Girls Love Football

Our outing to The Zou without Erick and David was successful. If you followed the game at all, you know about the time I turned to Casey and said, "We should have just gone to a movie or something." I hate to admit that I said that, and no, I didn't really mean it. Not when it turned out to actually be a good game, and we actually ended up winning.

Tailgating was fun. This is the picture we got of the two of us together. Not terribly flattering, but it's going up anyway...



We tailgated with some friends of mine from the old workplace. None of us work there anymore obviously (as Governor Blunt didn't run for reelection), so it's great to get together now and then and catch up. This is Gabby. She wasn't around when I worked with her daddy, but I wish she was. She's awfully cute.



Just before we went into the game, we stopped by another friend's tailgate. Too late for food... But I took her picture anyway. Here's Casey with Alicia.



In the game, we sneaked past the ticket checkers at the top of each aisle so we could sit with my brother Seth and his wife Angie and their friends. Here they are. This must have been in between one of Seth's frequently chanted "I believe!"s from the first half.



There is a noticeable gap in picture taking because I decided the camera was pointless. Now I've decided the camera was bad luck. No more cameras at football games. Remind me of that. Obviously, my camera was jinxing us...

Because I didn't get it out again until I could capture the Tigers celebrating with the students!



It was such a stressful game. Unexpectedly so. I wasn't prepared for that, so I am pooped out beyond reason. My voice is gone. But I'm very proud of the way the Tigers battled back, even if it was Bowling Green. And the fans! Seriously, I've never been more impressed with a Mizzou crowd. They were seriously there to support the team. That was really a great feeling.

Donuts are no substitute for Daddies

Erick and David left this morning before the crack of dawn to drive to St. Louis to catch a train to Chicago to see U2 in concert tonight. It's U2's first U.S. date on the current tour. They're giddy like schoolgirls. (I don't really know why we say like schoolgirls. Have you ever seen how giddy schoolboys can get? Equally so, in my opinion).

After their whirlwind trip and concert high, they will be home tomorrow evening. Until then, Casey and I are charged with entertaining children who happen to be extremely attached to their daddies and who happen to know what the weekend usually means. We decided to start out slow and easy this morning. Donuts and TV. That should work, right? For some reason, the TV didn't have its normal numbing effect on the kids. So, when the sugar kicked in, chaos ensued. They sure seem happy about it!



Plan B was the park. Turned out to be a much better idea, but now we're all exhausted. When Sophia wakes up, Grandmary will be here and a babysitter will be across the street so Casey and I can go to the football game! Yep, all by ourselves. I am really excited. Home opener. New scoreboard. New quarterback. Should be a good time. Maybe I'll get some pictures posted later. So, we don't have to entertain them all on our own this weekend, but it's still rough!

Tomorrow will be the challenge. Wish us luck.

Great Finish to a long month; Great Start for a short one

January was one of the longest months I have ever had the privilege to live through. I don't know why, but that's definitely a fact. So I was pleased to bid it farewell. The month ended in good style for us, though, so that was fun. We started by celebrating our neighbor Ernie's birthday on Thursday evening. I had a new recipe for white chili. It was so good that I can't wait to make it again. It may even happen this week!

Sophia helped make Ernie's cake, and she was particularly proud of it. I was slightly worried when I realized (after the cake was in the oven) that my canola oil expired before Sophia was born. Apparently that's not a problem. We didn't get sick and the cake was gone before I got my second piece!

Saturday was our chance to get outside for a few moments before winter caught up with us again. It was great just to wander around taking in some fresh air. It's amazing how stifling recycled air can become, even before you notice!

Our Saturday evening was spent with our friends/Erick's co-worker's family, Matt, Kate and Jim. Jim was Sophia's first love. You can catch up on that endearing story HERE. They had a really great time together again. Here they are making their own pizza. Sophia would pile cheese on top of any topping that Jim would place on the pizza, he'd top off her pile of cheese with another topping, and the cycle continued. So Kate flattened out the cheese mountain and it turns out they made a pretty good pizza together!

Sophia did sneak in a good night kiss before we left, but Jim was sleeping so he'll have no memory of their first kiss.

Super Sunday was so super relaxing for us that I didn't even bother to record it. Sophia stayed in her pajamas until lunch. We ate and played and hung out with David, Casey and the boys all day. It was really great. I was disappointed in the outcome of the game, but mostly just for Kurt Warner.

Hopefully since February is off to such a great start, it's a good indicator. If you just heard something, that's me knocking on wood.

It was the best of days and the worst of games

The children of Timbers Court (Aaron, William and Sophia) spent the day with Mary today so that we adults could all go to Kansas City to see the MU v. KU game at Arrowhead Stadium. I had won the tickets and limo ride as a doorprize at a Boone Hospital Foundation event. So the four of us have been giddy about the trip for months.

I'm not sure if it was obvious that we don't normally ride in limos. What do you think?

We made it safely to the stadium and had already enjoyed a full tailgate of our own. Stan was our driver and he took this picture for us. We planned to have one taken with him but we were too distracted by the cold and our broken hopes after the game.

Once we got to the stadium, we said a quick hello to Seth and Angie, who also had tickets to the Showdown. Then we made our way to our seats on Row 11, next to this guy. He was incredibly grumpy. Giving us looks before the game started and saying nothing. He moved shortly after. I can't imagine why.

The snow came down pretty heavily in the second half. We were wet and cold, but we had lots of hope for a big comeback. The game was a rollercoaster of emotions that came to a screaching halt and tipped over with the now infamous FOURTH AND SEVEN.

Terrible though it was, we were warm and cozy on the drive home as Stan returned us safely to Timbers Court. And it's never a bad day when it ends with a dance with Sophia.

Go Tigers

Tiger Spirit

Even though we're absent for today's game, I am going to perpetuate the Tiger Spirit by posting this brief but inspirational bit of fierceness. Go Tigers!

I Love Columbia

We love our town. It's really just one of the best places to live. It is also very cool considering our friends live here. Still, the atmosphere during football season is so intoxicating. . . ahem. . .

Anywho, it's been another replenishing and enjoyable weekend around here. Poor Sophia is very congested; yesterday snotty; today coughy. So, I'm pretty sure it's just an additional allergy flare up. She's been so great this weekend, though. She's been snuggly and sweet. Not to mention hilarious.

We got to spend some much missed quality time with our friends the Townsends this weekend. We have filled notebooks and notebooks with our card scores over the years, but lately it's been sparse for the obvious reason of our beautiful but less than understanding children.

See how beautiful? I mean handsome. Jimmy.

Crazy beautiful Sophia.

The Townsends also have a beautiful daughter, Gracie, but at four months, she's not that into cowboy hats...

We didn't get to the Tiger home opener this weekend. Our budget is tightening, and we have a big trip coming up this week. Not to mention a 6:00 game is a little less than ideal for a snotty toddler. We had a wonderful time listening to the game in our driveway. That's how we roll.

Today, I experimented on myself and our Timbers Court family (the actual family, that is) with some whole grain organic pasta from the farmer's market. It was fantastic, if I do say so myself. I don't cook very often, so I celebrate! Here's to the start of another great week!

Ready for some football!

What do you do when you're a Tiger?

Display your gear proudly!

Act tougher and cooler than your opponents.

But help the other guy up when he needs a hand

Even if he's a lot bigger...

because you're a Tiger!

Go Tigers! First game tonight against the Fighting Illini in St. Louis.