Fantastic Futball

We started soccer this week.  

Mmm, mmm.  How I LOVE me some soccer!

I'm excited for my kids to play and I hope that they are just as excited.  It is a little crazy, though, with 3 kids on 3 different teams, plus a super energetic and wandering toddler, plus a 6 1/2 month pregnant me.  I opted on NOT coaching this season, even though they were desperate for coaches.

Oh and this whole equation added to the situation is quite interesting:

3 kids + 3 different teams = lots of gas burned up by Black Magic 99 = $$$$$$$ (and nothing minor).  

Black Magic 99 gets 12 miles to the gallon these days and we live 30 miles from the sports complex where all of this soccer-ing goes down.  Let us finish the expenditure equation:  60 miles round trip x 4 days a week x 5 weeks divided by 12 miles to the gallon x $3.45 per gallon (which is the rate around here lately)

 = $345 in gas for the season.  

Are we dedicated or what?

Awesome.

I think that we'll skip Spencer's practices on Mondays which will save us $86.25, more or less.  And then we can still have Family Home Evening (at home).

Now on to the good stuff.  Meet the athletes:

Spencer McDrille

(Oh, wait.  I didn't have my camera at his practice, so we'll have to wait on that one.)

Miss Katie Wyn

She is happy that she knows 4 kids on her team.  Considering that she can be a little shy for new things, knowing those kids already really helped her.  She had no problem jumping in.

The E-Man-cipator

This boy has been waiting for this day for 3 years.  Seriously.  When I coached Spencer's team when Spencer was 5 and Ezra was not even 2 (3 years ago), Ezra would be right with the rest of the team at practice with his little red size 4 ball dribbling around (and on my hip at the games - that was fun running and reffing and holding a toddler), while Spencer was busy laying on the grass, dreaming about the playground that was in sight, or flipping the goal on top of himself.  

This boy Ezra is serious about it.  

He practiced dribbling through the cones by himself at Kate's practice when her team was shooting on the goal. 

Unfortunately, I think that he was a bit disappointed in his first practice.  The coach didn't even start until 6:25 (practice is supposed to start at 6:00) because he was waiting for everyone to show up!  (Which they didn't all ever show up).  Who does that?!  I was bugged.  At 6:20 I finally asked him if Ezra and I could use a ball to play with while we waited (since he and everyone else were just standing around talking).  That was fun.  When they finally started, they practiced for 20 minutes doing a dinky (and very stationary) keep-away game.  That was it.  I know I shouldn't complain, but...   I mainly just felt bad for Ezra.  After all that hype and excitement of him finally starting soccer, he was disappointed.  I hope that the next practice will be more fun for him.  (I was wishing that I had volunteered to be the coach.)

And I suppose we shouldn't forget this one.

Sideline Jiles

athlete-in-waiting

My mom sent us this video last week which was fun to watch right before the kids started playing.  It's in Thai, since it is in Thailand, and it reminded me of the jersey that my brother brought me home from his mission there like 12 years ago.

The jersey, and my boots that I've had since high school.