William at his first soccer practice

William and Brant running a drill together

Best buds looking forward to lots of soccer together

William and his coach, Elise

Well, it's official. I am now a soccer mom. William had his first day of soccer practice last Tuesday. He is playing parks and rec. soccer in Eudora with some of his friends from church. It's really a good deal. For only $30, there is practice each week and several games. We also live so close to the eastern edge of Lawrence, it works out really well for us.

It was pretty funny watching William go through his first drill. He has NEVER played any type of soccer, and while Kevin had fun showing him soccer on TV and XBox, we hadn't gotten around to going outside and really showing him soccer (really because it has been so HOT). Once William realized that it didn't work well to kick the ball as hard as he could each time, he picked things up really quick, and by the end of practice he was starting to look like a real little soccer player. He even got to play some 3 on 3, and he loved playing defense and not letting the other kids get past him. (He was actually pretty intimidating.) I personally love playing defense when I play soccer, partly because I don't know much about soccer, but really because most guys underestimate my aggressiveness and agility, and it's fun to surprise them. Kevin on the other hand, likes to play forward, or as he told William, he likes to score goals. :) We make great teammates, but clashing rivals. (It's always better for us if we are on the same team. :))

Anyway, it was a lot of fun, and I know William is looking forward to practice again this week. As parents, we did learn a couple of things, like bring camp chairs, or at least a blanket to sit on, and bring lots of ICE water. (ICE is definitely better.) All of the moms were REALLY nice, and it there were even some little girls for Kate to play with. She had a great time watching. Now, I guess we only need the van..... :)