Homecoming Weekend

Smiling at the parade!

Sam, Ella, and John watching the cheerleaders at the parade.

Tailgating!

Sam with his sign.

We had a very busy weekend! It was Homecoming at MU which means a lot of activities and with College Gameday in town that meant even more. We started out Friday night eating at one of our favorite restaurants, CJ's. They have amazing hot wings and it is where John and I went on our first date fifteen years ago this weekend (I know that really makes us sound old, but oh well). Then it was off to the house decorations. All the fraternities and sororities decorate a big scene and put on plays for the kids. The weather was great and it was packed but the kids had a great time. Then it was back to the hotel to get some sleep for the busy day ahead.

Saturday was the College Gameday show from ESPN. After the show John and Sam were looking at the set and out of the trailer came Desmond Howard and Erin Andrews. John got some pics of Erin and Sam got her autograph on his shirt sleeve. They were both very excited!

Next it was time for the Homecoming Parade. This was our first time attending this event and the kids had a good time. We got to see the band, cheerleaders, Golden Girls, Truman and some of the floats. The kids were the most excited about the candy that groups were passing out along the way. It did get a little long and we left early.

To continue the busy day and get in as many of our Columbia favorites as possible we headed to Shakespeare's for lunch. Luckily, both of our kids love it as much as we do. Then it was off to tailgate.

Finally at 7 the big game arrived. I would say it was in one of the top two of Mizzou games that I have ever been to at Farout Field. The crowd was electric. It was almost hard to hear sometimes. Such an exciting game and fun watching Mizzou knock off the number one ranked Sooners. We didn't make it back to the hotel until midnight but it was well worth it!

Pumpkin Patch

Sam with the pumpkins.

Ella and her balloon kitty.

Emma, Sam and Aiden on the fire truck.

Grandma and Ella on the army vehicle.

No trip to Kansas City in October would be complete without a trip to Suburban's Pumpkin Patch. The kids were super excited to get there. They started off by visiting Cowgirl Kate who makes balloon animals. Sam got a dinosaur and Ella wanted a kitty. Unfortunately, the kitty lasted about 10 minutes before it was popped. Luckily, Cowgirl Kate made Ella an airplane and she was happy!

We met up with AC, Uncle Al, Emma, Aiden and Becky while getting balloons and headed out to the pumpkin patch in an army vehicle. The kids chose their pumpkins very quickly and got their faces painted. Then they were ready to jump in the fire truck for a ride back to the greenhouse. It was a fairly short trip but the kids had a good time and picked some great pumpkins for carving in a few weeks!

One already!

My sweet little niece turned one this past week so we headed to Kansas City for the occasion. She had a lady bug themed party and the decorations were adorable. Kylie of course was even more adorable. She didn't really get into the whole cake eating experience but she did mess around with her cake and get a dirty face for her pictures. One year old baby pictures, the ones with messy cake faces, are one of my favorites!

She is getting so big so fast! She is already walking and I mean really walking, as in across the room. It is really fun to watch. It was a great day with family.

Walk for Life

Twice a month I meet with other moms at a local church. We get the opportunity to talk with other moms while volunteers watch our children. It is a great time and a needed break. This year our group decided we needed to be more service minded to others. The board decided that we would support our local crises pregnancy center. One of the centers big events is a 5k and walk to earn money. I was originally planning on doing the 5k but hurt my foot and wasn't up and running quickly enough to get any training in for the run so I did the walk instead. John had made plans to go fishing that morning so I took the kids along. Ella would be fine in the stroller and I knew Sam could handle what I thought was a mile walk.

Well, turns out I was wrong, and the walk was almost three miles. I was a little worried Sam would get bored, tired, etc. but he did a great job! He walked the first mile and a half at the front of our group urging everyone on to the finish. Then he hung out and walked with me the remainder of the way. He even said he would like to do the walk again next year. It was a great way to spend a Saturday morning .

Mighty Sam

Sam the first night when he got his helmet and shoulder pads.

Down in his three point stance ready to attack! Sam is the second player in orange from the right.

Sam decided that he wanted to play Mighty Mite football this fall. Mighty Mites is full pads, full contact football. I wasn't sure how he would do but he is doing really well! He plays on the offensive and defensive lines and is really starting to understand his positions. He needs to be a little more aggressive but for his first season he is doing great! His team has played two games and unfortunately they have lost them both but the boys play hard and seem to really be enjoying themselves. He has also really taken to watching football on tv too which makes me happy since I think that is a great way to spend a weekend and now we can do it together!