soccer season '19

This will be the longest post, but we just finished another successful soccer season, which was also Colby's first! We enrolled in Walnut Ridge again because we love the Play-then-Play mentality, which  means that it is a Saturday-only commitment. We knew that it would be a bit trickier this year since we would have two soccer schedules to keep up with it, but it was SO great and I loved watching Colby participate rather than be stuck on the sidelines.  

The season started in March, and that first week was SO cold!  Those of us on the sidelines were especially freezing, haha.  (Thankfully, it was a practice only day which meant that we only had to deal with the cold for 2 hours instead of 4.)

We loved Brooke's coach from the beginning!  It was obvious that he knew a lot about soccer, but he also knew how to work with kids in this 5 and 6 year old group. He handed out their jerseys when we first arrived, then started in with stretching and drills.

Then it was Colby's turn!  We weren't quite as impressed with Colby's coach, but we were hoping for a good season.  She didn't pass out the jerseys until after practice, so Colby kept asking me when his practice was going to start.  I explained that he was still practicing, but in his mind, it wasn't official until he had his jersey.

Watching him stretch was probably the cutest thing ever!

Then he ditched his coat and was totally into the drills.

Meanwhile, Brooke was trying to hide from the bitter cold...

Once he finally received his jersey, he wanted to "have a real practice", so our family stayed a while longer and kicked the ball around with Colby.  I asked to take his picture by the goal, and he posed himself like this, haha.  Such a sweet bot and definitely excited for his first season.  But he did make several comments about how he wanted Sissy's coach because he wanted his coach to be a boy.

Week two was beautiful and such a perfect day for soccer!  Colby was thrilled to wear the whole uniform :)

His practice was pretty disorganized, and I really struggled staying on the sidelines.  I didn't want to step on the coach's toes, but there were so many adults on the sidelines that I'm sure were willing to step in and help her keep the kids organized and engaged. She made a comment that she didn't really know what she was doing, but she wanted to coach her son's team.  I appreciated her willingness to coach, but it was also very clear that she didn't really know what to do.

Brooke was sick that day, so Bev came over to sit with her so I didn't have to miss my little buddy's first game.  I was SO grateful because I didn't want to miss it!  I took lots of videos so that Bev could see him in action.

When we got home, he was hugging me and Kevin took this sweet picture.  He really is my favorite little guy :)

Brooke was happy to be back at it the next week, and it was another beautiful day for soccer.  Since the first week was practice only, and since she was sick on week two, this was her first game of the season.

Brooke was so excited that Brooks was playing on her team this year :) These two are best buddies, even though they can fight like nobody's business over the silliest things.  They are both pretty headstrong, but I'm sort of glad that Brooke stands up for herself and doesn't let anyone push her around, haha.

I tried taking a picture of Brooke, Brooks, and their friend Elias, and the coach thought I was trying to get a team picture :) So, there's the team after practice.  Then I cropped everyone else out to get a pic of the three church buddies.  Brooke isn't really as close with Elias, but he is a sweet kid and they've played on the same team the last few years.

My girl was still hesitant to be aggressive, but she ran her little heart out and was always right there with the ball.  Hopefully, she can find the courage to get in there and kick the ball away, but that might not be her nature.

Then it was time for Colby's game. I volunteered to sit on the sidelines because Colby had been very reluctant to play during practice.  He did great with me right by his side, and he seemed to have a lot of fun!

I loved watching his full sprint with arms pumping everywhere he went :) And this stance whenever he waited for the ball to be kicked in.

The next week, the games were almost called off due to rain in the forecast.  Thankfully, it only drizzled, and I had a coat in the car for Colby because he was complaining about the cold rain.

His practices didn't get much better, which was a big disappointment.  None of the kids were engaged because the coach didn't know how to lead them all, so at this practice I just jumped in and started directing kids.  Once the kids had clear directions, they all participated and then I could back off a little.  Again, I didn't want to be a punk, but I was frustrated with the lack of anything productive happening, which was making Colby not even want to go to practice. 

Brooke and Colby had practice and games at the same time, so Kevin and I had to divide and conquer.

I was watching Brookie's game when I received a call from Kevin that Colby was hit straight in the face with a ball. He was fine, but wanted his Mama, haha.  I rushed over so Kevin could head over to Brooke's game.  I held my little buddy while he calmed down.  I asked him if his nose hurt, and he responded with, "My whole face hurts." Poor kid!  Kevin caught the whole thing on video because he was videoing Colby waiting for the kick.  The other team was kicking in from the sidelines and you can hear the coach say, "Kick it super hard, kick it hard.", and then the kick came in and went straight at Colby's face :(

I tried to convince him to get back out there and score a goal, and when I offered a pack of gum if he could do it, he was on board!  It's amazing what a little incentive can do :) He did end up scoring a goal, but for the wrong team, haha.  I think he knew it was the wrong direction, but he either really wanted that gum, or he just saw an opportunity and took it. (I love this picture because you can see Papa in the background watching his grandson.)

Brooke came over to watch the last few minutes of Colby's game, and when Colby saw his Sissy, he came running off the field to hug her.  I had my phone out, and snapped a picture of that precious moment.  These two really are the best.

I had to document his first goal, so he's holding up his little finger.

It wasn't raining as we left, but Colby still insisted that he hold his umbrella over Papa and Brooke to protect them.

The next week was back to freezing temperatures, so we bundled up!  When it was time for Brooke's game to start, her coach had them all take off their coats and I was dying.  I didn't want my little girl to be cold, but I guess he wanted them to be able to see the other orange jerseys. I could tell that Brooke was a little cold, but she never complained.

Papa showed up with donuts for the kids and boy were they excited.  That even convinced Colby to sit with Papa instead of me :) Jerry and Bev have come to almost every game, and the kids love having their love and support.

The coach gives Brooke lots of opportunities to do kick-offs and side kicks, but he has her playing as a defender during the game. I love that he recognizes where she feels comfortable, but he also encourages her and puts her in positions where she will have opportunities to make the kicks and gain more confidence in herself. 

Colby was a champ during his game, and ran his little heart out.  Can you see the determination on his face??  I love his run and the zeal with which he plays his game.

Brooke was my little heater during the very windy game!

Things finally started to warm up a bit the next week, and Brooke really enjoyed her practice and the new drills the coach started using.  The practices were really pivotal in Brookie's knowledge and skill set, and helped force her to go after the ball during the "shark and minnow" drills.

I adore this picture of Brooke looking like a soccer girl.  She has so much potential in this game because she is fast!  

The coach even let Colby join in on the practice, and he thought he was pretty big stuff.

When it was time for his actual practice, he was totally into it since he had just practiced with Brooke's team.  Only two other kids from his team showed up for practice, so they were actually all pretty involved and excited to play together.

Taking a quick water break, and I had to take a picture of his sweet sun-kissed face.  The day was off to a good start!

Brooke's game was during Colby's practice, so it was divide and conquer again.  Kevin watched most of Brooke's game, but I was able to sneak over for the last little bit and to see her run down the tunnel of hands.

She was a good cheerleader during Colby's game, which we got to watch as a family.

He wasn't quite into the game, but maybe because he had already been practicing with two teams, haha.  Oh, and when it was his turn to kick off, he backed up to make a big kick, and as he ran towards the ball, one of his teammates kicked it.  My buddy was pretty defeated and didn't understand why they took his kick.  I couldn't convince him to move on, so he was pretty hesitant to play the rest of the game.  The team really needed him though because there were only 3 other kids...but he would kick the ball, then run back to me. You win some, you lose some.

We were rained out for a few weeks in a row, so their final games were pushed back to May 4th. The rain had flooded a lot of the fields at Walnut Ridge, so we played indoors at the Mansfield Field of Dreams Indoor Complex.  Due to the number of teams that needed to play that day, it was game only.

Brooke did amazing, and I was so sad that Kevin wasn't there to see it in person.  He was helping the Taggarts move, but I took plenty of videos so he could see his girl in action.  I'm not sure where the added confidence came from, but she was more aggressive and was able to get the ball away from the other team a few times.

After the game, the coach had all the kids line up so he could individually recognize them and present them with their medals.  This is yet another thing to love about her coach!  He talked about Brooke being the number one defender and not letting the ball get past her.  You could see each kid light up as he spoke positively about them :)

This was a GREAT season for Brooke, and we will most definitely be requesting Coach Shane for future seasons.

This was Brooke's third season, and third medal.  Clearly, that needed to be documented :)

We picked up Brooks after the game (he missed it due to his family's move), and he came with us to Colby's game.

When these three get along, it's pretty great.  They can fight like siblings, but they are also pretty funny together.

Colby was in rare form and kept doing hysterical things. I'm not sure what this hand signal meant, but he was having himself a good 'ol time :). Kevin made it there in time to watch the game as well, so he was able to see the funny antics for himself.

Colby had been waiting the whole season to get that coveted medal, and he finally had it!!

A few kids were missing, but here's the rest of his team with Coach Elizabeth.  She really was a nice lady, but I'm hoping that Colby gets a different coach next season.

One happy boy!!

When we left the soccer fields, we headed to Slim Chickens for a celebratory lunch!  The kids colored, downed their Texas-shaped waffles and chicken, and played some Connect 4.  It was a great ending to a wonderful season :)