Penn State Tailgate

Over Thanksgiving weekend, we decided to head back to College Park for the Maryland v. Penn State football game.  Lauren has become quite the Penn State fan (don't worry, she still loves Maryland too), and we wanted to get in at least one tailgate with all of our friends.  

Mee-maw and Grandpa came up as well and we met up with the Shafers, the Ackermanns, the Bloughs, Uncle John, and Captain Rick!!  When we first arrived, the weather was a little chilly and overcast.  Charlie was more than content to stay in the back of the Pilot and relax a bit.  Lauren immediately put on her Penn State hockey jersey!  We parked next to an impressive Penn State tailgate, so she had the perfect backdrop for pictures.  However, she got tired of cheering for the "wrong" team, and switched to her Maryland sweatshirt for most of the day.  That's my girl!!!!

We spent the day eating a LOT of food, catching up with friends, and watching the kids play in the field behind the cars.  They might not see each other as often as we would like, but they always get along so well when they do get together.  

                                     

                                         

                                       

We also walked up to the Comcast Center to get our annual family picture on Testudo.  Lauren was not in the mood to take photos, so we had some difficulty getting a decent shot, but we kept at it and finally got a small smile!

Even Mee-Maw and Grandpa got their photo with a slightly smiling Lauren.  

It was a long but fun day!  The Terps lost, as we suspected, and we did not go watch the game, but we had enjoyed being back on the campus with our usual tailgate crew.  We might not make it out to football games as often as we used to, but I sure hope we can manage to make it out to at least one game every year!!  There is nothing like hanging with your family and friends outside, eating a lot of good food, listening to the game on the car radio, and watching our kids grow up together.  And fingers crossed that we might be creating lifelong Terps fans!!   Go Spret!!!

Thanksgiving

This year, we celebrated Thanksgiving at Moomaw and Grandpa's house.  The holiday was filled with delicious food and family.   Grammy, Grumpa, Uncle Ryan, Uncle Kevin, and Quinnie joined us.

We tried to get some pictures taken of the kids and perhaps a good Xmas card photo!  The kids picture turned out well.  The family photo was a struggle and I gave up trying to find perfect shot!  ha ha ha   It seems that a professional photographer is a necessity when trying to pose 2 adults and 2 children.  Lauren would refuse to smile, Charlie would squirm around, Chad would smile, and I would get frustrated.  And the few times we did get Lauren to smile, someone else wasn't looking at the camera.  Like I said, nearly impossible!!

While the grownups were cooking, the kids found a new place to play...the pantry.  All three would pile in and shut the door.  We would hear giggling, and the occasional "Owww", but they happily amused themselves for a long time, so we did not disturb them.  After a few years, we have learned to leave the kids alone when they are playing independently.  

This year, we had a grownup table and a kids table. 

Aunt Sarah was working on Thanksgiving day, so Grammy and Grumpa hosted a 2nd Thanksgiving dinner for her on Friday.  We stuffed ourselves again and then began packing up to head to the Maryland v. Penn State football game in College Park.