Soccer, Luci-Style.

Yesterday Luci had me running outside with her.  She wanted to play soccer, and came up with a new version.  If you are six years old, you might understand the game.  It's played just like soccer, but old ladies (that would be me) aren't allowed to kick the ball.


To play, you need:

• The Ring of Light
• The Shovel of Strength
• The Ball of Returnity

Soccer

Upward Soccer is always a lot of fun.  Luci thinks she is a soccer star, even though most of her contact with the ball is when she's putting the ball into play, as she is here:

Really, soccer is a social event.  Here Luci and Bonnie discuss hairstyles.

Luci kept stopping her coach, telling her something and pointing.  She spent the whole first half of this game doing that.  At half-time, I told Luci not to tattle on people.  "What's tattle, mama?"  So much for that talk.  So I chatted with her coach, the really cute Ashley.  Ashley said that Luci wasn't tattling.  Luci was telling her that she wanted to kick the ball to Bonnie so Bonnie could make a goal, "because she has never made one."
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That's just about the sweetest thing!  Especially when you consider that Luci has never made a goal herself.

Soccer Girl

This is my "Gatorade Advertisement."

Yes, Feingold Friends, I know there is fake color in that drink! She usually has water.

Sports

Yesterday was a day full of sports! Luci's first soccer game of the season, and JT's karate competition.
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Prayer before the Upwards Soccer Game

Rolling around on the field while the rest of the team plays. ?

Game's over, Mama!


JT only entered two parts of the competition...and won both. Here is a very happy JT with his gold medal for his staff work:

and on the stand accepting his second gold for his form:Here is JT competing in his form:

Saturday!

Today was fun! We had soccer, and a field trip--



We went to FAME Recording Studios after the soccer game. FAME has recorded some of the best-known musicians in the USA. Aretha Franklin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Paul Anka, Shenandoah, Alabama, here's a list. Terry Pace gave us the tour (Skynryd's not on there, but Terry said he'd played there, too). It was wonderful getting to go into this building that has so much mystique around it. Aretha Franklin played this piano! Terry Pace speaking to us.

As the lecture went on, another couple came into the room and stood next to us. It was such a nice surprise! They turned out to be a couple that I met years ago at McDonald's. Bryan and I used to go several days during the work-week, at breakfast time. We ate breakfast there a lot, up to the time when I had to start ordering Bryan's breakfast (he ate off my plate)--we ate there until it got too pricey. :) Anyway, this couple was always so nice to us. Their children and grandchildren lived far away, and so did my parents. So it was a good friendship.

The entrance to the recording part of the building:

Remember the song, Mustang Sally? Wilson Pickett recorded here in this studio. Here's Wilson Pickett --

Our soccer day: At Upwards, the game is always ended with a prayer. We love Crystal, Luci's coach.

This year's soccer t-shirt:

Luci keeping her eye on the ball (for once)

Bryan doing chores on Friday

JT was such a good helper today.

Luci's First Soccer Game

Today Luci woke up with a fever. I gave her some tylenol, and she perked up and thought she could play soccer. It was Luci's first ever soccer game, so she was pretty determined to get out there and play. You can tell that in some of the photos she doesn't feel all that well.

It was a lot of fun to watch. During the game a teammate named Mason hugged Luci and kissed her on the cheek! Twice!

Bryan and JT filmed the action (but missed the kisses, playing in the sand, and making faces during the kick-off) to send to John.

Our Week

Luci had her first Upward Soccer practice this evening. This is going to be a fun spring to watch 4 year old soccer players. There are 8 kids on this team--7 of them are BOYS. On the way home, I asked Luci how many girls there were on her team. "Two." Who's the other girl? "She's from China, too." Turns out she was talking about Crystal, her coach, who is not from China but has lovely black hair just like Luci's.
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I took (dragged, really) the boys with us to soccer. Good thing! They were able to demonstrate some things for the kids and chase after children who wandered off (Luci was one of the wanderers!).
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Jumping for joy! Following directions. With her coach, Crystal. This soccer program is an outreach of our church. It is such a good thing! If you have Upward sports in your area, check it out!

John had a St. Patrick's Day party this week. Of course, he wore plenty of green. Ha ha. No choice in that.

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John and horseshoes. Neat photo, huh? Notice he has his weapon on...watch out, bad guys! He's a good shot with the weapon and with horseshoes.

John took a combat lifesaver course and part of that was learning to start an IV. Here he is after successfully completing this task. They all had to practice on each other. John got 100% on his test! YAY, John!

Please keep John's dad, Olen, in your prayers. He is having a pacemaker put in tomorrow or Saturday. Thanks!

Soccer Evaluation

Excited, but nervous.

Doing her thing. Very slowly, by the way. This is actually a video--not really, but Luci was very slow and careful during every drill.

The film crew. The boys took TWO handycams, and made a nice video for John. They worked really well together, and I am proud of that! We had to explain to every skill station what we were doing. "We brough Luci's film crew so we could send the action to Daddy in Afghanistan." It's a big church, and not everyone remembered where John is. We go to the late service and a couple of people at the evaluations go to another service and so were new to me. :) So glad we have so many who are willing to help our little ones learn a new game!

Bryan thought I was nuts for suggesting he lay down for this shot, but it made a very effective background for the credits in their film. Mama sometimes has good ideas!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

I didn't know...

...that soccer cleats came in such a small size, or that there was such a thing as a pink soccer ball! (and thanks, Mary K and Joan, but there were NO pink soccer cleats in town in HER itty-bitty size! Believe me, we looked everywhere. We may color the stripes with a pink marker--she's already mentioned that!) Upwards Soccer starts soon, and Luci is ready! Links to sign up here.

Last Upwards Soccer Game

Well, the title tells what this is...the last game of the season. There are rumors that 7th graders might get to play next year. JT is hoping they can because he loves this so much.

Teammates Brandon and Troy running onto the field. This is a lot of fun, the kids feel like pros running out with the parents lined up, giving high fives (but watch out for the kids carrying water bottles...they hurt!). Tyler and JT
Gates and JT during the game.
The whole bunch! JT, you have antennas! When we signed up for the season, I wrote on JT's application to please be put on the same team as Tyler, since Tyler didn't know anyone else and that they were homeschool buddies. The "powers that be" must have thought that to be a good idea, because all but one of the kids on the team is homeschooled. This was such a nice group of boys.
At every game, their is a devotional, Bible reading and at the end the kids get a colored star representing the Christ-like trait they had shown while playing the game. There are 5 or 6 different traits the coaches look for. The kids love collecting the star stickers.

YEA!!

Phone message from Soccer Coach

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No practice today because the field is too wet. We got too much rain today, and practice will ruin the field.

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Mom

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Hooray!

I Hope It Rains

I got so excited yesterday. I looked at Thursday and Friday on the calendar, and they were BLANK! That rarely happens. Being able to stay home would be such a nice thing. It is 20 to 25 minutes to anywhere in town from our house. Not to mention the cost in gasoline.

Then I remembered Thursday (now today) is JT's last soccer practice.

I hope it rains.

Soccer Saturday

JT had his Upwards soccer game today. I know that one of these weeks it is going to be blisteringly hot, but for now I'm enjoying the cool weather. I don't like it hot, so this suits me.
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Luci and Hannah loved this little puppy. I loved it because it kept Luci close by and entertained the entire game.
Bryan thought the sun was too much and got creative with Luci's chair. Until Luci saw it and demanded her chair back (which she did not sit in the entire time!).

JT as goalie. I love this shot! I used the sports setting on my camera, zoomed in, and turned on the flash. I think the flash helped the zoom not to look shaky. When we enlarged it, we saw that JT has a special thing he does to concentrate. He didn't even realize he was doing it! Double click on the photo and look at his mouth if you want to see.
Luci begging me to get a puppy "with hair like mine! Please!"
I nearly cried when I told Luci to put the doggy down--she didn't lean over and set the puppy on the ground, she just let go! I felt so badly for the puppy, but she was fine. Thank goodness!

Upwards Soccer

Here is JT's team this year--a bunch of nice boys! All but one is homeschooled (was that planned, Jeanne?!), which is nice for the boys--it is great to have other homeschoolers there all at once, doing something every other "regular school" child does.

JT, Cole, Troy, Joshua, Tyler (in back, making that face!), and Brandon

Our church puts on Upwards Soccer--a great sports program that really is an outreach, more than a sports program. At least, that is my view. The kids have fun, and learn some good things about Jesus Christ, and so do their parents.