Goal!

Soccer season has begun for us, and this year, we have TWO soccer players instead of just one as in years past.  Jaxon is SO excited to be playing this year!  It's really been fun to watch him because of this excitement!  Jason is coaching his team this year.  Jaden is on a team not coached by his Dad so that's been a bit different, but still going well.

Jaxon falls in the U5 category this year, which means Jason gets to coach eight 3 and 4 year olds.  There are three kids (Jaxon being the oldest by a few weeks) that are 4.  That makes five kids that are 3 and some just turned 3.  Some of them don't want to be there, which is a bit upsetting, but Jaxon is NOT one of them.  He has been so excited about soccer and finally getting to play a sport and be on a real team.  They are the Stingers.  

This is the first practice.  I suggested to Jason that he read our "Froggy Plays Soccer" book to these little ones.  Just thought they might relate to Froggy and how he forgets to NOT touch the ball with his hands.

They loved it and thought we should have story time at every practice.   :-)

The boys had their first game on Saturday, September 11, and it was hot!  But they did well!  Here is Jaxon at the house.  Let me tell you -- he was READY TO GO!

During the game, they play 5-on-5.  We had three little ones who were not interested in getting on that field AT ALL!  So, we had five who had to play the whole game.  Jaxon got tired, but he was not upset about having to play the whole time at all.  For those of you who know our Jaxon, you'll be interested to know he was not the shy little boy he usually is when he stepped on that field.

This is what we saw most of the game...

Jaxon taking the ball to make a goal and everyone else running behind him.  I lost count of how many goals he made that day, but I think it was 5 or 6.  He did a GREAT job and was eating up all the attention he was getting.  I absolutely love to see the excitement on his face when he is playing soccer and doing so well.  It's a great feeling as a mom!

Here he is about to make another goal...

Jaden is playing on a much bigger field this year, so that has been an adjustment.  The first game, he (and everyone else on the team) got really tired of running up and down the width of a football field.  But they made it, and won their first game.  They are the Chargers.  Here is Jaden before his first game... 

This picture isn't the best in focus, but I thought it was a good picture of him kicking.  The boy in the background is Maverick.  Jaden met him last year on his first day of Kindergarten and came home telling me he had a new friend.  They were on the same baseball team this spring.  They are in the same class again this year.  And now they are on the same soccer team.  Hope this friendship is one that will last for many years...

 Jaden didn't score a goal but helped assist with one.  He has played goalie and done a great job at it.

He is in the U9 category so he is one of the younger kids on his team.  When he first found out that they got to have goalies, he was very excited.  (He never could understand why the younger kids didn't get to have goalies when he played before.)  Anyway, after practice one day when he played goalie there, I asked him if he was excited to maybe get to play goalie.  He said, "Yeah, maybe.  But I'm a little scared, too.  These kids are big and that ball might hurt when it comes my way."  So far, it hasn't seemed to bother him.