Soccer Mom

I really never envisioned myself as a soccer mom.  I remember a number of years back hearing a mom at park day talk about how she couldn't wait to be a "soccer mom."  At the time all our kids were too young to play and I thought it was an odd thing to aspire to.  Maybe because I didn't play soccer it has taken me by pleasant surprise to see how much my kids really love playing the sport.  I'm surly loud and proud on the sidelines now and am always a little sad when the season's over.  It's been a really busy few months with 4 kids playing, and our Saturdays have been full, but I love the camaraderie with friends and neighbors on the field, love seeing my kids play hard doing something they love, and I love being outside as a family.  This season has been fantastic for all of us!!!

Eli had THE BEST coaches this year.  They were so positive with the kids, and although the really wanted to win, that came second to having fun and learning skills.  Eli had several friends on the team which he was thrilled about.  He grew in confidence and was way more aggressive on the field than before.  His coaches really knew how to play to his strengths and although they had quite a few difficult losses in the season, they came in 3rd overall.

Sariah was on a pretty inexperienced team this year which gave her a chance to stand out a little and to be a team leader.  This girl loves to play goalie and even approached her coach, unbeknownst to me, about which positions she'd like to play and when she wanted to play them (goalie first half, forward second).  It was pretty funny.  I don't think the coach appreciated her input initially, but as the season progressed, she played exactly where she wanted.  I don't think she sat out a single quarter this year and would have played more given the opportunity.

Sariah's team also took 3rd place.

Liam channeled his beast mode soccer skills this season.  Last year he was really carefree when he played, trying when the ball came to him, but was more concerned with socializing with his friends.  This year he played forward mostly and turned up the super speed!  He was so aggressive and attacked the ball every opportunity.  He too had a great coach who's a good friend of ours and, I think, was more competitive than before because he wanted to beat his former coach's team.  The best part about watching Liam's team play was that they all played together.  There really wasn't any one standout.  They cooperated well and worked as a team...imagine that! 

Also a 3rd place finish!

Sethie played his first season of soccer and loved it!  I wasn't sure how he'd do when we signed him up.  He's such a social butterfly that I kind of figured we'd be yelling at him to go get the ball.  I guess all the years of watching his siblings prepared him though, because he was right in there, making goals, attacking the ball, and having a blast.  He also slept better for those few months.  All that running I guess!  Is it August yet?