We were cheering for the Chiefs this Super Bowl, so we were very happy to watch them come from behind to win.
That said, I watched the first half of the Super Bowl in a room of the local ER with one screaming baby, a toddler with an earache, and a six-year-old who I brought along to help.
Once Hunter stopped screaming (Praise God!) I watched the Super Bowl while they played patty-cake and Ring Around the Rosie.
A lot of Super Bowl commercials are funny... but a few years from now, I will remember very few. I'm pretty sure I will remember the gist of this one though.
Tracey's due date was the same day as the 2014 Super Bowl 48, and the Broncos with Peyton Manning played for the title.
I took this picture that year:
I don't remember who played in the 2015 Super Bowl... or where we were or watching it...
But then the Denver Broncos and Peyton Manning returned to the Super Bowl in 2016 at Super Bowl 50 when our twins were one month old and won.
I took these pictures that year:
And now it might be a fun comparison to take a picture of my kids before each Super Bowl. This year we were cheering for Tom Brady and the Patriots (Michigan alumn), but I didn't dress them in team gear. I took this picture because these were birthday presents from their baby-sitters and I wanted to take pictures of them in the outfits to send to their sitters.
What a great football game -- huge comeback from the Patriots and Tom Brady and a historic game in many ways. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are the first to win five Super Bowls, first win by a team trailing by 21 points, and first overtime win.
I do not like the overtime rules of the NFL, but I was happy the Patriots won and they showed a very impressive comeback.
And in case you don't know, which I did not until I looked it up after the game -- G.O.A.T. stands for Greatest of All Time.
Congrats Patriots -- and good bye football for a little while. I will miss you.
When the Denver Broncos earned a spot in this year's Super Bowl, it was an exciting two weeks here in Colorado leading up to the Big Super Bowl 50 to see what would happen. Frequently throughout those two weeks, I would be talking to friends and family across the country and nearly everyone wanted to discuss, at least a little, the Denver Broncos and their upcoming Super Bowl game.
The conversation was often some version of the same...
Them: Hey, how about those Broncos!
Me: Yeah, we're pretty excited, talk about a great defense.
Them: Yeah, but Cam Newton's pretty impressive... we'll see how it goes.
Me: Who are you cheering for?
...
and this is where the conversation changed and came one of three responses
...
Their Response A: Definitely the Broncos. I really like Peyton Manning.
Their Response B: I don't really care, but I like Peyton Manning, so I guess I'd kind of like to see Denver win for his sake.
Their Response C: I'm cheering for Carolina... but I really like Peyton Manning and so if Denver won, I would be happy for him.
Their Response D: I'm cheering for Peyton. Who is he playing again?
I was amazed at the absolute unity I heard far and wide regarding support for Peyton Manning heading into Super Bowl 50.
I have always liked Peyton Manning.
When I was in 7th grade, #1 Michigan beat #7 Washington State and was voted National Champions for the year 1997. This was back when the National Champions were decided by vote, not by playoff and championship games. One pole voted Michigan as Champions... the Coach's pole voted Nebraska Champions... because their coach was retiring.
Nebraska played Tennessee in a Bowl game that year, and Peyton Manning was the University of Tennessee quarterback. I was at a sleepover with friends during that Nebraska v. Tennessee game, and I spent the whole sleepover cheering for Tennessee and Peyton Manning in the hopes that they would upset Nebraska and Michigan would become the undisputed National Champions for 1997. Tennessee lost the game, but I cheered for and followed Peyton Manning from that day one. There was something special about that quarterback.
Now, fast forward 18 years (WOW!) and every conversation I have with people from all around the country reiterates that there really was something special about that quarterback.
In this day and age when Americans do not agree on ANYTHING -- when we have become not only so disagreeable, but so disrespectful toward one another... here is a man who does not fit the mold. Maybe everyone I spoke with was not cheering for the Denver Broncos, but everyone was cheering for Peyton Manning.
What a testament to the character of this man.
I recognized this back in February when he (and the Broncos) won Super Bowl 50... and then a few weeks later when he announced his retirement, but I still didn't know exactly why it was everyone wished Peyton well.
Then, yesterday, I saw a commercial and I realized that this is why he is beloved by so many and why, even opposing fans, continue to think of him with favor and respect:
Thank you, Peyton for being such a great man, a good role model, and someone I can, in good conscious, encourage the next generation to look up to. Two-time Super Bowl Champion is not even top of your list of accomplishments when you consider that supporting you unified an entire country, and wishing you well in retirement still does.
In honor of the Super Bowl, here is the best commercial I have seen in a long time. I could watch it over and over again...
Well done, Pampers.
And here's a little plug... Pampers are the only disposable diapers we use. We use clothe during the day, and Pampers at night... they really are the best brand for all-night protection.
Today is Super Bowl Sunday... also known as Tracey Ann's due date.
I would have been 40 weeks pregnant today, which is just crazy given that I have had a beautiful, healthy, squirming, crying, smiling little girl for nine days.
I love football, although I follow college football much more closely than I do professional. That being said, once college football ends, I make a point to follow the professional play-off games, and I always look forward to the Super Bowl.
With the Denver Broncos playing the Seattle Seahawks, I am more grateful than ever that I will not be in labor with Tracey Ann during the Super Bowl. :-D I enjoyed watching Peyton Manning when he played for the University of Tennessee, and I think he is a great guy, and a good role-model. I am proud that I can call myself a Coloradian when he is playing for the Denver Broncos for a Super Bowl Championship.
Go Broncos and Yay Tracey Ann that you are here to watch the game with us, instead of still in Mama's belly.
