Fall Soccer

It's that time again! Thursday evenings = practices. Saturday mornings = games. During the week = expectation and excitement. My boys are all in when it comes to soccer. 

Grady is coaching both teams with the help of some great co-coaches. After a few years in this rec league, we're starting to look for the next step in competitive play. My boys aren't amazing, but they are skilled. My boys aren't the top of the league, but they are willing to work hard and play hard. Who knows what this spring holds.

Earlier this summer our family enjoyed an evening out watching the Charlotte Eagles play. Since then, my boys are continuous talk about playing professional soccer someday, and their favorite want-to-wear-all-the-time shirts are the t-shirts that the Eagles players signed when we were at the game.

Most mornings my boys know they have a half hour to watch TV while they wait for breakfast and the school day to start. Cartoons? Nope. Nine times out of ten it's European soccer games. They rattle off team names and player names with a specific statistic or two, and I try my hardest to smile and pretend I'm totally in the know with what they're saying. But then they stop me and say, "Mom, you really don't know much about soccer, do you?" Oops. Secret's out.

So far no rain-outs for Saturday games. So far grandparents from both sides have been able to come or are planning to come and cheer my little men on. So far a couple of wins and a couple of losses. And, most importantly? So far a whole lot of fun.

European Soccer

My handsome husband spent two weeks in Switzerland for, as I was told, work purposes. Although I'm sure he worked, made tough decisions, and participated in wildly exciting meetings, I'm positive he had fun and took advantage of his time there. He sent lots of pictures and video clips each day showing the sights and sounds of life around him at the base of the Alps. 

One evening he opted out of another long dinner with his team to enjoy a soccer game. If you know Grady, most every time he travels he finds reason to attend a professional sporting event of some sort. Switzerland was no exception. Soccer Stadium + Free Evening + Personal Intrigue for all Things Sports-Related = A Great Time.

He send the following in an email to us so we could enjoy the highlights of the game. Now that he's home, he has several friends that want to see his clips and he thought it would be easiest to "get my story out if I could just be a guest writer on your blog." No, I didn't make that up. He really did. A guest writer. For my tens of readers. I looked at the floor, mumbled a few lines about how I wasn't sure, and here I am sharing his European soccer story. 

Enjoy.

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Grady Lee & Micah - Wow. I had the coolest experience last night! I went to a European soccer game! They are in the Switzerland league, and I was cheering for FC Zurich who played FC Basal (another city in Switzerland). FC Basel is the best team in Switzerland, and FC Zurich is a middle-of-the-pack team, so it was an amazing game because the local fans were very excited!

I had no idea what to expect. I went to the stadium, bought the cheapest ticket for CHF 30, and it ended up being in the standing-area-only section. What an amazing experience!

I got there an hour early, and here is a video of me just taking in the experience:

Then the soccer players came out, and the crowd in my section started really getting into it. This singing and chanting actually never stopped throughout the entire game!!! And it only got louder as the game went on.
FC Basel scored at the 10 minute mark and took a 1-0 lead into halftime. FC Zurich seemed to have possession most of the game, but they kept missing their shots.

After halftime, the players came back out, and this video shows how they apparently welcome back their players! Crazy! I never really felt in danger, but it was definitely intense!

The game got even more exciting in the 2nd half! FC Zurich kept taking shots, and then finally, at the 72nd minute, they scored a goal and everyone just erupted! People were hugging and crying and shaking with excitement. I just jumped up and down by myself, the lonely American... :)

With the game tied, it got even more intense, and amazingly, at the 88th minute, FC Zurich scored again! People were going crazy, screaming, hugging and jumping up and down. This time I was so excited I started hugging people all around me! Fortunately, they hugged back! :)

There was a little bit of "injury time" added, and during that time FC Zurich scored again. So they won the game 3-1. Here is a video of people celebrating right after the game was over.

Then, the players came over and they did a cool chant to celebrate the victory.
And here is a clip of the actual highlights of the game, so you can see why I was jumping around and hugging swiss dudes. FC Zurich is in White.
The game was amazing! The atmosphere was very unique. What a blast! Love you all.

CHAMPS Spring Soccer

Aaaaand, we're back at it: soccer.

Making mid-week practices. 

Playing Saturday back-to-back games. 

Remembering water bottles. 

Un-knotting cleat laces. 

Untangling shin guards. 

Applying sunscreen. 

Putting on jerseys. (Wait, are we home or away this week?) 

Packing snacks. (Uh-oh, is it my week to bring snacks for the whole team, or *gasp* both teams?!) 

Finding a parking spot. 

Locating which field we're on. 

Setting up lawn chairs and blankets. 

Taking a certain two-year old across the field and up the hill and down the sidewalk to use the bathroom.

Phew! And then it's finally game time.

Aaaaand, so that also means...

Cheering loud. 

Smiling big. 

High-fiving a lot. 

Hugging occasionally. ("We are tough boys, Mom.") 

Keeping score (proudly, but discreetly of course). 

Admiring my man with his and sons playing together. 

Admiring my sons as bestest friends. 

Enjoying little kid shouts and team chants. 

Smiling about grass stains because it means playing hard. 

Watching simple plays become successful team plays. 

Listing to incessant at-home chatter about practice and game replays.

Aaaaand, so we're back at it: soccer. 

Game on!

My Champs

What is your favorite sport to play? How come?

Grady Lee: "Soccer! Cause I am very good at it, like the defense part."

Micah: "Um, baseball. Because that's the goodest sport for exercise. I use my whole body muscles."

How many goals do you think you'll make this season?

Grady Lee: "Um, probably 20 or so."

Micah: "Well, I think about 10."

Do you like Daddy being your coach? How come?

Grady Lee: "Yes because he is a good coach."

Micah: "Yes! He is my daddy."

Do you think Annalyse will play soccer someday, too? Will she be good at it?

Grady Lee: "Yes. She may play a different sport though, too, like baseball. Do girls play baseball? I don't think she'll play football, though, because that's mostly for boys."

Micah: "Yes. Yes because I will teach her how to play."

Do you like to get dirty and sweaty? How come?

Grady Lee: "Yes! I play hard and hustle and that makes my head sweat."

Micah: "No because I don't like to take a shower when I get home from my game."

CHAMPS :: Fall Season 2012

Another One Over

This Saturday my boys play their last soccer game of the Spring season. No more up-and-at-em Saturday mornings that involve frantic shuffles for cleats and shin guards and water bottles. No more sideline cheers and chants. No more over-the-top excitement for Capri Suns and snack packs of Goldfish crackers.

My boys love playing soccer. They love it because it means they can run and kick, as fast as they want, as hard as they want, and as much as they want. They love it because they get to play with friends. And they love it because Dad is their coach.

Annalyse loves soccer games because she knows it means doting girls to play with her as well as an endless supply of snacks to keep her content.

Grady loves soccer because, well, because it involves a ball. And competition. And exercise. And sweat. He's a sports man and, while he's not pushing his boys to follow suit, he does get pretty excited when they show an interest and an aptitude in a particular sport.

I love soccer games because it's a riot to watch my little men get competitive and play with all their hearts. It's so fun to see the progress they make from season to season, and, I admit, I get a big ole smile on my face when one of them boots the ball into the goal.

I won't be at their last game tomorrow. I won't see the smiles when they get that gaudy, shiny trophy. I won't hear the laughs when they slide and jump on the blow-up trampolines during the after-party. Sadness!

We leave for Boliva tomorrow afternoon and I have a couple (hundred) things to do between now and then. So, while I'm putting clean sheets on beds, organizing clothes for the kids, cleaning bathrooms, getting groceries, and giving our suitcases one final look-through, Grady will be coaching the boys and their teams for a final game.

I'm so thankful that the kids will be at our home each evening while we're gone. It minimizes the extra packing I'd have to do. But, since friends are calling my home theirs for the week you better believe that Yours Truly cannot get on a plane to leave until I know my house is clean! I'm vain and prideful like that.

So this post is for my little men. My fast running, hard kicking, soccer playing little men. Mom's sad to miss your last game, and will be waiting at the door when you get home. Waiting to help unknot your cleats and waiting to ooh and ahh over your trophies and stories from the game.

I have a feeling we're just getting started on the long haul of sports games and tournaments and awards ceremonies. And I promise to do my very best to be at as many of your games as I possibly can. I want you to know that what you get excited about and what you care about, Mom cares about too.

Blah Blah Blah...

I know that most of you aren't interested in reading step-by-step details of my life, but since this is primarily a journal for my family, that's what you're getting today. Besides, this is my life and I have no choice but to stick with it and keep up or else get left behind. And, with the pace we've been going since Saturday I feel like I'm about to get left behind.

Micah went to bed eagerly on Friday evening with his new soccer uniform spread out at the end of his bed. "Mom, I need to go to bed early so that I have lots of energy for my first soccer game tomorrow! And Mom, when I'm sleeping, please don't move my soccer shirt because you might put a wrinkle in it and then I won't be able to run as fast in the big game, okay?"

I think this handsome little man thought he owned the field because for the first time since he's begun playing, he's finally not the smallest or the youngest one out there. Being a tough-stuff four-year old paid off: he was the first one to score a goal for his team and his ear-to-ear grin was priceless. And, given that three of his teammates sat on the side and cried the entire game, Micah got lots of extra playing time. Seriously, there is a big difference between three and four years old!

Grady Lee is playing with only five-year olds this season and has a mid-week practice for an hour. Hopefully he'll start to learn actual team work and develop some understanding for field positions. Right now, it's a group of kids clustered around the ball all kicking at once.

Grady is coaching both teams so Annalyse and I have the big job of cheering our boys on and having water bottles and orange slices ready for tired players.

After soccer the kids and I came home for showers, lunch, and a quick nap. Grady met with several college-age friends to recite the book of Colossians. Yes, recite the book. He has faithfully studied and practiced with these friends for the past five weeks and this Saturday was the culmination of their efforts and everyone was able to recite the entire book. I'm so proud of him and his dedication to knowing God's Word and for his choice to lead by example. He's light years ahead of me, that's for sure.

When Grady came home we all jumped in the car and headed to a special birthday party for a darling one-year old girl and a handsome three-year old. My friend, Melanie, is the epitome of hostess-with-the-mostess and doesn't overlook a single detail. Add to that her warm and welcoming spirit and her precious family and you are guaranteed a wonderful time.

And we really did have a wonderful time celebrating the birthdays of two little ones, enjoying fun friends, eating good food, and watching kids play and laugh!

We really did not have a wonderful time, however, when we turned onto their street and heard Annalyse start coughing and vomiting. The dear child gets very car sick, but why-oh-why did it have to happen when we were less than one mile from our destination? The good news is that I had a clean diaper for her. The bad news is that I didn't have a clean outfit for her. No worries, my dear friend Celia, stripped her 11-month old girl and handed me that outfit to put on Annalyse. She then rummaged through her diaper bag to find something else for her little girl... yes, I really do have friends that go to great lengths to help me because, heaven knows, when the Peeler family enters an event we are bound to need help!

As Grady was changing Annalyse and I was gathering her dirty clothes, I realized that Micah had wet his pants because he was too excited to be with new friends and toys and didn't want to bother using the bathroom. The good news is that he didn't leave a puddle inside anywhere. The bad news is that his jeans were drenched. And the really bad news is that I didn't have a change of clothes for him, because really, what mother thinks it's necessary to bring a change of clothes for a four-year old when she leaves the house? Sigh. Remember that hostess-with-the-mostess? Her quick-to-the-draw husband had an armful of pants delivered to the bathroom door faster than I had Micah undressed.

Once the party was well underway with kids playing nicely and adults chatting away, time stood still and things moved in slow-motion when Grady made a dive across the room and out a door to grab a free-falling Annalyse as she was going face-first down some concrete steps leading to the backyard. After a chorus of gasps from every mother in the room and some loud wailing from Annalyse, we decided she was a-okay, minus the strawberry-like scrape down her cheek and chin.

Seriously. I cannot make a scenario like this up, but I wish I was. In less than 20 minutes our family had more than left its mark on the party. I'm not sure if we'll ever be invited to a birthday party again, but regardless, Grady and I had a good laugh about the afternoon's events later that evening. It was either laugh or cry, and I'll save the tears for a later time... like when I realize we weren't invited to another party for fear the Peeler family might wreak havoc again.

Sunday dawned bright and early, thanks to the time change. I actually like the spring forward because for the next several weeks I know my kids will sleep until 7:30 or 8:00 am each day. A full morning of church and ministry and a long afternoon of napping. Good grief, after Saturday's birthday party fiasco I earned the chance to nap.

First thing on Monday the kids and I drove to Greenville, SC to visit my cousin and her three boys for the day. An hour and a half car ride isn't that long, thanks to Leapsters and worship CDs. But at the same time, an hour and a half car ride is an eternity when Annalyse whines for a Leapster, too, and when Grady Lee insists on singing his heart out each time Chris Tomlin plays. Whew.

When we arrived, the kids ran and played for a couple of hours outside. My cousin and I got lost in catching up with each other and only occasionally looked around to be sure everyone was alive and accounted for. I think we only had one scooter/tree collision, three dismembered worms, one basketball to the hood of the van, and one set of pee-peed pants (no, not my kid this time!) the whole morning. Pretty good, if I do say so myself.

After lunch and some more playing, and by playing I mean hide-and-go-seek with sword fighting, it was time for the trek back home. After a full day the kids were showered and in bed by 7:30, just as Grady was pulling in the driveway from a deacon meeting. He ran upstairs to talk with the boys before they were asleep and then went to pack for his business trip for the rest of this week.

"Hey, Babe?" I heard. "Are you planning to do laundry because I only have one clean t-shirt in my drawer and I'm low on socks." Let me think about that. It's 8:00 pm and I've been gone all day. Nope, I'm fairly certain I'm not planning on doing laundry but what are plans anyway? My bowl of ice cream can wait until I get a load started for you. (Cue music and pity-felt expressions of "A woman's work is never done.")

And here we are at today, Tuesday. Just remember I said upfront that this was primarily a journal for my family so don't get impatient with me that this post keeps going on and on. And on. (Blah, blah, blah.)

We left the house at 8:30 to run a couple of errands before Bible study at church at 9:30 this morning. The boys love their teacher and tackle her with hugs each week. I'm told Annalyse cries for a few minutes after I leave but quickly recovers and "has a real sassy but cute personality about her." Lord have mercy. She is 18-months and her teachers have already coined her as sassy.

We left Bible study and made a stop at Doolittle's for Annalyse to get her first-ever haircut. I took Grady Lee to Doolittle's for his first haircut and I've felt compelled to do the same for every kid since. They take a picture, save a lock of hair, and assemble a keepsake card for the event. For every cut hereafter, it's Great Clips all the way though.

Annalyse had long, wispy, tufts of hair that were, well, mullet-like and I decided it was time to get rid of the rat tail even if the top of her head still has bald spots. We may live in the South, but I'm not a fan of a mullet. Ever.

We walked in and Miss Sassy Pants climbed up into her police car seat all on her own, reached out for a lollipop from the jar on the counter, and never made a peep or moved her head until the seven or eight snips were done. She's my girl - she likes the feel of someone else combing and washing her hair, too.

With my keepsake lock of hair in hand, or shoved in my purse actually, we left and came home for lunch, naps, and school. Annalyse napped, Micah relaxed in quiet time, and Grady Lee felt like a rock star because he finished the last couple pages of his math book and read a beginner reader with very few helps. "I think I need some ice cream for a present for my good work!" Hey, I can always agree to ice cream.

A quick trip to Target (Pfsh, who am I kidding. Is any trip to Target quick?), a stop a Home Depot for several bags of mulch, and pizza pick up, we came home for dinner and a fun time washing the van and playing in the hose. The first seasonal casualty occurred: Grady Lee tripped on the hose and has a nice shiner on his knee. Nothing that a race car bandage can't help.

Blah, blah, blah... but look at that! I'm happy for the captured details and memories of the last several days. Some of my extended family is happy for the recap since they don't live close and miss out on the daily drama that ensues. And the rest of you are happy that this post is finally finished and you can wander to more meaningful blog posts, or Pinterest searches, or Facebook updates...

Full and Fun Fall Weekend

October has begun, the calendar says Fall is here, and everything around me shows it's true. I love - really, really love - Fall. The smells. The colors. The activities. The tastes. The temperatures. Everything.

My boys have helped decorate my fridge with a couple different Fall projects. If you're a related Grandparent, be on the lookout for one of these beauties to show up in your mailbox.

Friday evening Grady and I joined about 100 other folks from our church to watch "Courageous." Have you seen previews for it? Don't bother - let me be the one to convince you to see it. A strong message and acting that, in my opinion, was a step up from "Fireproof." I'm not one to cry during movies, but I'm pretty sure that the majority of those in the theater were crying. Sobbing actually. In fact, a lady sitting close to me had the shaking shoulders kind of crying happening. The message was just that good... go see it.

Soccer season is in full-swing and both boys consider Saturday mornings the highlight of the week. Micah asks to sleep in his uniform and Grady Lee asks if almost everyday to go to the park and practice playing soccer. Unfortunately for them, I say no to both requests way more than I say yes.

Grady is coaching both boys this season, and even though Micah is technically too young for the team, he's holding his own and doing great.

While I'm busy cheering on the boys, Annalyse relishes in full attention from a handful of doting girls. I wish I had captured a picture of her smiling face - she is ear-to-ear grin right now and I could just tell she thought she was tough-stuff walking in between "the big girls."

After soccer, Grady and the boys worked in the yard while I met a college friend for lunch. No sooner did I get home and we were off for a birthday party. The birthday party of all birthday parties. Sorry, I have no pictures, but imagine a gorgeous outdoor wedding reception and you have a taste of the beautiful afternoon we enjoyed. No detail was overlooked.

Happy ONE Year to sweet Blythe, who has no choice in the matter: her mother and I have decided that Blythe and Annalyse will grow up as friends. With birthdays just a few days apart and Sundays and Wednesday evenings spent together, they are sure to be buddies... whether they want to be or not. (Ha!)

Today's weather was beautiful - the perfect Fall day in every way. We joined our church for a ground-breaking ceremony for the new addition being built. Families stood together at the site while various people led us in prayer and thanksgiving for God's provision. When our pastor said Amen at the end of his prayer, Micah, very loudly, yelled, "Aaaaammmmeeeennnn!" I'm not sure if he was amening to agree with the prayer or amening because he was glad the prayer was done. I'm leaning towards the latter, but who knows.

The kids came home to nap while Grady packed a suitcase and caught a plane to California. When everyone was rested, we headed back to church that evening to enjoy Family Day... food, games, and friends.

 

 

 

 

 

And, saving the best for last, I ended this Fall weekend with the first bubble bath of the season. I'm not one to relax in a hot tub while the air conditioner is blowing above me, so I take the summer months off. When October rolls around, you better believe there is a "Do Not Disturb" sign on my bathroom door several evenings a week.

I hope you enjoyed your Fall weekend and made time to be outside or laugh with family or eat something deliciously Fallish. If you didn't, make a point to do it this week. You'll be glad you did.