America's Favorite Pasttime

We took our boys to the Washington Nationals baseball game on Saturday night. We'd been trying to find a good time to attend a game together, but our busy weekend schedules of kids' soccer and baseball have prevented it until now. It's Memorial Day weekend, and thankfully, the local kids' sports leagues don't schedule games during this holiday weekend.

We were able to jump on the Metro and ride to the game rather than driving and getting mixed up in crazy traffic. And our boys LOVE riding the Metro, and I have to admit, it's quite an experience for me as well. My husband rides it to work and back every day, so it's not a novelty for him, but the boys and I still act like a trio of tourists. I'm a people watcher and Lord knows there are plenty of people of every variety to watch while riding the Metro.

We had to switch trains during the course of our trip to the game, but that just made for more excitement, and it's so awesome that the Metro basically stops right at the brand-new Nationals stadium. It's such a beautiful stadium too. Wanna see? You KNOW I took my camera! Check it out...


Pretty impressive, huh?

The Nationals lost to the Milwaukee Brewers, which was a bummer, but there were some bright moments too. One of the Nationals' players hit a home run, and wouldn't you know that was the precise time my husband went to get snacks. Poor guy!

My husband thought the boys would enjoy keeping stats during the game, so he printed off some score sheets and brought pencils for the three of them. Notice I did not join in the fun. Um... not my thing. Besides, I was busy taking pictures, like this one...
There were some young just-out-of-college-types sitting behind us who talked incessantly throughout the game. One guy in particular bragged about his position in life and all the important people he knows and has worked with, and of course this guy MIGHT have been 25 years old. These folks also managed to let the F-bomb fly a few times, not to mention several other words we try to avoid saying when in the presence of children. Great! I realize it's a public place and you can't put a filter on everything, but it's a baseball game where there are lots of kids around. You'd think people could put a lid on the trash talk for a few hours. There's no telling what our kids heard and will eventually repeat. Luckily that was the only negative involved with our evening out.

The boys loved the Geico signs at the stadium, as they think the gecko is cool. Naturally we had to have a picture of the sign of this Nationals sponsor...
The boys also got a kick out of watching the "Presidents' Race" at the game. In case you aren't familiar, folks dress up in costumes that look like former U.S. presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt and they race one another around the field. It's hysterical! Check them out...
We couldn't go to the game and not get a picture of the Nationals' mascot either. He's cool and he likes to dance and interact with the crowd.
Tickets to a Major League Baseball Game = $160
Metro Ride to the Game = $18.80
Food Consumed During the Game = $80+ (We lost count)
Souvenirs Bought at the Game = $37
A Night Out with the Boys = Priceless