Lakers Bound!

We were so excited to head up to L.A. today for the Lakers Game. Even though it was raining, I wanted to go early and hit The Grove for a late lunch and a little window shopping! We started off at the Farmers Market, it is such a fun place to hang out and eat. I was really glad they had some some heaters on since it is outdoors and it was only 48 degrees outside!
Then we walked through The Grove and enjoyed the beautiful mainstreet. It was still decorated for the holidays so we got one more photo opp in front of a tree.

They also had a cute ranger station set up and a tv showing behind the scenes shots to promote the new Yogi Bear movie coming out.
Of course, no trip to The Grove would be complete without a visit to the American Girl store, so we stopped in (thanks Cooper for being such a good sport about it!). Zoe was excited to see the new Doll of the Year, Kanani, from Hawaii.
Finally, it was off to the Staples Center to watch the Lakers take on the Memphis Grizzlies. Cooper was so excited, he is a huge Laker fan! I have never been much of a basketball fan, but he has really turned me into one, and I think I was almost as excited as he was!
We got their early so we could watch the team warm up pre-game.
We trekked up to our "nosebleed" section seats, boy were we high up there! I was thankful that the kids were happy just to be there, although some day we would all like to come back and try to sit a little closer to the court!
Cooper got some new wristbands to go with his jersey, so he was ready to go!
We loaded up on some drinks, popcorn, and peanuts to keep up full for the game!
They started off with a beautiful rendition of the national anthem...
Game time!
The first half of the game was really exciting, the scores were close, although the Lakers kept trailing and having to catch up. Cooper was glued to the court and was really happy to be watching some of his favorite players in action. Zoe was really excited too, I just love her enthusiasm for everything!
Kobe making some free throws after being fouled on...
The Laker girls performing between quarters...
The second half was harder to watch. Although they rallied in the 3rd quarter, they fell hard at the end. The game ended with a big Laker loss of 104 to 85. Overall, it was such a fun experience, and watching a live game was a thrill. Not sure if and when we'll be able to go back, but it sure was great!