Soccer season is upon us....

The boys got their first taste of organized sports back in the fall with baseball but now we have moved into the world of soccer. The boys were excited to pick out all of their gear, especially their own soccer ball. Nathan was particularly excited about his shin guards and let everyone know before the first game that he couldn’t wait for someone to kick him because it wouldn’t hurt! We are three games into the season and the boys are finally starting to figure out the game. In their league they practice the first thirty minutes and then play a game directly afterwards. The difference between Jordan and Nathan’s personalities is a constant source of entertainment for Becca and me.  I guess I hadn’t done a good job of preparing the boys for their first game because when the whistle blew to begin they both had very different reactions. They had both done fantastic during practice but the chaos and unpredictability of soccer was too much for our perfectionist Jordan to handle and after a few minutes he came running off the field in tears to find his mom. If it were up to Jordan, everyone would line up shortest to tallest or in alpha order, and take turns kicking the ball into the goal. I’m happy to report that he is finally enjoying soccer and likes to run down the field during the game giving me thumbs up so I know that he has a “happy heart”. And then there is Nathan. I love this kid. He is wild at heart and one of a kind. I’ll go ahead and apologize to anyone that is going to play “The Angry Birds Soccer Club” this season and happens to be in the proximity of my son. He acts like William Wallace attacking the English as he charges down the field pushing, jersey pulling, and “booming” anyone that bumps into him. Scoring goals, or even the location of the ball are of little relevance to Nathan. Two weeks ago he ran into the game, fist clinched in the air, and yelled “Not today Transformers!!!” I didn’t know that as a father, I could be both proud and mortified at the same time. Jordan keeps reminding me that he likes baseball better than soccer and that is fine with me. Life lesson: soccer was invented so there would be something to do between basketball and baseball season!

Jordan #2

Nathan-William Wallace-#3