Big Family on Campus

Dear M&M,

 Good evening. It has been a while. Sorry for the big gap between letters, but it turns out that being your Dad leaves little time for anything other than being your Dad. However, with Maggie on the cusp of turning 1, and Marshall starting do really do your own thing, we are slowly becoming a family with social interactions again. This past weekend, we went to the most social place your Mom and I have ever been, College.

  We could not just head to a campus to party it up with you 2, so we came up with the solid reason of taking you to a football game so we could all go. So we loaded up and headed north to the wonderful town of Chambana, to visit the University of Illinois.Since we have gotten a pretty good grasp on this whole parenting thing, we came prepared, with babysitters. Our teenage niece and nephew came along, and I must admit we were a bit vague on how all of this would go down. In fact, I may have just said "You guys want to come to a football game?", and left it at that.

  With the car loaded, cooler iced, and plans made, I felt great about my preparedness. In fact, I knew not to push our luck, and called off tailgating outside the stadium, because chasing you 2 around a parking lot full of drunk people, hot grills, and moving vehicles, was a bad idea. Maybe I wasn't 100% prepared (I forgot to bring either of you a single toy), but the a weekend reprieve from our normal life, and a weekend back to college was sure to happen.

  We first arrived in Champaign, put each of you in an umbrella stroller, and strutted around campus. I was on a roll, pointing out all of our favorite old spots and bragging about past exploits to the group. Your Mom joined in, and we hit a store to get even more college spirit apparel. We then got a wonderful photo shoot on the greatest college campus in the country, and you were both little hams and made everything great. Finally, your Mom and I began to rattle off our favorite campus bars to grab lunch so we could choose one, and I stopped cold, when reality began to set in.

  Just like in a horror movie when the characters suddenly realize it is too quiet and they are alone, I realized I had not seen a single other child, much less baby, on campus. In fact, people weren't even stopping to oogle over my adorable children. They were blowing right past us in their tank tops and flip flops like we weren't there. I may as well have had a phanny pack because the transition was complete and I didn't even realize it: I am no longer one of the group on campus, I am a grown-ass adult.

 I took a few deep breaths, and thought "OK DJ, you have kids and responsibilities, but that all adjusts to my schedule, not the other way around". So we headed to my favorite spot for food and tall beers, Legends. I got to the door and smiled at the 2 bouncers as I reached for my wallet, and then stopped and turned around. My magic pass on campus (an ID that says I'm 21) would not do me any good. I needed a family restaurant, to which your Mom quickly said: "Well, I guess we can head to Applebees?".

  I would like to say I handled this all pretty well as we drove off campus and found a spot to eat: Hooters, so it turned out just fine. Then, you both screamed non-stop as soon as we got in the door. We made it through though, right after your Mom and I ordered one of everything on the menu and began shoveling. The meal ended with me changing 2 poopie diapers (1 each) on the patio outside, and we headed to the game.

  After struggling to find a parking spot for the game, we ended up with a roughly 25 mile walk to the stadium. After finally making it, we attempted to get through the gate, and were told we would have to return our stroller to the car. Kids, always know when to cut your losses. Your Mom does, and she looked at me and said "Get the car, I'm headed to the hotel with the kids. That's the last sign.", and we did. (Don't worry, I still caught most of the game with Jax and Ally, and your Mom and I still got to go out with friends, once you went to sleep).

  So now you know, your first annual trip to a Fighting Illini Football game resulted in neither one of you actually going to the game. It was for the best though, because the game was super crowded, cold, windy, during both of your bed times, and Illinois got a total beat down. I have also left out the pretty important detail that both of you were sick, and actually fought it very well. Besides sharing a story with you, I do have a few lessons I want you to learn from this letter:
    1. Know who you are. Don't be the old guy trying to run around with frat boys
    2. The University of Illinois is the greatest College in the World, but feel free to go wherever you want
    3. Things don't always (or rarely) go to plan, and those are the most memorable experiences. I am sure that none of us will ever forget this trip.

I love you both, and look forward to football games (or whatever pops up) in the future.

Thanks for reading,
Love,
Dad