Soccer...Hoping to Find the Happy Medium between Skills and Socializing

Ella has been spending her fall playing soccer.  I wish I could say she loves it but there have been a lot of nights before practice where her stomach hurts or she just tells me she doesn't want to go and a few games started with tears.  I do not like to see her upset but I also do not want her to learn that we quit when things are difficult.  
You see the last two years she has loved soccer.  That was on all girl teams though with coaches that pour on the praise.  She had her little group of girlfriends and socializing was the number one priority.  Soccer in Columbia (or at least in the league we signed up for) is different.  The girls play with the boys and the coach is on them if they aren't in the proper position.  They don't really have teams they just divide the kids up each weekend and kids practice on different nights so she doesn't make those friendships she loves.  She is practicing skills she has never even heard of let alone tried in the past.  For my perfectionist that is a challenge.  

I will say her soccer skills have really improved in the last month.  She can pull the ball back and change directions mid-dribble.  She is learning to head the ball.  She knows where she is supposed to be and the girl makes some great runs to open spots.  She has scored goals this season. She is better than a lot of the other kids on the field. This last weekend we got to the point where she is excited to play games, so progress is being made.  Practices though are still disliked.  My goal is to find a place for her to play in the spring where she can continue to develop her skills but get that "team" feeling she is looking for and hopefully a team with all girls.  

GO Cowboys!

Let's just say that cheering, "GO Cowboys!" does not roll easily off of my tongue.  But since Sam is a member of the Columbia Youth Football Cowboys that will become my new Sunday phrase.  I thought football was time consuming in Springfield but they take it even more seriously here in Columbia.  These boys have been practicing since the third week in August and just played their first game last week.  They practice three nights a week for two hours each and then games on Sunday.  It is quite the time commitment.  Sam seems to be enjoying it though, especially since it has started to get cooler.  There was some serious complaining when it was in the high nineties and they were running laps and doing bear crawls.  I can't blame him for that though.  

 Ready for the kick off 

 Sam and his buddy Jake

They Cowboys are off to an up and down start.  They won their first game by twenty and then lost their second by thirty something.  We will see how the rest of the season goes.  

Let the Teaching Begin Again

So now that both of my children are in Sunday school/PSR/CCD/CEP whatever you want to call it these days I have decided to spend my Sunday mornings teaching.  I was actually pretty nervous for my first class, I haven't done this in a while.  You know what, it is like riding a bike.  It is a bit wobbly when you start again but after a few minutes you look like you never stopped (or at least I hope so).  I told our church's religious education director that I could teach whatever but that I preferred second-fifth grade.  I got chosen for fourth.  Sam was not ecstatic about having his mom for a teacher but for an hour a week he can handle it.  
I obviously taught religion when I taught in Catholic school and I taught PSR the year we lived in Rolla and that is always something I missed about teaching in the public schools. Sharing your faith is exciting and the kids questions force you to learn even more.  I was preparing for next weeks lesson today and I think I read the majority of the book of Psalms trying to choose the right verse for this activity we are doing.  That is not something I would normally sit down and do so it is great for me.  

Here is our class. The group of kids we have is great and full of challenges.  The adult in the picture is Matt, a pre-med student at MU that is helping me teach.  I am excited to be back in the classroom and praying that they learn a lot this year and grow in their relationships with God.  

Welcome to the SEC?

Well the Tigers debut in the SEC did not go off exactly as planned.  We still had a fun time tailgating and going to the game.  Let us just hope the rest of the season they can give us four quarters to cheer about instead of just three.  I hinted last week that now that we are in the SEC we were going to have to step up our tailgating.  Look at what the people from Georgia drove all the way up for the game.  

This weeks tailgate theme was wings.  We had wings with a variety of sauces which was a fun idea although a little bit messy.  

Now, I have to share the picture of this little cutie!  She was all dolled up for the game.  In fact the Georgia fans sitting behind us said at the beginning of the game, "No matter the outcome tonight or how you feel about us at the end of the game, she is the cutest girl in the whole stadium."  They just thought Ella was adorable.  They were even offering to pay for her college if she would come to Georgia.  While I thought she should take the deal she wants to go to MU (at least for now). Free college is nothing to pass up and if her parents are still living in Columbia she may change her mind.  She and her Daddy decided though that he would pay for her to go wherever she chooses.  I am sure hoping that it is MU.  

I think they all looked pretty good for the day! 

Are You Ready for Some Football?

 Ready for the first tailgate of the year!

 Inside the stadium; the rain actually gave us a break the first quarter.

Thanks rain and humidity for the lovely hair.  

Ready or not, the Tiger's football season is upon us.  We are excited to have season tickets again this year and welcome some of the SEC teams to Faurot Field.  We have been in a drought here all summer but the first Saturday home game it decided to rain.  We did not let a little rain dampen our spirits though.  We had a great time tailgating with friends and got our ponchos on to cheer on our Tigers.  The first SEC tailgate had to be southern in nature so we enjoyed delicious pulled pork, collard greens, potato salad, etc.  There was more than we could hold and the kids had a great time running around with friends.  Mizzou had a great game, against a not so good opponent, but let's hope they can keep it up when we start playing good teams.