I think you all know by now that besides being a baseball fan, I’m a pretty big college football fan, especially for my Alma Mater, USC. The Trojans have had some good years as of late, but when I was a student there the team was, as Jackie! and I liked to say, “Poop on a stick.” I had season tickets until last year (I regret giving them up), but I still watch all the games and tailgate when I can. And of course, whenever Lee Corso is in town, I taunt him.

The one thing I had not done was take Annabel to a football game. I’d brought Madeline to a game, but the timing had never really worked out with Annabel; she was freshly crawling or walking, etc, plus the stadium itself isn’t as easy to maneuver with a kid. I had a lot of excuses, really. Then this last Saturday, I had a ticket to the game. I was packing my bag, about to walk out the door, when Annie came up to me and said, “But I loooove football. Can I please come with you?” I hesitated for a minute before I remembered a couple of my friends were bringing their kids. I asked Annie if she would be up for a lot of walking. I warned her it was going to be hot and there wasn’t much I could do about it. She swore she’d be able to handle it all, and before I even said that she officially could come with me she’d already run into her room to pick out her clothes and change.

The one thing she really wanted was pom-poms. Easy enough!

little song girl

After I hooked her up with those, we went to where my friends were having a tailgate breakfast.

first tailgate
NOT a jumpsuit.

She liked all the snack foods, but she was definitely more interested in playing with the other kids. The most popular game was “smack each other with the pom-poms.” The pom-poms had to go on time out a few times.

I didn’t know how Annie would react inside of the stadium. The toys were all outside, the snacks were mostly gone…it was just the field for entertainment. I held my breath, but as soon as she saw the band, she was sold:

first football game - loves it

She loved cheering for the team (she really wanted to meet the song girls), and she was obsessed with the gorgeous Andalusian horse that ran on the field after each USC touchdown. Unfortunately, it was extremely hot in the stadium, so Annie only lasted until halftime. That was okay, though – I definitely didn’t want her to overheat, and I wanted her to leave feeling happy about the experience.

selfies at her first football game

Does it ever stop being cool to see your kids enjoy the things that mean a lot to you? It gave me such a thrill to see her clapping, chanting, and having a blast. Plus, seeing Annie have fun with my friends’ kids was really amazing.

next generation watches the game together

I was looking back on Madeline’s first football game and I realized that she and Annie went to their first football games the same weekend, five years apart. The same thing happened with their first baseball games (same day, two years apart). Yet another link between my two sweet daughters.

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Tea Collection is offering my readers 25% off two different Tiny Tea items. These are my go-to for shower gifts lately.

Annie and Jamesie
My Models

The romper James is wearing the District Stripe Henley Romper, and it’s 25% off for my readers until 11:59 PM PDT on 9/20. If you’re shopping for a baby girl, this sweet Chinese Floral Wrap Romper is also 25% off for the next 72 hours. Just enter SPOHR25 at checkout! (Fine print: This is only valid for US residents and the code cannot be combined with any other promotion.) Annabel is wearing the Brushstroke Stripe Dress with cozy stretch rib leggings, which aren’t on sale but definitely are cute. Have fun shopping!