Let me begin by stating that I have never enjoyed football season as much as I have this year.

Throughout the past 13+ years of marriage, my dear husband has done a wonderful job of getting me excited for college football every fall. But there is nothing like watching your own offspring in pads and helmets lining up and hitting their opponents.

Peter’s first game was bright and early. The little bobblehead guy showed some signs of nervousness, but was clearly excited to play.

They began the game with the National Anthem (Peter is the shrimpy second from the right).

Lining up…

…for a big hit.

The little guy is holding his own as one of only seven 5 year-olds in the entire league! He can thank his brothers for teaching him grit.

Then Derek’s team was up. Where Peter’s coaches emphasize the goal as “having fun out there”, Derek’s coaches drive home the importance of knowing each play and winning the game. As an observer, guess which game provoked more stress inside?

#78. Jim’s high school number. As Jim handed the jersey to Derek before leaving on Saturday morning, he said he was experiencing deja vu. Just to add to the ol’ deja vu, Derek is playing the exact position Jim did–left guard on the offensive line.

I’ve been told that in this shot, he is reminding his o-line teammate that they are going to cross block.

I love this shot.

In this picture, it appears that the 3rd grader living in our house grew into a high-schooler overnight.

Alright folks, now what’s football without…cheerleaders?

The bows in the hair. The cute outfits. Don’t they just scream look at us? To their credit though, these girls are bright. While the boys are grunting things like “on two” and “hit”, the girls are chanting rhymes, spelling big words, and jumping at the same time.

A big thanks to our friends the Jachimiecs for coming to cheer the boys on. Derek and Peter were inspired to play hard knowing they had fans, and Jake and Jeremy appreciated having friends to play with during that time.