Soccer mom x 2

We've been fighting it for about 3 years now. Nolan started playing soccer and we'd tote Campbell along to the games and chase him all over the field as we "watched" Nolan play. Campbell wanted to play so badly and we just kept promising him that when he turned 4 he could play.

Wellll.....he's 4.

Dang, that was a quick 4 years. And now that toddler that I used to chase at games is in uniform and holy cuteness he looks adorable in it.

 

We had a feeling this little guy would be our athlete but we didn't expect him to be the first one to score this season and within 30 seconds of the game starting. He scored two goals in his first game and last week he scored six. This boy was on fire and playing some good defense too! 

 

He is living and breathing soccer now. He completely copies what his coach says (who is so wonderful and patient) when he plays soccer at home and can't wait for practice and games.

 

Nolan is playing soccer again as well. Yes, two boys in soccer.  And no, I don't know what I was thinking. Nolan was on the same team with the same kids for years and we were undefeated. Well this year it seems like everyone disbursed and so it's all new team members. I think Nolan and one other teammate are the only ones that have ever played soccer. So I think we're going for the "Bad News Bears" record this year. It's all for fun, right?

Justin somehow got roped into being the coach. You know, because we don't have enough to do.  He feels bad when the team loses that he's somehow a bad coach. But I just remind him that Nolan will have no recollection of his wins/losses, only that his daddy was the coach. Nolan doesn't seem to mind the losing record. He's having fun. 

I've got my trusty crew on the sideline helping watch the games. 

 

After Campbell's game we went on and on about how proud we were of him and he said, "Let's talk about it some more." So as insane as I think I might be trying to work full time, get two kids to soccer practice and having games all day on Saturdays, I know that it's the right thing. It's getting them active, building their confidence and giving us more time together to spend as a family. 

Fitting it all in

I distinctively remember a particular Saturday about 6 months ago when the thought of, How am I going to do this with three kids? popped into my head. The soccer games, the birthday parties, grocery shopping, and laundry fill up our Saturdays and weekends to the point of feeling like I need another weekend just to recoup from the weekend!

And this particular weekend was just like that. First off, Nolan's soccer game. I went sporting my soccer mom shirt (compliments of my husband) to be the loudest cheerleader for my Nolie Polie.
I absolutely love that he looks over to the sideline after making a goal and I make sure to show my biggest you-are-a-total-soccer-rock-star-and-I-am-so-proud-of-you face.



I'm pretty amazed at Campbell's ability as a three year old to sit and watch a game for an hour. As long as we bring some snacks, the boy just acts like he's watching a movie. Having his Daddy on the sidelines doesn't hurt to keep him entertained during half-time.

And as for Landry...well, she seems a little bored at the games.




Soccer game...check! Next up, a birthday party that we're already running late for. But this is one that we can't miss. It's for some close friends of ours who have been so wonderful helping us with getting the boys to and from school while I'm on maternity leave. Plus, it's was a build-a-bear party!



Nolan since the time he was a baby, has been a very tactile child. He loves soft things and discovers things by touching them. So while stuffed animals are on my list of disgustingly dirty toys, we have a ton of them because he plays with them constantly and giving away one of them would be like giving away a family member.

Let me mention that while this party was going on, I was discreetly nursing Landry out in the mall. So I missed all the fun but glad that Justin was there to document it. And might I also add that Nolan, on his own accord, picked the TCU t-shirt for his bear and appropriately named him Froggie. GO FROGS!

Campbell must have had a premonition that the Rangers were going to the World Series. He named his bear Ranger, although he calls it "Tekas Rangers".

And whoever invented Build-a-Bear is a genius. Seriously, the possibilities are endless with these outfits and accessories.

It was a blast of a party and I'm feeling really cheap that we gave away Lego crayons and a coloring sheet for our party favors now.

Birthday party...check!

Next up, a quick nap and the pumpkin patch.

That's when we realize that the pumpkin patch is just not going to happen that day. After two big events, and waking up with a newborn baby in the middle of the night, this mommy and daddy are running on fumes.

So when I look back to that Saturday 6 months ago wondering how I was going to fit it all in, I had an epiphany, I'm not! I'm going to do what I can while still being sane and then call it a day. So far, my sanity is still in tact. Ask me again though on Halloween weekend.

Hurricane Nolan

Sometimes I wonder why I put myself through the things that I do when I already have so much on my plate. I was hesitant to put Nolan in soccer this fall with the baby coming, the school year starting and all that goes with that.

Memories of t-ball games flooded my brain with practices/games in 100 degree heat. But Nolan has really shown some major improvement this past season and just loves it. So I hated to take a break when he loves it so much.

So we signed him up... and this year we're the Hurricanes! And I'm liking this uniform a lot more than our maroon/gold uniforms for two seasons.

 

His coach is really great which is more than I can say for his t-ball coach who still didn't know his name at the end of the season and would just call him "Buddy".

 

Five of the kids on the team have been on the same team since last year and even some of them for three seasons now so we've got quite the team now.  

 

Nolan scored FOUR goals in the game....an all-time high for him. He was on fire!

 

Gooooooo Nolan!

 

 I got so into the game that I forgot that it was 170 degrees outside at 10 am in the morning. We tried to stay in the shade as long as possible but that quickly disappeared but look at my cute little umbrella boy coming to save the day and give mama some shade. 

The scary part is that there actually was a mom that passed out from heat exhaustion! My umbrella came in handy to keep her in the shade.

Have I mentioned that I HATE this summer weather?! 

Thankfully the game was over very soon after that and we headed straight indoors to drinks lots of water and soak in the air conditioning the rest of the day.

Nolan and his buddy Hank were in Pre-K together and are so excited to play together again.

Soccer mom

Here we go again. Here I find myself watching a sport that I absolutely despise watching but it's my kid who's begging to play it again and again. So that makes me the biggest soccer fan sitting in the freezing cold shivering and shuttling him to practice and squeezing in games in between grocery stores, laundry and the million other things I need to accomplish on my weekend.

 

To my surprise Nolan scored his first goal of the season at the first game of the season! Usually we have to wait until the last game of the season before we see that kind of action. 

To see how happy it makes him and the confidence that beams from him makes every shivering-I-have-so-many-other-things-I-need-to-be-doing moment worth it.

And the sideline entertainment ain't too shabby either.



Score has never been kept in any of his games, but Nolan's definitely learned math, that's for sure. He was confident to report that his team won. And in case I was wondering he's scored six goals in his lifetime. Good to know my 5 year old is already keeping his own stats.



So until I convince this guy that basketball is really where it's at, I'll be a soccer mom for yet another season.

Soccer season

It's that time again...soccer season! You know I'm a soccer hater. Ok, maybe not a hater, but seriously it's about as exciting to me as watching paint dry. But here I am three seasons later, taking Nolan to practice and games.

It doesn't hurt that he looks this stinkin' cute in his uniform.

Last year's season ended with Nolan finally scoring three goals in the last game. And in his first game, I really noticed how much he's grown from that very first season a year ago. He's not so timid. He even showed that he might have inherited his mama's competitive gene.

I couldn't believe how determined he was and dude, that boy hustled!

All that running and hustling made for one thirsty boy. And Campbell was his biggest fan with his little snack cup in hand. Can I just tell you how cute he is screaming, "GO NOLAN!" GO FIRECRACKERS!" It takes everything in his 2 year old body to keep from going on that field to play with his bubba.



At half time, Campbell saw an opportunity to show his soccer skills and get in a little game time. By the way, this kid is hysterical with his elbow run. This is the closest I've gotten to capturing it on film.



It's only a matter of time before I'm driving my swagger wagon around town going from one practice to another. And I'll swear to myself that it's crazy that I put myself through this, but then I'll remember how much sports teaches them and that it's worth it.

Since Campbell thinks he's part of the team, he shakes hands at the end of every game. And it was definitely a good game.

Oh, and Daddy's helping coach this year. Now, we just gotta keep this mama's mouth shut and coaching from the sidelines.

And the trophy goes to...

Saturday was our supposed to be our last soccer game, end-of-the-year soccer party, and our first t-ball game. How in the world were going to do it all, I have no idea. And thank goodness for the rain on Friday because it was all canceled. So we were able to make it to the soccer party. Each kid got their trophy and Nolan was appropriately named, "Most Improved." I would say that he definitely earned that title! Those three goals he made were the biggest confidence booster for him and he talked about it all week. He was so excited about that trophy and we are so proud of him and how he came out of his shell at the end of the season!

Our coach's wife makes cakes (good to know for future parties) and made an adorable soccer cake for the kids each with their own little star. We took our cake "to go" but I think we ate half of it in the restaurant because it was so good.

We took a group shot and it was too cute how proud they are were of their trophies. In the car, Nolan said, "It has a star, because I'm a rock star." Let's not get ahead of ourselves, David Beckham.

But my favorite of the day wasn't the trophy or that he thought he was a rock star. When we got home and as I tucked him into bed for his nap, he asked me, "Mommy, how old am I now?" That crazy rock star thought it was his birthday party! You know it's a little confusing. There were lots of people,  presents (trophy), and there was cake...everything you need for a birthday party, right? I'm proud of him that he was happy enough just getting a trophy...good to know before I spend a ridiculous amount on his party.

Open Mouth, Insert Foot

As you know from my past posts, I had finally come to the realization that Nolan was going to be our brain, and maybe not so much our athlete. He gave me a glimmer of hope a few weeks back, but then was back to his butterfly chasing/flower picking self for the past two weeks.

Saturday morning our church just put in a brand new playground for the kids and Justin went up there to help. He came home to see Nolan's last soccer game, but I was on my own in the morning and Campbell was in a mood...a big one. So it was a challenge to get them fed breakfast and lunch, soccer gear on and out the door in time for the game in between tantrums. I didn't have time to eat lunch myself and Justin had been so busy working on the playground that he hadn't eaten either.

I had sort of given up on the soccer season last week. I mean we didn't even bring the camera or camcorder for goodness sake. We're starting t-ball this week so I had pretty much moved on. I told Justin, "I'll go grab us some lunch." Those are my famous last words that will haunt me forever. I ran to Subway and it took me a little longer than expected and call it mother's intuition, I thought to myself, "Watch him score his first goal while I'm out getting something to eat," as I was driving back to the game.

Sure enough, as I'm walking up Justin says, "Hey, Courtney has something to show you on her camera." And I knew...I was officially the worst mom. I was so upset at myself that I had done that. Then my inner 5-year-old self came out. I was pouting. I couldn't believe that I had been so stupid to miss his first REAL goal. Those other two don't count...one was for the other team and the other was when the ball was dead. This one was the Real McCoy!

Well, I guess Nolan saw me pouting and didn't want to disappoint because not even five minutes later, he ran the ball down the entire length of the field and scored. You better believe that I was acting like a fool...Subway sandwich in hand and all. There were olives and lettuce flying all over that field! He was so proud of himself!!! I felt a little bit redeemed but was still kicking myself for missing that goal. What do you know, he goes and scores ANOTHER goal! TRIPLE threat! At this point I think he's really wanting me to just eat my words. Thank goodness for other moms who AREN'T losers like me. My neighbor, Courtney, videotaped his first goal. How lucky was that? She (like all of us) thought that her son Hank was going to score the goal. So I keep telling myself that I didn't really miss his first goal, I just saw it on videotape. Go with me on it, ok? It helps me sleep better at night.

Don't blink...you might miss it!

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I knew it...

Well I told you it was going to be bad when it came to our soccer pictures. Remember how all the kids were squinting because their retinas were being burned when they were told to look directly into the sun and smile? These might just be the worst ones yet. Need I say more?

Straight shooter

Today was picture day....all day. First, we had soccer team pictures in the morning and family pictures this evening. Nolan and I went to do soccer pictures before his game and it was the biggest disappointment. I know I'm not a photographer, but I swear I could have taken better pictures with my point-and-shoot camera. First off, they had every child facing the sun and either they were crying (not fussing but literally eyes watering) or they looked like they were half asleep because they were so blinded. I don't think I would have minded so much, but the photographer kept getting frustrated with the kids which irritated me. I'm thinking, "Wrong line of business lady if you're getting impatient with children and you take pictures of CHILDREN!" But then I remembered that I get frustrated daily with my students and I'm a teacher. Hey pot calling the kettle black...but I digress.

I happened to bring my camera. Look at these pictures! Seriously, aren't you feeling so sorry for these poor kids?! The only kid looking is Nolan's teammate who wears prescription sunglasses! Luckily a teammate showed up late so we had to do a retake and they moved them to where they were somewhat facing the sun. These should be very interesting to post later when we finally get them in.

Next was the game. I have to be so careful. You see I was very involved in sports growing up and in high school and was very competitive. So I have to put my "be aggressive" side in my back pocket so I don't become one of those screaming fanatic parents at my child's sports games. So I gave Nolan a little pep talk before the game and said, "Ok today's the day. Let's shoot to make a goal." Well, apparently he was really listening. He got sooooooooo close twice but remember I said that he's a straight shooter so he missed it by just a few inches because the goal wasn't right in front of him.

Towards the end of the game, the ref blew a whistle and the ball was dead but apparently my little MVP didn't hear anything and was on a mission. He was in a zone and just kicked that ball as hard as he could down the field. I guess he didn't notice that there wasn't anyone following him. Then he "scored!" I wish I had a picture of his face. It was absolutely priceless. I've never seen him more proud of himself. I couldn't break his heart and tell him that the goal didn't count. He just kept screaming, "I SCORED! I SCORED A GOAL!" I just ran and gave him a hug and told him how proud of him I was.

That small thing made me realize how much he wants to please me. It warmed my heart and broke it all at the same time. I felt a tinge of guilt that maybe I put too much pressure on him but then I realized that I think it's in all of us to please our parents. Lord knows he got that gene from me. There was nothing worse than disappointing my parents.

So what if his only two goals were once for the other team and once when the ball was dead. I'm still so proud of him. I'm telling you this soccer thing is really growing on me.