Soccer!

T is right in front of the ball, ready to assist his team

T and one of his dear friends on his soccer team

J after a victory

J has had a very successful season in soccer. He thrives as one of the team's defenders. At the team party, the coach said that J has an infectious smile and spreads his positive attitude to the team. He is the most improved player and has had THE most spectacular 'headers' this season. He has popped a couple balls right out of his territory down to mid field!! Impressive! He has an awesome coach and has really enjoyed playing this season. It doesn't hurt that their record is pretty impressive ....

T FINALLY has been able to rejoin his team for most of the 2nd half of the season. Even though his cast came off at the half-way mark of the season, his doctor would not give us the 'go-ahead' to have him play soccer for 2 more weeks. He has surprised us with being able to just slide right back into playing ... probably even better than before! Go figure! He has some good hustle out there and has made an assist for a goal.

There is just one more game of the season. It's been a great year for the boys. Hard to believe it's wrapping up already.

Soccer!

J taking a MUCH needed water break. It was hot out there this afternoon!

Soccer is in full-swing. J played very well today, and he was fun to watch. He ALMOST made a goal today. It was SO close!!! He's enjoying his coach and teammates this year.

T's Soccer Wrapped Up

T's 1st soccer season wrapped up last weekend. He LOVED playing soccer with his friends and had such a wonderful coach. All smiles!

I love this picture of T ... happily running out to position during his last game!


Here is T with coach Andre, who stepped up to coach this team of 5 year olds even though he does not have a child on the team! He was great with the kids. Oh, the big frog is Flippity, T's Kindergarten class mascot. He got to spend the weekend with us a few weeks ago.

T loved playing with his buddies. So fun!

After the last game, we met the team at Round Table pizza. After eating, the coach handed out trophies and certificates. T earned the "Most Improved" player. He did come along way this season, and loved it. He's a little sad that there is no more soccer for a while. I'm happy to have our Saturdays back! Oh, btw, T's trophy was broken by accident w/in 24 hours of receiving it. He took it pretty well, especially considering that he wasn't the one to break it. What a trooper!

Soccer is ALMOST Done

On Monday night, we met J's team over at a gym. There, they played an indoor soccer game -- kids against parents. I brought G's sneakers so he could join in the game. B and T played for a while, too. They had a blast! After, the kids enjoyed pizza, soda, and receiving their trophies. I love this picture above. J is receiving his trophy from his coach, who was awesome, btw. Coach called J his little Professor .. always sharing tidbits of trivia and information. He also said that J was a hard-working player, who improved over the season.

J has really enjoyed this year. He wasn't sure about having a new coach, but it worked out very well. He had some great hustle out there on the field this year!

T has LOVED playing soccer. He did really good as goalie. He wasn't afraid to grab that ball! He was with some of his dearest friends and really began to grasp the game. He had a wonderful coach, too.

I'm glad that the boys had great teams & coaches this year. It has been a positive experience. With that said, I am also looking forward to no more practices and games ... having our Saturdays back! AMEN!

Let the Games Begin!

Today marked the beginning of soccer games for J & T. The weather was perfect today. We expected it to be hot, but that was not the case.

J is on the far left in the white jersey

Go J!! J's team, the Volcanoes, won their game 1-0. They did a great job of passing during their game today. After J's game, G took him out for his Daddy day. They had a great time.

T's 1st soccer game EVER was at 1pm. He could hardly wait.

Here's T with some of his best buddies before the game today. It's been fun for them to be on the same team



T was goalie for a while today and did great!

T's team, the Sparrows, won their game today by a landslide. T actually scored a goal (for the wrong team -- his friend, the goalie at the time was cheering him on, too!!) No worries. They still won. It was so fun to watch these little guys play their little hearts out today.

Pre-Season Soccer Scrimmage

Yesterday morning, J's soccer team had a scrimmage with another team. It was good practice for them all. Many of the boys were all out of steam by the 2nd half! J played defense the first half.

Then, the 2nd half, J played goalie and he did an AWESOME job! He was fearless!

J grabbed the ball right out from a kid who was about to kick a goal! Our team went wild! He dove for the ball 3 other times and grabbed it from a heap of kids. I always worry that he's going to get his teeth kicked out. Seriously.

The '09 season games start in a couple of weeks. J is excited about his new team, the Volcanoes. There are 3 boys from his previous team with him this year. He was very glad about that. He really loves soccer, and it's sure fun to watch him play.

Last Soccer of the Season

Today marked the last soccer game of the '08 season for the boys. Definitely bitter-sweet. I will be glad to have our Saturdays back, but the boys have already said that they will miss their teams and the games.

B's game was @ 10am, and it felt like an Indian Summer day. It was hot! His team played really well today. They did awesome at passing and it paid off: they won 3-1! It was a great way to end the season. B played 1/2 of the game as goalie. He only handled the ball once because his team did such a great job of keeping the ball away from the goal. B has enjoyed his team this year and plans on staying on this team.

J's game was @ noon. I brought my umbrella to his game! I had kids crowding around me to get to the shade =) J's team won today, too, 3-1 (I think). J was really sad after the game was over. He said to me, "I wish that soccer could go on for another 3 months." He loves his coaches and team mates, and he's learned so much this year. Bottom line: he had FUN!

Here's J with Coach John. Thanks for EVERYTHING!

I just LOVE the fall colors. I had to get a picture of J in front of this tree. He was so hot, exhausted, and just wanted to go home. Actually, he wanted a slurpee, but I was on 'auto-pilot' getting home and just forgot. Instead, he got to pick out a soda from the pantry when he got home.

Soccer Team Parties

On Wednesday night, we went to Round Table for B's soccer team party. G was gone teaching Institute, so I had the 4 boys by myself. They were really good. J's coach gave him a disc, and to be honest, we haven't looked at it yet. She said it was a slide show. His coach said she liked B's "philosophy" on what makes a team and his positive attitude. Another Mom took lots of great pictures and gave us that disc, too. He has a great coach, however, she does not like trophies ... at all. So the team mom ordered trophies on the down-low for those who wanted them. We had to go to her car after the party to get them. It reminded me of a black-market kind of deal.

Then, the very next night, we went to another Round Table for J's soccer team party. J has been with the same team and coach for 3 years now. They had another great season. They tied one game and won the rest. Actually, his team has not lost a game in all 3 years. They keep improving, too. Their passing skills are amazing. Anyway, here is J with his trophy. He also received another fantabulous 'special' book made by my dear friend, Raimi (coach's wife). Thanks, Raimi!! He couldn't stop looking at it all night.
Then, I received some cute potted flowers along with a gift certificate to a pedicure! Every family signed a card for me, and I really appreciate that. Oh, I was the team Mom again this year. Yeah, I know ... crazy. I only have a million things going on ...
Aside from the constant worry that I was forgetting something, it worked out pretty good. The parents were all very supportive and helpful, and it helps to have a coach on top of things. The coaches were awesome, and worked so well with the boys. J just loves his coaches and team mates. Both B & J have 1 more soccer game this Saturday. Oh, would you believe that J asked for pizza for dinner tonight?!! Are you serious!!!?

More Soccer

This morning, I took N & J to watch B's soccer game. T went on a bike ride with Dad. The score was tied for most of the game. Our team would have scored another goal, however, our attacker was considered 'off-sides' and the goal didn't count. Bummer. The other team played their defense really far back, so it was challenging to NOT be 'off-sides.' B did a great job at defense. He can stick his long legs into a huddle and poke the ball away. His team lost 1-3. The other team just had some lucky breaks. One of their goals was from a direct penalty kick. B has a really good coach who really works with them. She calls them to a huddle after each game and goes over the things they did well and things that they need to improve upon. Her biggest frustration is that not all of the boys consistently come to practice. They need to practice as a team so that they can PLAY as a team. Even though there are only 2 practices left, she expects everyone to be there. Can't say I blame her!

G went to J's game in the afternoon. We're SO glad that the games were moved back to our side of the town. The field they were on last week (all the way across town) was full of muddy pot-holes and bird droppings. It was awful. Anyway, J's team did well and won 2-1. J played goalie for a quarter of the game. He's definitely not afraid of going after the ball. He's become much more aggressive in his playing. I know he'll be sad when the season is over. There are only 3 more games ...

Soccer Saturday

J's game on Saturday was a tough one! The teams tied 1-1. The refs seemed to favor the other team, and kids on the other team were name-calling (I later found out), but we just had to move past it. It was nice to have a 9am game -- to beat the heat. J had TWO near hits on the goal AND a couple of really awesome defensive moves at our goal today. He played his little heart out.


Here is his teams' new banner. We decided not to put the player's names on it so that this banner can be easily used from year to year. Our coach had this made and we think it's awesome!

Later, B had his game @ 1pm. Despite the heat, we were grateful that his game was close to home, just 3 minutes away.

Here is B's team banner. It was nice that when he joined this team this year, we didn't have to pay for a new banner! The coach already had this from the past couple of years.

So, despite some great effort, B's team lost. B had an amazing opportunity to attack at the goal, however, a team mate stepped in front of B, miss-kicked the ball and it went off to the side. B was literally taking that last step before he planned on kicking it with all of his might! He had a clear shot of the goal. B was pretty upset about it. He's usually played mid-field or defense, but he was playing forward and had this golden opportunity. When we talked to him about it, we reminded him that it's okay to be frustrated, but that he still needs to be kind to his team mate.

Later Saturday, we went to a friend's house for a yummy BBQ. One of the missionaries in our ward recently had his 21st birthday, and our friends invited them over to celebrate. The kids were having fun playing out back. Then they started hucking ice around the yard and T took some right to the face and got a nose bleed. Later, when I took T to the potty, he needed to sit on the potty and let's just say that 'things' weren't positioned correctly and he pee-ed ALL over the front of MY pants (I was standing right in front of him). I had to act quick and try to 'adjust' things before he took down the entire bathroom! As much as this bothered me, I was relieved that he didn't pee all over my friend's bathroom. It just looked like I pee-ed my pants. Oh, parenthood. Despite this, we had a very nice time visiting, and we appreciated their invitation.

Oh, and yes, some chores DID get done. I actually was able to get major shopping done early Saturday morning. I was @ Sam's Club by 7:15am. I was able to get through Sam's and Walmart in almost 1/2 the time it usually takes me with a kid or two in tow. It was worth getting out of bed early for just that!

Soccer Updates

B's friend, A, gives him a 'high-five" after B does a critical save near the goal for his team. B had two outstanding defensive moves on Saturday. One was a really cool slide-kick against a hard, fast kick, and the other save was unique because he ran in front of the other team's player and deflected the ball off of his upper back. The ball went flying away from the goal. It was really cool! Unfortunately, his team lost 0-2. They all kind of lacked energy that day. Regardless, they held the other team to only 2 goals even though they had a lot of attempts at the goal.

J scored another goal at this game. He was so happy! His team was down for the first half of the game 1-0, but by the second half, they pulled themselves together and scored 4 goals and won the game!

More Games

J and B's soccer games were at the same time on Saturday. SO, G & I had to divide and conquer. I took N & T to J's game. J seemed to be a little under the weather and didn't mind sitting out over half of the game. There are 13 boys on the team and only 9 players are on the field. Kinda stinks if you ask me. J's team won 5-0. They did an amazing job of passing the ball. His coach has really worked with the team on passing and it is really paying off .... big time! Our team's Goal Jar was quickly filled. T even got a turn to walk around with the jar after a goal in the game. That sure made HIS day.





G captured this great picture of B attacking the ball. It can be quite advantageous to have a lefty on the team! B's team won 3-0. He has a great coach, too. She works these boys really hard during practices and teaches them a lot. He played defense part of the time and forward for the rest. He's great at staying in his zone.


The rest of our day was spent doing chores (yes, I know ... what a blast!) and G worked more on our shed. He finished the roof! Yeah!! We just hung out the rest of the afternoon, and then enjoyed another movie before bed. We watched "The Fugitive" with our ClearPlay. The boys were on the edge of their seats! They loved it. T spent most of the movie-time playing solo with the legos upstairs. It was a win-win situation: he was happily playing upstairs and we could hear the movie downstairs. Can't believe that another week is behind us. Wow!

Soccer Games Begin!!

B is in white, in the center of this picture. His game was @ 3pm and it was SO STINKIN' hot. His team lost 0-3, but they did put up a good fight!

Love the expression on his face. Wonder what he was thinking??
This is SO typical B. Glad that G captured this moment.

Once again, B is working with a new team this year. He knows several of the boys from school, and has been on previous teams with 2 of them. He has a great coach. She is very no-nonsense and is very structured. B has been thriving with this coach. It was a tough year last year for B. He seriously thought about hanging up his cleats. He's so glad that he stuck with it. Even though his team didn't win today, he felt good about his efforts. His coach gave great feedback after the game. She pointed out many of the great things they did, and talked about what they will be working on during practice. Many of the boys just tuckered out. The field is MUCH bigger than practice, and it was triple digits today.



J had his 1st game @ 10am today. He said he was very nervous. He's been fortunate to have been with this team for the past 2 years, and to have the same awesome coach.

Here, J is taking advantage of a 'fast-break'
Below is a sequence of pictures capturing J's FIRST goal in a game. I almost missed it. J is in the center of the picture, right in front of the ball wearing green.
He closes in on the ball and ...
... does a slide kick ... (he's sitting down now ... waiting ... hoping ...)

.... and it goes IN!! J's team scored on the very first play of the game. Many of the parents didn't even realize that the game even started!! His team won 9-0, and this is with rotating the boys to all different positions. It wasn't just ONE player. Isn't that awesome?!! J played goalie for part of the game and saw NO action. He just stood there sweating to death in the goalie jersey. The team did a great job defending the goal and basically keeping the ball on the other side. They did great at passing the ball. Amazing. Our goal jar was pretty heavy after the game. Each time our team scores a goal, family and friends each put in a quarter. This money goes towards trophies etc. I know a few parents mentioned that they owe some quarters because they didn't bring enough!

So, even though these games take up a chunk of our Saturdays, it's sure fun to watch our boys play. T wants to play next year. I'm not sure how that's going to work out with 3 boys in soccer. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.