This weekend we celebrated little L’s fourth birthday! I was hoping he’d ask for a superhero party, which would lend well to our collegiate color palette, but we had a request for Little Einstein/Rocket birthday party theme. I did have fun adding musical elements to the tailgate and it ended up being a great theme! We requested guests wear silly socks in honor of his favorite episode “Silly Sock Saves the Circus” but alas we didn’t get a good photo of the silly kids socks or the Cyclone socks Dave and I ordered.
To make the weekend extra-special we stayed at the Gateway Hotel in Ames. Friday night we relaxed in the pool, read new birthday books and got a good night of rest before our tailgate. I snuck out to get some breakfast and last-minute tailgate supplies before the kids woke up. Again, due to a rainy week, we were redirected to Vet Med for parking. We arrived early enough to stake out a spot with a lot of room and set up with our panel sides for the first time to help block the wind.
Family from both sides, including Dave’s sister’s family, joined us for the tailgate. The kids had fun on the nearby tree and the day flew by.
Probably the best part of the day was when our friend’s Aunt Shari arrived and was able to play the “tuba” that L had requested as a birthday present. Still so impressed.
On top of all the fun, it was a really great game. L started to “direct” the marching band at every song—what a riot.
The Cyclones pulled an amazing 30-14 upset against then-No. 6-West Virginia and the students rushed the field. After we determined it was safe, we went down for a celebratory jump on the field as well. Later, the Big 12 fined Iowa State $25,000 for the incident, claiming it created unsafe environment for student athletes. Not sure what that says about our parenting judgement, but does this look unsafe?!
