Late Nite at Phog Allen!!

When Eric and I decided that we would make the drive back for a World Cup Qualifier, we decided to do it right and get in as much as possible.  We looked at the weekend prior and after to see what was happening in Lawrence.  Our search ended as soon as we saw that Late Nite at Phog Allen was on October 4th.  For those who were raised in ignorance of such an event, Late Nite is traditionally the first night that a NCAA sanctioned basketball team is allowed to practice.  Prior to a few years ago, this event took place on literally the first possible day a team could practice.  They moved it to the nearest Friday at some point and this year they moved it to 6:30 as opposed to midnight for the first time.  We were very excited at the prospect of introducing our Jayhawk basketball loving son to this event and the earlier time meant that the other two and Nana and Li'l Opa could come along as well.  Mitzi would have, of course, been there no matter what. 

Knowing the event would be crowded, we dispatched Mitzi and Eric to the fieldhouse a little after four to secure a place in line.  Shortly after they arrived, they called back to say we all needed to get there as soon as possible.  Lines were stretched all around the fieldhouse as far as the eye could see.  We did all make it safely in, despite the crazy crowds and rush for the doors.  Some attractive co-eds helped Nana protect Will from the hoards of people.  Typical.

Once in we settled in for an hour wait before the festivities. 

 It was pretty hot in the fieldhouse, but we were lucky to get in.  A few thousand fans were turned away at the door.

 The happy family!  We made it!

 A note about Will's attire.  He was aware that he was wearing a Bayern Munchen t-shirt, so he made a point to always have on his KU hat.  Therefore people would not be confused and think he was from Germany and only a soccer fan.  Though, I should add that his favorite part of the night was eating a lot of popcorn...a lot of popcorn.

 Molly was a crazy lady.  She danced and cheered almost the entire night.  She almost fell asleep around 10 (right when the basketball team was scrimmaging), but perked back up for the final minutes.

 Dom showed great patience until the main event.  The evening consisted of honoring all sports at KU (including the National Champion Women's Track Team...pretty cool).  So he sat through all of that in order to see what everyone else had queued up for hours for.

 Token pictures of the kids with Jayhawks.  The boys eventually did get a picture with the actual mascot a couple days later at a soccer game. 

 Will's favorite moment (aside from the popcorn) was a sketch where the Minions from Despicable Me stole the Big XII trophy and Bathawk and Robin Hawk get it back.  He laughed so hard and perked up for the first time the whole evening.

 The moment Dom had been waiting for.  Tip off of the scrimmage!

 Nana and Li'l Opa took a very tired Will home a little before the end (in an attempt to beat the crowds), but Dom insisted in staying until the very end.  He'd sat there for 4 hours and didn't want to miss a second of his favorite team.

 Can you see the intensity on his face?

 Our two little fans.  To be honest, it was a little much for me, but seeing Dom's excitement and having Molly be so enthusiastic made this one time worth it.  I am sure the presence of three other adults aided in all of this as well.

Jay Dreaming...