Soccer season is here in full bloom at our house! We have practice Mondays and Saturdays, and games Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The kids have played through rain, snow, and wind strong enough to blow down trees, and yet, while mom inwardly complains, they are nothing but ecstatic! Matt has been coaching Elena's team. Elena has been playing mostly defense, which she loves and is pretty good at. Joseph has mainly been playing sweeper, and can anticipate where the ball is headed, instead of chasing after the mass herd of boys all fighting over it, which kind of surprised me. Rebecca is tough, and it seems that not many girls can get past her as she plays mostly defense. Kimball was the biggest surprise for us. When I went to sign up the other kids, he turned his cute little eyes at me and said "Peez ma!" Who could resist? He barely made the age deadline; he had to be three by April 1st, and since he turned 3 just a week and a half or so before that I signed him up, making him the youngest kid on his team and most of the others. Matt wanted me to un-sign him up before it started, because after playing with him as a family, we realize that what he was playing wasn't the same game as everyone else. He was playing tackle football, and no matter who was kicking the ball was inevitably jumped upon and thrust to the ground. We were sure that he would be the first 3 year old to get red carded out the game. Most of the kids are a late 4 year old or 5 year olds, getting ready to go to Kindergarten next year. Yet on the first game after grilling him about no tackling, grabbing shirts, or pulling people to the ground, we found his aggressiveness quite in control! He scored FIVE goals! Four of which were in the first half! By the second half, the kids were all so cold and wet that they ended up calling the game early. (ok...so 2 goals were in his own goal, but still he got it away from all the big kids) He was literally almost a head shorter than everyone out there! Uncle Alan reminded us that Pele was only 4'9" or so and he was one of the greatest players in history! Of course I was like a little peacock, so proud, as even the other teams parents called him over after the game to give him high five! Of course he still has the mentality of a three year old and sometimes in other games we have had to tell him not to chase the blowing trash, but rather the ball. I am so proud of each of them, and I think if we keep this up, I am going to have to how to play myself, so we can have a full co-ed family team or atleast half of one.