Soccer!

Gwen has been looking forward to playing soccer for a long while. She kept asking when we were going to sign her up. Last weekend the great day arrived for her first soccer practice. When we pulled out the new cleats, shin guards and soccer socks, her excitement dimmed. She's not much of a sock girl, and these socks were really long. Then came the confinement of shoes that actually tie (not crocs or flip-flops, like she's used to), and last the shin guards that hugged her legs. She was bawling by the time she was suited up and out the door!
Fortunately she got over that issue quickly, and today there were no tears about the soccer paraphenalia. Last week was actually just a skills assessment, this week tentative teams were formed and they did some practice drills. Next week, finalized teams and official jerseys. Big time!

Shoes and socks might be a struggle, but now running fast... that comes easy to this girl!
A kick and a miss... but pretty nice form!
I'm coming for a drink of water, Mom!
I remember Caleb's first organized sports experience, eleven years ago. It also happened to be soccer. I watched from the sidelines, seven and eight months pregnant with Madelyn, while two and half year old Seth scampered around after Scott and "helped" him coach Caleb's team. It's a different experience now with Gwen... still a big deal because it's her first time, but Scott and I are much more laid back by now. Is it just our age showing? :-) It's still a lot of fun to watch a pack of short little kids run around the field after the ball.