The Parrillo Family

We continue to be lucky to be able to immerse the kids in all things Fighting Illini football.  Like every Fall, we packed the minivan and pointed towards Champaign for a Saturday football game in Memorial Stadium.  We started the day with a Parrillo family tailgate in Grange Grove with all of the cousins - including a few new undergrads. Here's a look-back to 2019 when we attended Homecoming at Memorial Stadium .   And i n 2016 .  I have very fond memories of my time in Champaign and my time on the Illini football team, so I LOVE the chance to share that with all three kids.  And, I'm grateful that Nat puts up with all the nonsense.  Here's a few photos of the kids in their orange and blue. 

We went down to Champaign for the Illini vs. Wisconsin football game and to celebrate the day with the Parrillo family - including the two cousins who are in school there.  What happened in that game?  Oh, you know...nothing big.  Just our Fighting Illini upsetting a top-five Wisconsin football team on a last-second field goal.  Oh...but we left the game going into the fourth quarter to go back to the tailgate.  (Shame.) We enjoyed a beautiful day, indoctrinated the kids into the ways of gameday at Grange Grove and built a ton of memories.  Oh yeah...and we stopped briefly in to Sigma Chi.  The place was a dump!

As the football season kicked off, Nat was able to get Sadie to do something that she loves at a place that Natalie loves.  Cheerleading camp at Nat's alma mater Benet Academy in Lisle. There was a week of practicing that SD took part in with some of her friends culminating with a performance at the halftime of the Friday night Benet Varsity Football game.  Above you see SD doll'd up in her Redwings shirt and Benet Pom Poms.  She was so proud to be the star! The Varsity Benet cheerleaders who taught the camp all week lead all the young ladies out on the field and ran through the routine that they had been practicing.    It was pretty adorable.  Both Eloise and Frankie were there to mark the occasion with Sadie.  Ellie was happy to take a photo with her sister.  Frankie?  Not so much.  Part of our move to Downers Grove was to get us closer to Benet.  It is fun to consider the future and with Nat's strong affi...

Over the weekend, we packed up the van and went with the kids cousins and Aunt Sharon, Aunt Linda and Uncle Shaun down to Champaign to take in the Fighting Illini football game against the Michigan State Spartans.   We've been down there for football before.   Here's a post from 2013 when we all went down to enjoy the game .   Here's the time in 2012 when we drove down for the Spring game .  And even took Eloise to Homecoming back in 2010 before she turned one. But, this was the first time for Frankie.  And that made this trip special and a lot of fun.   Above at the top, you'll see Frank dressed in his best orange and blue jumper meeting Red Grange.  The University has a student dressed up in an old-timey football outfit standing in the "Grange Grove" to pose for photos.   Kinda neat!  Frankie liked him, but was shy.  After getting into the stadium, we went to a little pre-game party in what they call the "Legacy Loung...

Every fall, we make a trip down to Champaign to see the Fighting Illini football team, walk around campus, and relive the glory days.  This year, we were joined by the girls Cousins and their Noonie and Papa.  The game itself was great.  The Illini pounded Miami of Ohio so we were able to leave the game a bit early and head to the best pizza place in all of Champaign-Urbana:  Papa Dels. Ellie has been to Memorial Stadium a few other times.   Here she is in 2011 .   And in 2010 .   And even a Spring game in 2012 .  We went last fall with SD, but I can't seem to find the photos of that visit. This year, my dad and I were part of the Legacy Tunnel on the field, but Nat, my mom and the two girls were even able to get down on the field to be with the cheerleaders. Check out the last photo of this post.  That's Eloise 'headin' for the hills' because she was too bashful to participate with the cheerleaders. A trip is always enjoyable, but...