The Most Popular Sport in the World

I'm not sure where to pick up cuz I really ain't sure where I left off!  However, it occurs to me that the soccer season is done and gone, so I suppose I could document that to get my blogging motor started again....
Ezra was on the same team as last year--The Scorpions.  In our league second grade boys get 6-8 players on a team.  Four play at a time--one goalie and three out in the field.  There are not offensive/defensive specialists (technically) aside from the goalie.  I'm not sure how long the field is--but longer than it was in first grade.  The goal is bigger, but there is no net--it's only marked by flags.  The goal box is marked by cones and goalie is allowed to use his hands as long as he is inside the box.  This is a hard concept to grasp after three plus years of being told NEVER to use your hands!!!!!

 Soccer is a sport that Ezra used to think of as a "place holder".  That is, it's holding the place that football is some day supposed to take (in his mind).  However, he realized that soccer is a ton of fun and that he actually loves it.  Much to my delight he is starting to question, just a bit, if he wants to give it up for football.  Mind you, I love watching football.  But when it's my boy tackling/being tackled all the time, I'm not yet sure how I feel about that.  Plus, I really enjoy watching him play soccer.  There is more playing time, it's a better cardio workout and I don't have to carry huge stinky pads around in my car--only cleats and shin guards. 

 Ezra and his buddy D complement each other well on the soccer field.  They are fun to watch play together.  The coach is D's Dad and he is awesome.  Happy, patient and a good teacher.  Not all volunteer coaches are that way--we are very thankful for him.  He is also good about obeying league rules of fair play time, so each boy gets the exact same time on the field, both in and out of the goal during each game.  That means that D and Ezra don't get to tee off on another team's goalie together all that often.  But when they do we all have fun.  See the coach of the other team shouting at his players to guard these guys?  They had a really good game that particular day.

 While you wait for a soccer game to be over you must have snacks, blankets, umbrellas, coloring books, story books, etc., etc., etc.  I felt like I was packing for a trip each and every Saturday for 8 weeks straight.  Don't forget folding chairs for Mom and Dad and a front pack and diaper bag with approximately 55 baby items inside.  Henry was only one week old when he went to his first soccer game--the first game of the season.  I was especially unhappy about the field that Ezra's team played on that day.  It's at a venue called "60 Acres" and his field was alllllll 60 acres away from the parking lot (and the out houses).  This year Ezra and Caroline didn't have a single game conflict.  This is both a blessing and a curse for us.  The blessing is that we could watch each game each Saturday.  The curse is that we could watch each game each Saturday : )  Tadd did let me stay home with Henry and Nora a couple times for one game or the other while he took a kid out in the pouring down rain or at 7:30 in the morning for the early game. 

 Ezra had fun learning about  the goalie position--and while it's not his favorite part of soccer, he got better at it and learned to have fun with it.   I didn't get a shot of it, but this particular day he nearly kicked a goal for his team while playing goalie--it would've been fun had it gone in.

 Sometimes you just need a pep talk from another member of the team : )

 Nothing much cuter than joyful little boys.

 Caroline played on a new team this year.  She was so excited that a spot opened up on the team all her friends played on.  They are the Panthers.  As evidenced by the cute little pink paw print soccer socks they wear : )  Funny thing.   Before the season started, Tadd took the kids out to buy cleats, shin guards and soccer socks.  He bought a 2 pack of plain black socks for the kids to share.  (yeah, he's not the laundry guy around these parts).  I warned him that being as Caroline is a girl, playing on a girls team, the chances were slim that we'd get away with plain black socks.  Sure enough, the very next day the emails between moms started over which cute little soccer socks we'd be buying : )  Socks are not the only difference in girls and boys soccer--but they are one of them.  Just about every other team we played also had cute soccer socks. 

 The first graders in our league play 3 on 3 with no goalie. Each team has 6 players.  The field seems short and narrow by the end of the season.  But that's good because the girls were lacking enthusiasm by the end of the season.  They had fun, though.  And Caroline learned a lot.  While they do not have offensive and defensive specialists, Caroline learned that her strength is defense and she usually hung back to keep the other team from scoring.  Her Mommy (who used to play defense once upon a time) had fun watching that. 

And so ends another soccer season.  The practices, games and pizza parties are all done.  We are in the calm between storms that is November.  I love it.  Saturdays seem a little boring, and sometimes I pack up the car with all the junk just for fun (I kid).  But, basketball for Ezra is juuuuuust around the corner.  So, I'd better get my rest while I can!