We left on Friday afternoon for the drive east through the desert, and after a long 5.5 hours, we were settling in to our hotel. The vacation rental that Maura's parents were staying at was close to where the Brewers were playing their game on Saturday, so we got a hotel near both locations!
Saturday morning we woke up and by 8:30am, we were ready to see our nephews! When we arrived at the condo, JG was filled with energy and ready to go! He instantly lifted my spirits! We had a few hours before we had to leave for the baseball game, so that time was spent at the community's playground. Although, JG only wanted to get dirty playing with the woodchips surrounding the playground! The curiosity this kid has is amazing! Both Robbie and I got our cardio in that morning chasing JG around, but it was totally worth it! I can't wait for William and Aiden to be mobile like JG is! It won't be long!
After heading back to the house from the playground, William and Aiden were awake, and we were able to hang out with them before we had to leave. The twins are getting so big since the last time we've seen them, and they have just enough differences to tell them apart! The twins are getting stronger and bigger by the day. They can now sit up with support, and they are more aware of their surroundings, which was apparent as they wanted to be a part of every conversation! As soon as each of the twins saw me, it was instant happiness, for all of us! They are such hams! I was able to hold them for a little bit, and of course love them up! I almost blew off the game just to stay with them...almost!
It was eventually time to head out to the game, and I was excited. Baseball is back! In Spring Training baseball, there is a Cactus League in Arizona, and a Citrus League in Florida. The Brewers have always been in the Cactus League for as long as I can remember (maybe forever), and this was our very first Spring Training game that we attended. It's a hard month to get away because we love March Madness so much that we put baseball on the back-burner usually. However, being we had a huge reason to be in Phoenix, we decided to kill 2 birds with 1 stone! The Brewers play their home games at Maryvale Stadium on the western side of Phoenix, but they were the 'away' team that day, playing the Oakland A's. The A's play their home games at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, an eastern suburb of the Phoenix area.
When we got to the stadium, it was set up like we were attending a high school baseball game. Parking was in a grassy field next to the stadium, and the stadium itself was about the size of a college venue. I kind of liked the set-up of Spring Training. It was more intimate. We didn't get tickets to the game until the morning of, and I ended up purchasing the cheapest one's available, and the seats happened to be in the very first row, right behind the Brewers dugout! How awesome! We got into the stadium just as the National Anthem was being sung, and shortly after, baseball commenced!
A lot of Spring Training games allow the non-starters to get some action, much like the NFL's pre-season. During the off-season, the Brewers traded away a lot of their well-known players for young guys, So, on this day, I only knew 3 players in the starting line-up, including the starting pitcher. It was fun for me to see the young talent we have this year. Our farm system is finally shaping up nicely, so in a few years we *might* be an above-decent team. Hehe! Robbie had me keep an eye on our new shortstop, #72 Orlando Arcia. Apparently he's a talented up-and-comer....? You heard it here first when he's named Rookie of the Year! ;)
It was so nice to hear the crack of the bat again, and the thought of each team starting on the same playing field (no pun intended) was a good one! The dream of the post-season was up for grabs for anyone!
Eventually Robbie and I moved to a shady area of the bleachers to cool off. We moved to the very last row, but being the stadium was so small, they were still really great seats! I actually preferred them for the purpose of seeing the whole field better.
The Brewers had their bats going from the start, hitting for the cycle as a team! Lucroy added a few doubles, and I could see he was back into his old form. Jimmy Nelson was the starting pitcher for the game, and he had 3 shut-out innings, and newbie Rymer Liriano had the games lone triple! The Brewers even hit 3 homeruns in the game. If this is any indication of what the season has in store, it'll be a fun 6 months! The game ended in a tie, 8-8; in Spring Training, they don't have extra innings. I was very happy with their production, and I'm excited to see this young team throughout the season.
After the game, we headed right back to visit with the family a whilelonger, just as the twins were coming back from a walk with their Grandma. JG was busy playing hide-and-seek with Grandpa! Again, as soon as I locked eyes with the twins, we were all swooning over each other. I just love them! I was able to help with their bedtime routine and feed both of them. They were so calm the whole time we were there. Maura's mom wanted me to stay for their whole visit! Robbie was getting over a cold and felt bad that he couldn't have as much interaction with them. Of course all JG wanted to do was play outside, and he was constantly calling for his "Uncle Wobbie." Before bedtime, I sat down to a book with JG, and he was practically reading it to me. It's incredible how gosh darn smart he is!
I am so thankful that we have such an impact in our nephew's live's given the distance between us, and that our relationship with Johnny and Maura is so strong! After the boys went to bed, Robbie and I were about ready to turn in as well, so we said our goodbye's then, and headed back to our hotel.
That Saturday was such a great day, getting to do the 2 things I love the most; seeing my nephew's and baseball! There is a lot to look forward to when Opening Day is here, and I just cannot wait. Until then, my Badgers are about to enter the NCAA Tournament after a very surprising season. That's another story!
