First trip to 'New' Kauffman Stadium.........

Kali 2.2 and I went to the Royals game last night along with her great aunt and uncle. It was great to finally see the renovated stadium with all the new amenities. Kali took a ride on the carousel. She chose the biggest horse she could see. She also played on the playground equipment. She was a bit timid with all the other kids around, but I think she was more worried about them knocking her over more than anything else. I helped her out and she slid down the slide several times.

Kali and I picked up hot dogs on the way over to our seats. Kali ate all of her hot dog, but she only ate the dog itself. The bun was awfully big, so I think she just decided to go directly to the good stuff. She ended up with a face covered with mustard and ketchup, but it didn't phase her a bit.

She loved the fountains and the big video scoreboard. When the lineups were announced before the game, they would shoot off fireworks after each player was announced while the people were applauding. She quickly made the connection that whenever people were applauding, fireworks would go off. So when the team hit the field and the crowd starting applauding, Kali started clapping again and pointing to the scoreboard saying 'Fire! Fire!'. They shot off the fireworks again and Kali was giggling.

As the game wore on, Kali figured out that applause doesn't always mean fireworks. She'd look at the scoreboard every time people clapped for various reasons, but no fireworks. Then, BOOM! Alberto Callispo hit a homerun into the Royals' bullpen. Kali clapped, fireworks went off, loud music started playing. Kali was thrilled once again. The fireworks were back.

Kali's primary focus during the game was eating, drinking, and showing off for the teenage girls down the aisle who were egging her on. She thought it was great. But she did also have a lot of curiousity about the game. She pointed to the field several times, asking what certain things were. Players, bats, etc.

BOOM! Jacobs hit a 450 foot bomb to dead center field. Fireworks, music, clapping......Kali was fired up again.

We lasted until nearly 10:00 PM before we finally went home. The game ended up going on until 11:45 PM when the Royals won the game in the 11th inning. Kali stayed up all the way home, most likely due to the sugar infusion of pop during the game. Next time, I plan on sitting in the 'Fountain Seats'. Kali loved looking at the fountains, so sitting next to them would likely be a great way to keep her occupied. I'm sure we'll be going back for more games.