Soccer season has started!! This Fall we once again have 2 soccer players, but it is Laurie and Daniel!
Daniel has moved up to U8 (U7 & U8 are combined) after a very successful Spring season. They are on a much much larger field playing 7x7 with goalies, 2 practices a week of 90 min each and 12 minute quarters. Thankfully, after this first month our coaches have dialed them back to 2 practices/week of 60 min each.
Daniel loves this new challenge of big kid soccer. Did I mention it is all boys? So far, he is doing awesome rotating through different positions. The only one he wasn't sure he liked was goalie. It sure isn't fun when the other team scores with you in the goal-box. His favorite is of course Forward because he has the opportunity to score. With 7 out of 12 players on the field at a time, each kid gets to play for a long time! For the first time in 5 seasons Daniel is actually tired at the end of the games.
With 2 games under their belts, the Dynamites are undefeated and looking forward to every game. We are looking forward to a strong soccer season for Daniel!
Our newest soccer player, Laurie, loves practicing with Cousin Alex and her Daddy and Uncle David as her coaches. The team looked good until we were knee deep in the first game. At U5, the kids play 3x3, no goalie with 8 min quarters on a little field. Laurie started the 12:30 game hot and tired, but excited. She scored 2 goals fairly quickly. All too soon, everything went downhill for her and most of her team. They ran out of steam and got tired of being pushed around by a little boy on the opposing team. This kid wasn't pushing them while playing but coming up and pushing them down after the play was over. By the end of the 3rd quarter, Laurie was hot, tired and crying. She refused to go back in the game. Poor Coaches, out of the 5 players for our team, they could only get 2 on the field to finish the game. David managed to "encourage" Alex to continue with the promise of ice cream. We got slaughtered.
Thankfully, the next game was completely different. The coaches instituted new drills at practice, including "Sharks and Minnows" to help the kids focus on their game. It was an 8:30 a.m. beautiful morning game. Laurie was excited, aggressive and scored 6 goals. Our little soccer monster was running with her hands and arms out to keep the other kids away from her, and keeping them from stealing her ball. It was cute to see her get so aggressive and focused.
The only bad thing about having 2 kids playing soccer in a season is the overlap of games. Brian and I each missed a great deal of one kid's game last weekend. But they each had quite a cheering section with lots of family in attendance.
Here's to a Great Soccer Season for the kids!
Brian and I went out with friends, Michael and Marti, to celebrate Michael and my birthday. Based on recommendations, we dined at a steakhouse in Pearland called Killen's Steakhouse. The food was amazing. We started with appetizers of crab cakes and fried tomatoes. I am not a tomato fan, but these roma tomatoes were wonderful. Of course the crab cakes were great. Marti shared a few tastes of her french onion soup with me. Wow. 
