Oh say can you see?

When we learned Aiden's Montessori class would have the opportunity to sing the national anthem at a NH Fisher Cats game, we signed him up right away. How cool is that?! I don't even know anyone who has sung the national anthem at a baseball game, unless its my cousin Jeni who sings with the Boston Pops. The Fisher Cats are a minor league farm team for the Toronto Blue Jays, and their stadium is brand new and right on the Merrimack River in Manchester.

The big day turned out to be gorgeous, with 80 degree temps and a lovely late afternoon sun on the field. The NMS kids, dressed in their school tshirts, filed out to home plate and sang away- I thought they did really well, considering our national anthem is not the easiest song to sing. Our only complaint was that we weren't able to see their faces well since they were facing the outfield. Once the "home of the brave" was belted out and the game began, the kids could finally shake their nervousness and enjoy a rare evening out with their friends, hot dogs, cokes, ice creams, and yes, even basebàll. The adults played a high stakes game of "moundie" which I will not explain on here (due to the fact that it will make us all look ridiculous) except to say that it involves lots of singles and a part of the baseball game that no one else pays any attention to. Anyway, it was a fun way to lose $20.

Here's how I know it was a perfect night: as we were walking out of the stadium, we stopped to look at the view of the Merrimack River and there, about 30 feet away, was a big bald eagle perched in a tree with the sparkling water behind him. A bird-nerd's sign that we need to hit a few more Fisher Cats games this summer!