soccer

 We signed the girls up for soccer this past Fall.

They loved it.

Joe, being the sports fanatic he is, researched different leagues and found what he thought was the best one.

They would play with girls their age close in location (no traveling across town for practice or games).

They would play 4 on 4, no goalie.

They would play with their coaches on the field as refs and to help guild them. 

They didn't keep score.

{4 on 4 with the Coaches (but only our coach pictured), Reganne has the ball.}

Marryn did really well.  She never scored a goal, but honestly, only a few girls on her team even did.  (I know they said they didn't keep score, but secretly, we all did-her team was not very good;).)  She was on an under 6 team and none of her teammates had played before either (we think they might have divided teams that way as well).  She was a great hustler.  Always running after the ball.  She did have a few chances to score, but didn't quite make it in the goal.  She plans to "play soccer next year in 2nd grade, and then will do dance in 3rd grade."  ha ha.  She's too funny.  Here's a typical little *play by play* , fighting for the ball, breaking away and then missing the goal for whatever reason.  (Her coach is in the gray.)

{These last 2 would have been great pictures if they weren't out of focus...

Love her look on this last one, like that girl was going to smack it right in her face;).}

Reganne was on an under 4 team.  I believe there was only 2 of those teams, so they played against alot of under 5 teams.  She did great, especially as the season went on.  In her last game she scored 6 goals!  Or *scores* as she calls them.  Still.  We'd tell her to get the ball and kick it in the goal and she would.  She even stole the ball from her own teammates to do so;).  Of course when you're playing with a bunch of 3 and 4 years olds, there is not a whole lot of defense happening.  Here she is with her first goal (that's her coach in the blue shirt guiding her along).  She was ecstatic, only I didn't get a great picture of her afterwards, I was too excited too!  

We're contemplating playing in the Spring since they both loved it.  But we've been warned the weather is not the greatest...  

Plus I was relieved when it was over.  My schedule is full enough;).

And next year we might be adding another one.  He'll be old enough.

We had a hard enough time keeping him off the fields as it was.

{All pictures from second games on Sept 18th.}