Independence Bowl: Game Day!

The day that we had been waiting for finally arrived last Saturday! Game Day!!!! 

Several of us started out game day by participating in the Independence Bowl 5K bright and early on Saturday morning. I have to be honest, it was total peer pressure that made me sign up, as I haven't ran since September and I have never done a real 5K before. #runningaintmything 

Thankfully, there were several of us that did it just to have something to do, and I for one was all about the break from my girls! (It had been a long week in a hotel room.) So, there were about 4 of us that decided to walk the 5K.

When the 5K was over, we went back to the hotel and grabbed breakfast and then got ready for our day. 

DJ headed out for meetings, and Nana stayed with two of the girls while Megan and I made a quick stop back to the outlet mall so I could make a return. 

We stopped in to Nike and Meggie insisted on having her picture taken. 

We browsed through a few more stores before heading back to the hotel. She was all about modeling. 

It's not often that I get to spend time with just my middle, and I think she was eating up all of the attention and time alone!

She asked to take my picture. 

When Megan and I got back to the hotel, Addy was napping, so we finished getting dressed and ready for the game. Once she woke up, we had lunch in the hospitality suite and loaded the team buses to head to the game. 

The team arrives to the games about two hours early, and since we have to go with them, we have plenty of time to waste before the game! Thankfully, the bowl was hosting a fan fest with food trucks, tailgating, and inflatables for the kids. 

Ha- Gretchen was not too thrilled about anything. Until we got to the inflatables!

And then she was all happy and playful. She and Addy went down the slide. 

So fun!!!!

The kids played and played before we decided it was time to head back to the stadium. 

But first, a cousin picture!

Sweet kiddos heading to the stadium. 

We got in and found our seats. We had potty breaks, grabbed dinner, and waited for kick off!

Meggie was a bit disappointed with our seats and insisted on moving to where she could see. At one point in the game, she took off toward the field, because this girl loves her football. 

Nana and her grandbabies! 

Addy Pearl and I waiting for the game to start. 

My Rustic Cuff Tulsa stack is now complete! 

We listened to both bands play, saw fireworks, and had a fly over before the game. 

And then, I sat through the longest, most exciting, nerve wracking football game ever. Every single time Tulsa was about to score a touchdown, one of the girls had to potty. I literally saw two of our teams touchdowns the entire game. The first quarter, both teams were neck and neck. We'd score, they'd score, and it was back and forth for a while. In the third quarter, we were behind, and our team rallied back. 

We were behind by two points with about two minutes left to go in the game and we had the ball. And, then our quarterback got sacked. Twice. And the game was over. 

But, we cheered hard. We cheered loud. 

And in the end, I thought we'd win. I really thought we could do it and that we were going to do it. Gretchen came over and said she wanted to leave since we were loosing, and I told her we were only loosing by two, and that we were going to score! 

I had faith. I prayed. 

And at the end of the day, I was and am so proud of our players, our coaches, our staff. 

It was a hell of a game. 

When the game was over, we loaded the buses and waited for everyone else to board before heading back to the hotel. It made for a late night. The girls went to bed, we went to the hospitality suite for dinner, and then we crashed.

Sunday morning was spent packing. 

We were ready to get home!

We boarded the buses to head to the airport. 

And we were tired. 

The weather had held off the entire time, but it started to rain as we boarded the plane. The flight home was pretty bumpy. At one point, I'm pretty sure Adalyn's ear drums popped because she immediately started screaming. I think we flew in circles around Tulsa waiting to land because of the weather. It was a long flight. 

We got off the plane to board the buses, and it was freezing cold, raining, and windy. Brr!

But, we were so excited to be home!!! 

Christmas Eve & Christmas Day in Shreveport

Christmas Day was pretty unusual for our little family of 5 this year. This is the first year that we've spent our Christmas away from home and in a hotel room. 

Even though, we weren't home, we tried to keep as many traditions as we could for the girls, as well as start new traditions and make memories. 

We spent our Christmas Eve at a team dinner and then with a visit from Santa. You can check that post out here. 

After dinner and hugs from Santa, we went straight up to the hotel room for baths and pjs!

Each year, the girls have matching Christmas pajamas and I made sure to bring them with us. 

We took a few pictures, gave some of the best sister hugs, and maybe jumped on the bed. 

These girls were full of excitement!

I mean, they were full of giggles. 

While the girls jumped on the bed, DJ set up our little Christmas tree. We picked it up from Lowe's the day we arrived in Shreveport. I felt that the girls really needed to have a tree. 

And I brought a strand of mitten garland for the girls to decorate the tree. We opted out of ornaments because it was just more to pack. 

Addy refused to have her picture made with our Christmas tree, but the big girls were more than willing to strike a pose!

And laugh a little more!

We said good-bye to our Elves (we snuck them in to the girls' suitcases and they laughed uncontrollably when they found the stowaways!)

And then we set out cookies for Santa. I found this Santa placemat while shopping in Shreveport and knew it would be a good addition to our Christmas Eve traditions. We packed the plate and milk jug ahead of time so we would have them with us. 

Since we weren't able to make our traditional homemade chocolate chip cookies, we picked up chocolate covered oreos for Santa while we were shopping at the outlet mall. 

We had pink covered and chocolate covered and we let the girls choose, and they ALL chose the pink cookies! 

I think Addy was sad that she couldn't eat one of Santa's cookies!

We didn't have milk with us in the hotel, so we left Santa some coke. Because nothing says I need caffeine more than having to stay up all night and deliver presents to all of the good children around the world more than a little coke. 

After we set cookies out, we crawled in bed with our Magic Christmas Pillowcases. I made these several years ago with a little poem of how they were made at the North Pole and were full of Santa's magic to help the girls fall asleep fast on Christmas Eve. 

We always read the Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve and since we didn't have the book, I googled for a video of it on YouTube and we all sat together to watch the video. 

And  then there were more giggles, we said prayers, and the girls went to bed. 

It took Gretchen forever to fall asleep, and once she did we were able to play Santa. 

I think our tree was pretty festive!

We brought our stockings along too. The night we had packed them, the girls thought that the elves had stolen them. We didn't tell them that they were packed for the hotel, and they were shocked when they saw them Christmas morning!

Our hotel dresser had the perfect handles for their stockings. 

The girls were up super early Christmas morning. Like, 6:15, which made for a ridiculously long day! 

Santa left each girl three presents, since Jesus received 3 gifts on his birthday. 

Gretchen was thrilled with her Mary Ellen Beforever doll.

Megan received Cinderella. 

Addy Pearl opening gifts. 

It was enjoyable chaos!

Santa also brought Adalyn a new ballet baby. She received her first ballet baby on her very first Christmas two years ago, and she and ballet baby are inseparable. 

She immediately "assumed the position."

Gretchen received Shopkins. 

Megan was definitely spying them!

She was over the moon!

Each girl received a new book. 

We opened our present from our head coach and his wife. 

And then we dug in to our stockings!

Megan received play-doh.

Gretchen received a Math Dice game. 

Each girl received a game-day Rustic Cuff bracelet to wear to the bowl game. 

And each girl received a Tsum-Tsum. 

Addy's 1st Rustic Cuff!

Meggie with her TU cuff. 

As soon as we wrapped up opening our presents, Gretchen went to grab Caroline, her American Girl doll, and showed her Mary Ellen. 

And then we spent most of the morning playing. 

Addy with two of her ballet babies. I think we're on ballet baby number 5 or 6. The one with the blue face has a detached leg and obviously has been very loved the last 6 months. 

New or old, she really doesn't have a preference!

After play time, we headed up to the hospitality suite for breakfast, and then DJ went to work. 

After lunch, we headed to the movie theatre with friends to see The Good Dinosaur. It was so cute, and a little bit sad, but it's definitely a must see!

After the movie, we went back to the hotel for naps. 

That evening, I got the girls dressed in their Christmas dresses and we headed to the family dinner at the hotel. DJ had more work after our dinner, so the girls and I headed downstairs to the giant Christmas trees and had a little photo shoot. 

I think at this point, I was just trying to keep them out of the room as long as possible! 

After some sister pictures, I let each girl do their thing. 

Gretchen was all about striking a pose!

And blowing kisses!

Meggie was just a goof ball!

But, still as cute as ever. 

Until she showed off her hiney! 

She kept hamming it up until I finally told her to move so Adalyn could have her turn!

But, then the big girls broke out in to the Whip and Nae Nae before finally letting Addy have center stage. 

Adalyn insisted on having Lambie in her pictures. 

She was trying to pose her toys perfectly, but they kept falling down. 

So, she just held on to them. 

We finally made it up to the room, and put on pj's and waited for DJ to get finished and for Nana to arrive. 

DJ's mom, sister-in-law, and her family arrived in the evening, so we had more presents to unwrap!

Megan received her "look alike" American Girl doll from Nana!

She has been in love with this doll since receiving it!

And Gretchen received a Grace outfit for her doll. 

Adalyn got lots of snuggles, a Sofia doll, and Sofia dress up!

You know, as I was out shopping on Christmas Eve, a retail employee told me that it was so sad that we had to spend Christmas away from home, and they should have just pushed the bowl back a few days. She went on and on about how Christmas is about family, and I thought "Lady, you have it SO wrong." We fully expect and we want to spend our Christmas holidays at a bowl game. It's what DJ and the coaches and the players work for all year. DJ and I spent our honeymoon at a bowl game, and our first Christmas in a hotel room, and it was only fitting that 10 years later, we were doing it again. We had our family, we have our love, and it didn't really matter where we spent our Christmas, as long as we were together, and as long as we were remembering that it was Jesus' birthday. It's a foreign concept for many that our Christmas was out of the norm, but we really wouldn't want it any other way! 

Our Christmas was perfection.