This is how we do it

Labor Day... uh I mean... first BYU football game weekend!

So we packed up the kids and drove out to Utah! It was all about BYU football! We took the trip in 2 days staying at the Best Western in Elko. Never again! Ronnie was trying to make Madison happy since she has some crazy fascination with Best Western Hotels (don't ask). But this one was nasty! It smelled horrible, the kids' feet were BLACK (not just dirty black, no, dark black!) after a few min. with no shoes, and there were flashing casino lights in our window the whole night! I think the only thing it was good for was jumping from bed to bed! Madison could have cared less, it was a Best Western and that was all that mattered to her! Like I said, don't ask, we have no idea why she is fascinated with this particular hotel chain, she has only stayed in one her entire life, and it's not the nicest hotel she has stayed in either. Really, she has been to Hiltons, Marriotts, The Magic Castle Hotel etc.. it's not like we starved her of good hotels but for some reason, she will point out a best Western sign from a mile away and promptly ask if we can go there! Anyway, we woke up the next morning having had little sleep and it was off to Provo!

First stop, the BYU bookstore where my husband, who does not like to shop, spent 2 hours and who knows how much money, buying all the BYU gear he could find to last him another year! Next stop, BYU football fireside with coach Mendenhall. Ronnie took Madison while I stayed at Grandpa and Grandmas house to get the monkey to bed. Ronnie was beaming with excitement upon returning home and the first words out of his mouth were "I got to talk to Brandon Doman!" He was thrilled that Brandon and a few other coaches sat next to him and he couldn't let the opportunity pass without chatting it up after the fireside was over. He was already in heaven and the game hadn't even started!

Saturday was game day! We had a relaxing morning, and tried to get Bex to sleep before the game cause we knew it would be a long 4 hours for him! Then it was off to Cougar Town for the first game of the season! Thanks to mom and dad C. for the parking pass and the great seats! They were in Omaha at our niece Meg's baptism and were nice enough to let us use their home, tickets, and parking pass! (we love you Meg, we are so proud of you and wish we could have been there too!) Don't worry people, we still have season tickets of our own, for those other games where the whole fam. is in town- really, what were you thinking? We stopped off at the Cougar Club for a pre game pep talk and a quick visit with cousin Jason, and then it was up to our seats, which were thankfully in the shade! The game was great, the fans packed the sold out LaVell Edwards Stadium and we were ready for a show! I am sure Ronnie has some more detailed descriptions on the events of the game but from what small football knowledge I have, here is my "post game wrap up"-

I was a bit worried when, for the second season in a row, BYU's opening offensive drive ended in a fumble. The Offensive line swore Max Hall wouldn't be touched but he was sacked right off the bat loosing the ball. However, he recovered, and the new quarterback did great for his first game! I think there was even talk about Heisman potential but let's not jump the gun here boys! The BYU Defense was spectacular but the special teams need to get their act together. And come on BYU fans, no more booing the rookie punter, it was his first game, cut him some slack! And most importantly, we won by a lot, but not without letting them score in the last minute of the 4th quarter! BYU-20 AZ-7

There, how was that for paying attention with a crazy one year old on your lap?! My husband will be proud! (That's for all those dates you took to the games your freshman year who were clueless as to what was going on in the game and would clap whenever you clapped, because you thought it was funny to see even if it was at the wrong times!) Ha! After the game we ducked out as fast as we could to get out of traffic but we weren't fast enough, we sat in the west parking lot for 2 hours! Crazy, but oh so worth it!

The next day was pretty relaxing as we basked in the BYU victory! We got to go see some of our good friends, Tyler and Linda Geertsen. Thanks guys for the yummy dinner and the fun chats! We always have a great time with you, we wish we lived closer! Our kids took to them instantly, after countless tick-tac-toe games, climbing the stairs and rearranging their furniture, we decided we should let them get back to their peaceful life. Plus, they had a 5k to run the next day! We hope it went well, we miss you guys already!

Monday morning we did laundry, packed up the car, had some lunch, and then headed home. We decided to try and miss the Tahoe traffic so we stayed in Reno that night. Ronnie booked us a room at Circus Circus so we took the kids down to the midway for some fun before going to bed. Madison had so much fun playing all the games and winning herself some prizes. Ronnie and I won Bex a little Spider Man and he loved that thing to pieces- he hugged it the rest of the night. How does he know, he wouldn't touch the 2 animals Madison tried to share with him but when we gave him Spidey, he went nuts! Silly kid!
This week has been all about getting unpacked, apartments in order, and then packing up once again to go to LA. It should be a fun trip, Rosa is coming with us and we are meeting our friends the Calderwoods out there too! Go Cougs!