Jets game

Took Jack to a football game today. He'd been to another one but wasn't yet 4 at the time and admits he didn't remember it. So I said, What? You don't remember us meeting Favre in the locker room after the game? And him giving you a game ball... A good laugh was had by all.

We bundled up, it being December, and headed off to the game. We left early, which was good since I got lost for a bit. But we made it there, and parked, and walked easily right up to the Stadium, like it was waiting for us. Me and my son, it was pretty cool.

Once inside, we immediately bought our winter Jets hats, as planned. Jack tried on one, liked it, and at the last minute decided on the other one. Classic Jack. I bought the simplest one there was. Classic me.

We bought hotdogs, found our way to our seats, inhaled the food, watched the game. Football live isn't a great game for little kids, because everyone stands whenever anything happens. We worked it out that I could pick him up at times, or he could stand on his seat with my arm supporting him, so he got to see a lot. We slapped high fives at Jets scores, and there were a bunch, and he insisted on a chest bump after a clinching touchdown, so I stooped down for that. The adult fans around us looked for Jack to slap high fives after scores, too. He obliged.

Best thing about having a kid at a ballgame: Family restroom! No lines! Excellent.

I think one of the highlights for Jack was a little beachball getting batted around. At one point in ended up near us, and he grabbed it. I think he was planning to keep it until I told him that's not how it worked. So he batted it up in the air and it went off again. Big smile. And a hopeful look in his eyes that it would come back to our section again.

At halftime we got popcorn, hot chocolate (it was pretty cold out), stuffed toy for Kate (Jets bear), stuffed Mark Sanchez (I guess it kind of looks like him...) for Jack. Took in a couple of cheerleader routines (Jack: "I guess they're there because girls like to watch the dancing."), watched the Jets score some more, but he was seeming pretty cold and tired, so we cleared out midway through the fourth quarter. He slept some on the way home, as well.

But when we got in the house, Emily noticed his big smile. And we both laughed as he described the Jets' first touchdown: "Sanchez threw it to Shonn Greene...but he actually kept it! And --" here he demonstrated by running across the living room -- "ran it in himself!"

So it was a big win for all.