Sweetie, the Soccer Star

Hallelujah, we're finally done with fall sports. I want to reclaim my Saturdays. I want to go to boot camp aerobics class at the gym. I want to stop carrying around in my purse a gallon of water for each child and 3 fruit snacks/fruit roll-ups per sports game for H.

Sweetie ended the season with a bang, scoring 3 of her team's goals today and saving double that on defense. Sweetie is actually very fun to watch. She's persistent, fast, determined, and all over the field. She also hates to loose, and, poor girl, she had to learn to accept loss this season, given the fact that her team was lousy.

Mister is equally glad that soccer is over because he is tired of entertaining H by playing in the dirt, running up and down the sides of the field, and looking for ants and other bugs. (Note, Mister's blue hair is from his football tournament.)

I'm thankful Sweetie played soccer this fall because it gave me a chance to focus on her strengths, to praise her for never giving up, even when her team was loosing badly, and for doing her best.

Sweetie plays soccer

And who knew she would be so fierce? Actually, I should have known, since I play games with her at family game night every Sunday and am well-acquainted with my do-anything-to-win and sad-face-when-losing Sweetie. Still, I didn't anticipate this level of fierceness. She averages 2 goals a game, and the child sacrifices her body for the ball. At this game below, she hit the goal post three times, each time from diving in front of the ball to save a goal. All I can say is that if we play soccer for family game night, I want Sweetie on my team.

Getting a hug from a teammate after scoring a goal:

Spectators: Mister catching the footballs J throws down the sidelines and H, looking for dogs in the crowd and other people's food and drinks to confiscate.