If there is a word to describe the Fall of 2012 for our family, it would have to be.....football. I started adding it up last night. Between Matthew's 6:30 school practices each morning, Monday night football games, Tuesday Thursday pee wee practices, and games on Saturday, we spend at least 20 hours a week doing some kind of football! This does not include the football games we just watch on the weekends! Yowzaa! Thank goodness we love it so much.
The boys started Pee Wee practices in July. This year was the last year that Matthew could play, and he really wanted play this year, since his coach told him he could be quarterback. Well, Thomas practiced at the same location at the same time, so we agreed.
My favorite story from the entire season so far, is that Thomas is now playing not only on his Jr's team, but is also playing on Matthew's Sr division team. One of Matthew's biggest frustrations this year was that there wasn't a kid on his team that could cleanly snap the football. This is a big problem when you are quarterback! Matthew knew that Thomas, who plays center on his Jr's team, did a great job snapping, so he convinced his coach to try him out at center. The above picture is Thomas (with his hands on the ball) getting ready to snap it to his quarterback, Matthew (red grill), while kids two years older than him are up in his face. Typical Thomas had no fears, and has played so well, that the Sr's coach has also put him in playing defense! Of course, my favorite part of this was seeing Thomas burst with pride when his brother praised him on how much he is helping the team. I love it!
Here is Thomas with his two friends from church. They are twins who are just a few weeks younger than Thomas. Sometimes we wonder where that big boy of ours came from!
In addition to Pee Wee football, Matthew is now playing for Midway! I don't know if I have seen him prouder than the day he came home to tell me he had made the A team. He can hardly wait to get up at 5:45 each morning to go to practice. So far, their team is undefeated, and Matthew has gotten lots of playing time. A proud moment from last night...his grandparents and aunt/uncle/cousins got to come to their first game. Almost as soon as my parents sat down, our quarterback started running up the field. Right in front of us, Matthew made a key block that allowed the quarterback to run the ball all the way in for a touchdown! Had Matthew been a half second later, the other kid would have tackled our quarterback. He is playing inside linebacker, full back, kick off returns, and extra point kicker.
So if you are looking for anyone in the Barnhill clan this fall, chances are we are at some grassy 100 yard field somewhere in the central Texas area. And we wouldn't have it any other way!
