Homecoming 2011

When I realized that Mizzou's 100th anniversary of Homecoming was going to happen in 2011, I really wanted to be able to attend and take Joseph for his first college Homecoming. Mizzou does such a great job of making Homecoming a family friendly event, although when I was in college and law school I didn't actually go to many of the planned events.

This year, however, was all about making sure Joseph had a fun experience! We made it to Columbia Friday night in time to catch a couple of house dec shows with Ashley and Mikael before we needed to get Joseph back to the hotel. We lucked out and found a room in town the night before leaving for Columbia, after watching Expedia for months to no avail. I had hoped to stay in town so we could let Joseph get as much regular sleep as possible, especially when we discovered that kickoff for the football game was 1pm - right when he normally naps!

Saturday, October 15th, we got up on time and headed for downtown to watch the parade. Ashley and Mikael met up with us a bit later, and we all enjoyed the floats, marching bands and various parade entries. Joseph loved that many groups tossed candy to the kids, in between dancing to the music from the bands.

 Although the forecast was for highs around 70 degrees, it was still rather chilly at 8:30, so we made sure to put Joseph in his Truman the Tiger suit. He was quite the hit!

After an hour or so of watching the parade, Joseph started to get bored and wanted to explore. He kept trying to run away from me, but in his little tiger suit he just looked so cute. :)

We did a bit of tailgating near Ashley & Mikael's hotel and waited for Mom, Dad, Jennifer and her boyfriend to arrive. The weather was absolutely perfect for a fall football game! We enjoyed some yummy snacks, Joseph had fun telling just about everyone "hi!" and waving and Molly even got to hang out with us for a bit. A little before kickoff, we headed over to the stadium.

Joseph wanted to sit with Grammy and Granpa more than anyone else, but when he got a little tired of sitting still, he would wander up and down our aisle, bouncing from lap to lap.

He does seem to enjoy watching football, especially on TV at home, so we knew he'd be entertained for at least a little while. We apparently had tickets near the Iowa State "section", so their cheerleaders and mascot were stationed in front of us. I think Joseph spent more time watching the mascot than the game - oh well!

Jennifer's boyfriend Elliot came in town from Florida for the weekend. It was fun getting to spend some time getting to know him, as Joe and I hadn't met him yet.

As the game neared halftime, Joseph started to visibly wear down. I think he made Mom's day, though, when he decided he only wanted her to hold him. Luckily for him, she didn't mind that at all.

We had hoped to make it through more of the game, but at the half Mizzou had a sizeable lead, so we opted to leave while Joseph was still in a good mood.

I thought Joseph was going to fall asleep in the baby carrier on the way back to the car, but he decided since he was leaving, he needed to wave and say "bye!" to just about everyone we passed. He's really enjoying talking now!

We got back to the car, loaded everything up, and headed for the highway. Within 5 minutes, Joseph was sound asleep. Molly made sure to snuggle up with him as best she could too!

I had a lot of fun, and can't wait to make this a Jeppson family tradition, since I have lots of great memories going to Mizzou homecoming with my family as a kid. And maybe it'll keep Joseph a true Tiger, instead of deciding to be a Jayhawk! :)