My two youngest sons play football and they are both rookies this year.

Seth is 6 and Caleb is 10.  They are both determined players but Caleb has a little extra advantage: PASSION….total and complete passion for anything that has to do with football.  He collects the cards and organizes them carefully in binders, studies NFL teams and trivia using magazines and books, watches any football game on TV, and will happily talk nonstop to anyone who will listen to endless football conversation.  This passion he has for the sport gives him an extra desire to play….to play hard with body AND heart.

Whoever gets to take Caleb to his first real college or NFL football game is one lucky person.

Rich gets excited watching Caleb play because he sees the potential.  Rich loved playing football in school.

I don’t want to make it seem like Seth doesn’t have talent, because he does..he just misses that outside interest in the sport.  He plays and then goes home to do other stuff.  Caleb plays football and then goes home to play some more.

I even secretly think that he’s longing for a sports injury, just so he can be like all the other tough guys.  Not anything major, mind you, but a nice little injury that doesn’t slow him down but gives him something to brag about.  A little blood would be nice, and a few good bruises.

A couple weeks ago I took along my SLR to take some photos of the boys in action.

SETH’s team played first:

Okay, so the coaches are all awesome.  I LOVE to see men working with boys, teaching them, yelling at them, caring for them.

Here is Seth (number 3) getting his helmet snapped in place by one of his coaches.

team talk before the game.

Seth is on the line.

A team mate running for a touchdown.

Our team won the game and afterwards celebrated with a bag of lollipops, which is what they are doing in the following picture:  (grabbing lollipops)  Seth is number three with his back to me.

Seth made his Dad buy him a FLAVORED mouth guard AND special gloves.  He has to have the stuff to be cool, you know.  Nothing gets by him.

Seth has gotten the “tuff guy” ball three times this year, which is awarded to the toughest boy after each practice.

CALEB’s team was next to play::

Here he is, number 54, getting ready to kick.  He does great as kicker…and guess what?  His dad was kicker on his team, too!  Caleb was thrilled to make his dad proud of him by being chosen team kicker.

Caleb in action, running through two kids from the other team.  He is the one running left in the photo.  Caleb plays both defense and offense so he never comes off the field the whole game which makes me laugh.  He gets good and sweaty but doesn’t tire out at all because he loves it.

They had their first win!  Caleb took his helmet off, cheering with joy while the coaches clapped.

Caleb is a great motivator and never shuts up during the games (he is like that in baseball, too), he helps the team by using kind and encouraging words….what a gift he has!  He was ready to pat everyone on the back and tell them how good they did after the win, too.

It was after this game that I went out and bought cowbells, to the annoyance of the whole family.  They are soooo loud!  After spending a few days in the house I put them in the back of my car to live.

This past weekend Rich went to the game without me so I could take the other kids to church (we hate that most of the games are on Sunday morning).  Their teams both won again and Caleb played very well, sacking the quarterback twice causing him to fumble the ball, getting interceptions, and tackling people right and left.  Rich texted me throughout to keep me posted.

I asked him if he was ringing the (annoying) bells for Caleb and he said, “No, they are all yours.  I wouldn’t do that without you.”

This weekend Rich is teaching Sunday School so I will be taking the boys myself.  It’s fun being a football mama.