M-I-Z!

This  morning we woke up to the most amazing weather, a cool 50 degrees and blue skies as far as the eye could see. It was the perfect morning for a college football game! My husband's company sponsors a tailgate and offers free tickets to its employees a couple of times each season, so we decided to take advantage and show the tot the tailgating ropes. The game was scheduled to start at 11:00, so we headed out bright and early in order to avoid the traffic (ha! yeah, right...) and get to the stadium prior to kickoff. I had the most adorable white and gold outfit picked out for Taylor to wear, but as soon as I went to put it on her this morning the shirt was entirely too small. I swear, this child is growing faster than I can keep up. She's already in 18-24 month clothing!

Due to many weekends spent tailgating in our former, childless lives, we knew to expect lots of traffic and a long walk to our destination. And since Mizzou joined the SEC, the congestion in and around Columbia has only gotten worse. Thankfully, we have a secret parking spot that always comes through. Hallelujah! 

We arrived to the tailgate just before the caterers arrived to clear out the food, which was great because our busy morning meant no breakfast for this momma. A couple of biscuits and gravy and a handful of bacon later, we were basking in the sunshine and ready for some football! Taylor had a blast mingling with Jake's co-workers, watching the older kids play ball, and, of course, snacking every five minutes. A handful of grass never killed anyone, right?

We waited until the third quarter to actually go into the game. Social events go either one of two ways with our girl, she's either the life of the party or she's a hot mess. We wanted to feel her out at the tailgate rather than in a stadium full of thousands of screaming fans. But as it turns out, she loved it! She sat on our laps like such a big girl, dancing along to the band and clapping the entire time. Obviously, we have a future cheerleader on our hands. Like mother, like daughter. 

  

 

After a long day out in the sun and only a short morning nap, we left the game with a few minutes remaining on the clock. The tigers were up by 21 and Taylor was falling asleep in my arms. We strapped her in the stroller, hiked the mile and a half back to our car, and watched our baby fall asleep just as we pulled into the Jimmy John's drive through (all that walking made me hungry!). When we arrived home, we put our sleepy tot in her crib and laid down to rest ourselves. Three hours later, we woke up with red, yet happy, faces. Seriously, that may have been the best nap I've ever had.

  

Jake and I have been joking about how vastly different tailgates are with a baby in tow.  Saturday football games used to be all-day and night affairs, starting at 8:00 a.m. and ending when the bars closed. Now, they are still fun, but in a totally different way. I mean, this momma didn't even crack open a single adult beverage today! Regardless of the lack of drinking (which means no hangover tomorrow - yay!), it was still fun to experience one of our favorite past times with our girl. It was the perfect day for a football game and although it was her first, I'm certain it won't be her last. 

Gooooo Tigers!