Kennedy Ballpark Tour: Missouri Edition

After taking a break from baseball last year, we were so excited to continue our Kennedy Ballpark Tour with a trip to Missouri! Our 2020 trip to Arizona has been postponed for now. We chose Missouri because it gave us the opportunity to go to two ballparks, and the flight was not quite as long for our first trip as a family of four. Here is a look back at the ballparks from years past:

Note: We have actually been to 13 ballparks. We have been to both of the Atlanta Braves' stadiums. Not pictured above is the Braves' new stadium, Truist Park, which we visited in October 2019. 

Day 1 (Tuesday, June 15th): Flying to Missouri

Our travels began around 8AM when my parents picked us up to head to the airport. We have had some early flights over the years, but luckily this one wasn't one of them. In fact, each day of the vacation, we were able to let the kids wake up on their own, usually between 7:30AM and 8AM, which was so nice. Since we had some late evenings and missed naps, not setting an alarm in the morning helped us all get a little more rest. We flew out of Greensboro around 10:30AM, and after a 2-hour layover in Charlotte, we touched down in St. Louis around 3:30PM. We managed to pack everything in two carry-on suitcases and two bookbags. After each section of our travels, Boomer and I would say: "Two suitcases, two bookbags, two kids - check!" Another key travel necessity was the umbrella stroller. Eli rode in it most of the time. If we would stop to wait in line or take a bathroom break, he would say "Out! Out!" He would know soon enough if it was an "out" opportunity or if he would be staying strapped in for a little while longer. He was usually pretty patient, especially if his patience was rewarded with fruit snacks or Cheerios. Traveling with two kids was certainly different. In the airport, Boomer and I were on high alert among the crowds. Having Eli in the stroller eliminated at least one walker. It was very convenient to wheel him up to the gate and then put him back in when we were on the move again. Both kids loved the airport with its escalators, moving sidewalks, and of course all the planes. We had some BBQ for lunch in Charlotte before making the second longer flight to St. Louis (about 2 hours). While mask mandates have been lifted in most places, they are still required in the airport and other public transportation or ride shares (i.e. Ubers, Lyft). Emmy did a great job wearing her mask during these times. After we arrived in St. Louis, we made our way to our hotel, the Hampton Inn & Suites Downtown at the Arch, before venturing back out for dinner. We went to a place that was recommended to us for their burgers and milkshakes. It was called Bailey's Range, and it was delicious. Boomer had the Ballpark Burger on a pretzel bun, and I had the PB&J Burger that came topped with goat cheese and a tomato jam. We also ordered fries with their homemade ranch and beer cheese sauce, followed by a cinnamon milkshake. Yum! All the traveling plus a full belly made for a good night's sleep for all of us. 

Day 2 (Wednesday, June 16th): St. Louis Cardinals' Game

On Wednesday, we had breakfast at the hotel and then made our way to the Cardinals' ballpark. Our hotel was conveniently located within easy walking distance from the stadium. There were great views of the Arch along the way, and we paused for a few photos. Just outside of the stadium, there are a few restaurants and bars that make up Ballpark Village. The game was at 12:15PM, and we were there when the gates opened around 11AM. Boomer had splurged on tickets in the club level of the Redbird Club, so even though the temperature was pushing 90 degrees, we were able to stay cool inside an enclosed, air-conditioned area behind our seats. We snagged a table to eat lunch: a hot dog for me and a brat for Boomer. We moved to our seats just before the game started. Luckily it wasn't too crowded, and we were able to spread out from the three seats that we had purchased. (Eli is still free and does not require a ticket.) The Cardinals played the Miami Marlins, and the game was 0-0 going into the 9th inning. In the bottom of the 9th, Yadi Molina hit a walk-off double to give the Cardinals a 1-0 win. It is always exciting to see a win for the home team! 

We returned to our hotel around 4PM, and we decided to stay in for the rest of the evening. Emmy and I went swimming in the hotel pool, and then we ordered in from Sauce on the Side. We got the Meat Me in St. Louie calzone and the pepperoni basil Bite Sides, which were like pizza hushpuppies. We ate down in the hotel lobby and then turned in for the night. It was a successful day as the Kennedy Ballpark Tour checked off Busch Stadium! 

Day 3 (Thursday, June 17th): The Arch, Riverboat Cruise, and Train Ride

Our two nights in St. Louis passed quickly. On Thursday, we checked out of our hotel, and we stowed our luggage there while we did a little more sightseeing. We walked through the Gateway Arch National Park and through the museum at the Visitor Center. It was very interesting to learn about the expansion to the west and the role that the city of St. Louis played. Unfortunately we did not get to do the tram to the top; tickets were sold out when I looked online the week before. Instead, I was able to get tickets for the riverboat cruise, which was a 1-hour boat ride along the Mississippi River. We have done a few other river cruises on other trips, and it is always a neat way to see the city. After the cruise, we had lunch right there at the dock at the Paddlewheel Cafe. Boomer had the fried catfish, and I had the shrimp po' boy with onion rings. So here comes the one mishap of the trip...(there's always at least one!)

After finishing lunch, we headed back to our hotel to pick up our bags and take an Uber to the Amtrak station. There was a slight mix-up, and Boomer accidentally entered in our destination as Union Station Hotel, which is different than the Amtrak Union Station. Luckily we weren't too far from the train station, but it was a hot 0.6 mile walk with a cranky four-year-old and all of our luggage. We still arrived in plenty of time, and we boarded the Amtrak with our spirits up again. However, we soon learned that there was a heat advisory in effect, and so instead of our 9:40PM arrival time to Kansas City, the train would be delayed due to a slower speed. Yikes, 9:40PM was already really late for our two kiddos! Boomer had downloaded two movies for Emmy, and we had lots of snacks to keep everyone happy. We also lucked out when one of the attendants opened a new car just as we walked up, so we got the four seats at the front that face each other, making a nice little cubby for our group of four. Eli napped for a portion of the trip at the beginning, and then both kids fell asleep at the end. Boomer and I agree that riding the train was a neat experience, but we wish there had not been a delay or that the trip had been earlier in the day. We finally pulled into Kansas City just before 11PM. We roused the kids and then schlepped to our new hotel. Whew! It felt good to be in our room safe and sound. 

Day 4 (Friday, June 18th): Kansas City Royals' Game

With such a late night on Thursday, we all slept in a bit on Friday. We barely made it in time to catch breakfast at the hotel! After breakfast, we set out to explore Kansas City. Jennifer and Jeremy Helton, friends of Boomer's, recommended checking out the Crown Center Plaza, which was within walking distance from our hotel. There was a free "Under the Sea" play exhibit that the kids loved. I tried to get a picture of both kids, but I could only capture Eli's backside as he took off to explore. He is getting so fast! We then got some specialty popcorn from Topsy's and lunch from Fritz's; both were recommendations from the Heltons. Fritz's is a popular restaurant for kids, but even Boomer and I were mesmerized as we watched the food delivered to the table by a motorized train overhead. You placed your order by a telephone receiver at your booth, and then it would come to your table a few minutes later. So cool! After lunch, we went back to the hotel for naps. If we were going to have stamina for the game in the evening, we needed to rest up. We headed to the ballpark around 5PM. As soon as we were inside the gates, we took photos in front of the famous fountain feature in the outfield. (You can see the water just behind our feet.) Boomer purchased a pass ahead of time for Emmy to play in the Kids Outfield Experience, which included many things but most importantly, a carousel. Unfortunately we couldn't talk Emmy into running the bases or practicing pitching, but she sure loved the carousel. I rode once with her, and then she rode again by herself. Later when I asked Emmy what she liked riding the most on vacation: the plane, the boat, or the train - she said "the carousel!"  Of course!

Game time was 7:15PM, and temperatures were in the upper 90s. It was hot! Boomer always does his research ahead of time to get seats in the best section, but even in the shade, it was hard to feel cool. We stayed in our seats until the 3rd inning, and then when the sun went down, we moved to the upper deck where we could spread out and get some air flow. There was a big crowd as the Royals were taking on the Red Sox. It was exciting as both teams had home runs. Around 9:15PM, we made the decision to head back to the hotel even though it was only the 5th inning. The kids were still happy, and we thought it best to leave before things took a turn. The Royals held on to the lead and won 5-3. We caught the tail end of the game back in our room with the kids already tucked in. And so the Kennedy Ballpark Tour completes the trip to Missouri with Kauffman Stadium.   

Day 5 (Saturday, June 19th): Flying Home

The trip back to North Carolina was a smooth one. We checked out of our hotel around 10:30AM and departed the Kansas City airport around 1:30PM. We again had a layover in Charlotte, where we got back on Eastern Time, around 4:45PM. Grammy and Grandpa were there to pick us up in Greensboro just before 8PM. We did it - our first Kennedy Ballpark Tour as a family of four! 

As with my other traveling posts, I'll end with a few of the things we learned when traveling with little ones. #1: SNACKS! It seemed like so much when I was packing, but the kids ate every single snack I packed. Also, since we stayed at hotels with complimentary breakfasts, I was sure to grab extra fresh fruit, yogurt, and milk to use throughout the day. Eli particularly liked the "Oot Ooops" - which became a popular snack for the rest of the trip. Anytime we would sense either kid getting a drop in energy or mood, we would have a snack on the ready. Sometimes they were healthy; sometimes they weren't....but they always seemed to do the trick!

I was pretty minimalistic in my packing, but I tried to bring a few things that I knew would provide entertainment. Emmy looooves to color, so I brought along crayons and a small coloring book or blank paper anywhere we went, even the baseball games and the riverboat ride. 

Lastly, I've learned to spend the extra few dollars for the room with the "princess bed" aka the sofabed that can be turned around to face the wall. I also called ahead of time to request a pack-n-play, which we then covered with clean linens. Everyone slept very comfortably all four nights of our trip, and I think it is because the sleeping arrangements were most similar to those at home.

It was an absolutely wonderful trip, better than I imagined, and I am excited to begin thinking about our trip for next year. The Kennedy Ballpark Tour counts on!

Girls Getaway at the Grandover

The Bakewell girls just returned from a fabulous weekend at the Grandover Resort in Greensboro. Our guys stepped up to watch the kiddos so that we could enjoy a little over 24 hours of pampering, good food, and girl time. A couple of years ago when we went for Mother's Day massages, we talked about how fun it would be to stay overnight for a true Grandover experience. We promised to do it for Mom's 65th birthday, and we blinked, and it was time to make it happen. We booked the "Girls Getaway" package which included a one night stay, spa treatments, vouchers for lunch and breakfast, and to top it off, a bottle of champagne! We arrived early on Saturday to use the fitness center before our spa appointments, and then we had lunch poolside. For dinner, we made reservations at the on-site restaurant called DiValletta. We had the crab dip as an appetizer, and then we ordered three different dishes so that we could have a taste of each one. Meg had the Springer Mountain Fried Chicken with pimento cheese mashed potatoes; Mom had the Filet Mignon; and I had the Jumbo Prawns over orzo. We ended the evening by sitting by the outdoor fire pit. In the morning, we slept in until 7:30AM (not late by most standards, but still later than we normally get up!) We returned to the DiValletta Restaurant for an all-you-can-eat breakfast with made-to-order omelets, fresh fruit, biscuits and gravy, bacon, eggs, waffles, and pancakes. It was such a perfect weekend from start to finish. We had so many laughs and jokes, and stories and deeper conversations, too. I pray that I have the relationship with Emmy as I do with my mom. It just gets better each year!

While Mommy was away, Emmy and Eli had so much fun with Daddy going to the park, playing dress up, and having Movie Night. He is such a good Daddy and was so encouraging of the girls weekend away. I loved getting these photos of their fun times together!

I've unpacked my suitcase for now, but we will be packing up again soon for the Kennedy Ballpark Tour. Stay tuned for our next summer travels!

A Week with Eli

This past week while Emmy finished out the school year, Eli and I had some special time together just the two of us. Since Eli has always been the younger sibling, it is not often that we've had the one-on-one time. Each day this week followed a similar pattern, and I loved it! We would first take Emmy to school. 

Emmy seemed unbothered about going to school while little brother stayed home with Mommy. She always has so much fun at school. This week they had water day and a campout in the gym with sleeping bags. After dropping Emmy off, it was time for breakfast. I got the best smiles and conversation from Eli while he was in his high chair. He has really started to talk. His words include "hot" "up" "car seat" "fruit snacks" "out" and just recently, his name. We laugh when he calls his belly button "boo-boo-butt", and he can definitely express "no" with a vigorous shake of his head and a word that sounds like "dough." 

Then we would go for a spin around the neighborhood. 

And sometimes stop at the park!

One morning, we went for a run around Wake's campus and had donuts with friends. Between the three moms, we had four boys under the age of 4 - and one more boy on the way!

After lunch, Eli would nap while Mommy worked on grad school:

And then we would pick up Sissy. One day we made a special stop for a sweet treat at the pretzel shop downtown. 

In other happenings this week, Eli got his first big boy haircut. It was a pretty significant cut, so hopefully it will keep him cool during the hot weeks ahead. My parents have trimmed his hair a couple of times already, but this was the first time to an actual salon. Stacy at Great Clips was wonderful and took extra care with showing Eli the clippers and letting him hold on to a comb. The lollipop didn't hurt things either! :) Here is a 'before' and 'after': 

It was only fitting that Grammy and Grandpa tagged along since they were Eli's first barbers. Grandpa took pictures, while Grammy kept Eli smiling. He was a happy boy the whole time. We went out to lunch afterwards, and the new look kept catching me by surprise. He is growing up for sure!

On Thursday night, Boomer and I had a date night to the Winston-Salem Dash game. After a whole year of no baseball, my hubby was excited to be back in a ballpark. He and a few other guys bought a package of tickets in the Flow Club, so we got to enjoy a buffet dinner of steak, pizza, and baked ziti, as well as all-you-can-eat hot dogs, popcorn, peanuts, and desserts. There was the threat of rain all day, but luckily there was not a single drop during the game. The clouds actually made for quite enjoyable weather. Sadly the Dash ended up losing 5-2. We will be back soon, and hopefully next time we will see a win. 

While we were at the game, my mom came over to watch the kids, and she brought along some nail polish for Emmy's first manicure. Emmy was so excited to show me first thing the next morning.

Boomer's district has started their summer schedule of four-day work weeks, and he had his first Friday off with Eli and me. With Emmy at her last day of school, we took a trip just the three of us to the Science Center. It was certainly strange to only have Eli. We laughed that we had a constant feeling of missing something. It also felt like we were masquerading as an only-child family. We saw another family with two kids, and Boomer jokingly said, "Don't tell them we have a daughter, too." He knows I can be a bit of a blabbermouth! I had a lot of fun hanging out with my boys. 

After the Science Center, we picked up Emmy from her last day of school. Summer has officially started, and the week with Eli has come to an end. I have cherished the time with him, but I am happy to have Emmy back with me. I am looking forward to all the memories we will make over the next two months! 

First Day of School and Last Day of School

"Mama!"

We had a major breakthrough this week - Eli FINALLY said "mama!" Considering his expanding vocabulary, it's surprising that it has taken this long. Until this week, Eli said "Dada" for both Boomer and me equally. He would point to me in pictures when asked where Mommy is, yet he would still call me "Dada!" It had gone on so long that we would just laugh about it. I had even started to respond to "Dada." Then on Wednesday morning, Boomer went into Eli's room first, and when I came in a few minutes later, he looked at me and said "Mama!" Boomer and I both looked at each other in shock and then cheered and clapped as all parents do when their kiddo does something for the first time. After coaxing the rest of the day, he didn't say it again until the next morning when we repeated the same routine: Boomer went in to his room first, and then I came. By Friday, he was saying "Mama" more frequently and not just in the morning. I love the way he draws out the "mmm" of both of the "m's." Much credit goes to my mom, who has been practicing with him day in and day out this whole year. Now that he is saying "Mama," we have to get him to say "Grammy!"  

Friday was the last day of Eli being at my parents' house during the work week. My summer break starts on Tuesday, and so the year of Grammy Daycare has come to an end. I will certainly miss the daily routine of dropping him off at their house in the morning and then chatting with them in the living room during pick-up in the afternoon. When we made the quick decision in August not to enroll Eli in daycare as previously planned, my parents' offer to watch Eli was such a blessing during all the other uncertainty of COVID. There is no doubt that he has been loved and nurtured this year. It has been so precious to see the sweet relationship that he has developed with them. I know that I will always look back on this year and remember these special everyday moments of M&Ms from Grandpa and walks with Grammy. Here are some photos from Eli's last week: 

Emmy's school year is winding down too. She has one more week. This past week, her class had water day so she got to wear her bathing suit and flip flops. She was especially excited about the return of Kona Ice Fridays. 

Today we went to the Science Center to check out the new section Revolution Ridge. Wow, so many new animals and exhibits! We have watched the construction from afar with each of our visits over the last couple years, and it was exciting for it to finally open. The flamingos were a favorite, along with the indoor play place which reopened after temporary closure due to COVID. We have plans to go back with friends at the end of the month, but I wouldn't be surprised if we squeeze in another visit before then. The Science Center will definitely be a popular spot this summer. We are so excited summer is here!