H is for...Holy Cow!

Saturday found us in Iowa City once again, to help cheer on the Hawks!  After our loss to the Cyclones we were all hoping for a W to get our beloved Hawkeyes back on track! 

We loaded up the family cruiser and met up with Jason, Jen and the girls for some tailgating pre-game!  We weren't planning on taking Lila again, but when Jason and Jen said they were taking the girls we thought, "what the heck!"

Watching a few pre-game shows on the iPod!

As most of you know, the first three quarters of the game were BRUTAL.  HORRIBLE.  Even Lila was embarrassed for the team...

During the fourth quarter we were all hoping for a miracle, a huge miracle considering the Pittsburgh Panthers were up 27-10.  Lila was so exhausted by what seemed to be defeat that she fell asleep right as things were starting to turn around.

The Hawks came out of nowhere with an amazing rally!  It was unbelievable and the crowd went CRAZY!  I was holding Lila the whole time she was sleeping as I was jumping up and down screaming along with the 70,000 other fans and it didn't phase her.  She didn't even flinch when the Hawks took their final knee beating the Panthers 31-27 in the end!  What a surprise!

Sound asleep post-game

After the amazing finish we headed back out to the car to snack and discuss what it was that we just witnessed!  None of us could really believe it, but we all agreed we would sleep a little better tonight knowing the Hawks pulled it off!

Happy Hawk Fans!



Just the 3 of Us!

This weekend was a bit unusual for us...it was just the three of us all weekend long!  This is a rarity and was a very big treat!  We didn't have much of anything planned, but we did know we wanted to relax and have fun!

Saturday started out with Lila's first haircut!  I had been putting this off as I couldn't quite believe she was old enough to have a haircut, but it was time!  For those of you worried that I cut off her curls, don't be!  I just wanted her to get a much needed trim to get those dead ends off and even things up a bit. 

The first snips!

My hairstylist, Cassie did a great job and Lila was a trooper!  Sitting ever so quietly and patiently as Cassie brushed her hair out and began cutting.  I thought for sure I would get emotional, but even I managed to get through it quietly! 



All done!

I keep hoping that Lila will like her curls a lot more than I did when I was younger.  I am embracing mine a lot more in my adulthood and hoping to teach her how to manage her hair better than anyone taught me.  I have pictures from when I was little that make me cringe, if someone would have just told me to NOT brush my hair, to let it air dry and the curl would take naturally, I could have avoided a few hundred embarrassing pictures and moments!

The finished product!

The rest of the weekend has been spent getting some much needed R&R and things done around the house!  We watched the Iowa vs. Iowa State game, unfortunately the Hawks didn't pull out a win, but it was a great game up until the very end of the third and final OT!

We made homemade pizza last night and ate in our jammies!  Lila is big into drawing, so we spent some quality time drawing pictures and sharing our masterpieces!

Grandma Harvey's famous recipe!



Weekends like these are too few and far between.  It is a bit sad to look at the calendar and realize that we won't have another weekend like this until after the first of the year.  So, we need to remember to make the most of them when they come around!

"Labor" Day!

For the remainder of the weekend we were in Guttenberg at our family cabin.  When Lila got her playset for her birthday my Dad purchased a playset for up at the cabin as well.  He didn't purchase just any playset, he purchased a unit that rivals some Elementary schools!  This year the term Labor Day really meant labor, while putting together the family playset.

The kids always enjoy spending time together.  Even Carson and Cade do a good job of including the little kids in all the fun!  Meanwhile, the guys wasted no time getting to work, only to take a break to watch the "Island Golf Cart Parade!"



The building crew consisted of Mike, my Dad, Jason, my uncle Jeff and his two sons Tom and Nate.  They did a great job of dividing and conquering and before we knew it, it was time to take the framing to the backyard!

A little dance party to keep the kids occupied!

We were all up for supporting the guys as they worked hard on their project, but it was actually pretty chilly out at 65 degrees.  We all discussed how ironic it is that when summer is winding down 65 feels so cold, but when we are coming out of a cold winter, 65 feels like a heatwave!

We were also all together to celebrate Cade's 12th birthday!  He ordered up grilled chicken and pork, cheesy mashed potatoes and some peanut butter/chocolate brownies for the big celebration!  YUM!

"Happy Birthday, Cado"

The guys were bound and determined to get the playset as far as they possibly could, so with a little bit of daylight left they were back at it after dinner.  Lila also recognized that it was still light out and couldn't resist taking the pink, sparkly bike for a spin!

Monday morning the guys were up and outside right after breakfast.  Dad even recommended just calling it quits and enjoying the day, but they weren't stopping now, they wanted to see the playset finished or at least darn close!

The kids spent time playing outside on the trampoline...remember last 4th of July when Lila fell off?  I do, very vividly, but this time we were a lot more prepared.  She had a lot of fun with the big kids and they were very gentle as they jumped around her and she sat and giggled as she would get lifted into the air.

Giggle!  Giggle!  Giggle!

Back at it!

The girls decided to head over to the other side of the island to visit my Grandma at her cabin.  This cabin is very special to me as it is where I have a lot of my summer memories as a kid!  It was only appropriate to have Lila get her picture taken in front of the cabin sign!

When we got back from Grandma's it wasn't long before...the kids were swinging!!!  Woo hoo!  I am not sure who was more excited, the little ones or the guys working on the playset knowing that they were so close to completion!

The building crew!

When we left Guttenberg the playset wasn't 100% complete, but it was darn close!  The only parts left are the "cyclone" style slide that comes off the front, some details on the monkey bars and a few other details.  I was so impressed with the guys for getting as far as they did as this was a huge project!  It was a bonding experience for all of them and it will be fun for them to watch as the kids get so many years of enjoyment out of their hardwork!

Black and Gold Tradition

Despite the weather prediction for today, we loaded up the car and headed to Kinnick for the first Hawkeye game of the season!  Ever since Lila has been born she has attended the first game of the year, so we didn't want to break what is becoming a very fun tradition just because of a little rain!

We got to Iowa City and the sky was a bit overcast, but so far no rain.  It seemed that the crowd was a bit thinner than normal, but that didn't stop us from having fun tailgating!



Cookies for breakfast!



Just as we were thinking about heading in for the pre-game festivities, the sky opened up and the rain fell...and it fell...and fell!

We waited patiently waiting for the rain to let up as we had heard over and over that it was supposed to stay north of us and that if we did get any rain it would be in short bursts.  Well, as we all know weathermen have a 50/50 track record.


Can we go in yet?!

 There was a break in the rain and we were finally ready to go in just before half time!  It was great to see that the stands were still packed despite the unfavorable weather, but we were optimistic that the rain was no longer an issue.



Go Hawks!



Mike and Lila had an opportunity to go down and sit in the first row!  Lila talks about Herkey all the time, so it was particularly exciting when Herkey came right over to her and gave her a big ol' high five!

Mike & Lila in the front row (Mike has the tigerhawk on his back)

Tim Dwight was honored during halftime, up close and personal!

Do you remember how I said we were optimistic that the rain was done?!  WE WERE WRONG!!!  Sometime during the third quarter it was like the sky opened up and buckets of water were pouring down!  There was nothing we could do but laugh!  The water was literally gushing down the steps of Kinnick and even though we all had ponchos on there wasn't a dry spot on any of us.

Grandpa & Lila (that is Lila under the baseball hat)



Borrowing someone's umbrella

After asking Lila several times if she was ready to go, with her replying, "No!" we were actually forced to leave due to lightening strikes.  The game was delayed and everyone needed to leave the stadium.  A lot of people stuck around to see if the rain would let up, but we figured this was a good time to pack up the car and head home. 

The Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Tennessee Tech game was definitely one for the memory books!  The game ended up continuing about an hour later and the Hawkeyes pulled out a victory 34-7!  We look forward to continuing this little family tradition for many years to come!



Our little Hawkeye!  Three Years in a Row!