Go Vols! Beat the Tigers!

We continued what we hope will become a Homecoming tradition yesterday. Yes, we took Samantha back to a ballgame. This was quite a big move for Steve ... you may remember that her first game was the terrible Wyoming loss last year. Had we been shocked by Tiger High, he may have banned Samantha from Neyland for life! Fortunately, the Vols played great last night. It's always fun to watch when your team scores 4 touchdowns in the first quarter.

We headed for the Hill after Samantha woke up from her nap. After making our way from the parking garage (thanks for the pass, Seth!), we stopped at a few tailgates. Samantha really seemed to enjoy the atmosphere, especially the music. Though it's a bit disconcerting to watch your 18-month-old groovin' to Snoop Dogg's Gin and Juice, she wowed the masses with her performance. Samantha was also quite taken with cornhole, a popular tailgating game.

She did pretty good in the game. She took up with an usher who let us sit in some of the vacant student seats. Though they eventually filled up, she had a little room to run around. I can report that she loves the band, going so far as to ask for "more dance" after each song. After a quarter and a half, we packed up and went home to watch the rest of the game on t.v. On the way out, Samantha repeatedly kept saying "Bye, orange!" If only we could teach her to words to Rocky Top ....

Not quite sure what to think of all this.

She was insistent that she walk the Hill by herself. Steve and I were concerned that we may never make kickoff.

Tailgating with her friend Katelyn.

Playing cornhole her own way.

Love this! She was literally in awe of all of the lights on the stadium.

Ready for some football!

A VERY proud Daddy clapping along to Rocky Top.

A very proud Mommy.

I tried to put her snack on my toboggan instead of those nasty bleachers. She had other ideas. Oh well!

Touchdown!!