Makes a daddy's heart happy!

SYT teaching PUT the basics of golf.  And, just in case you are wondering, yes, Spencer does have favorite golfers already.....

 

"Luuuuuuuuuuke" (as in Donald)- Hysterical to hear him say it. What's funnier is that our neighbor's son is also a Luke and I'm pretty sure that Spence thinks it's that Luke who is golfing on tv.

 

Tiger Woods is the other fave

 

 

I do not doubt that the reason we would have a 3rd child is so that B could round out his foursome!!

Easter 2012

Easter morning with Spencer's first Easter basket.  He received monkey jammies, an Elmo cup and snack container, sidewalk chalk, Elmo eggs filled with change for his piggy bank (he LOVES putting change in his piggy bank), and two new Elmo bibs.  Yes, our world revolves around Elmo!!

 

My big boy right before church

Before the Easter egg hunt during the "eggercizes"

Spencer's first egg.  He could not have cared less until he found out there was candy inside.  Then he was all about it!

 

Look, I can even find the ones under the tree.

Notice the sweater in honor of Master's Sunday.  Golf cart intarsia knit with madras plaid pants.  This is, without a doubt, B's favorite outfit I have ever put on SYT. 

After the egg hunt

36 weeks with my almost 2 year old.  Yikes!!  The belly is large and in charge ;)

Not the most flattering picture, but a family picture none the less!

I love, love, love this picture of my two favorite men.  Can't wait to meet the newest addition to the "boys" in just a short time.

I hope you all had a blessed Easter and enjoyed the weekend.  We had a great dinner all three nights, we enjoyed a lot of time just playing with Spence, AND we got a lot of stuff done around the house.  It was so nice on Saturday that we even got our lawn mowed and the flowerbeds weeded for the first time this season!!  We loved watching the Masters, and we loved our ice cream that we ate for lunch dessert even more :)  Have a great week (and the Easter treats you may have received!!).

What's on "par" for the weekend...............

BIG weekend around the T household!  It's Easter and our favorite sporting event of the year all combined into one glorious weekend.  We've already set the DVR to tape today and tomorrow's rounds of golf and plan on not missing a second on Saturday or Sunday. 

B has to sing tonight at church and has rehearsal afterwards- it's a big week for the choir!!  Tomorrow he has to sing at noon for the Good Friday service.  Spence and I will not be attending either, unfortunately.  I can barely keep my eyes open this week and slept horribly last night, so we are headed home after work today for a quick and easy dinner, bathtime, bedtime, a few small things around the house for me to look after and an early bedtime for me as well.  Tomorrow night we will be watching the golf we've DVR'd, eating butter chicken (a pinterest recipe in the crockpot- sooooo good), and finishing up the painting we are doing to some bookshelves for the playroom.

Saturday is supposed to be beautiful here (mid 60s and sunny), so in the morning I hope that we can get some yardwork done.  B needs to mow the front yard, and I really need to weed the gardens out front.  I'm hoping to buy more perrenials next weekend, and I need to get the weeds out in order to have somewhere to plant them!  We also need to take pictures of Spence's big boy room so that I can post them here and work in the playroom a bit.  It is coming along, and I'm really excited about it.  We'll watch golf (and hopefully I will sneak in a nap) Saturday afternoon.  We're having pork tenderloin on the grill for dinner that night- yum!!

Sunday we will head to church- B early for rehearsal and SYT and I a little later.  His little Easter/Master's Sunday outfit is TDF, so you know I'll be pimping him out here on Sunday or Monday.  There's an egg hunt after church for the little ones, so we'll stay for that and then bring him home for his nap.  We were hoping to be able to swing brunch too, but we'd be pressing our luck with the timing and the nap, and it's just not worth it.  We'll do brunch another year!  I've already picked up Ben and Jerry's and jelly beans for our afternoon Master's/Lenten/it's finally Easter (and why would a pregnant woman give up ice cream and candy) treat, and both of us are chomping at the bit for the ice cream :) 

B is excited to watch Hunter Mahan this weekend as he's the top ranked American going into the Masters, and he won last weekend so is coming in feeling good today.  He is still a huge Tiger fan (though he obviously doesn't agree with his personal decisions that got him into the last few crazy years), so he'll be rooting for him as well.  I always root for the same people: Phil, Luke Donald, and Ian Poulter.  I will often pick my person of the day based on the color of their pants.  It's my favorite part of golf (hence the reason I love Ian) :)  It'll be fun to watch Rory and see how he does.  I love, love, love that golfers can be so good but have such bad days because you never know what's going to happen.  Sometimes it makes for not exciting wins (it's really boring to see two guys that aren't "popular" who are on the top of the leader board, especially if they're both in khacki, black, or navy pants!), but it just proves that anything can happen. 

What's on par for your weekend plans?  Will you be watching golf?  Shopping?  Visiting with family or friends for the holiday?  Enjoying a long awaited visit with your darling mom?  I hope that whatever you have planned is absolutely fabulous and that the weather is equally wonderful.  I also hope that all of you have picked up your favorite Easter candy as a treat to yourself!!

TDF CUTE!!!

Jana Oosthuizen (daughter of Louis) and her mom Nel-Mare

Check out the back of her caddy outfit!!!  OOSTY!!!!  Seriously, I DIE!!!

Plus that cute little ping hat?  Squeal!!!!

Blow this one up and check out Stuart Appleby's daughter's caddie outfits.  The older girls have gingham lined outfits and the little boy has polkadots!  So preptastic!

Another shot of Mia, Max, and Ella Appleby.  Mommy points to Mrs. Appleby for thinking up these outfits!!

Fr those who are looking for a little more adult eye candy......

Andy Roddick caddied for Zach Johnson in the par 3.  I would have followed that pair all day long!!

A.R. looks so good in those aviators!

And one of my two "golf husbands" (Luke Donald) looks pretty fine himself!!

Bummer that Luke ended up winning- that pretty much takes him out of the race for Sunday, if superstition holds true.  His wife is beautiful, no???

Guest Post- B's Masters Preview

Okay Ladies, it's that time of year again.  Even here in the 38 degree malaise that is West Michigan, I'm spending the week dreaming of all things green and yellow, of azaleas blooming behind the 12th green, of the Tuesday night Champions Dinner, and of how I can structure my weekend so that I have 6 hours to watch final round coverage with limited interruptions.  Yup, it's MASTERS WEEK!!!

I've done this the last couple of years, including last year's well-received "B's Peeves - Masters Edition," which included my take on several things from marital infidelity to what does and does not qualify as "food."  This year, I'm in a pretty good mood, what with a happy and healthy baby, a loving wife, a good job, a new Niece (other post- I'll let AET tell the story), and the coming start of golf season.  So no Peeves today, it's just a straightforward Masters Preview.  Now, without further adieu:

The Champions Dinner:

Avid Masters fans know that the defending champion is traditionally responsible for hosting an evening of all living Masters champions at Augusta National on the Tuesday night before the tournament starts.  The tradition started in 1952 with Ben Hogan, who invited all of the former tournament champions to dinner at th club with one strict stipulation: "wear your green coat." 

In 1980, Sandy Lyle broke the tradition of everyone ordering off the standard Club menu (steaks, fish, chicken, etc) and served a traditional Scottish Haggis from his homeland.  While the haggis went over like a turd in the punch bowl, the tradition stuck.  Since then, Vijay Singh brought Thai Food in 12 courses.  Angel Cabrerra brought Argentinian meats to grill and Argentinian Wines to pair (yes, please!).  Nick Faldo served fish and chips, Ben Crenshaw flew in Texas BBQ Brisket and sausages, and Tiger Woods served cheeseburgers, french fries and milkshakes after he won when he was 20 (ie- no booze).

This year, Lefty paid homage to one of his golf idols from his younger days.  When Phil was 17 and playing as an ameteur in his first PGA Tour event, he was paired with Seve Ballesteros for a practice round and they struck up a lasting friendship.  Seve (also a Masters Champion) is at home in Spain this year battling cancer in the brain and other areas.  The Champions Dinner last night featured salad with sherry vinegarette, gazpacho, paella, beef tenderloin with manchego cheese and Spanish tortilla (egg and potato baked in cast iron) and something called "Spanish Apple Pie."  Not sure what the apple pie was about, but my biggest beef (get it?) with the menu was that I wasn't invited.  A nice tribute to a nice guy, and it sounds like a hell of a dinner.

(Paella is a party on a plate)

Another Highlight-  The Par 3 Contest.  Every year at 12:30 on Wednesday, Augusta National holds a Par 3 contest for competitors.  It is now covered by ESPN live each year, so it has gained momentum.  Many players bring their kids or wives to be the caddie, and everyone seems to have a good time.  There's frequently a hole in one, and all generations get involved.  My DVR is set.  Side note- no Par 3 Contest winner has ever won the Masters in the same year.  People have gone on record to say they purposefully tanked on the last hole just so they wouldn't win the Par 3.

 (Aaron Baddelay and his Caddie/Wife with their Baby)

(The "Triad" of Jack, Arnie, and Gary Player at last year's Par 3)

(Jim Furyk and his little ones)

On to the picks:

Low Ameteur:

Peter Uihlein.  Reigning US Ameteur champion who is a Junior at Oklahoma State.  Good friends with fellow Cowboy and PGA Tour phenom Ricky Fowler (per Fowler's Twitter feed), this kid has plenty of game and can take advantage of the short par 5's, especially #13, which is essentially a long Par 4 for the big hitters.

(Uihlein after winning the USAmeteur)

Side note on the ameteurs - Another candidate was Lion Kim.  Kim is a senior at the University of Michigan (GO BLUE!!), and captain of the Wolverine golf squad.  He's in the Masters by way of winning the American Public Links tournament.  When asked about his name, he replied "I'm sure my parents got the idea [for the nickname "Lion" instead of his given name of Jun Min] from Tiger Woods...but I know for a fact that they didn't name me Lion Kim thinking I would be the next Tiger Woods.  Trust me, they're smarter than that."  All I read in that is oh crap.  I'm old enough that there's a college senior playing in the Masters who is named AFTER Tiger Woods.  I remember when Tiger went pro... But I digress.
Feel Good Story of the Week:

Tough one.  There's no real Freddy Couples/Greg Norman story line this year.  The Lefty dinner selection is nice, but the only real candidate for a FGSoW would be if Tiger finally lets his guard down and speaks frankly with the media (which he won't do), or if an Ameteur contends for the title.  Since I just threw out my Peter Uihlein pick above, I might as well go with that for FGSoW

Contenders:

Phil Mickelson- This guy seems to love Augusta as much as anyone, and on the heels of a win last week in Houston, he's a contender for sure.  He always plays the week before the Masters (Tiger never does), and he won in Atlanta in 2006 before winning his first Masters the following week.  And if he finds a chance to hit that 205 yard 5-iron out of the woods, off the pine straw, over a creek, to 8 feet for birdie?  Well then, keep an eye out for Amy and the kids on Sunday evening.

(Lefty after Sunday's win in Houston)

(for you Preppies out there)

Martin Kaymer- There are no flaws in this guy's game.  Hits it long, soft, left, right, over and under.  He putts well.  He's nearly as stoic as Reteif "The Mechanical Golf-Playing Robot" Goosen on the course.  It seems like a cop-out to pick the World #1 as a contender, but this guy is the real deal.  And, according to Queen Bee Swain, he's apparently eye candy too.  Any guy who can pull off the ascott/scarf in the desert in February probably doesn't have a hard time with the ladies, if you know what I mean...

(in the finals of the Accenture Match Play in Tucson in Feb)

 Ian Poulter- Poults has come a long way since his "Tiger's more beatable than ever" days of 2007.  He's one of the top ball strikers in the world; a skill that was cited as a weakness for him just a few years ago.  He's a fierce competitor and punishes people in match play competitions like the Accenture and the Ryder Cup.  If he's at the top with one other guy with a couple strokes between them and the field, it could become like a match play event, and my money would be on this guy for sure.

(nice pants...for an Englishman who lives in Orlando)

Ricky Fowler- Young gun.  Nearly flawless game, but hasn't figured out how to put a whole week together and close the deal for a win.  I just wonder what a green jacket would look like over an all-orange Sunday getup???

(add green jacket and I'm seeing a trend here...)

Matt Kuchar- Often overlooked American sharpshooter with a game that fits Augusta well.  I sincerely considered picking him as my winner, but I'll save that for below.  He won more money than any golfer in the world last year, and already has a win this year to go along with his new, more consistent, putting stroke.  Serious contender.

(with the fam after a win)

Pretenders:

Tiger Woods- I think my comment last year was "anytime he's in the field, he's the favorite."  Well, um, that's not true anymore.  This guy is all out of whack, and it's gonna be a while before he gets back... into...whack.

('nuff said)

Lee Westwood- #2 player in the world does more choking than a Red Cross CPR class.  Hasn't won a major.  Won't win a major...yet.

(in fake english accent: "oh bother.  I've lost another major?  Bullocks!")

The Old Guys- In the last few years, we've had good runs from Jack, Freddy, Greg Norman and Kenny Perry.  I just don't see that happening this year.  Nobody over 50 will make a run.  The closest who could would be Phil (40) or Vijay Singh (46...ish?)

Winner:

Hunter Mahan- Another American who has often been overlooked, and is one of the best without a Major title to his name.  This guy has been nothing but consistent this year.  He's also been on winning and losing Ryder Cup teams with big, intense pressure situations.  He's also in those funny Titleist commercials where he serves hot dogs at the halfway house.  He's been in the Top10 in the last TWO Masters (T8 and T10).  With 5 Top 10's this year in only 9 events, he's the hottest guy out there right now and due for a big win.  That's not to say that he'll "win big," but it will definitely be a "big win" for him. 

 (this look could be familiar by Sunday evening)

(all gussied up for Golf Magazine)

So there you have it.  Pick up your mark call it good.  I'll see you in the clubhouse for a cold one.

Solheim Sunday

We had so much fun on Sunday at the final day of the Solheim Cup. After watching some of the tournament on tv on Saturday, we were both a little nervous about Europe being able to take the cup. However, Americans are known for their ability to play well on Sundays in previous Solheim Cup tournaments, and they definitely delivered! Morgan Pressel ended up with the winning shot on hole 16- the roar from the crowd was awesome! Michelle Wie played like a rock star all weekend. This is after she has struggled with the fame and pressure throughout her career on the LPGA. I'm only hoping that this week gave her the mental stamina, the confidence, and the fan support to win her first LPGA tournament soon! She was really fun to watch- she was SO excited after every hole. Paula Creamer (my favorite!) was able to pull off a win on hole 16 over Suzann Petterson, an amazing European player, and that seemed to set a great tone for the rest of the afternoon. It was Juli Inkster's last Cup, and I'm so glad I was able to see her come through on the 17th hole. What an amazing career she has had!

The crowds were so nice and so supportive of the ladies. It was so fun chatting it up with people and cheering together for the USA. While not as big, it had a similar feel to the Olympics. The nice thing about LPGA events vs the PGA events is that there are fewer spectators which truly allows you to get up close to the best players out there and feel like your cheering is truly making a difference. On that same point, the LPGA is one that definitely deserves more support. The women are phenomenal players, and it would be nice if there events were covered more by mainstream media and if more people came out to support them.



Have you ever attended a LPGA event? If the LPGA comes to your area in the next year, I would highly recommend heading out to see them play! It's a great experience. Quite kid friendly too, in my opinion. I think you all would LOVE it, and I know the players would love the increased support!

Holiday Weekend

How was your weekend? Did you have a great time celebrating our country's Independence and freedom? I can't wait to read all about it today!

While normally we spend the 4th of July up north, this year we left Friday morning to go to one of B's HS friend's wedding in B and A's hometown. We arrived about noon and took B's grandmother to lunch at her favorite Mexican restaurant. After lunch we went back to her place to show her all the Spain pictures. We then went to get ready for the ceremony and reception. We dolled up in red, white, and blue since it was the 3rd. We received quite a few compliments!

The only pic of us together- B had a navy blazer on earlier


A and S are super fun and quite unconventional. They had a tableful of costumes for the photo booth, and as evidenced by the next picture, they were utilized well! They also came out in white track suits and performed a choreographed dance for everyone! While I thought she was crazy for changing out of the gorgeous sheath dress she wore, the dance was hysterical and well done!





On Saturday morning we got up, ran (I did 3.3, B did 9), watched Serena and Venus (I was happy with the outcome!), and then went to the Jamie Farr Owen's Corning Classic LPGA event. We got there, watched a few pairs tee off, ate lunch in the tent, and then followed a few of the leaders around the course. After walking the first 9, we went to the 18th green skybox to watch everyone come in. A South Korean named Yi ended up shooting a 61 on Saturday!!!!!!!!!! She went 10 under- amazing. Morgan Pressel ended up tying her on Sunday which led to a one hole tiebreaker where Yi was crowned the winner. Morgan played really well on Saturday as well. We watched her quite a bit as well as Michelle Wi (did you know she is 6 feet tall in real life??), Suzann Pettersen, and Natalie Gulbis. Unfortunately, Paula Creamer had injured her thumb and did play. I was bummed b/c she is definitely one of my favorites!! B was fine with watching Natalie (specifically her smile and her legs!) all day :)
Eunjung Yi wins

Natalie on Saturday

Morgan Pressel


Saturday night we went to a party at the Groom's parents house. It was fun to hang out with all of B's HS friends again and spend more time catching up. We were exhausted by about 11 and headed home. Sunday morning we had breakfast with his grandma and then got on the road to get back home to Junie B and to do the standard weekend chores (laundry, grocery shopping, etc). While I missed being up north with my friends and family, the wedding was fun, and I do enjoy hanging out with B's friends. All in all- good weekend!!

B's Master's shout out!

So, after reading my Master's post, my husband wanted to let you all know that he doesn't root only for Tiger. He also decided he needed to *edit* my post to include a little more information. Just in case you have a fellow golf lover in your life in your husband, boyfriend, father, or brother (and you could care less), you can share all this info with him and see if he agrees with B!!

Winner: Tiger Woods (Solo second last year while playing on a flat tire- referring to his knee)

Rounding out the Top 5:
2. Geoff Ogilvy (Interesting fact- an Aussie has never won the Masters)
3. Henrik Stenson (big hitting Swede who flies under the radar)
4. Rory McIlroy (English teenager, Cinderella Story, just turned pro last summer, played in the Masters last year as the then-reigning British Amateur champion)
5. Lefty (fan favorite, loves Augusta - fits his game well)

I can see where he's coming from with Geoff and Rory (and I obviously love Phil (aka Lefty)), but I do not think Henrik will win or even contend. Rory is super fun to watch, btw!!!!



Low Amateur (which is important at the Masters, even gets its own trophy during the ceremony at the end): Danny Lee, reigning US Amateur champion from New Zealand of Korean heritage
He is playing really well, so I completely agree with B on this pick.


Total Duds:
1. Trevor Immelman (he'll be too tired after playing host to everything throughout the week as the defending champion)
2. Brandt Snedeker (Tied for third last year at Augusta, playing horribly this year)
3. Greg Norman (just retire, already!)
4. Paul Casey (after winning last week, he'll be too tired to play well)

Feel-Good Story of the Week: Fred Couples (1992 champion, playing well at 49.5 years old).
Freddy Couples is a really nice guy too (just like Kenny Perry)

Now, Ladies, make sure you impress someone with your new found knowledge this weekend. Or you can just watch The Master's in order to see who is sponsored by the preppiest clothing brand!! Brett Quigley is a Vineyard Vines guy, and I think that is awesome (unfortunately he wasn't invited to play in the tournament this year, so you will have to watch for him at other tournaments)! Also, if you are only watching for the cuteness factor, Brandt Snedeker is pretty darn good looking and a Southern Gentleman who went to Vandy!!

I can't wait!!!!

Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday..............some of the best sports days EVER!!! I really enjoy watching golf, but I truly adore The Masters. This year will be all the more fun because Tiger is back, but not necessarily at the top of his game. Granted, he's still amazing, but the field is WIDE open this year. Who will get to wear the famed green jacket?


Will it be Phil Mickelson (one of my favorites)? Will it be Trevor Immelman again (can he really go two in a row)? Will it be Padraig Harrington or Geoff Ogilvy (they're playing pretty well this year)? What about Kenny Perry? He had a fantastic year last year, and it is really hard not to root for him because he's SO nice!!! Besides Phil, I love Luke Donald and Ian Poulter. Both are young and both wear super fun bright colors on the course. I know B will be routing for Tiger for sure. He just loves him!!!!!!





We're going to tape the start of it as we will go to late service at church and then brunch before coming home and celebrating one of the best days in golf!!! Last year we had a fantastic "Sunday at Augusta" party, but with it falling on Easter and Passover this year, too many people had other plans. So, we'll just make an azalea cocktail for each of us and settle down on the couch to enjoy the afternoon together.

Does anyone else out there love to watch golf? Have any of you been to Augusta for the Masters??? Any other tournaments that you've attended that you want to share or think we should go to?