Scenes from Soccer...

Soccer season for the boys is winding down. Soccer has been one of our dominant activities this Spring. Thursday practices and Saturday games for each of our boys-- so this is what being overscheduled feels like. Well, okay it's not been that bad.. in fact, we've had so much rain this Spring that it's been tough to get a game and a practice in in the same week.
Poor Aidan's team-- which I've been helping to coach a little bit-- has missed so many practices this season, we've lost count.

So here are some images from games the boys each had yesterday.. in the sunshine, no less!

Aidan grinds it out in the 4th quarter

Aidan waits for the throw-in...

Bryce kicks off

Bryce does his best Beckham impression--

Soggy Soccer

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Originally uploaded by sleepydad

Bryce played a soccer match in the midst of a springtime rainshower... hopefully, it'll be warmer and sunnier later in the season..

Soccer gets started!

Aidan and Bryce were scheduled to have their first soccer matches of the season (and for Bryce, the first of his career) yesterday. Aidan's game was rained out in the morning, but Bryce and his team played on in the afternoon. The turf was a little soggy, but the 3-4 year olds were gritty and didn't let a little water stop them! Plus, they were just so darn cute in their jerseys!Bryce has lots to learn, but he's really having fun so we're looking forward to a good season!

Kicking off Soccer Season

In the first week of March, now that we're all well again from that bout of the flu we suffered last month, we kicked off Soccer Season. The boys are playing in a Y League this year-- the Nashville Catholic league that Aidan played in this year doesn't seem to be running again.. and since the Y league fields teams in Bryce's age range, we figured it was a good fit for us. Bryce has really been anxious to get started with his own teams.

And so it begins. Our calendar has filled up with practices and games. But so far, both boys have really been enjoying it. The season runs into May, so we've got two good months in front of us of lots of good outdoors time, running around, (hopefully) kicking a ball occasionally. :) A good antidote to the winter-time bugs and blahs we've been through in Jan and Feb.


(BTW, the tall guy in this picture is Aidan's coach-- he is a man of seemingly infinite patience, I must say.)

Soccer Updates

Well, we had our last Soccer Sunday this past week.. and now that the computer is all put back together, I can update with a few photos from the last two weeks of games..

Aidan's team wore the white (he's #19) two weeks ago, and Aidan had, once again, a great time running around, chasing the ball-- though he had a hard time being sure which goal to kick the ball toward...

The next week, he got a couple of pretty good touches on the ball and even managed to fire a shot at the right goal... then at the end of the afternoon, everyone got a little trophy for participating.. and Aidan immediately asked "When's T-Ball start?"

Late Soccer Sunday update

Pictures from last Sunday's Soccer match:

Sleepy SoccerDad Sunday Update

Aidan had his third Soccer Sunday yesterday. He, Bryce, and I and Aunt Patty braved the 87 degree early springtime heat to get out on the pitch! Aidan got his jersey and they played a scrimmage with some kids from St. Rose down in Murfreesboro.

A friend of ours refers to soccer at this age as "Buffalo Ball" and it really is an apt description. Kids chasing the ball, kicking it in any direction, then chasing again.

Aidan was, like a lot of the other kids, a little timid about getting into the thick of it and really kicking at the ball.. ...and he wasn't always sure where he was supposed to be-- especially when the coach asked him to play back on defense-- he really had no idea when to chase after the ball then!

On the drive over to the field, he said "If I fall down, I'm going to retire."
The memory of the spill he took during his first Cross Country meet is still with him.

He did fall down a time or two, but he didn't retire.. he go back up and kept running.
I'm not sure if he loves soccer yet or not, but he's enjoying giving the ball a good kick every now and then...

SoccerDad Sunday update

Aidan had his second soccer practice yesterday. The coach taught them about dribbling the ball and how to stop the ball with your foot.
Then they split up into teams and played a little scrimmage.
I'm not convinced that Aidan really gets the team concept of the game, but he's having a lot of fun learning, all the same.