MU Fan Day

Victory tastes like plastic.

 Claire is actually no stranger to MU football.  She doesn't know it, but she went to every home game but one last season (and watched the rest on TV, after she was born!).  I'm a huge MU fan.  Of course, I went there, so I have to be, but I also was on the Student Athletic Board.  I drove the helmet car,  had front row 50 yard line seats, ran a muck on both the real grass field and the new astro-turf field, I held the banner... Oh I did it all.  Now that I'm not a student, we still have season tickets with my dad and faithfully attend every game rain or shine (well, having a baby got in the way of ONE game, but I still made it to a game just 10 days before I gave birth, that's die hard, right?).

First MU experience... on the outside!

So today MU had their annual Fan Day, letting fans get on the field and get autographs from players, coaches, cheerleaders, and Truman the Tiger.  We didn't expect it to be quite so hot out on the field (it was SMOKIN' HOT), so we decided not to wait in the long lines for players and instead hit up the "really" important people. 
Claire obliged us with a few pictures in the end zone.  She sampled the astro-turf (whoops... I bet that was a bad parenting move on our part!), but other than that seemed to enjoy the spectacle of MU hoopla.
She met Gary Pinkel, MU football coach.  He's so nice.  He immediately got up to hold her, kissed her cheek, and smiled a lot at her.  Of course, I'm the ditz that didn't get the picture of the kiss (rats) but I DID get my 2003 Nebraska win goal post chunk autographed. 

Coach Pinkel... I've committed at yelling at him a lot less this season.

Claire also got to meet Truman.  We asked if we could bring him  home (he looked excited--I'm sure anything beats being in that costume in 100 degree heat), but he settled for playing peek-a-boo with an excited Claire.  I'm sure the time is coming when she'll be afraid of people in costumes, but we're 2 for 2 with costume success (Easter Bunny and Truman). 

Claire loves Truman!

Claire also got to meet some cheerleaders and a Golden Girl.

M-I-Z!

For those who don't know the difference, Golden Girls are the dance team.  She seemed to think they were pretty, and everyone got a good laugh at how she was examining the Golden Girl's uniform. 

Z-O-U!

As soon as we got our pictures we made a bee-line for the air-conditioning.  Claire also successfully drank water out of a normal cup, since I'd packed a bottle and not her sippy cut and she needed a drink before her meal. I think she had a lot of fun!  She loves seeing people and even though it was hot, she didn't get crabby or cry.  We can't wait for football season to start--we're hoping for good weather so she can tag along to a few games with us!

Won't this be a lovely picture to pull out when she graduates from MU some day?  :)