Look at that excited little face! A true UT Volunteer!
We had so much fun! We stopped to get a little to eat before the game. JA was taking his sweet time, even though his Daddy couldn't sit still and was ready to get going. He actually asked JA if he could finish up while walking :) What should have only taken fifteen minutes lasted for well over half an hour! Luckily, we made it in plenty of time to see the Vol Walk (JA wasn't too impressed with that) and band. While waiting for the band, cheerleaders, and Smokey to march down, JA started singing Rocky Top. It was the most adorable thing! 'Wocky Top, you always be, home sweet home to me! Good. O. Wocky Top. Wocky Top, Tenn-a-say!' He would spin around and around, singing this over and over. He also found two new rocks to add to his collection while waiting for the band. JA had a front row seat and loved the band! We were afraid the noise might scare him, but he did great! He was smiling and clapping and got VERY excited when he saw Smokey run by! We went ahead to the stadium after the march, easily found our gate, and were in our seats OVER an hour before the game started! I was afraid JA couldn't handle being there that long, but he did great! We watched the players warm up. JA would yell, "Frow it! Kick it and frow it!" Our seatmates arrived with two little ones in tow, and that just made the experience even better. The kids enjoyed sitting beside and talking to each other. We sent Daddy to the concession stand for water, popcorn, and Skittles, and we were set for the night! Since it was a night game, we brought out the hoodies once the game started. It was perfect football weather: just a slight chill in the air, no clouds in the sky; ahhhh, I love fall! JA enjoyed the entire experience: the game, crowd, cheering, band, Smokey, fireworks, and of course, all of the police officers, fire fighters, and emergency vehicles. JA would randomly stand in my lap, facing the crowd behind us, and start singing Rocky Top. He also began asking the folks around us if they were sleepy. He would let them know (in no uncertain terms) that he was not :) Our seats were close to the fireworks. JA seemed a little scared about the booms to begin with, but soon came to love watching the fireworks, as long as he was being held by either mommy or daddy. The halftime show was awesome - a tribute to trains! It couldn't have been more perfect; they even formed a train on the field!
Football and a train? Score!
The game itself was closer than expected. UT was playing a little school, and everyone was expecting an easy W. Imagine our surprise when Akron scored a touchdown within the first couple of minutes! The game was super close during the first half with the teams either tied or trailing by 3 points. There were several disappointed Vol fans in the stands, to say the least. My disappointment came from the extreme discomfort of the bleachers coupled with the insane amount of time the first quarter took. Seriously, I have never seen a quarter last that long! Luckily halftime was awesome, and the team got it together in the second half. We left after the third quarter, despite JA's protests and requests to 'watch dem pway football!' We wanted to beat the crowd, but there were lots of people leaving, as well. We hoofed it back to the car, but not before purchasing the perfect addition to JA's big boy orange and white room! (pictures and post to come, promise!)
We missed our ramp to get onto I40, which wouldn't be a big deal, normally. Unfortunately, the police had all the close alternatives blocked. I do believe we drove around downtown Knoxville (which can be a little scary) for a good twenty minutes before getting where we needed to be. JA slept for about thirty minutes and was VERY awake for the rest of the drive home. He 'hijacked' the GPS around Monterey, and I'm still not sure what he did to it. He kept saying, "We go dis way. To the weft. Go right. I have me GPS, Mommy. We go dis way!" Too cute!
It was one in the morning once we finally got home with JA talking about 'Johnny Majors being asleep.' He was quite upset when he realized we were going to bed without a bath, a story, or watching Charlie Brown, but the little fella fell asleep almost the minute his head hit the pillow. He woke up this morning singing Rocky Top and talking about fireworks. I do believe he enjoyed his first UT football game and will be looking forward to the next. I know that's how mommy and daddy feel :)
I said, it's GREAT to be a Tennessee Vol!!!
