Because of Oliver's early obsession with football (of any kind), we figured we had better head to one of our favorite places in the world to watch our favorite football team play and to reminisce about our care-free college days (what in the WORLD did we do with all of our free time?!). I bought the football tickets and booked the (Motel 6) hotel room back in July and wouldn't you know that they announced the 7:45pm kickoff two weeks ago and we were crushed at our misfortune. 45 minutes after the kids usually went to bed? It was going to be tricky. Luckily, Pullman was more about a football game so we just decided to roll with it.
We left around 9am on Friday morning with the intent to get to Pullman before the surplus store closed at 3pm to check out the cool gear they had there. The kids were pretty good on the long car ride and Oliver had no accidents! Super proud of him. We made it to town at 2:40 and Chris sprinted inside the sale while I got the kids out of the car. They all scored just what they wanted. Two marching band hats and a fire extinguisher. :-D
We went and spent a fortune at Crimson and Gray on the kids and then went and met two of my very favorite people, Dianna and Hank, at New Garden for dinner. After that we sped up to campus to go to the Homecoming bonfire! There was no fire thanks to high winds, but it was still super fun! Before it started we dashed into the RV lot to find Butch and the cheerleaders for some hugs and pictures and the kids were thrilled. BOTH ran right up to Butch for hugs. And the cheerleaders were smitten with both kids. We walked over for the rally, had some more hugs from Butch, watched the cheerleaders and dance team dance and watched a whole lot of sports teams be introduced. Zoë was done by 6:30pm and was pretty miserable, but she hung in there and perked up a bit when the marching band played the fight song. We were worried about the next night for the game if she didn't even make it to bedtime before melting. Oliver was having a great time, dancing and clapping with the music.
The next morning everyone slept in (mostly) and we got up at a leisurely place and went in search of a breakfast spot on a football weekend in (two) small college towns. We found a diner in Moscow that was just PERFECT and not crowded until after we sat down and were served. The kids LOVED having a giant mug of hot chocolate and whipped cream and a giant pancake. We headed to Pullman, grabbed mama a Peanut Butter Frost at the Daily Grind (Pullman achievement unlocked) and headed up to Greek Row. We walked around the Theta property and then walked up to campus to check out the new student center built in place of the old Bookie, poked our head into the library, and walked back down to get a tour at the Theta mansion. Zoë loved it and so did I. :) I was excited to share it with Chris, too, who had never been inside. The women were so kind to Zoë and shoved candy and snacks at the kids, which thrilled them. I can't wait until Zoë is a Theta in 14 years!
We headed to Cougar Country Drive-In for lunch, which was delicious, and headed back to the hotel hopeful that both kids would nap to save our evening. They did! It took them about 45 minutes to fall asleep and thankfully they BOTH napped (if only for 45-60 minutes), which was wonderful. It saved our evening!
We loaded up the car, layered everyone up for the wind and rain that had started at nap time, and headed back to Pullman for some pre-game fun. We first ran to the Alumni Center to pick up some buttons that play the WSU fight song when you hit them. Then, we hoofed it over to Ferdinands to get the promised Grabbers for the kids before they closed. We each got one and then huddled in a little alcove outside to enjoy them in the 40 degree and raining sideways weather. The kids loved them. :)
With two hours before kickoff, we trudged through the rain to get up to the CUB and find a spot where we could peel off our layers and relax inside in the warmth for a while. We found a good table, worked on a sticker book for a while with the kids, and then re-layered them into barely moveable beings before walking the three minutes to the stadium. The kids did GREAT! It really was VERY miserable weather but they LOVED watching the marching band and Butch on the field. Zoë was distressed everytime someone would stand up in front of her, momentarily blocking her view of the field. She wanted to see everything. The only part of us that was not warm were our hands, but otherwise everyone was well dressed: success! We left at the end of the first quarter because everyone was happy and NOT melting. Figured it was better to end on a high note. And! The kids made it all the way back to the hotel and stayed up until nearly 10 having a snack and watching the game on TV while we drank beer. It was awesome and I was so proud of them.
We also found out that our second born ham was dancing on ESPN during a TV time out. Of course he was.
Our weekend was spectacular and I couldn't have asked for more from our first weekend in Pullman. I can't wait to share more memories there with them over the years.
This was the first year the kids both LOVED everything about Halloween (minus Oliver being scared of the creepy decorations in the Spirit Halloween store). We loved parties we attended and trick or treating. We hit up Proctor Treats with Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle Connor first and then headed home so that Chris could take the kids to a few of our neighbors' houses before bedtime. And yes, they did choose to be Mickey and Minnie on their own. :)
Because of Oliver's early obsession with football (of any kind), we figured we had better head to one of our favorite places in the world to watch our favorite football team play and to reminisce about our care-free college days (what in the WORLD did we do with all of our free time?!). I bought the football tickets and booked the (Motel 6) hotel room back in July and wouldn't you know that they announced the 7:45pm kickoff two weeks ago and we were crushed at our misfortune. 45 minutes after the kids usually went to bed? It was going to be tricky. Luckily, Pullman was more about a football game so we just decided to roll with it.
We loaded up the car, layered everyone up for the wind and rain that had started at nap time, and headed back to Pullman for some pre-game fun. We first ran to the Alumni Center to pick up some buttons that play the WSU fight song when you hit them. Then, we hoofed it over to Ferdinands to get the promised Grabbers for the kids before they closed. We each got one and then huddled in a little alcove outside to enjoy them in the 40 degree and raining sideways weather. The kids loved them. :)
With two hours before kickoff, we trudged through the rain to get up to the CUB and find a spot where we could peel off our layers and relax inside in the warmth for a while. We found a good table, worked on a sticker book for a while with the kids, and then re-layered them into barely moveable beings before walking the three minutes to the stadium. The kids did GREAT! It really was VERY miserable weather but they LOVED watching the marching band and Butch on the field. Zoë was distressed everytime someone would stand up in front of her, momentarily blocking her view of the field. She wanted to see everything. The only part of us that was not warm were our hands, but otherwise everyone was well dressed: success! We left at the end of the first quarter because everyone was happy and NOT melting. Figured it was better to end on a high note. And! The kids made it all the way back to the hotel and stayed up until nearly 10 having a snack and watching the game on TV while we drank beer. It was awesome and I was so proud of them.
Oliver:
