Labor Day Weekend in Fayetteville!

These first 4 pictures are from the Friday night pep rally where we watched Aunt Rachael dance! The boys got a special visit from one of the small hogs.

Game Day:
Aunt Rachael:

My best friend Haley from college and her newborn, Haven.Cam and I with my brother Chad and nephew Hudson:The marching band spelling out the U of A:
Playing with Doc & Nonnie at their Fayetteville house:
Sporting new toys from Doc & Nonnie:

Uncle Isaac with the boys:

Carter and Mason playing at Wilson Park where we played in college:

Carter, Aunt Amber and Samson running at Wilson Park on the softball field where Christin grew up playing softball!
Mason and Amber have similar nice form!

Pool Time at Pap & Gran's house:
Laurel & Mason being silly at dinner; Carter checking out the camera.The 3 young cousins playing on the barstools. Laurel giving hugs to Mason for her birthday gift.Hugs for Carter.Playing with Gran:

We had a blast this year for Labor Day. Usually our Labor Day is a quick breather right after school starts for me, but this year we decided (sort of last minute) to make the trip to Arkansas for the Razorback football home opener. There were some many great things about this trip. We got to see lots of both of our families and even some of our old friends. If you aren't from Arkansas one thing you need to know is that nearly everyone in the state is a Razorback fan and Razorback game days are the biggest events of the year. The whole state converges on Fayetteville and the atmosphere is really cool. Lots of parties and tailgates and for us who are alumni, lots of memories of when we were in school.

My sister Amber and her husband Chris were generous enough to invite us to stay with them for the weekend in their new house. They got an amazing house in a historical district of Fayetteville right near Wilson Park. It was really fun for us to stay there because when Christin and I were in school there, Wilson park was one of our favorite haunts. It was neat for us to watch the boys play in the creek and on the playground on the park that is so nostalgic.

My sister Rachael is a junior at the University and is a member of the pom squad. Their game days are busy and so we get to follow her around to various tailgate parties and pre game activities. It is a little weird to see my little sister down on the field during the game and to look up at the jumbotron and see her face plastered 100 feet wide. My parents also own a house in Fayetteville and we were able to let them spend some time with the boys as well. My brother Isaac and his wife Morgan stayed with my parents for the weekend so there was somewhat of a mini reunion with my family.

Christin's parents now live in the area after moving back from Anchorage this summer. Her brother Chad and his family were all in Fayetteville for the game as well so we got some time with them as well. Happy 2nd Birthday Laurel! At their apartment, they have an awesome pool with a huge shallow end that all the kids love. That has been a big hit the last couple of trips up there.

Another fun thing we got to do that is pictured here is that we made it in town in time for the evening pep rally. It is held every Friday at the Greek Theatre on campus and Rachael had lots of time on stage. As it was the first of the year, the attendance was good and it was fun to watch. Helping us to make it in time was the fact that we made the trip in record time. It is great that the boys are getting old enough to be able to travel better. We were able to travel in larger chunks of time which means we made it in less than 11 hours. Usually it is around 12.

The weekend was great, it was great to see all the family and we had lots of help and great hosts. It really makes us want to make at least one game every season in the future. Thanks everyone!