We are the champions!

And the Packers win Superbowl LXV!

YAHOO!

Though it certainly wasn't the most dynamic of games, the Packers showed their grit and determination by pushing through injuries to come away with the win.  We watched with bated breath during that heated second half.  It was really hard to watch during some of those crucial 3rd down plays!   So nerve wracking!

Here were my favorite moments of the game:

• Donald Driver tearing up on the sidelines as he realized the victory.  He's been to the playoffs SEVEN times but never played in a superbowl.  And that big genuine smile of his is contagious and heart-warming.  He's been such a consistent and determined player that it's fantastic to see him finally earn a superbowl ring. (Read more about Driver here .)
• Greg Jennings kneeling in the end zone to give glory to God for a touchdown reception.  Especially poignant after his teammate's penalty for excessive celebration in the endzone.
• Aaron Rodgers named Superbowl MVP.  Way to move out of #4's shadow, Mr. Rodgers!
• Nick Collin's interception and resulting touchdown.  I LOVE it when a defensive player gets to score.
• The unending chanting of "Go Pack, Go!" by the crowd after the game.  We were chanting right along with them!
• Seeing the Packer players with their families and kiddos celebrating.  It makes the players more down-to-earth and real when I see them smiling and loving on their families. 

You KNOW we celebrated the game with Packer type food.  Our menu consisted of bratwurst, cheesy potatoes, cheese curds (my mom mailed these to me from Wisconsin), green and yellow veggies, guacamole, lemonade with slices of lemon and lime, layered jello and lemon ambrosia cake for dessert.    The kids were beyond excited about eating such colorful jello!  I served it up in parfait glasses which ratcheted up the *elegance*.

How'd you celebrate the big game?  What were your favorite game moments?

 

Packer Fan-atics

We are a Green Bay Packer cheering family of fan-atics! 

I was born and raised in Wisconsin so the Packer passion courses naturally through my veins.  Though Matt is from Texas he has fully embraced the Packer fealty.  When my grandpa was still alive, he and Matt would closely watch the games together while gramma and I chatted away in the kitchen.  My grandpa would always clothe himself completely in Packer garb to watch a game.  When my granpda emerged from his room sporting his Packer pajama pants, suspenders, socks, shirt and hat we all knew it was game time. 

And we are carrying on my grandpa's fine tradition!  We all have Packer shirts and we proudly wear them whenever it's Packer game day.

This past Saturday we decorated the dining room with yellow streamers and balloons, made cheering signs, and got out the green-and-gold party food to watch the game.  The Packers narrowly defeated the Eagles to advance in the playoffs.  Whew!

And now I'm puzzling about our next Packer-themed meal.  I'm plum out of green-and-gold food ideas.  So far I'm planning to make a spinach cheese egg dish and cut up some kiwi fruits. Any other green and yellow culinary ideas for me?!

What team is your family fan-atic about?

My veggie pizza Green Bay Packer G. 

Chloe styling her Packer shirt and newly hot-glued yellow hair bow. (Not sure why her hand is raised with an imaginary glass?)

The green and gold feast.  Green jello with pineapple, cheddar cheese and spinach nachos, veggie pizza, lime and lemon wedges for our water and pizza rolls.  While not *technically* green or gold, I allowed the pizza rolls since Matt had been craving them.

Go Pack, Go!

Even Chloe's little stuffed elephant wanted to cheer!

This was our attempt at a self-taken photo. At the last minute Matt tried to smooch me.  Sneaky!  Solomon.is.violated.  And covered with yogurt.

Are you ready for some playoffs?

After last week's slim victory by the Packers over the Bears, the Horn household is PUMPED for playoff weekend!  It's always more fun to actually have your favorite team participate in the playoff games. 


Below I've pasted the playoff schedule.  Care to make any predictions with me? 

AFC
Sat., Jan. 08, 8:00 PM - New York Jets vs.Indianapolis

Sun., Jan. 09, 1:00 PM - Baltimore vs.Kansas City

NFC

Sat., Jan. 08, 4:30 PM - New Orleans vs. Seattle 

Sun., Jan. 09, 4:30 PM - Green Bay vs. Philadelphia 

 

My picks for winning the wild-card weekend games are Indianapolis, Baltimore, New Orleans, and Green Bay.  GO PACK!  I'm already getting nervous and ansy for their game on Sunday afternoon.  We'll all be donning our Packer gear, eating green-and-gold food and hoping for a victory!

Who are you rooting for this weekend? 

We are ready for some football!

Since this is the third official week of football season looks like I'm a tad late with this post.

Regardless, we ARE ready for some football!

Fall is great; I usually love its arrival. But this year as the summer warmth fades I sense the impending restrictions of colder weather looming. How AM I going to stay sane while housebound with my three active short people? Football is one of the redeeming factors of the season change. (Along with apples, cinnamon, soup, pumpkins, mums and cute halloween costumes that is.)

As is no surprise to you if you've read my blog for any length of time, we are a family of Green Bay Packer fans. Even though we've lived in Ohio for 5+ years now, we are still avid Packer backers. I'm guessing you have to be a native Ohioan in order to cheer for the Browns. It's most likely a contract signed at birth to guarantee the Browns have a residual fan base.

See, I even talk blog-trash about football so you know I'm a true fan.

Every season opener, we celebrate with a Packer themed dinner. We put the TV on while we devour our green and yellow chow. Usually I serve quiche (with broccoli, spinach, peppers, and cheese inside to follow the theme), green/yellow jello, and kiwi or pineapple. This year I had some leftover mashed potatoes so I also whipped up a batch of potato croquettes. Unfamiliar with potato croquettes? That's fancy schmancy talk for FRIED mashed potatoes that have been mixed with cheese and breadcrumbs. Anything fried is automatically thumbs-up in my book but fried PLUS cheese? YUMMOLA. There were no leftovers.

Even with Aaron Rodgers at the helm, the Packers have managed to win both of their first two games. After replacing the amazing and venerable Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers needs to prove himself to me. I'm choosing not to comment on dear Brett's retirement and media fiasco of late. I'm just saying he was the BEST QB to ever don the green and gold. And he's incredibly fun to watch play the game!

That said, I'm curious about you and yours. Are we the only wackos that enjoy football season so much? What team are you rooting for this season and why? What football traditions do you and your familia observe?

And if your team plays the Packers, I sincerely hope we kick your tail.

Way to go, Packers!

Woo-hoo! Football season is finally here!

Since we don't have cable we were PUMPED to see both the Vikings/Browns game and the Packers/Bears game which aired on local and national stations this past Sunday.

Besides rooting for our dear Green Bay Packers, we're also cheering on Brett Favre of the . . . (I have a hard time even typing this wretched team's name) Minnesota Vikings. After watching Favre for 10+ years as a Packer it was the strangest thing to see him instead hopping around in a purple jersey.

But if there's one thing about that's constant about the NFL it's change. Madden's retired now and Favre is a Viking. Sigh.

The Pack did us proud by pulling off their first win of the season! Of course it was a bit nerve-wracking at the end. Why must the Packers always secure the win in the last minutes of the 4th quarter?!?

We celebrated the victory with a green and yellow angel food cake (Chloe's favorite part of the football game I think).

What teams and players are you cheering on this season?

Reasons why I love Sundays

I love Sundays for several reasons. One facet of Sunday I particularly relish is getting everyone dressed up for church. I know that probably sounds horribly old-fashioned. But I love the hustle and bustle of getting ready (presuming we're not running late) and then finally piling into the car for the family trip to church.

Now that we have the cutest children in the world it's even more fun to get all gussied up on Sunday. They just look extra adorable in their church duds! And I never thought I'd enjoy dressing a boy but Clive looks so snazzy in his little man clothes. Let me assure you, sweater vests are all the rage in his church nursery room.

We tried to capture their Sunday-cuteness yesterday but it didn't go too well. As you can see, Clive does not like to be restrained for photo purposes.

Another reason I love Sundays is the football watching. We don't watch TV during the week so for the Sunday afternoon/evening football games we soak it up.

Usually we watch football together at home as a family. But this year we actually got invited to a real superbowl party! It was tons of fun eating chili and chatting it up with the other moms while the guys watched football over the din of playing children. And we still honored our packer fealty by all dressing in green and gold (Chloe's idea). It's official. We're a family of nerds.

And what an incredible superbowl it was, eh? We were rooting for the underdogs, the Cardinals, but both teams played some outstanding football. Who did you cheer for?

Not ready for fall but ready for some football

I'm still in denial that summer is over! Trees here in Ohio are already beginning to change color. What?!? How can September be here in a few days?

Despite the fact that I'm not ready for fall I am DEFINITELY ready for football season to begin. This year we'll be closely watching two football teams. Our GB Packers and now also the NY Jets.

I have a feeling the Jets have a better chance of success this season. What team/s are you rooting for?

What's going on, Favre?

Can you believe all this hub-bub around Favre's return to football?!? Craziness.

I for one think it's ridiculous that the Packers are talking about trading him just so that Aaron Rodgers can have a chance. Brett Favre is one of the all time greatest quarter backs EVER and the Packers want to let him go?!? How nuts is that?

Regardless of what team Favre ends up with, we'll be rooting for him! And for the Packers too of course. :)

On which side do you fall in the Favre controversy?

Packer let-down

Well, our family was in speechless shock and disappointment as the Giants winning 47 yard field goal sailed through the yellow uprights. Who would have thought the Giants' kicker would succeed after missing 2 field goals that were 10 yards shorter earlier in the game?!?

Even though the game was disastrous we certainly enjoyed our family Packer party. My mom was here to partake of the fun and festivities. Good thing she remembered to don her Favre jersey!

Chloe was pumped about her new yellow pom-pons (gotta love the Target dollar spot) and the special yellow and green jello I made for the occasion. Let's hope Favre sticks around for another banner year so we can see the Pack battle for the superbowl trophy. Wouldn't it have been great to see the Pack knock off the arrogant pretty-boy Patriots?!?


What's your prediction? Think Favre will be back for one more season?

A red-letter day

Yesterday was a big day for lots of reasons.

1. Chloe surprised us all by going poo-poo in the potty! Woo-hoo! She had been consistently peeing in the potty for the last month (though she's regressed a bit lately due to the big Clive transition). But yesterday was her first for going #2 in the potty and she went twice. Of course we made a grand celebration of the wondrous event and feasted on DQ ice cream to reward Chloe. We hope and pray this pooping trend continues. It's so difficult to watch her get constipated and frustrated.

2. Clive's yucky umbilical cord stump fell off yesterday. Yay for a cutie-patootie (how do you spell that anyways?) baby belly button!

3. Our team, the great and glorious Green Bay Packers, kicked some Seahawk tail in the playoff game yesterday. We had a packer party here to commemorate the momentous game (could be Favre's last you know) complete with streamers, balloons, packer napkins, and snacky football fare. We all wore our packer backer shirts (including Clive!) and we cheered heartily. What a fun game to watch too! For you unfortunate ones who didn't see the game, it was snowing at Lambeau Field for the duration. Huge white flakes fell steadily and covered the field and players. I got a kick out of seeing the grounds crew run out with brooms to uncover the yardage lines. :) Good thing the tv has that great yellow computer line so at least we at home can tell where the first downs lie. Enjoy the party pix below.

Who are you rooting for in the playoffs? Today I'm cheering for the Giants and the Colts.

p.s. Yes, Clive and I are playing hooky from church today. I don't think it's wise to bring a wee two week old to our three thousand member church during the height of the winter cold/flu season. We're watching online this morning though!

Superbowl quandry

Here's a question for you: What happens to the hundreds of hats made for the losers of the superbowl? You know how they make up hats that say "XLI Superbowl Champions" for each team to wear just seconds after the game ends? I imagine there were hats made for the Bears in the unlikely event that they won; what happened to those caps? Do they get destroyed? Or sold on ebay for pennies?

I didn't think I'd find an answer to this question by mere googling, but after 3 tries, I came up with this article link (technology is astounding!). Turns out the 288 shirts and hats made up for the losing Chicago Bears were donated to World Vision, an African relief organization . Those Bears are so kind to lose so their shirts could be donated to needy souls.

Superbowl recap

This photo is of Chloe as she imitated the superbowl players when they were introduced last night. It was so cute I had to snap a photo. She thinks she's just as tough as they are! I'm sure she's at least tougher than Rex Grossman (that dig was for you, my dear friend, Tricia).

We were disappointed by the superbowl commercials this year. Most of them were serious or just dumb. Out of the poor selection our favorites were the beard comb-over (Sierra Mist) and the Robert Goulet (Emerald Nuts). We also chuckled at the "surviving the work week" commercials by careerbuilder.com. Did we miss some good ones at half-time? We turned the tv off at half-time though I did sneak a peek at the artist-formerly-known-as-prince-and-now-known-again-as-prince.

What commercials tickled your funny bone?

This is for all you Packer fans out there . . .

. . . especially Shannon Conley and Katie Bruno.

Superbowl pick

Well, the teams I picked to win the playoffs did not. Good thing I'm not a sports commentator!

I changed my mind about the Colts midway through their game last night. Not that I'm now a die-hard Colts fan, mind you, but I think they made an outstanding comeback in the 3rd quarter. Down by 15 points going into halftime it appeared as though the superbowl-champ Patriots had the game in the bag. The Colts roar out after halftime and score touchdown after touchdown in the 3rd and 4th quarter. What a game!

So, my pick to win the superbowl is now the Indianapolis Colts. Another thing I like about the Colts? They're playing the Bears! (Has anyone out there heard the GB Packer saying, "I root for Green Bay and whoever's playing the Bears"? ) Stomp those Bears, Peyton!

Did any of you see the Saints/Bears playoff game? Rex Grossman has his stellar defense to thank for that win. Did you see that showboat, Reggie Bush? I admit, he's speedy and that move he made to dodge a tackler and run for a touchdown was very tricksy (tricksy little hobbit). But, what a showboat! To point and mock your defenders, sommersault into the end zone, and then dance around in their faces?!? That was ugly.

What playoff moments did you enjoy or depise?

p.s. chloe chronicles is under construction as I play around with new looks/colors. It's a work in progress!

Playoff hopes and sock monkeys

How many of you are watching the playoffs this weekend? We're rooting for the Saints and the Patriots to win. (Rationale: The Patriots are a classy team and we are annoyed by Peyton Manning's many dumb endorsements and commercials. Da Bears are the Packers' worst enemies so we abhor them and the Saints are a hardworking Cinderella story of a team. Have you seen that Reggie Bush run? Wow! Too bad he seems to be a mite full of himself.) Who would you like to see square off in the super bowl?

The pictures below are completely unrelated to the playoffs. Unless sock monkeys and football have something in common . . . I suppose both footballs and sock monkeys are sewn together. Aha!

Anyways, my dear sister made this cool sock monkey for Chloe for Christmas. Today Chloe woke from her nap and desperately wanted her monkey to accompany her downstairs. So, Chloe and her monkey shared a snack. Very cute.

Enjoy your weekend activities whether they include football or not!