Goal! Well, sort of...

Hadley had her first official soccer game. She was anxious to participate in something and neither gymnastics nor dance fit our schedule so we decided to give soccer a try.

It was organized chaos at best, but what more can you expect from a bunch of 3 and 4 year olds. They did 30 minutes of drills, then had 30 minutes for the actual game. She did a great job during the drills, following directions well and seemed pretty coordinated. She wasn't quite as driven during the actual game though. Dayven said she lacks the competitive streak and he's right. She gets that from me. I prefer solitary things like running, where I can compete against myself. She'd just rather have fun out there, which is what I personally prefer anyway.

She was actively running around in the field, but half the time she was playing chase with another girl, or they were looking up at the ceiling and sticking their tongues out and making funny noises. They were also chattering away to each other while the coach was talking. She seemed to be enjoying it though, which is really all that matters to me. I could hear her giggling as she ran down the field. She found it hilarious when the coach bounced the ball on his head.

Deep in conversation with her new soccer Bestie. 

Wyatt was so upset that he couldn't play. He wants to be on the team desperately and was mad that Hadley got a jersey and he didn't. The coach gave him a name tag and that seemed to appease him. He and I kicked the ball around at the other end of the field for fun. He's not the most coordinated kid and had to stop and take many breaks because he told me he was just too tired. He really wants to be a part of it though so we're looking into a more non-competitive option for kids who lack the sports gene. Bless your heart, Wy!

I'm not sure how I feel about little kids and sports. It's definitely a whole culture that is new to me. One little girl was crying almost the entire time with her mom yelling at her to "get back out there!" I cringed a little when I witnessed that. Plus I'm not a huge sports fan and I can't imagine going to watch sporting events every night and weekend. Also, they're just so young. I see the importance of learning teamwork and following directions, but at least 2-3 kids were crying at any given time and Hadley wasn't the only one goofing off on the field. We'll keep at it and see how the season goes...

Dayven, I think Tate may be the only hope you have left!