First Tailgate!

Our good friends, Kirsty and Bill, came into town this past weekend. It was also Michigan/Michigan State game weekend so tailgating was a must. Tailgating out here is a "different animal." Growing up on the west coast does not yield the same type of experience you get at the pre-game festivities out here. Especially for this game. It was a cold autumn day but not too cold. We were expecting rain but did not get any which was great. I was impressed by the effort and expertise of the overall group. There was a row of giant Madden style cruisers set up at the high school across from the stadium. Each one flying a flag for their team. They show up on Friday afternoon after school is out. That's commitment. Most people had grills and some type of backyard game going. The real pros had giant generators running any type of appliance that could be needed. We were at the golf course across from Michigan Stadium and there were more people that I expected. The stadium holds 105,000 or so and not everyone goes into the game. So this is a LARGE event. And everyone is friendly. Really friendly. I guess when you break open the coolers that early, most people are especially friendly by 2pm. Either way, it was an awesome atmosphere. Young or old, big or small, maize and blue or green and white, everyone was having a great time just being out for gameday in Ann Arbor. We got to see four F-18's gear up for the flyover of the stadium.

Jackson was a hit with everyone around us. The ladies love him and the guys think he's pretty studly. He desperately wanted to play football with the older kids nearby but he had to watch from a distance. Some day kiddo, some day. At least he was out on the grass running around, not afraid of anyone or anything. He is getting faster each day and was showing his moves. He has learned to kick really well so anything on the ground was getting the boot. Cans, footballs, wadded up napkins. The kid loves being outside and playing. This was definitely his scene.

As you can see, J had a fabulous time. He was definitely up for a nap that afternoon!

Sleep

I don't think I've ever appreciated sleep more than I do now. It's been almost a year and Jackson has slept through the night (meaning 10 hrs) a maximum of 50 times... and that's being generous. He doesn't wake up multiple times every night, but with teething and learning how to put himself back to sleep, I can easily say that it's been our greatest challenge so far as parents. We aren't complaining though because he does take naps and is such a great kid. So you'd think we would take naps when he does or go to sleep as soon as he does so we can get our sleep in right? Nope. As soon as he's down, we are eating dinner, catching up on tv, talking on the phone, emailing, exercising...the list goes on and on. So in honor of sleep - here's the sweetest picture...taken just the other morning when I walked into Jackson's room - they were still tired I guess :)