Sports and Stuff

Two weeks ago the sports season officially opened up for our family. But before I went to any games, I headed down to Pleasant Grove to see Echo and Amie F. and go for a hike with them. Echo lives in Pleasant Grove, but Amie was visiting from Georgia to go to Education Week at BYU. We were all in the same ward together for many years in Henderson. It was amazing to be able to catch up with them. It was like we had never been separated. And I guess we had a lot to talk about, because we ended up walking 8 miles!!

I just hope one day I can grow up and be like these two. They are inspirational.

I then raced back to Draper to catch the end of Harry's first soccer game. It was pretty much adorable. He smiled the whole time while he was running around. I wouldn't expect anything less from this guy. He is posing with his buddy Sawyer after the game. And the best part of the game was the treats. Harry was looking forward to the treats. I don't think he was disappointed.

When the game ended, we had just enough time to get to Woods Cross to watch Raef play an official scrimmage. The boys looked great and I think they are ready for the season. Their first game was this last Saturday and they did not disappoint. They won 33-0 versus Copper Hills. Raef had a stand-out game. He made some key tackles, swatted down the ball on a pass play, and held his position on offense. The coach from the other team even called him out at the end of the game to commend him on a job well done.

And as always, Rinar wore his silly hat that Raef just loves. The Copper Hills game was in West Jordan and Rinar had to run 21 miles for his training that day. I suggested he run to the game, since it started at 9:00. He did, and ended up running 24 miles because he took a wrong turn. That sucks for him, but he didn't seem to mind too much. If it was me, I would have been really pissed off. Good thing it wasn't me!

And like I have mentioned before, my little kids are in full swing with school. Just thought I would include a few pictures.

Julia had her first soccer game last Monday. They are called the Cotton Candies. Hmmm, wonder where they came up with that name? She is on an all girls team and loves it and loves her pink uniform. We really scored in that department. Julia did great and I think she might have some skill when it comes to sports. She did well. But it was hilarious to watch how many of the girls would come to the sidelines upset and fling themselves to the ground in a fit of hysterics. Oh yeah, girls really are different from boys.

And then there is this little darling who is on the cusp of walking. Look at that little tush. She is just the cutest thing ever.

The Debut of the Black Sharks

Eli had his very first soccer game on Saturday.  It was just too cool.  He was a tenacious little player who got right in there.  And then when he wasn't playing, he was all over the bowl of peaches Katie brought for the team.  You see, Eli is never out of the action.

His team is called the Black Sharks and they scored lots of goals.  So did the other team. It was an action-packed game.

And then Harry and Julia were good sports hanging around, waiting for the game to finish.  And they just had to take a picture with their buddy, Ryder B. His brother Weston is on the team with Eli.

And here are some of the boys. All of these guys are in Primary with Eli and I am just so thrilled that he is going to be growing up with these kids. They are all top-notch little guys.

Landon C., Bryson O., Weston B., and Eli

Great Basin Soccer

Saturday was the first soccer game of the season. Zach chose soccer this year. He has been on a team for a few weeks today and the league has not given our team enough players. We are supposed to have 8 to field a team, and they only gave us six. Therefore, we put Raef in a uniform to play with the team. He wanted to play baseball instead.  The other team had 11 kids!  We only had 7.  Needless to say, the kids got tired quickly.  It doesn't help that they still run everywhere the ball is like a big clump.

The good news is that they started to spread out as they got more weary.

Our fearless coach Andy.  He is a parent who so kindly volunteered to coach the team.

We pretty much got annihilated, 5-0.  The important thing is that Zach had fun. I have decided that we may be the worst team, but we are going to have the best snacks.  At least there is something I can do.

Game 4: Red Bulls vs. Force

When the kids were warming up for the game today, the other team had the same uniform. The only difference was that they had black shorts instead of blue ones like our team. Luckily, the coach for the other team had pennies so that it was easy to distinquish the two teams.

It is the end of September and it was so hot. It was blazing hot. I thought I would melt. The kids looked kind of asleep when the game started. Then they got into a bit. Raef started and he played well. The team had so many shots on goal and just barely missed many times.

Then in the second half the Force scored a goal because Raef tried to kick it and completely missed. The ball rolled right into the goal. It was very unfortunate. Luckily, we got the goal back a few minutes later.

The final score...

1-1

It was a draw. We probably won, but I think the kids were satisfied with a draw.

It's Official...Call Me Soccer Mom

It was a big day today. Raef and Zach had their first soccer game. On the way to the fields, I was asking the boys if they were excited to play and have fun. They told me they were. Then Raef asked me if I had a sign so that I could cheer them on. I don't think he had any real perspective on how big the audience would be for his game. I told him that I didn't have a sign. I apologized, but promised that I would cheer for him real loud. Then he told me how I was supposed to cheer.

"Mom, when we are on defense, then you say...DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE. And when we are on offense, you say OFFENSE, OFFENSE, OFFENSE. Okay Mom?"

I thanked him for the cheering tips and promised that I would do my best.

So, after hiking down to the wrong fields carrying a cooler full of drinks, a chair and a stroller, we climbed back up the hill. After getting better instructions from a kindly lady, she pointed up the hill about a 1/2 mile to where their game really was. She might as well have pointed to the top of Mt. Everest. It was over 100 degrees, I was completely wiped out from carrying the cooler, and Raef had mutinied on pushing the stroller anymore. So, I had to abandon the cooler and chair and quickly push the stroller and lead the kids to their first game. You have to understand that this soccer league is huge. There must have been 20 games going simultaneously. It was amazing. I had left my house 45 minutes early so they would be their in plenty of time, and I limped across the finish line with only minutes to spare.

And I still had to go back down the darn hill to get the cooler. Just so you know, I had a heavy cooler because it was our turn to supply drinks for everyone after the game. Rinar couldn't make it because I volunteered him to play the piano for a baptism in our ward. He was going to come to the first part of the game, but all the roads were plugged up due to repaving.

I was on my own.

Week 1: RED BULLS vs. RAMS

The name of the kids' team is the Red Bulls. Isn't that the perfect name for a team with green and blue uniforms? It makes perfect sense to me. I mean, I totally get it.

My boys had no clue what they were doing, but they started to get the hang of it. Raef scored the only goal. Well, sort of. They had the ball after the other team had scored and they started playing before the referee had blown her whistle. None of the kids knew you were supposed to actually listen to the whistle or the referee, so they kept playing and Raef kicked it all the way to their goal and put it in the back of the net. I am counting it! We won't talk about the score after that, okay?Don't worry. Zach had his moment of glory also...well, kind of...

He had kind of a difficult time processing the idea that you switch goals after halftime. We told him he now had to put the ball in the other goal, but it didn't really sink in. When he got in the game he made a beautiful break-a-way, solo run all the way to the goal...for the other team. He didn't actually kick it in but I think you could credit him with an assist for sure.

(as a side note to all of you, I did the same thing in a basketball game...when I was in high school...on the varsity team...I was really proud of myself but when I looked around, something just wasn't right)

There is one thing that you cannot deny about my boys. They definitely have the best endurance. At the end of the game, they were still running. The coach kept substituting everyone else in and out, but Raef and Zach looked pretty good.

This is one proud Soccer Mom!

Are You Hungry?

Here is Eli eating a lemon. His very first one. What do you think he will do?

Yeah, I was pretty disappointed too. It hasn't bothered any of my kids.