Let’s Go Blue Jays!

Last Saturday Dad, Hannah and I headed into the city to attend 2nd annual Toronto Blue Jays game.  Last year was the first time we did this and we declared that day that this would become an annual tradition!

We had a blast again this year!  On the way to the Rogers Centre we grabbed the traditional hot dog from a street vendor.  Mmm!

We choose to go on a Saturday as each Saturday is a Jr Jays game with lots of free activities and give-aways for the kiddos.  I’ve heard a baseball game is made up of 9 innings but so far in the 2 years we’ve gone I’ve only seen about 5 innings each year.   I know that going in though and Hannah enjoys the break during the game to enjoy things like face painting,

a ball toss and,

balloon animals.

As ‘we’ were waiting in line for the balloon I had to giggle as Hannah stood enjoying the game while mommy watched it on the indoor monitors from the line. 

Jr Jays are a great opportunity to introduce children to baseball with activities set up inside and outside the stadium and running throughout the game to entertain the restless kiddos. 

Hannah enjoyed what we saw of the game although it was pretty toasty when we first arrived as we were in the sun for the first few innings.  Why sit in your seat when you can use it for shade while you snack?

Our view from the cheap seats.

I was playing with the zoom on my point-n-shoot camera and was impressed with the clarity!  You can see in the pic above that we were well up in the nose-bleeds but I was still able to snap this pic below.  Cool!   The camera I had last year bit the dust but Canon replaced is for free with this great camera!  (Canon G9-X)  I still need to learn more about how to use it but I’m slowly working on that and really impressed at all the features this little pocket camera has!

This isn’t the greatest pic but the only one I have that has the 3 of us in it together.

The game was a nail biter but in the end the Jays pulled it out beating Minnesota 8-7!  Way to go Jays!!!  I see another post-season in our future!  Woot!!!

PS – Hannah says we really must do something about Grandpa’s red shirt at a Toronto BLUE Jays game!  I think she’s absolutely right!!

Hannah’s First Blue Jays Game!

Our Toronto Blue Jays are hot, hot, hot right now so I figured this year would be a great time to introduce Hannah to a live game!  We often watch them on TV and with the games being so exciting this year I thought she might enjoy it. 

A couple of weeks ago I bought tickets for Dad, Hannah and I to go to yesterday’s game against the Detroit Tigers, Dad’s childhood team.  The problem with going to a game late in the season for a team in first place in their division is that most clothing items are hard to find.  Hannah and I went to W*mart Thursday night with hopes of finding a t-shirt for her.  I couldn’t find anything in the kid’s dept. but found one lone t-shirt in the men’s dept.  Even though it’s a men’s small I quickly realized that with the help of a mitt clip that I could make this work.  I think she looks adorable and many people commended on her cute little ‘dress’ at the game!

We met up with dad and set out for a day of fun together!

What’s a day at the ballpark without a ball park dog?

One of the reasons we chose to go on a Saturday is that Saturdays are Jr. Jays days with lots of free activities set up for the kids before, during and after the game.  First stop was for an airbrushed tattoo.

She spun a wheel and won a water bottle and then got a cute little Blue Jays tattoo also.

Our seats ended up being second row from the top but they were great for us as we could see most everything and Hannah could also move around a bit more without bothering people around us. 

After a few innings Hannah and I went for a walk where she had this neat Blue Jay balloon bird made for her.

She got right into the game clapping and shouting with the best of them!

We went for another walk and found a neat little path behind the jumbotron.

In the end, the parts of the game that we saw were AMAZING as our Jays won 15-1 and secure their top spot in the American League East!!!  The noise in the stadium was deafening….and awesome!  (And….the sound almost drowned out the sobs of our family in Windsor who are all Tigers fans! ) SO much fun to be at such a great game!!

After the final pitch was thrown there was still more fun for the Jr. Jays.  We made our way down a long, LONG, l-o-n-g line (it reached almost 1/2 way around the top level of the stadium!!) to wait for an opportunity for Hannah to run the bases.  How fun!!!  Hannah found a neat spot to wait. 

By the time our group of 1000’s of kids began their trek down to the field, the game had been over for almost an hour but the excitement could still be heard and felt! 

It was a really neat feeling to walk onto the field and see the stadium from such a different perspective!   The event was really well organized and as we walked in from the outfield, past the warm-up pitcher’s mounds,  we approached first base and the kids cut off to the right and began to run the bases while the parents walked a path beside first base.  We met up at home plate.  If you look carefully you can see my girl running her little heart out!  Go Hannah Go!!!

Once we met back up we took advantage of being on the field and snapped a couple of final pics – in front of the Blue Jays dugout and

with the stadium behind us.

It was the perfect day from start to end and we quickly decided that this will become an annual tradition!  We hope to go to a game against the Tigers again next summer with more of our family joining us….as well as those who are Tiger fans from Windsor!  C’mon family - who wants to join us?

Go Jays Go!!!