E-Bear on the sidelines

Guess who go to watch from the sidelines with Dad for the first time on Friday night?

E-Bear was a great helper for his dad.  He even got compliments from the team's athletic director.

They had to stay until the bitter end of the game, (and there were fireworks!), so our little guy didn't get home until 10pm.  Although he fell fast asleep on the ride home, he quickly woke up enough to tell me all about his exciting night.  We're so glad you had fun, E-Bear.

G-Bear, Buddy Bear and I had watched our favorite PBS shows together and at chocolate cake after J-Bear was asleep to make up for the fact that only one kid could go with dad.  G-Bear and Buddy Bear were pretty thrilled with their deal too.  For that, I was truly thankful.  

Happily Ever,

Queen B

Chilly Game Day

Yesterday we celebrated G-Bear's last day as a five-year-old by going to the Twins Game to cheer on our friend, Mr. Josh.

It was a record-setting day:  freezing cold, and the lowest attendance ever for a Twins Game at the new stadium.  

It was indeed cold, but we were prepared, and we had a great time!

We may be Minnesotans after all.

G-Bear ate two whole hot dogs by herself.  "I like hot dogs at the stadium," she admitted.

Good thing it was "Dollar Dogs Day!"

We stayed until the bitter end and were lucky enough to cheer our team to victory in the final inning.  Hooray for the Twins!  E-Bear declared that he would like to play baseball on Mr. Josh's team when he grows up.  Everyone was impressed by the fireworks at the end of the 9th inning.   All in all, it was a very special afternoon.

Auntie Cindy gets a big "Hooray!" for joining us in the cold.  We can't wait to do it again, but next time we'd like to leave our coats and blankets at home :)

Happily Ever,

Queen B

To the ice

This season, we have traded in our swimming lessons (which went swimmingly this fall, I am thankful to say) for ice skating lessons.  G-Bear and E-Bear only have one native Minnesotan parent, and neither T nor I would describe ourselves as ice skaters (although he is quite proficient for a native Southerner, certainly better than me).  Yet, after the fun of our December ice rink outings, we purchased two pairs of used children's skates at a local used sporting good store for $20 a piece and signed the kids up for 1/2 hour per week lessons.  Despite their hereditary disadvantage, the Bears are taking to the ice like champs.

So far, the kids have learned how to fall down (on cue, no less, to the tune of "Ring Around the Rosie"), get back to standing by themselves, and march-step a few steps at a time.  The kids seem to love their lessons, all ankle blisters have healed and hardened, and not a single tear has been shed.  I'd say we're on a roll! 

Buddy Bear is our trooper spectator.  Snacks are key to keep him busy, as he would much rather be out on the ice with his siblings.  We are all spellbound by the spectacle of the Zamboni cleaning the ice after the lesson time.  E-Bear keeps asking me, "What is that thing called again?"

Today G-Bear announced: "Mom, do you know what I would like to be when I grow up?  An ice skating teacher."

Sure thing, sweetie!  For now, let's work on that step-step-glide.

Going to Miami

We were gone exactly 24 hours, 15 minutes.

Miami bound.

The journey wasn't easy.

Catching a catnap on the airport floor.  

But we made it.

Roll Tide!

The past four years have been full of unforgettable moments for Alabama fans.  We have watched most of it from afar, albeit with fanatic faithfulness.  But yesterday, T and his brother L continued their family tradition, and we joining throngs of Bama faithful at the BCS championship game. 

The stadium was a sport fan's dream.  It began as a magical night for both Bama and Irish fans.

In the end, well, most people know how it ended.  We emerged exhausted and exhilarated as the team accepted their fifteenth National Championship title.  Incredible!  Four hours later, we were on a plane back home.  But we won't forget Miami for a long time.

Roll Tide Roll.

Soccer Girl

G-Bear has loved her "Soccer School" this year.

Next week is G-Bear's final soccer game (there have only been six).  Once a week, she has enjoyed a half hour practice followed by a half hour game against another team.   The park & rec setting has been perfect for us.

I love the enthusiasm and excitement with which G-Bear joins her teammates on the field.  I can see her smile beaming from across the field.  She always has a joyful high-five ready for her coaches.  She also has two enthusiastic brothers cheering her on from the sidelines.

Over the course of her "season," G-Bear is learning the concepts of offense and defense (we try to review them on our way to every game.....it is easy to get confused when the coaches are using all these new words!), passing and kicking skills, and above all, teamwork.  "I didn't get a goal tonight, Mommy," she has pointed out on numerous occasions.  "That's okay," I say, and then we review how well her team played together and how each person has a different role on a team, not everyone is supposed to score the goal.

A hearty thanks to G-Bear for ushering us, ever so gently, into our first organized sport experience.  T and I both loved organized sports growing up, and it is exciting to see our kids having fun both cheering and playing in the low-key environment.  Let the journey begin!

Off to the Races

This weekend, we became race fans.

Winston-Salem is home to Bowman Gray Stadium, NASCAR's very first weekly track, started in 1949.  This weekend we made the trip over to Bowman Gray to take in the action.  We had so much fun!  The track is only a quarter mile and the racing involves both modifieds and stock cars.  The drivers are treated like home-town heros.  E-Bear and G-Bear were so excited to meet real race car drivers during the autograph session before the races.  We enjoyed shaking hands with the drivers, getting their autograph cards, admiring at their helmets and their cars.  

Having never been to a car race before, I was impressed by the sound.  The roar of the engines was INTENSE!  Thank goodness some friends sent us with earplugs :)  

The kids were mesmerized.  Even Buddy Bear sat still on my lap (so rare these days) during the races.  G-Bear was quite concerned when the cars bumped into each other.  We agreed that we were glad the drivers wore so much safety gear, especially their helmets.  "Just like we wear our helmets when we ride our bikes, Mom," commented E-Bear.  "That way, my head will stay really safe too."  If you can't tell, we are big on safety in our house! 

Our night at the races was gorgeous.  What a treat.  Hopefully, we'll be back.

Vrrrrrrrrrrooooooooooooooom!

A-Day 2012

  It's been over three months since our last Alabama football game.  

We were going into withdrawal.

E-Bear and his great friend, Cousin A.

So today, we had a great day cheering on the Alabama football team for A-Day 2012.  

The A-Day Game is really just an inter-squad scrimmage, 

but 'Bama Nation always shows up in droves.  

This year, we were amongst the masses, 

sharing a special family day with our cousins.  

All the cousins together.

This was a day of special memories that our kids will talk about for years to come.  

Road to the Championship, Part Three

"I grew up in Alabama—possibly the worst place on earth to acquire a healthy perspective on the importance of spectator sports....A recent poll by the Mobile Register found that 90 percent of the state’s citizens describe themselves as college football fans. Eighty-six percent of them pull for one of the two major football powers there, Alabama or Auburn..... To understand what an absolute minority nonfans are in Alabama, consider this: they are outnumbered there by atheists."  

~Excerpt from Introduction to Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer, by Warren St. John

Bama Nation celebrating their champions.

An unbelievable number of fans descended on New Orleans for the BCS Championship last week.  G-Bear noticed an imbalance in the ranks as we walked down the street:  "Mommy, we aren't getting as many "Roll Tide"'s as we did yesterday."  It was true, there was more purple than crimson in the crowds, but we still managed to have a great time.   We ate lunch outside with live jazz on the French Market.  While the Bears rested in the afternoon, T and Uncle L went to cheer for the Tide players as they boarded the buses for the game.  Before we knew it, the sun was setting over New Orleans and T and I were joining Uncle L and Aunt H to make the long-anticipated walk to the Superdome.  

T and Uncle L celebrating their second 'Bama championship together.

While we went to the game, the kids stayed with Nana and her friends at the hotel.  Our apologies if you were on our floor of the hotel that night.  Every time Alabama scored, Nana and the kids ran down the hall with their shakers, cheering at the top of their lungs.  G-Bear didn't fall asleep until after 11pm, despite the fact that her body was still on Eastern Standard Time.

It was incredible to experience the excitement and jubilation of Alabama's win over LSU.   In his book Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer, Alabama superfan Warren St. John explores superfan-dom by asking "why something so removed from our lives--something that doesn't affect our jobs, our relationships, or our health--affects us so emotionally." (Introduction, p.16)  I can't say I understand it, and I agree with St. John's conclusion that it's not rational.  But as I stood next to T at the game, his knuckles white and frozen around the stem of his shaker for the first three quarters,  I was transported to a different time -- a time when he was six years old, wore a superman cape, and watched 'Bama games with his dad.   I realized how much the team and the game meant to so many people, including the tornado-ravaged towns around Tuscaloosa.  As a caller to the Paul Finebaum radio show said the next day, "I am a 'Bama fan here in Rhode Island, and nobody here seems to get it."  And I realized, as I stood there next to T, that I really wanted 'Bama to win.  And I loved it.   

Roll Tide.

Road to the Championship, Part Two

"Every fan likes to think that they helped their team win the game.  

In our case, we're sure of it."  ;)

~The Happily Ever Johnsons celebrating the 2011 Crimson Tide

When we stepped out into New Orleans last Sunday, we looked the part.  T and I were wearing our matching houndstooth pants and skirt, respectively, which were Christmas gifts that we had found for each other not knowing that the other had the same idea.  Baby Bear was dressed in his new Big Al costume (the Tide's mascot -- thanks, Nana!).  E-Bear was dressed in his new Alabama sweat suit, and G-Bear was proudly wearing her new 'Bama cheerleader outfit.  As we walked down the street, shakers in hand, we shared a common greeting with the ubiquitous roaming Alabama fans:  "Roll Tide!"  The kids got so good at saying it and enjoyed giving out 'Roll Tide's' so much that G-Bear later described this as her favorite part of the weekend.  Even the LSU fans were sweet to our crew:  "aw, aren't you the cutest Tiger Bait ever!"  Whenever we passed a purple Tiger flag, G-Bear would look at T and me, then give us a wink and a playful thumbs down.  

We took New Orleans by storm.  

We had beignets and cafe au laits at Cafe du Monde,

 then attended church at Immaculate Conception downtown, and visited Jackson square, ESPN Game Day and the St. Louis Cathedral.  

We delighted the balloon vendors with our enthusiasm, and they delighted the kids with amazing creations

(Elmo for E-Bear and a red/white Ariel mermaid for G-Bear!), 

Notice that G-Bear is levitating with excitement.

and then took in the sights and sounds along the lavish Rue de Royal. 

(Sorry, no Bourbon Street for us.) 

We enjoyed a spectacular brunch with Uncle L and Aunt H at Antoine's, complete with jazz singers and a personalized Baked Alaska dessert that had the rest of the restaurant swooning.  

We ordered it 24 hours in advance, and boy, we were so glad that we did.

Finally, while the rest of the adults were out for dinner, T and I took our bears on a city-wide trolley tour to complete our evening.  We all had a great time, even when we got stuck in a downpour while waiting for a trolley to take us back to our hotel.  Hey, it was a small price to pay to maintain our super-fan status!

As we crawled into bed at 11pm on Sunday night, we knew our work had only just begun.  Then next day would be game day.   We knew we had to stay committed to make sure our team maintained it's edge. ;)  E-Bear slept in his Alabama football jersey to ensure sweet dreams.

Road to the Championship, Part One

"Every fan likes to think that they helped their team win the game.  

In our case, we're sure of it."  ;)

~The Happily Ever Johnsons celebrating the 2011 Crimson Tide

Last Saturday our alarms went off at 5am.  T and I had slept 3 hours the night before.  E-Bear came stumbling out of his room, still half asleep.  G-Bear rolled over and said, "is it ok if I just lay here in bed for a few more minutes?"  But none of us were crabby.  As we hopped in the car with our friend and airport chauffeur extraordinaire, Mr. Peter, we were already cheering.   We were on our way to New Orleans to help cheer for our favorite team, the Alabama Crimson Tide. 

Two plane flights later, we were in Birmingham and on the road with our Nana to the Big Easy.   When we stopped at the Chick-fil-A in Meridian, MS, it felt like we had pulled into an Alabama tailgate party right outside Bryant-Denny Stadium.  The restaurant and parking lot were overflowing with 'Bama fans headed to the city.  Never mind that the game was still over two days away!  The kids loved picking out all the Alabama A's as we traveled.  At home it is a big, rare deal to see another Alabama A!  Here, there were 'Bama fans like us everywhere!  

By the time we pulled into our hotel, we had been traveling for over 14 hours.  We had waited for an hour to get off at our exit in Saints game-day traffic.  But as we crawled into bed after our pb&j hotel room dinner, none of us were complaining. We were ready to rise, shine and cheer on the Tide again the next day.

Roll Tide

Not only is this an appropriate post title given our favorite team's win yesterday, but it has also been our favorite greeting to friend and stranger alike for the past three days.  That's right, the dearth of Happily Ever Johnson postings is due to our journey to New Orleans, where we cheered our team to victory over the course of a three day weekend.  We have lots of fun memories and moments to share, but for now we are basking in the glow of the Tide's win.  As I said to T this morning, "it's ok, you can get out of bed, we really did win last night, and our team is still the national champs."

So happy for the players, Tuscaloosa, and Tide fans everywhere!  We have enjoyed the ride this year!

Helmets

It's another football weekend around here.  We had a great time with Uncle T, Aunt K and the cousins yesterday for yet another awesome UNC football game.   E-Bear and G-Bear love pointing out the UNC symbol everywhere they see it, whether on a car on the highway or on someone's shirt passing by:  "Look, look, Mommy!  It's Uncle T's team!"  Yesterday at the game they were faithfully cheering on the team for Uncle T, with E-Bear yelling, "Gooooo Blue Team!" and G-Bear asking, "did they get a touchdown?" every time the crowd clapped.

So far this season, the Bears have been growing impressively in their knowledge of football.  Take our conversation in the car last week, for example:

E-Bear: (pointing to a large white A/C box on top of a airport shuttle van)

 "Mommy, that car has a helmet on it's head!"

Me:  "E-Bear, you are right, that does look like a helmet on that car."

E-Bear: "Yeah, it must be going to play FOOTBALL!"

G-Bear: "Helmets are for players so they don't bonk their heads."

E-Bear: "Yeah, don't get a bonk! Go, truck, go!"

Me:  "You're right, G-Bear, I am impressed that you know that."

G-Bear:  "Well, that is the rule.  That is what the man on the TV said when we were watching with Daddy.  The man said, 'you have to have your helmet on your head before you go out on the field.'"

We're all about safety around here!  

Our exchange also made me realize how much TV and radio conversation the kids are picking up these days.  This was a good reminder to pay close attention to what's turned on when the Bears are around.  And as for the cheers at the game?  Keep 'em G-rated!  My Bears are listening ;)

Are you ready for some football?

'Bama Nation is getting ready for a big game this weekend.  T usually reminds us around Tuesday that it is time to get ready for the game on Saturday.  The Bears have been doing their own preparations over the past few weeks by trying to figure this whole football thing out.  Last weekend, after watching the games, G-Bear and E-Bear announced their approaches to the game:

E-Bear (enthusiastically): 

"Mommy, I'm a football player and I would KICK the ball so the odder team can't get it!"

G-Bear (perplexed):

"Mommy, if I was there, I would get the ball and tell them that they all have to share it."

Depending on how you feel about football, you may be either delighted or disappointed that my kids aren't in charge of the game this weekend.

On a similar topic, our fabulous apartment community handyman recently discovered our allegiance to the Tide by spying our Nick Saban refrigerator magnet while fixing our broken washer.  He announced that he was a Tennessee fan and that we were lucky he didn't know we were Bama fans before he fixed the washer.  Holy moly!  I guess I am lucky to have a working washer.  The season has definitely started.

Roll Tide!

UNC Gameday

It is college football's opening weekend! 

We may not have been the starting offensive line, 

but we were pretty good at blocking the sidewalk. 

This crew looked so fierce, man, could they clear a section.

Just kidding, this was actually after the game, not during it.
We don't exit any place quickly.

Carolina blues looked good on everyone today.

The smiles were sterling,

and so too will be our memories.

We have Uncle T, Aunt K and the cousins to thank for our awesome day.

Would you believe that we arrived before the game started

and left long after the crowd was gone?

With six kids 5 years and under, that is impressive and a sign of a good time.

We'll sleep well tonight, especially because all of our teams won today.  Gotta keep everyone happy around here ;)

Happy football season!