Bear down

Since Mark has been home this summer, he has taken over the duty of getting Liam down for both his nap and bedtime while I take care of Grady. Occasionally, I hear bits and pieces of their stories and other night time routines, which have come to include singing both the UK and Trinity fight songs (those who know Mark well are undoubtedly shocked by this).

While Mark was busy working outside today, I had to get Liam down for nap for the first time in ages...and I knew that it was inevitable that he ask me to sing the fight songs. Of course, I don't know either one. So I sang the first thing that came into my head, being a child who grew up in the 80's in Chicago: Bear Down, Chicago Bears. I distinctly remember singing this during a Spring Sing at Rockland Elementary in the fourth grade, after the Bears took the Super Bowl in 1985.

Of course, the lyrics were hazy, so tonight before bed time (Mark was still working in the yard...he's building a shed), I googled "Chicago Bears fight song" and found a version done by the Chicago Symphony on YouTube. So I've got Liam on one knee, Grady on the other, watching this video (which consists of a picture of a Chicago "Bear"...literally a bear...holding a Bears flag and flexing his ripping bicep with the music in the background) and singing along. All of a sudden, Grady starts clapping and then Liam follows. It was quite a moment for this former Chicagoan. Mark walked up the stairs just then and saw us all in front of the computer, clapping and singing "Bear Down".

Sweet...it looks like I'm going to give Big Blue some competition after all.