Soccer Saturdays...

So we have started Ella in soccer through GYSA (Gilbert Youth Soccer Assoc.). She has a game every Saturday morning at 8:30 at the soccer complex not too far from our house. Her first game was Sept. 25th and she did amazing. She was one of the only kids that chose to play almost the entire game and she even SCORED A GOAL!!!! It was an exciting moment for all of us. These games are quite hilarious though. It is just a bunch of 3 and 4 year olds running around in circles or, in Ella's case, just standing around waiting for the ball to come to her :) They can really score on either net and the coaches try really hard to get each kid out on the field...the problem is not timing, it is getting these timid kids to want to play. Ella is among the older kids on her team that is 6 girls and 3 boys. As the coach puts it, " Our goal this season is for us parents to become friends so we can keep doing this to see these kids grow as soccer players together." Sounds great to me. Ella has been the shy one the last two games and has decided not to play so we are hoping she gets back into it and gets out there to score more goals. We LOVE getting to do all this fun kid stuff with her...It is our first "team sport" and we are having a fabulous time. Luckily the weather is getting better so we are not sweating buckets out there at 8:30am.

All ready to go for Game #1

Daddy giving Ella a little pep talk...one of many :)

Ella meeting new friends

This is where she has spent most of her time so far... Jonah is so good about chillin in his stroller watching his big sis

I love how all of the players are at the other goal and Ella is just standing there like "what?"

Now it is time for Coach Ryan's pep talk...he is doing great with them.

So now it is all about getting Ella to want to be out there again AND for Travis and I to not get frustrated with the fact that she is being shy....we are going to try to not put any attention on the fact that she doesn't want to go out there and just go - no bribes or ultimatums. Maybe Coach will convince her this time. As my mom said, "I remember one shy little 4 year old who would have never gone out on that field..." Ok so the apple doesn't fall far...but hopefully she will boost up her confidence and get herself back out there again. We both have a feeling she is either going to be into sports or art because dance doesn't interest her at all. I have her signed up for a gymnastics class in Nov and Dec and a "Little Picassos" class in January....she should soar in both of them.