Are you ready for some football?!

This past weekend was McNeese's homecoming.  So on Saturday, we all got dressed up in our blue and gold for the tailgate party and game!  Since this post is centered around the cuteness of our family, I will go ahead and let you know that we cheered the Cowboys on to a victory over Nicholls State.....GEAUX POKES!

Okay....maybe I should be used it to it by now, but WHY are all these people staring at me?!

Mama was close by to give hugs that calm a girl down and bring a smile to her face.

And even Daddy got in for a sweet family shot.

Homecoming tailgate parties always feature a live band, this years band was City Heat - which plays a WIDE variety of music, but their speciality is anything R&B.  Which we discovered Lexie really enjoys :-)  She had such fun dancing to the music.

She even found a dance partner for a few songs.

At the beginning, Lexie was very timid, staying close to either me or Bryan, clinging to our legs or reaching up to us and pleading "hol' me, hol' me."  But after a little while, the showoff in her came out and she was running and dancing all over the place, grabbing the attention and comments of everyone around.  Her favorite game was running across the Grove from Mama to Daddy.  She would start with one of us, then run full speed in to the others arms.  Then turn around and do it again, going the other direction.  This gave way to some sweet Daddy/Daughter pics.

I love the smiles!

I love these two!

But out of everything, Lexie's favorite part was when the cheerleaders, band, and danceline came to perform.  Daddy, understanding his daughter's love for this particular portion, brought her straight to the front so she could have a great view.

Can't you just SEE the excitement!

I love the clapping :-)

She is just mesmerized by the entire show....I love how she gets into it and particpates, trying to mimic all the movements.

I'm pretty sure we'll all agree that THIS was the best seat in the house.

Big cheers for everyone as the show concludes and they get ready to leave for the stadium.

Of course, I working this entire time, but Lexie does not understand the concept of work....so it's sometimes a challenge.  Thankfully, when your baby is this cute, your boss wants to take pictures of the two of you together rather than get upset that you have your baby with you at work.  (Yes, I'm VERY lucky!)

As if the excitement of the tailgate party wasn't enough, we also managed to make it through over half of the game.  I wish I could have documented Lexie's excitement as she watched the parachuters come in, but we walking into the stadium so I just wasn't prepared (when you are "working" the tailgate, getting into the stadium early is rare) but she's amazed by them.  Of course, she's amazed by the entire enviroment.  She is so well behaved, sitting in the stands and taking it all in.  She watches the game, claps and cheers with the other fans, and even knows some "important" football signage :-)  But sometimes, I wonder what she enjoys more....the game or the food!

Sharing a hamburger with Mama, Lexie insisted on having two pieces....one for each hand.

And her absolute favorite ballgame food....popcorn!

Occassionally, we can persuade her to share a bite with one of us.  But she is famous for sticking a bite right at our mouth and then pulling it away quickly and putting it into her own.

Thanks to PopPop, Lexie knows the international sign for "TOUCHDOWN!"  At this game, Daddy also taught her the sign for "First Down" and Jolie Blanc (the cheer done each time MSU scores a touchdown).  Both of these are documented on video...I will have to figure out a way to add them to here later :-)

And no game would be complete (at least not in my eyes) without a few pics of me with my favorite cheerleader!  It's nice to have Daddy home for many reasons, including the fact that now I actually get to be in some of the pictures!

I <3 this little girl!

Watching the game closely.

Of course, thanks to the iPhone 4's ability to take photos facing either direction, we were even able to grab a funny family pic.

Such fun :-)

But sadly, after 3 quarters and dropping temps....and a little girl who was getting just a tad restless, it was time to go home.  So we bundled up and headed out. 

All snug in her new coat and holding Daddy's hand as we leave.  Of course, once we got into the parking lot, she insisted to walking solo and having me supply with a steady stream of popcorn until we reached the car.

I have so many fond memories from this night, but perhaps my favorite is when Lexie and I went to get her popcorn.  Daddy pulled the cash from his wallet and Lexie (being my daughter) quickly grabbed it from his hand.  I carried her up the stairs and set her down at the top.  After taking just a few steps, I saw someone I knew and they commented on how adorable Lexie was.  I pointed them out to her and asked her to wave, she did so, being extremely charming with her sweet smile and pagent wave.  But sometimes, I think she does know JUST how adorable she is, because at that moment, she began turning to everyone else in the stands....smiling, waving, and saying "hey, hey!"  I hope that she always remains that confident, always knows how beautiful and smart she is, and always greets everyone with a smile.  Once we finally arrived at the concession stand, I picked her up to let her order.  The man greeted her with a "My, my, aren't you the most beautiful girl in the stadium...what can I get for you?"  Lexie smiled back at this obviously VERY intelligent man, and asked for "pa-torn," to which he held up the box and confirmed "is this what you want?"  She responded back with an emphatic "YEAH!" and handed him the money and took the box.  It's was crazy to watch the entire event take place as if I wasn't even there, I cannot believe how big she is getting...how fast she is maturing and how much she is talking and interacting more and more each day.  I am so blessed to be able to experience these events with her, to be able to watch her grow, and to be able to learn through her.  I am so proud of the person she is becoming!

Elmo Live! (First Viewing :-)

Sunday was an exciting day at our house, there was sooo much planned.   First and foremost, I took Lexie to her first live performance.  For those of you who know Lexie, nothing would be more suiting than for that performance to be Elmo Live!  Originally, we purchased tickets for the show in Lafayette (which is next Sunday) and when they arrived we found a surprise, they included backstage passes!  After warnings from friends that Lexie might be timid around the larger-than-life characters during her photo opp in Lafayette, I started thinking that a pre-show might be helpful...especially since a show in Lake Charles was added after we purchased our original tickets.  So, that's how Lexie gets to go to two different shows in back-to-back weekeends.  This weekend, we invited our friends Magen and Claire to go with us, since they share our love for the furry monsters of Sesame Street. 

Lexie was so excited when we arrived - she couldn't get over how Elmo was EVERYWHERE!



And we do mean everywhere :-)

 As you may know, Elmo has Lexie's heart...she adores that furry red monster.  We're pretty sure if he had the chance to meet her, he'd adore her too!

We were excited our friend Claire (and her Mama, Magen) wh

Isn't Claire just beautiful!  Look how flawless her skin is in this completely untouched photo.

Speaking of flawless...this girl is to-die-for!  Don't you just love how the red glitter shoes complete this Elmo ensemble?!

Yeah, she was QUITE the handful while we waited to be seated.  Running and climbing all over the place!

And did I mention climbing? !?

Aren't Claire and Magen just the prettiest :-)

Well, almost the prettiest!

The girls waited anxiously for the show to begin.

After a few minutes of being seated, Big Bird's voice came over the speakers and announced that the show would begin in 3 more minutes!

Oh, did that make someone excited!

The girls discussed their favorite Sesame Street characters while they waited for those LONG three minutes to pass.

And then suddenly, the curtains began to part.........

And it was SHOWTIME!  The entire show centered around several different characters getting postcards from far-away places and using their imaginations to take them there.

Big Bird was the first to appear on stage.

And let's just say that Lexie was a little excited to see him :-)

Of course, Elmo was there too.

And Abby Cadabby (and Grover too!)

The whole gang joined in for a opening song and sance routine.

The girls were amazed.

Two of Lexie's personal favorites, "Mel-mo" and "Aaaa-bbbay"

During the imagination sequence, bright colored lights would fly across the ceiling....catching everyone's attention!

There was a fiesta celebration.

And special time with more favorites, Bert and "Ner-nie"!

Of course, Elmo always steals the show :-)

And Abby is my favorite girl monster.

The enjoyment was obvious on BOTH girls faces as they watched in amazement.

The S.S. Rubber Ducky skit received a ton of cheers from our group.

Probably because you can't help but love Ernie!

At some points during the show, the chairs were just not CLOSE enough.

We enjoyed the hula dancing performance.

And the "Surfin' Safari" remix.

During intermission, Claire snacked on some cotton candy.

For her intermission prize, Lexie selected the Elmo-face shaped balloon.  Of course, after walking over to the vendor, I discovered the price was $10!  I know I must have been out of my mind for paying $10 for a balloon, but when your little girl is chanting "Mel-mo!"  "Boon!"  "Mel-mo!"  "Boon!"  There really is no way to tell her no.  So, as usual, Lexie wins :-)

Of course, getting a balloon does not mean that she didn't get the cotton candy as well :-)

After intermission it was time for Elmo's World!

Followed by rainforest dances....

And Big Bird.

Even the Grouch made an appearance during the "If You're Happy and You Know It" song to add his own verse, "If You're Grouchy and You Know It"

But my all-time favorite part was during the Mardi Gras Parade!  With a special rendition of "When the Saints Come Marching In!"

Loved the dancing...

Loved the props...

Just stunning all together!

After all that imagining, the monsters of Sesame Street were ready to head back home.

So the gang joined together onstage on last time for a farewell song and dance!

At the very end, streamers exploded from the stage.  Lexie saved this small piece of one as a momento of this fun experience.

Oh, how can I go back to watching tv after seeing this amazing performance LIVE?!

Good thing I get to see it again this Sunday LIVE and IN PERSON. 

By the way...did I mention that this weekend we have backstage passes!!!  Cross your fingers for good pics of Lexie with the monsters!  :-)

We are so happy we got share this experience with our friends.

We were the last to leave, staying around to snap some pics and visit a little with our guests.  After awhile, the workers politely  asked us to leave so that they could prepare for the next show.

So sadly, we gathered our belonging and headed home.

But we had a great time....and are looking forward to doing it all over again!

As you know, these are not all the pictures taken.............I filled my camera card up with over 300.  Below are a few more of my favorites.  I'll let you decide your own captions :-)