Youngstown

When did life get so busy!  I used to always find time to blog regularly and I have been struggling just to keep up with the major events occurring in our lives.  Over Labor Day we decided to meet Paul's parents and 2 brothers in Youngstown, Ohio to see his youngest brother Mark play college football.  Mark is the one that just got married this summer and this is his final year of college football.  He is the starting center at Youngstown and an awesome football player.  We made the 11 hour drive to Youngstown on a Thursday and we were able to hang out with Mark and go to one of his favorite restaurants in town the MVR. Hayden warmed right up to Uncle Marko and had so much fun playing with all his blankets at his apartment.

That night his wife Kelsey flew back from Utah (at her grandmother's funeral) and Paul picked up his parents and brother Kyle from the airport.  The next day Paul's brother Russ and his 2 oldest boys also flew in.  That day we toured around the campus and went to my favorite ice cream place ever:  Handel's.  We had a Handel's close to where we lived in Indiana and we have missed it so much!

The next day was much busier!  Mark's team played University of Pittsburgh, so we drove about an hour to Pittsburgh and spent the day there until the game started.  We hung out by one of the rivers for awhile and then headed over to the Carnegie Science Center.

There were tons of fun things to do at the Carnegie Science Center, Hayden enjoyed holding a turtle...

 Playing in the aquarium

And the medical center with her 2 cousins Cooper and Ozzie

This picture is my favorite!  She was so excited to try this little ride out, but once she got on, she was a little freaked out by it and ran to me and cried after :(

Of course right when we left the Science Center it started pouring rain, just in time to head to the football stadium!  Pitt plays in the same stadium as the Steelers, it was our first time in an NFL stadium.  Here we all are during a break in the rain.

Hayden so happy to be with her cool cousins!  She was way attached to this umbrella, it was hilarious.  She treated it like a baby and fed it, gave it naps, and held it when it cried.  I guess we should have brought some more toys along for her to play with!

Paul and his brother Kyle pretty excited about being at the game

Despite the cold, rainy day, Hayden stayed toasty warm on dad's lap.  She got to wear his hat and stayed underneath a poncho.  She got so cozy that she even took a short nap during the game.  She really did a great job during the game.  I was worried that I'd be walking all over trying to keep her entertained, but she just stayed on our laps the entire time.  After every play she'd say, "what happened" and wouldn't let it go until she got an answer.  When she saw players tackle each other she'd say, "ouch, I think they need a band aid!"  It was pretty cute!  She even learned some of the cheers...

Youngstown ended up beating Pitt 31 to 17!  We were so excited to represent the winning team and to support Mark on such a big win.  Hayden was so excited to see him after the game ended.

His proud family!

After the game we tried to find someplace to eat.  This turned into a huge nightmare, but by the end we found the Hard Rock Cafe.  I haven't been to one in years so it was fun.  Two funny things about going to dinner:  1)  It was right next to a strip of night clubs.  When we were walking by the "Sexy and I Know It" song came on and Hayden kept pointing to the club and saying, "no this one, this one, eat in there!"  She wanted to go in so bad.  2)  There must have been a body building competition going on because I started to look around the restaurant and was feeling incredibly out of shape and flabby by the amount of buff people surrounding me.  It was insane how many buff people there were all around us "regular" people!

The next morning we said our goodbyes before everyone headed to church and we drove back home.  It took us a bit longer because it rained for most of the drive.  I was worried about driving 2 long days in such a short amount of time, but it really didn't seem too bad.  The route we took, took us through lots of cities so there was always something to look at.  It wasn't like the hundreds of miles you drive through nothing in the west which was nice.

Hayden was a trooper through the whole trip.  Yes, she had her moments and her meltdowns, but she slept like a champ in the hotel room and was awesome the entire drive.  This trip made me more hopeful that we can do fun trips as a family and make them successful!

We got home late Sunday night and then I prepared to leave for Seattle Wednesday!  Despite the game being right before my trip to Seattle, it was so much fun to see family and support Paul's brother.  Go Youngstown State!