Soccer!!!

Saturday was our first 'game day' of the soccer season. Mimi's game was at 12:30 and Lizzie's at 2:15, so we planned to make an afternoon of it. There was a bit of confusion as we set up for Mimi's game, but eventually, we got underway. Miriam took a little bit to get going; in fact, all the girls took a little bit to get the concept of what they were actually supposed to be doing. It turns out there are a couple girls on our team who could actually dribble the ball. Every time the ball came out of the swarm and one of them got it, they would score. Mimi did great and got right in there. I think she had a good time.
Mimi had dribbled the ball all the way up to the goal and this picture is just before #7 came up and kicked it in the goal. We gave Mimi the assist.
The fields for Mimi's division are a little smaller, so we got some great shots of her. Also, I think the time was a bit off because her game felt really long. But other than that and a little tiff about goal kicks, it was a good game and I think everyone had a good time.

After Mimi's game, we moved over to the field where Lizzie's game was going to be. We still had about 35 minutes to wait, so the girls and Jim kicked the ball around while Mimi rested. As the game on our assigned field ended, two other teams came in and started setting up and running drills. We were a little confused, but finally one of the teams figured out they were on the wrong field and our girls warmed up.
There are three girls that are pretty awesome on Lizzie's team, then the skill levels vary after that. Lizzie worked really hard to never touch the ball. Jim and I were telling where to go and what to do (from the sidelines). I could tell she was getting a bit frustrated. Finally, I said to Jim, we need to stop telling her what to do and just cheer. I think Jim was a bit frustrated too, but it only brought back memories for me. Playground soccer was huge when I was in elementary school. I always played, but never really touched the ball. I knew exactly how Lizzie felt.
Unfortunately, she couldn't stay away from the ball the entire time. It hit her in the chest in the last few minutes of the game. I didn't realize she was crying as I was taking pictures. So she sat out the end and was pretty grumpy about the whole thing. However, on the way home, everyone said they had fun that day. By the time we got home, we were all exhausted. Lizzie and Mimi watched a movie on the sofa while I read my book. Only 8 more weeks of soccer to go!