Modesto Nuts Baseball Night 2011

On May 2, we had our school's night at the local minor league team, the Modesto Nuts (they're the class A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies). They have a reading program where if the kids read a certain number of books in a month, they get a free ticket to a game and they have a parade for the kids around the field before the game and they get a free hot dog and a soda. Our whole family looks forward to it every year. It's a lot of fun, because the kids know half of the people sitting in our section (right along the first base line behind the dugout in the bleachers), we get to see some teachers and meet other parents. It's a good time.

This year Squig didn't want to go, and we decided we'd probably all have more fun if she stayed home. So she did. And we all had a good time. We sat with our friends who used to live across the street and enjoyed chatting with and seeing everyone.

Sam learned to score baseball games at the Red Sox game last year. He likes it.

As many of you know, one of the best things about minor league baseball is the audience participation. There are all sorts of contests and giveaways. This year, our very own little Ruby was chosen as "Kid of the Game", and was awarded a clear green piggy bank with a $25 gift certificate to the gift shop! She was so excited--to get the piggy bank. She named it Cortny (she spelled it out for us).

In the picture below, you can see "Mike with the Mic" giving her the award. He said he picked her because he saw here there in her Red Sox hat and couldn't pass her up. You can see her with the piggy in her right hand.

Later in the game, when she started to get bored, we went to the gift shop to redeem her gift certificate. She picked a pink Nuts shirt, a pink mini bat, and a pink baseball. The cashier at the gift shop took a picture of her with her stuff.

On our way back to our seats, we ran into Al, the almond, one of the two mascots (the other is Wally, the walnut) and he signed her bat. He offered to sign her hat, but mom said no way, not the Boston hat!

We made it through the 7th inning stretch, and it was getting pretty late (nearly 9pm), and most of the other kids were leaving since it was a school night. Sam really wanted to stay, but they had a lot going on and needed their sleep.

Of course, Cortny is now a treasured member of the Ruby Menagerie. Just today she asked me if I wanted to kiss Cortny. I said, no thank you, not today.