The Blue Sharks

Another soccer season has drawn to a close. We were thinking about taking a break from soccer this fall with the arrival of baby Finn, but the coach from last season really wanted to keep Blake's team together. He was such a great coach that we couldn't resist the invitation. It actually ended up working out perfectly that we had the baby two weeks early, because the majority of the games and practices fell while Troy was on paternity leave.

Blake always enjoys playing soccer with his buddy Liam and he especially enjoys adding another trophy to his collection. 

Spring Soccer

Another soccer season has come to an end.

Blake and his buddy Liam lucked out with a great team and a dedicated and knowledgable coach. The coach really makes all the difference. We're so thankful for good coaches who sacrifice so much time. The only problem was the practices were held on Friday nights and it seemed like we had other commitments almost every week.

But we made it to all of the games which was the most important thing. Those "Red Dragons" were on fire. Technically, no score was officially kept. But if it was, they would have won all but one of their games.

Blake has come a long way since his first season, where he wouldn't go near the ball and he cried through the first few games because the sun was in his eyes. In fact, he scored his very first goal this season. It was so much fun to watch his confidence grow.

We sat out and cheered in every type of weather. Freezing cold, drizzling rain and scorching heat. Of course, the boys' younger siblings were their biggest cheerleaders.

They had another eager cheerleader who actually took his very first steps at one of the games; the same day that Blake scored his first goal.

Nash made his soccer debut this season with the "Orange Tigers" as well.

He was a little less interested in going after the ball. We know now that sometimes it takes a few seasons to show much interest in the game. And the little girl who played as no. 9 was so aggressive that neither team had a chance of getting in there. It was quite amusing to watch. We gave up counting after she scored approximately ten goals each week. 

Nash might not have shown much interest on the field, but he was very interested in the after game snacks and the trophy placed in his arms during the last game.

We caught a glimpse of how busy life gets when you're juggling two soccer games every Saturday. I can't even fathom how we'll manage four. But we definitely caught the soccer spirit. The boys had a great season.

The Silver Knights

Another soccer season has come and gone.

Blake and the "silver knights" rocked it.

The games ranged from hot to freezing cold to hot again over a four week period. Such is fall in the Rocky Mountains.

Blake loved his turns as goalie.

He played on the same team as his best buddy Liam, which was both fun for them and us moms on the sidelines.

Nash and his sidekick Bella caused all sorts of ruckus during the games.

They mostly tried to run to the park or onto the field and tackle their older brothers, but occasionally their sweet sides came out. Every time Bella arrived at the game, she exclaimed, "My boyfriend's here!" Nash always brought toys and trinkets to show Bella and even helped her put on her shoes. It was a modern Cinderella fairy tale - minus the stepmom and scrubbing.

The league played two games a week for a month instead of spreading it out over two months. I think I prefer it that way. It'll be nice to reclaim our Saturday mornings again.

Soccer

So, soccer.

Let's just say that we're not sure Blake has an aggressive bone in his body.

And his first game went something like this:

The odds were not in his favor to begin with. He had a cold and didn't sleep well the night before. He was told when he arrived that he couldn't wear his sunglasses in case the ball got kicked in his face (what every four year old wants to hear). And he is super sensitive to light, so he basically complained and cried the entire game about the sun being in his eyes. Add in the runny nose factor, going through so many tissues that we ran out, and being expected to go out on a field and try to kick a ball that five other kids were suddenly going after, and we didn't have the best recipe for success.

When we actually coerced him to go out on the field, he stood there and sobbed. Or just ran right back to the sidelines mid-play. We left feeling embarrassed and frustrated and really didn't know how much to push vs. how much to let it go.

We decided to give it another go the following week. Thankfully, each game since then has become a little less overwhelming. We've talked about being committed to a team and participating even when it is hard. He now knows what to expect and joins in without tears streaming down his face.

That doesn't mean he goes after the ball unless it is his turn to kick it in, but he seems to be having fun running around and following the crowd. Or at least wandering to la-la land in his own mind while the other kids kick the ball.

Nashy thoroughly enjoys shouting, "Go Blake! Go Blake!" each week from the sidelines.

If Blake ever happens to tap the ball, he immediately turns to me to give me the thumbs up symbol (while the ball is stolen from the other team). 

This whole experience has caused me to think about pushing our kids to do hard things, teaching them to commit to what they start, helping them discover their natural talents and abilities, and the expectations we place on them. In the end, I think it has been good for Blake to be challenged, to adapt, and to accomplish something hard, even if he never becomes an all-star soccer player.

We've been showering him with praise for the improvements he's made since that first game. And when we say, "We're proud of you, Blake," he responds, "I'm proud of me, too."