Saturday 11:45 a.m.

Then it was Thomas's turn to play soccer.

He's the first blue player you see on the left. . .orange heels on his shoes.

This is a U15 rec team that he's playing on.  It was kind of an accident how it all turned out -- that he would be on two teams this season -- but now that we're "in" it all it's really quite fun.  The idea was to have his U13 select team make up a rec team so the boys could have some playing time together.  As it stands now, all the select boys play for 3 different schools so they spend the spring season playing against one another.  But then some families said "no" to the idea of their boys playing for "yet another team". . .hence the boys that did sign up got divided onto the already-formed rec teams.  It's all good though. . .the play is *very* intense -- more so then school ball really -- and we're meeting new families too.

I wish this picture wasn't blurry but I'm using it anyway because it's such a perfect corner kick.  Yep, he's the kicker too.  Actually for school on the varsity team he is the second-string kicker -- pretty good!

I'm struggling between being humble and enjoying the sport for the sake of the sport, realizing these are only kids, this is not their life, and we live in the middle of nowhere so the competition is not all that tough. . .and just being so darn proud of my children and how far they have come in their respective sports and activities.  They are no more special then any other person on the planet, but to me they are worth more than life itself.  And, for the season/place we are in right now, they *are* good at what they do.  And I love that. 

Like I said, these U15 rec soccer games are intense competition.  The first week the blue team dominated and came away with a big win (there were 3 select players on Thomas's team and two on the other).  The club that is hosting these teams decided to allow another select player to join the green team to "even things out". . .the second week they tied the score, but with two injuries on Thomas's team -- one being a select player and the other the goal keeper.  This week neither of the injured players were back (Thomas goes to school with the select player and he had a pulled groin muscle and the goal keeper had twisted her knee or leg or something) so the blue team was still down two players. . .and tied the score anyway!!  We didn't see much of the game because we were across the complex at Marie's lacrosse game but we *did* see two of the three goals Thomas made for his team -- yea!!!  Fun, fun times.