Patriots are world champions once again!!!

In the interest of full disclosure, I am as giddy as a school girl at the idea that the New England Patriots are once again Superbowl champions--and I am not ashamed about it at all. Why do we, as fans, get so excited when our team wins? Why do we, somehow, feel like we have, as well, 'earned' this victory? Why do we form these parasocial relationships with members of team--a team in which not one of the players even knows we exist? The answer? Who cares!!!??

This is the fourth superbowl I have seen the Patriots win--I have watched each and every one of them. Yet, without doubt, this was the most amazing Superbowl for me--this one was the most important. This one was all I really needed. This one, finally, I could share with my children.

For the first time, my kids (especially Callum) were not only excited about football, the Patriots, and the Superbowl...but, rather, they were head over heels IN LOVE with the whole process. To me, this season was the most amazing football season to be a Patriots fan--there was so much struggle and adversity, and (I totally realize this is so laughable) I feel like we 'suffered' and persevered right there with them. From the devastating loss against the Chiefs when folks all over the world declared the Patriots 'dead' and 'not a good team' as people called for Brady's head, to the witch-hunt of the century known as 'Deflategate' where the whole world (but mostly people in New Jersey) declared the Patriots CHEATERS, although, still, three weeks out, not a single shred of evidence has been produced.....

But all that aside, this was the first Patriots superbowl I could 'truly' share with my kids, and, for that reason, it is a Superbowl I will always remember and always hold dear to my heart. Callum and Maira used their Christmas money to buy freakin Lego-Patriots people, for crying out loud. Every day, Callum asks me to watch him run through the house and 'study him' to see if he is running like Edelman. Maira wants to have "Gronk" over to ride her horsie Clarice with her. This is true love, folks. All throughout the season, into the beautiful days of fall, Callum and Maira and I would play football outside and Callum would always have to be Edelman, who is his favorite player because, in Callum's words, "no one can tackle him and he can run through anything." Yup. He can son. He can. And he did.

I will forever remember this Patriots post season. I will remember sitting in the basement, showing Callum youtube clip after youtube clip of Julian Edelman hilights and workout videos. I will remember the absolute knuckle biter-exhaustion inducer par excellence known as the Pats vs Ravens. Amanda and her girlfriends were away, and the kids and I went down to Andy's house to watch the game. Callum was transfixed. Then there was the Colts game, which I got to watch with my brotherfromanothermother Jay--Callum, Maira, JJ, and Ava (along with sweetsweet Janive and Sally Piles) sat in awe as the Pats dismantled the Colts like men among boys. And then finally, came the biggest game of them all. I will forever remember Superbowl night--we hung out over Tom and Katie's, as they had a huge Superbowl party. While all the kids played downstairs, Callum, decked out in his Patriots shirt, helmet, and sweatshirt, was incessantly coming up to watch the game--like, he actually sits and 'watches' football. It is awesome. I'll remember how we went home after halftime and put Maira to bed, and I'll remember Callum sitting on the couch with me, embarrassingly telling me that he *might* like the seahawks better than the Patriots because their uniforms are 'more exciting.' And I'll remember (and always be indebted to) Amanda FORCING me to watch that fateful play, when the Seahawks were on the one inch line, and I started to walk away, muttering 'hon, it is over...I am going to take a shower' and she refused to let me leave. And what happened next was nothing short of a miracle. One of the most amazing things I have ever seen on TV.

But perhaps the thing I will always remember most was exercising my right as a father to wake up my son and daughter the next morning and say to them"Callum and Maira, the Patriots won the Superbowl!!!"  and then just bask in the glow of their reaction.....

PS: This is, without doubt, Callum's favorite and most watched video on youtube. Very inspirational, if I do say so myself. It is only two minutes....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssEmQ1Ww3v0

Jenn and Amanda and Katie at the Superbowl party.....

Quite a spread!! So many wings!!! Lobster Dip!! Seahawks and Patriots cupcakes!! sausages wrapped in bacon!! I was in love!

Getting ready to head over to the game. Now, please dont call DHS on us, but Callum has refused to wear anything but that shirt for the past three days. Naturally, we have let him. And Maira? Well, she didnt want to wear anything related to the Patriots. Since "Megan's party" was at night, she started asking three days before if she could wear her 'cat footies' to the party...

 And this is what three blizzards/four and a half feet of snow looks like...just in case you were wondering. I took this this morning. We had a one hour delay due to yesterday's storm. It was -4 when I took this, too...