with dinosaurs. Total dinosaur nerd. My little paleontologist wannabe. Anyway, when I saw the book I thought, "Hmmm, I want to see how many dinosaurs Chris will be able to name in this book." I was actually really excited about this. I know, I know...my definition of entertainment is thrilling! We went through the book later that evening, and it turns out that the book seems to be intended for the extreme dinosaur nerds...or as Chris said, "This is ridiculous!" Ever heard of the Gargoyleosaurus? How about the Huayangosaurus? So it turns out that the book wasn't good at boosting my husband's ego concerning dinosaur knowledge, but at least Ryan likes the pictures. After we went through the book, Chris and I challenged each other to a dinosaur naming duel. Chris won, but I held my own. Thank you, Land Before Time I-II-infinity  and made-for-TV Dinotopia circa 2002.

- 7 - 

GO IRISH! I was in the mood for a GO IRISH! quick takes sandwich. 

Portrait Stills of a Father and Son from the ND-Pitt Overtime

"Seriously? I can't take this."

End of 2nd overtime when Pitt was about to kick a field goal to win. Dejected and can't believe that we are going to lose. (Sidenote - check out their identical lips!)

Their difference in expressions is because Ryan saw that Pitt missed the field goal before Chris did. Or he liked looking at my phone or something.

Chris: Relieved disbelief, Ryan: Pure joy! Both: Thankful

Touchdown! Ryan experiencing how tightly his dad can squeeze when he is SUPER EXCITED ABOUT NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL. All caps necessary. My roommates and friends from college can vouch for this. 

VICTORY! 9-0, Baby (boy)!