FAMILY TIME

This trip is a little stressful and being a single mom for the week is a little tiring but it's all worth it! We are getting to spend lots of time with family! My brother got to meet Bentley for the first time yesterday. He actually left for training (army) while I was in labor! He came over and played with the boys then went grocery shopping for me and made pot roast in the crock pot... YUMMY! Gotta love having a brother who loves to cook, he is awesome!! My sister is staying with me and is helping out with the boys, especially at bedtime! I don't know how single moms do it with more than 1 child! Single parents I bow down to you because I'm exhausted and I've only been doing it for 3 days and my family is helping out as much as possible!!
So our first night home didn't go as planned... It was Bentley's first night in his crib and in his own room and he didn't sleep AT ALL!! So mommy was very tired yesterday. He did better last night he slept 9pm until 2am but after 2 he was up on/off until finally up for the day at 7:30.
I received a big shipment of super bowl attire from Bella Artistry yesterday and everything is awesome! I also received my shirts from Firedaughter Clothing and they are sweet! I am giving you a sneak peak but I will post lots of pictures following the Super Bowl of all the events and celebrations!!
Today is laundry day and buying last minute items to pack up for Indy. Yesterday started the ticket distributing so hopefully we will knock the rest of that out today and tomorrow so I don't have to worry about it at the Super Bowl!
Now I'm going to get back to hanging out with my sister and brother... HOME SWEET HOME LOVE IT!!

WE ARE HOME... for now :)

WE MADE IT HOME!!! YAY! Last night we stayed up late packing after we got the boys to sleep and actually did pretty good! We had one big suitcase, one carry-on size, a carseat, a carry-on bag, one diaper bag, and Landyn's monkey pull-luggage!!
Last night our good friends, Joe and Sarah came over to visit and brought us a cookie cake which I had never had before and they thought I was crazy!! I attached a photo of it! It was delicious!! But I think I gained 5 pounds after eating it! So after all the packing and eating we went to bed and Bentley slept until 4:30am for the first time IT WAS AWESOME!!! Let's hope he does it again tonight I need it!!
Chase dropped us off at Newark Airport around 9:45 and of course something had to happen... We checked in and they gave our seats away!! So this overtired mommy had a little meltdown when the girl at the counter refused to help us and said that if we weren't checked in that when someone else checked in they could take our seats so there was nothing that could be done!!! Well I checked in online the night before and had my emailed tickets with our seats on them and she still refused to help!! Finally another lady came over after Chase demanded to speak to someone else and she moved me and Bentley to the front of the plane (so that I didn't puke... I get very motion sick!!) but she couldn't move my mom and Landyn up cause there weren't any seats open with an extra mask. So we finished checking in and said goodbye to Chase... That didn't go so well! Landyn started crying and clung to Chase's leg :( After tearing Landyn off of Chase we went through security which I always dread with children because of all the liquids we have to carry! But surprisingly it wasn't bad at all!! When we got to our gate they moved my mom and Landyn back up to the front of the plane so we were only a few rows apart!
The flight went really well! Landyn ate lunch and watched Toy Story on the iPad (best invention for traveling with children!!). Bentley ate during take-off to keep his ears from popping and then of course he had a BLOW OUT!! Really what was I suppose to do about that on a plane! Luckily no one was in the seat next to me so I layed him down and changed him as he laughed at me while I used a million wipes and tried to keep him from rolling off the seat... He started rolling like a pro yesterday! After his diaper fiasco we went to the front to visit Landyn then Bentley slept the last 45 minutes of the flight! I must say I might have the best little travelers!!!
Home Sweet Home... My sister and her boyfriend were at our house to welcome us home! Landyn went CRAZY when he got inside the hose an saw all of his toys and our dogs!! I got right to work unpacking and get all the boys things put away and honestly this is the first time I've sat down and relaxed all day!! I had a few phone interviews (very strange for me but I like getting to brag about my hubby, not just about football but about his dedication to being such a great father!). Both boys are finally asleep and now I'm going to watch the season finale of Keeping Up With the Kardashians with my sis and then go to bed myself, I'm exhausted and we have a busy week ahead of us!! All of our Super Bowl attire will be here tomorrow I will give you all a sneak peak tomorrow night :)

WILL THE PACKING EVER END???

The past 2 days have consisted of packing, packing, and more packing. Just when I think I'm almost done I think of more things we need! Packing for myself is no big deal, that only took about 10 minutes. But packing for a 12 week old and 18 month old... forget it the packing is never ending! Our apartment officially looks like a tornado went through it! I got Landyn all packed up yesterday and then when I went to get him dressed this morning I realized I packed all of his jeans... really Megan GOOD JOB so I had to dig through my perfectly organized luggage to find a pair of jeans! I finished the majority of the packing yesterday just in time to watch Chase on Jim Rome is Burning. Landyn stood in front of the tv screaming "DADA BALL GO DADA".
Just a little FYI Chase will be on CNN today at some point.
After watching daddy on tv I sat down and tried to organize my second pack list... When we get to Ohio we will stay at our house for a few days before heading to Indy so I will have to unpack and repack for the Super Bowl!! Like I said WILL THE PACKING EVER END?? Probably not until a few weeks after the Super Bowl!!
A little side note I wouldn't be able to get anything done during the day if it wasnt for Mickey Mouse and Toy Story! Landyn is obsessed with "Buzz" and "Wood"... I'm not big on letting kids watch a lot of tv but this week I am all for the tv... I know bad mommy but there are only 2 days until we leave for Ohio!!
I know a lot of people think wives of professional athletes have it easy but I wish you could trade places with us for 1 season and you would see it is FAR FROM EASY! Having a successful marriage in professional sports is very hard but Chase and I have never struggled. We are very grounded and humble people and know that at the end of the day when life in the NFL is over and lights are no longer on Chase that what you are left with is family and family is the most important thing in our lives. That is the key to a successful marriage in the NFL... your marriage and children must come first and Chase has alway put us first. That doesn't mean that it's been easy for me as his wife. I am constantly making sure that he is staying grounded. But our faith in each other and in God has held our marriage together and we are stronger than ever.
Everyone make sure you catch my blog Sunday night and you can read all about trip #1
Have a Great Day Giants Fans and God Bless!
 

THE CRAZINESS HAS BEGUN

The Super Bowl planning started literally the second the NFC Championship game was over! I sat exhausted after putting both boys to bed and completely stressed out after watching the game go into overtime and then the phone calls and text messages start... LET THE PLANNING BEGIN!
All I wanted to do was go to sleep, but I was too pumped to even close my eyes!
When Chase got home Monday morning me and the boys were already up for the day so he brought us home IHOP, YUMMY, and we started making lists of who would get tickets, who wanted to buy tickets, what we needed to pack, when would me and the boys travel to Indy... and the lists and notes continued until I ran out of paper which eventually led to me making lists on Landyn's drawing paper (he was not happy when he saw me writing on his paper!!)

To be honest I know that the tickets and travel plans are important but... the first thing that I thought about was what am I going to wear!! So let me back up to Sunday night following the game and totally embarrass myself!! I immediately ordered shirts for me and the boys and had them sent directly to Leah Miller. Leah Miller owns Bella Artistry and creates/designs shirts, jerseys, outfits, accessories for professional athletes' wives and children. SHE IS AMAZING!! She has altered many jerseys and created one of a kind pieces for me to wear in the past and I knew she had to be the one to design for me and the boys! Another fabulous lady, Samya, owner of Firedaughter Clothing makes awesome shirts with athletic sayings. She created awesome shirts for all of the New York Giant wives last season for the breast cancer awareness game. So after the clothes were all ordered and shipped out I could relax a little LOL and move on to the next order of business... TRAVEL.

My mom will be traveling out to New Jersey to help me and the boys get packed up and then we will fly home to Ohio before heading to Indy. Travel... DONE!
Tickets, we get 15 and our list is longer than 15... who goes, can we get extra tickets, how much will extra tickets cost, who is willing to pay the crazy prices that these tickets are selling for this year??? So Monday and Tuesday consisted of Chase trying to catch up on sleep but at the same time trying to get all of the planning out of the way so he could start preparing for THE PATRIOTS!! Tickets... DONE (well for the most part!)
Today is Chase's day off so after watching film and doing a little work at the stadium he came home to relax and play with the boys! I have been texting back and forth with my sister, Kaylee, who is house sitting for us. She is trying to prepare the house for me and the boys so I am sending her grocery lists and to-do lists... POOR GIRL she didn't know what she was getting into by watching our house... but then again she is going to the Super Bowl so I think we are even!!
After Landyn went down for his nap Chase sat down to do a phone interview and I finished feeding Bentley when the next thing I know (mothers you will laugh at this, fathers you might too, the rest of you readers might want to skip this part!!) Bentley poops a massive amount that warmed the part of my leg he was sitting on... I turned to Chase and said that one went down his leg, I know it, it's definitely out of the diaper!! So as Chase begins a phone interview he starts off by saying sorry I missed your first call my son just had a huge blowout!!! So that is my funny/nasty story of the day... but really just a typical day in the life of any mother with a 12 week old!!!

Every Little Boy's Dream Come True

February 3, 2008 my husband's childhood dream came true, he WON A SUPER BOWL. He grew up playing football and dreamed about playing in the big game one day. Every young boy dreams about playing in the Super Bowl, most high school boys still dream about playing in the Super Bowl, college athletes hope to one day be playing in the Super Bowl, and every NFL player works everyday with the same goal in mind... THE SUPER BOWL! That goal is only met by a small group of NFL players, most players' careers end before they ever make it to a Super Bowl. Here my husband sits about to play in his second Super Bowl, a TRUE DREAM COME TRUE! 

Football is only part of my husband's life though, he is a husband and father above everything else. I'm sure all of you are aware of his recent title given to him by multiple newspapers... Mr. Mom! After the NFL lockout ended we sat patiently waiting for his phone to ring. His career wasn't over. He had a lot more football left in him. So we waited and waited and the season started without Chase. We watched all of the Giants games that were televised in Ohio from our new home in Ohio. I sat with my husband, 9 months pregnant and thinking about what was next for our family. We knew God had a plan for us, we just didn't know what it was at the time. On November First I gave birth to our second son, Bentley Brooks. Chase was able to be there for the birth of his second child which isn't a guarantee if you are a professional athlete. Chase stepped right up and helped me as much as he could with both boys all while continuing his training and still holding out hope that his NFL career wasn't over. On November 28 I sat with Chase and watched the Giants struggle on defense and lose to the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football. That was a hard game for me to watch, I watched my husband call out plays and I could see the disappointment on his face. He knew that if he was playing he could have helped the Giants that night. The next morning we were in our basement playing with our boys when Chase's phone rang. I was sitting next to his phone and Chase turned to me and said "there's the Giants" and I laughed while tossing his phone to him. He looked down and said "it is the Giants" and once again I laughed and said "OK Chase". He answered the phone and as he was talking I realized it is the Giants, OH MY GOSH HE'S GOING BACK TO THE GIANTS! He was on the next flight to New York and back at practice Wednesday. He played his first game back against Green Bay and intercepted Aaron Rodgers... Chase Blackburn was back with a bang! I was so proud of him and from that game on he has continued to perform and prove that he isn't done with football and that he has a lot of football left in him. I like to think that Bentley's 11-1-11 birth has given him and the Giants GOOD LUCK this year! 

Now I have to go put Bentley to bed but tomorrow will begin the journey to Super Bowl XLVI with the Blackburns as the crazy schedule of interviews, packing, organizing tickets for family and friend and traveling begins... this should be a very interesting journey with 2 children under the age of 2... 

SUPER BOWL XLII CHAMPS