soccer season returns

We just finished up the season that started at the end of February!  I loved watching these kids back on the field rocking their old jerseys until they were issued new ones.   As we left the fields, Brooke said, "I really missed playing soccer." I'm so glad she felt happy to be back out there, doing her thing.

Brooke's team is bright yellow and chose the name, "Shining Stars."

Grandma and Papa were right back on the sidelines cheering the kids on!

Colby's team is green (his favorite color!!), and chose the name "Green Dragons."  They also started calling the red balls "flaming fire balls", which was very fitting for Dragons. 

Colby is on a team with his friend Braxton, and you better believe that Brooke helps entertain his younger siblings during the games :)  She loves Zenley and Bryson so much.  (They live in our neighborhood so we see them quite often.)

Colby and Braxton during practice...

My sweet Brookie!  She's been rocking the same shorts since her very first season as a three year old on Team Shine, haha! Naturally, I wanted to recreate the picture by the same tree.  She's sure grown a lot, but I love that she started as yellow and has returned to yellow.

Her friends Marlie and Brock are also yellow, but in a younger division that played Colby's team. It's super fun to see friends out there on the field and to hear their parents cheering for our kids as well as their own. 

Who is this teenager and where is my little girl??  She was wearing my sunglasses as we played catch and when I wanted to take her picture, she insisted on this pose. 

Brooke always brought a book or something to do during Colby's practices. This particular day was spent reading poetry to Papa :)

My favorite Green Dragon...

Coach Christy delivering the devotional...

Game time...

More entertaining of little ones...

The beloved after-game tunnel...

Brooke was nervous about playing against her buddy, Brooks, but it turned out "really fun" according to Brooke. 

We've resorted to the wagon since we always have multiple chairs, bags, and snacks. 

Another great Soccer Saturday!! Brooke is rocking her role as defender and is getting more aggressive during offense drills.  Colby had a great practice as well and scored FOUR goals in his game!!

Brooke still loves being the kicker during the 'World Cup" drill. 

The Peacocks were in the area and showed up just in time for Colby's game.  So, in true Brooke fashion, she held Emery and shared snacks with her. 

Having family there to cheer him on was so special for Colby :)

Brooke made breakfast before soccer one day.  She didn't want ANY help from me, although I did grate some more cheese since we were running short on time.  I love that she's learning new skills and wants to be independent. 

When Roy and everyone was in town, they all came to Soccer Saturday.  We basically took a quarter of the sidelines, haha. 

During practice, I always enjoy seeing the kids hone their skills and really learn to play with their teammates.  

A quick picture before the game...

Thanking Papa with hugs for coming to support them...

And before we knew it, the season was over. I was really glad that Brooke was with Coach Owens again and that she was teammates with Claire and Liam, but I didn't love the huge team size this year. Granted, they were playing on a bigger field which required more players at a time, but I feel like the kids had less one-on-one coaching and he rarely moved them to play different positions. Brooke likes being a defender, but I would have liked to see her progress in different areas as well.

When Coach Owens passed out the medals, he carried on the tradition of saying something sweet about each child.  Pictured below is his son (Landon,) Claire, and Brookie...

He said something about Brooke being the "daughter he never had", which was really sweet.  She definitely feels loved by him and appreciated his positive encouragement throughout the season. 

Sweet friends :)

A wonderful coach...

Had to capture this picture on Colby's last week! We requested for Colby and Braxton to be teammates, but by chance, they were also placed on a team with Zuri Garff, a girl we know through her Aunt that used to be in our ward.  Her family is in one of the Mansfield wards and they're all super fun.  Brooke played with her older sister Oakley in her first season (Team Shine). 

Such sweet kids and they all played together really well!  There were multiple games that one or two kids couldn't make it, which meant that Colby did a LOT of running and had plenty of time out on the field.  Which is just the way I like it :)

His coach was really sweet and SO much more organized than his previous coaches.  Colby was a little bummed (at first) that he had another girl coach, but she was great and her husband helped quite a bit during practice as well.

We seriously love Soccer Saturday and cheering on our little athletes.  They were always excited to go to soccer and definitely gave it their all.  So proud of these two!!

And Aunt Shelley was even in town for their last games, which was extra special!  These kids have definitely been spoiled by having so much support each week.  Grandma and Papa attended nearly every game and lots of practices as well.  Brooke and Colby are so loved!

I'm sure we'll be back out for Walnut Ridge soccer again next Spring!!