Down, Set, Hike!

All righty...here we have photographic evidence of the fact that we made the crazy decision this Fall to enroll our 4 year old in football. So then if we think it might be a fine idea for next year, we'll be able to view the photos and at least give it a second thought (or a third and a fourth). To say that this was not what we expected would be an understatement!

So, tee ball finished and at the trophy ceremony, they announced that football would start the following Monday. We hadn't even given football a thought--I figured 4 years old was a little young to play football I guess. So we gave it a thought for a week or so and decided to go ahead and sign him up (mostly because we really feel like getting out and getting some physical activity and running around is great for the boy!). So we signed him up a week late and took him to his first practice. Wow. These people were serious about this football business, even if the kids were only ages 4, 5, & 6.

We were initially just entertained by how funny it was to watch Tyler try to do any of this football stuff. Because it was SOOOO way over his head. He couldn't figure out when he was playing defense or when he was playing offense because unless you're holding the ball, you're pretty much doing the same thing (standing around or running around) on either side of the ball. So after three months, I'm not sure if he still totally understands the basics of offense and defense. And we were also quite surprised at how good some of these kids really were...the fact that some of them actually did understand the game!

But the entertainment factor wore off pretty quickly when we were having practices 4 or 5 nights a week. Holy cow! This was way more hard core than tee ball was. It took up every single night of the week and if it didn't, I was at Young Women's the one night they were off. So for the last three months, this is where we have been every night, unless it was raining. And oh, how I loved to see the rain roll in and know that we got a night off! So we were tiring of it really quickly and games hadn't even started yet. They had six weeks of straight practices before they had an actual game. And then it got to the point where I wanted to curse loudly (I would have fit right in, actually), claw my eyes out, and throw a big fit--all at the same time.

And the reason would be the "intensity" (to put it lightly) of expectations placed on these kids. I totally think it's fine to push them and encourage them and give them a little "kick in the rear", (figuratively speaking) from time to time. But to yell and scream and threaten them with things like "you'll be running laps on Monday..." is just too much for me. If I had been the 4 year old out on that field with the coach screaming in my face all the time, you bet I'd have been bawling like a baby every single day after practice or a game. And Garrett and I probably would have very seriously considered pulling Tyler out and just calling it quits early, BUT...

Tyler was the LEAST bit phased by any of this. That is actually the funny part. The lady can yell and scream and pin him to the fence by his toenails and he totally doesn't care. He has even had his fair share of running laps and the whole 9 yards. But he is just aloof to the entire thing. He's just out there running around and having fun with a bunch of other kids, and to him, that's football. So, for that reason--and that reason alone--we have kept him in all season long. I guess if he is having fun, that's all that matters (which is what we had to tell ourselves with tee ball too). And if you ask him what he likes most about football, he'll say "I like doing lots of running!". He is definitely not my child!

But now, here we are and there is one more regular season game tonight and play-offs next week (yeah, play-offs meaning that they keep score and have a champion and the works) and I'm finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. I can't wait to be done! Can't wait, can't wait, can't wait! I so look forward to having our evenings back! But after that long explanation, here are the pictures of Tyler's big rookie season. I'm glad we stuck it out, after all, but we may give it a couple more years before we try football again! (and if you want a great story some time, just ask me about the "lecture" after they lost their one and only game this season. I'm at a loss for words to describe this and it's probably best I not put it on the blog anyways)

Oh, I despise that mouth piece! He chews on it and chews on it and chews on it...and then never puts it in when he is supposed to! (yeah, I think he has even run laps for that)

And as usual, the cooler of Gatorade on the sideline is the best part of the game!

Sam has probably picked up on more from this season than Tyler has. :) So, all day every day, we play "down, set, hike" over and over and over again. Here he is in the "position".

And if Tyler actually gets put in the game, he's usually looking for Garrett to find out what he's supposed to be doing (such as these pictures)!

And at this particular game, Sam went running off (just like he ALWAYS does), and down set hiked himself right into a massive rain puddle. It was disgusting! Everyone saw the entire thing happen and then he was very embarrassed. Luckily, there were only about 10 minutes left in the game. We stripped him down to his diaper and drove home!

He had particles of who-knows-what all over his face. I couldn't look too closely or I became ill...