FaceTime with Mo

Since we've had Morgan, we have really come to appreciate Skype and FaceTime.  In the few short months we've had her in our lives, these methods of communication have been very useful.

Starting from her first few days, Brianna would FaceTime with me from the hospital.  I was still going to work while Brianna was recovering in the hospital, so I would drive home to get a few hours of sleep before heading into work.  But as soon as I walked in the door I would start to get homesick for my baby girl, so Brianna and I would FaceTime so I could see her before bed.

My first time being away from Brianna and Morgan for an extended period of time was when I went to New York City for the NFL Draft.  Using Skype, I was able to get my daily dose of Morgan on my IPad right from our draft table.

Living so far away from all our family and friends has made it especially difficult for us to share Morgan with those we love.  Thanks to FaceTime and Skype, Morgan has been able to see many of her uncles, aunts, grandparents, and cousins.  Just recently we FaceTimed with her two cousins closest in age, Alton and Kristie.

We're so blessed to have these devices and abilities at our disposal, although in a few weeks we won't need them....  We'll be coming home for some real "face-time"!

See you soon!

Grandparents First Visit

 During the first few weeks at home with Morgan we were blessed with the opportunity to share this experience with our parents.

The day we were discharged from the hospital we picked up Cheri at the airport.  It was really helpful having her around during the transition period from the hospital to our home.

 A week or so later, when tax season was over, Richard joined us as well.

 The Hale grandparents helped around the house and also took Morgan to her first baseball game.  They also took her to The Anchor Bar.

 After the Hale grandparents returned to Idaho, the Haws grandparents arrived.

 Homely and Joyce spent most of their time cuddling, kissing, and spoiling little Morgan.

They also took a walk down to frozen Lake Erie.

Thank you again for all your help! We really appreciate it and can't wait to see you again this summer!

Morgan Joyce

 On April 1st, 2014 we welcomed Morgan Joyce into our family.

Here's mom before the delivery:

And Dad, a nervous wreck:

Our first view of Morgan:

Moments after birth:

A few day 2 photos:

We'll post more pictures once we return from the hospital.

Love you guys!!

6 Years

For our 6-year anniversary we decided to go to Niagara-on-the-Lake in Canada for a couple days.  It was only an hour away, but it still turned out to be a really nice getaway for the weekend.

  

We stayed at the Queen’s Landing hotel. We went swimming in the hotel pool and ate dinner overlooking the lake in the Tiara restaurant.

The next day we walked around the village and also down by the waterfront.  The town is full of little shops and cafes.  For more information about Niagara-on-the-Lake you can click on the link below.

 Niagara-on-the-Lake Info

It’s still crazy to me that we’ve already been married 6 years…

I love you Brianna.

NASCAR: Pocono

Our summer of fun continued a couple weeks back when we went to a NASCAR race at Pocono International Speedway in Pennsylvania.  The night before the race we stopped by Scranton to visit Mike and Jenny. 

Before the race we went around to the different merchandise trailers for each of the drivers.  This is a picture of Bri in front of the trailer for her favorite driver Jimmy Johnson.

Going to a NASCAR race is a different experience then going to a normal sporting event for several different reasons.  At regular sporting events it is preferable to sit as close as possible to the field to see all the action.  In NASCAR it is the opposite.  The tracks are so large that it is more desirable to sit farther up in the stands so that you are able to see a larger portion of the track.

 

We decided to rent headphones that allowed us to listen into the conversations between the drivers and their crews.  It was a pretty neat experience to hear insights on the race from the drivers themselves.  The headphones also helped protect our ears for the roars of the engines.

Bri’s favorite part of being at a NASCAR race is watching all the wrecks.  The Burger King car crashed on the very first lap.

Here is a picture of the #51 car right after it hit the wall.

Our seats were right along pit road, so we were able to watch the pit crews work furiously on their cars.  It’s amazing how fast they can fix the car, change the tires, and fill it with gas.  A normal pit stop usually lasts around 14 seconds.

The #20 Home Depot car driven by Joey Logano won the race.  This is a picture of him doing a burn out for the fans immediately after he won the race.

After the race we waited until the traffic died down and then we headed back to Buffalo.

Shipping off to Boston

Over Memorial Day weekend Brianna and I went on another one of our baseball excursions.  This time around we decided to go to Boston to see a Red Sox game at Fenway Park.

We stayed in the North End section of Boston.  It is located right on the water.  It’s also known as “Little Italy”.  There were authentic Italian restaurants and bakeries every few steps.

I especially liked the authentic cannoli we found at Mike’s Pastry.  It is one of the more famous destinations in the North End of Boston.  We stopped by rather early on Saturday morning to beat the rush of people.  Every other time we passed this shop there were people lined up outside the door and down the block.

Coincidentally, the Boston Celtics were also in town for Game 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers the same weekend we were there to see the Red Sox.  Brianna loves anything green and Irish, so we got decked out in Celtics gear and went down to the game.

The Celtics ended up winning a pretty even game, which made it exciting.  If you look to the bottom right of the following picture you’ll see #00 in red.  His name is Spencer Hawes (like my name except spelled with an extra “e”).  When we were checking into our hotel the guy at the front desk thought I was playing a prank on him when we told him that the reservation was under the name Spencer Haws….

The next day we took the subway down to historic Fenway Park.  Growing up my dad had always told me stories about how beautiful and majestic Fenway was.  When we arrived at the park, we could see that it really did live up to the hype.

Fitz was able to get us really nice tickets because one of his old college buddies works in the front office for the Red Sox.  The view of the field from our box seats was incredible.

Between innings Brianna looked up at the jumbotron and noticed that there was a special message to us from Fitz’s friend….

After the game we jumped back on the subway and then took a cab to the airport.  After a short flight, we were back in Buffalo.  The trip itself was really short but we had a lot of fun.

14 stadiums down…  and 16 more to go.

Next up: Citi Field, New York City. July 4^th, 2012