I'm convinced he would have made an adorable Burt, but he wanted nothing to do with it. :) At least he'll stay warm in his costume this year! I love me a Halloween, but turns out I'm quite the HalloWEENIE when it comes to trick-or-treating in cold weather. I've got chili in the crock pot and apple cider simmering on the stove top and Mila is excited to stay in and help me pass out candy tonight. With the fire on! Beau is protesting about this plan. Something about the fact that he can't wear a glove on his hand due to his cast. I think he'll manage... I did manage to get the kids in their costumes for a little bit this weekend for a trial run before the weather gets cold. So without further adieu, introducing Marshmallow Man and Mary Poppins!
This transition of being a mom to a boy who is getting older has presented some funny challenges from time to time. I've gotten used to the fact that he's just not that into many of my sweet little experiences and details, and that he would much rather just play with the neighbors than paint rocks or tend the garden with his mom. But when it came to his birthday party this year, I was having a hard time fully resorting to the "Get Air" party he was requesting. You see, hosting people in our home, creating details and experiences that celebrate seasons or people well, and coordinating it all through planning and creativity are my jam, and I've loved dreaming to life their birthday parties every year. But it turns out, a boy is going to outgrow a pirate scavenger hunt or makeshift Mr. Hooper's store, and I was determined to find a happy medium. And this year, I think we nailed it.
We used to tailgate at UNI football games a few times a year, but have fallen out of this due to Saturdays likely filled with us chasing our own kids to their activities. But Cruz loves football and every time we drive by the UNI-Dome, he is likely to ask about a tailgate. He was curious about it for some reason, maybe due to his buddy's family frequently tailgating for Hawkeye games or simply because the idea of all sitting around together on a nice day throwing a football around sounded like his idea of a perfect Saturday. Whatever the reason, this little tailgate request became our hook for planning a birthday tailgate to celebrate Cruz turning 9. And it may have been the most fun party yet. Let's not pay attention to the fact that our dear friend Brian Gabel, General Manager for Panther Sports Properties, told us that something like 20 of the last UNI home games have involved questionable conditions for tailgating. I stayed optimistic. Let's do pay attention, however, to how excited Brian was to help ensure Cruz was going to get the ultimate Panther game day experience. The rainy conditions and the fact that we decided to host an at home tailgate prior to the game paled in comparison to the epic experience we all had that day thanks to a friend who had just as much fun hooking us up as we had experiencing it. The sign of a great friend, I'd say. We merged our family and five of Cruz's friends together for a day of football fun. Our spread was fairly easy - Cruz's favorite walking tacos with all the fixings, a stadium snack bar with meat, cheese, veggies, a ranch dip, and a buffalo chicken dip, an adorably sweet cookies and cream football cheese ball, and a football field cake. After deciding the night before to move our party to our house, I made a quick balloon garland and threw some UNI paraphernalia on the kitchen island and table and called it good. As stated in my first paragraph, I'm coming to terms with the fact that Cruz could care less about the party decor. ;) But the party food, it matters to people.
Everyone looked festive in their UNI gear and I had purchased some cheek tattoos, pom poms, and foam fingers to add to our spirit. Then I planned some tailgate games to keep the kids somewhat organized and occupied. We borrowed a big lawn Jenga game from some friends, played an beer-free game of beer pong, had a football toss with little foam footballs and a basked atop our teammates heads, and a table football yardage game using a field tablecloth and Oreo cookies. The games were fun, but I mostly discovered that when you put that many boys together in a group, they just want to wrestle each other. It was the weirdest, funniest thing. They just kept tackling each other.
Surrounded by his friends and family, Cruz opened his gifts and was thoughtfully and verbally appreciative of every single one. He read his cards out loud, showed genuine excitement, and somehow made everyone else feel special in the process. And then after inhaling some cake and ice cream, it was game time!
This is when things got real! Brian had worked out a way for Cruz and friends to be part of the UNI Flag Force, a new program they offer for kids this year. Kids get to stand in the end zone waving giant UNI flags as the players come out of the tunnel and then swarm around the flag wavers. We arranged to have just enough flag wavers and when we got the game a few minutes before game time, Brian met us and escorted not just the kids, but our entire family down on the field to witness it all! I have never seen so many wide-eyed little kids in my life - taking it all in and taking their role so seriously. The anticipation was palpable, especially for Habeb, Gabe and Gina's 16 year old foreign exchange student from Thailand. It was his first time to a college football game and it was so much fun to watch him take in all the energy and commotion. There was this moment before they took the field when we realized we had an extra flag. I asked Habeb if he wanted to wave one and he nodded with big wide eyes and said an emphatic, Yes!
I didn't take many pictures because there was so much going on, but man was it fun to watch! Mila and Harper were waving their pom poms, keeping their eyes on those cheerleaders doing mad tricks behind them, and Brian purposely put Cruz on the far end of the field, knowing the players would run right up to where he was. He got some fist bumps, watched most of them kneel and pray, and was pretty much on cloud 9 before the game even began!
And then there was the game! There was a great crowd for family weekend, we had great seats with room to move, and UNI beat South Dakota State 42-27, so there were a lot of touchdowns scored to keep the boys (and adults) entertained. TC and TK came to see us, and soon enough Brian came to see if Cruz wanted to take a couple groups of friends down to the field during the 4th quarter. And Beau and I decided we would get in on that, too! First touchdown from our fan section!
Both times he went on the field, the Panthers scored a touchdown. The energy was great, the cheerleaders shared fanfare footballs, and they even made it in front of KWWL's camera. Brian led the last group right behind the players, where we got up close and personal on all the action (and smells - yikes!). I love this video of Cruz's face as he's taking it all in - and Brian's smile, too.
What a big day! And a big WIN, not only for our UNI Panthers, but our sweet new nine year old boy. I think we did it - a successful compromise of a party with experience and fun details, and a party fit for this growing boy of ours. And in my opinion, a party that blew a "Get Air" party out the window. ;)
