GOOOOO Georgia Bulldogs!

We took Trip and Mady to their first University of Georgia Football game. I'm not sure who in our family was more excited for this big weekend! On Friday morning, the kids and I practiced all the UGA cheers on our way home from errands. Mady's favorite is "Glory to the Georgia." Trip was most excited to see Uga and Hairy Dog. We drove up through Madison, GA on Friday afternoon. It is this cute, little southern town with an old Main Street. T.J. had a sales call there, so we all went with him and the kids and I got some ice cream while Daddy did his work. After a stop at the town's toy store, we loaded back into the car and headed the rest of the way into Athens. We went to check into our hotel, and as we stepped into the lobby, the kids were greeted with a big blow-up Hairy Dog, held down by two stone Ugas. They loved it! It was all we could do to tear them away from these fake dogs and go up to see our room. After we unloaded the car, we headed onto campus to make a stop at the bookstore. We went a little crazy at the bookstore...a shirt for me, hat for T.J., hat for Trip, bracelet for Mady, face tattoos for the kids and a football! We got swept away by all the red and black. And, again, the kids were surrounded by Ugas and Hairy Dogs. They couldn't get enough of it. Then, we walked them across the street to see the stadium. I don't know what it is, but there is something kind of magical about a big, empty, SEC football stadium the day before a game! We went out to eat downtown and then headed back to the hotel. Since Mady hadn't napped that day and we had a big day ahead of us on Saturday, we decided to get the kids onto bed, which meant we had to go to bed too. So, we turned the lights out at 8:15 pm. I was so NOT tired, so I took out my cell phone and started playing solitaire, trying to get sleepy. All of a sudden, I hear this loud whisper from the bed next to mine and T.J.'s "Mom! What are you doing?" I explained to Trip I was just checking my phone which was enough of an answer for him and he went on to bed. Mady woke up cold and with a dirty diaper about 1 a.m., but was able to get back to sleep pretty easily and then everyone was up by 7:30 a.m.!

T.J. and I figured we'd be one of the firsts downstairs for the free breakfast, since it had only started 30 minutes earlier, but we were wrong. Everyone was ready to get to the game early and start their tailgating. So, we found a table and got the kids some food. About half way through breakfast, in all her grace, Mady kicked the table she and I were sharing and spilled my hot coffee all over! "Luckily", it missed everyone except me (and only got me a little). After putting on a show for everyone else eating, we went back to our room and got ready for the big game. It took us almost an hour to find parking, but we finally did, and then met up with some friends at their tailgate. Trip and Mady had fun playing with their friends, Brayden and Easton. They ate tons of donuts and chips...a good healthy pre-game lunch. :-) We headed to the game right before it started, to avoid the hot sun as long as possible. Our seats were about 10 rows down from the highest seat in the stadium! I am terrified of heights, so it was all I could to make it to our seats without fainting. Once I was there, I told TJ I didn't think I could get back up and leave again. It was a great view of the field though, you could see everything from up there. All the kids cared about seeing were Uga and Hairy Dog. They had a great time though and never complained about the heat or the height. After half time, we went down to grab some hot dogs, another healthy addition to our game day meals. Then, we took the kids down to the hedges to walk around right at the beginning of the 4th quarter. They finally got to see Uga and Hairy Dog up close. And, the Dawgs scored right in front of us, so it was perfect timing! We left with a few minutes to go in the game. The drive home was great, not much traffic and Mady slept most of the way, while Trip watched movies. I must say that the kids far surpassed my expectations. We never had any major meltdowns (besides mine after the coffee was spilled on me) and they were so much fun. It's so fun to make these memories with them! Trip is already begging to go back and see the Georgia bulldogs play. He even created his own game called Georgia bulldogs, where we all get in a huddle and stare at a ball on the ground until he grabs it and runs! It is precious! I can't wait to take them back again.