Pigskin...Or is it?

Summer is in full swing here, and we are already thinking of school starting back in just two weeks. It is also time for another time-consuming, favorite past-time event to start. Football! Intersetly enough, we hear footballs are not made of pigskin, but rather "butchered cow hide" according to eHow. Somehow cowksin just does not have the same ring to it as pigskin.

That's right, practice started this week in the middle of July. The kids have it easy for now though. For the first three weeks they will not be wearing full gear - they will however still be out there on the field running, sprinting, doing push-ups, drop-downs, and every other imaginable punishment to the body for 2 hours a day. I love football!

My only regret this year is that Paul is still in MD and will miss most all of the practices. We are hoping that he will be able to make the games, but we enjoy the practices almost as much as the games. Yes, 4 nights a week we eagerly load up the van with lots of ice water and Gatorade, chairs for us adults, and head to the football field to sit in 90+ degree heat watching football practice.

I admit, I never thought I would like this until the boys started playing. Prior to that we never even watched football games on television, did not keep up with teams stats or who was going to the SuperBowl. Now both the boys and Paul can probably tell you week for week how each team did and where they are in the ranks. And oddly enough, I am very happy with that.

Here are a few pictures from the firs practice, more will come when they are wearing equipment - when the real fun begins.