Spring Soccer '12

Hailey's Spring soccer season has come and long gone without me making a single post about it!  We didn't think that she was going to play soccer this season because our post is closing and we would have had to drive to Heidelberg and join a team there.  We already were driving the 30 min once a week for Awanas and I didn't think that adding two more trips every week with a newborn would be the best for our adjustment to a brand new baby!  I was also willing to let her skip this season because now that she is 6, she moves up to the next age bracket and she'd be one of the youngest of the mainly 1st and 2nd graders!  BUT, a mom here in Mannheim stepped up and volunteered to coach, yet our team consisted of preschoolers, kindergartners, and one 1st grader...we were the youngest team but held our own all season.  They didn't score a single goal (which Hailey reminded of me daily!) but they weren't blown out either.  She had fun, got some exercise, and got to see her friends a little extra each week!   I can't tell you how hard it was for me to be on the sidelines this season and you'd laugh at the mental reasoning I had to come to terms with in my little brain about debating whether I could coach again this season (the season started when I was 39 weeks pregnant!)  :)  

I love how happy she looks in these pics!

She got really aggressive this season!

This was the first season that they have used goalies!  She voluntarily played one quarter each game (I was so nervous!) and she LOVED to exaggerate a diving/rolling save (even when totally unnessasary!)  :)  She'd get quite the chuckle from the parents on the sidelines!    

Kai kept herself busy all season playing on the playground or with fellow soccer siblings!  Not sure if she will play yet in the Fall...I think she wants to do dance or gymnastics and I don't think I can handle them doing school, Awanas, and more than one sport. 

We had a very anti-climatic end to the season because of rain....her last week of practice was rained out (we were going to take a team picture) and her last game was called at halftime because of the rain!

So proud of her!

And a video snippet....PLEASE ignore my sideline coaching!  :) 

And another snippet of the beatings she took during ONE game...after I put this together, I thought, "good grief, this is horrible!" but at the same time it shows how tough she is!  She bounced right back after each hit until she couldn't keep it together anymore right before halftime.  And I put it in slow motion to make sure you don't miss the hits :)