Our SOCCER player!!!

Collin started soccer on Saturday. I wish you all could have been there to see him. It was the cutest thing you have ever seen! But since you weren't there, I am going to detail it for you. ;)

About a month ago, Collin saw some older kids at the gym playing soccer. He immediately told me that he wanted to play soccer. So I got some info about it & went ahead and signed him up for the 3 year old league "Mini Kickers". He had proceeded to talk about it daily. He would tells us things like "I want a trophy. I want to be #3. I want to score a goal. I want everybody to yell ' GO COLLIN'." He has even started eating green beans because "It will make me big and strong for soccer." Needless to say, I have been feeding him green beans any chance I get. Tony has also been practicing with him in the backyard kicking the ball, etc. So come Saturday, he was ready.

The big day comes & we get to the field to meet the coach & get his shirt. We were a little worried because we didnt' know if the shirts would be numbered and we were wondering if that would be an "issue". The coach already had his shirt and schedule in a bag labeled with his name on it. So we were bracing ourselves to see what number he would get & what his reaction would be. Tony opens the bag & he was #3!!! We were shocked & excited! Tony asked me if I set it up for Collin to get #3. & I didn't do a thing - it was FATE!!

For the 3 year olds, they split the field into 15 minute circuits. You rotate every 15 minutes as a team doing the different drills. One drill he kicked the ball back and forth to Tony, another drill he would kick the ball in the goal, another drill was dribbling the ball and the final drill was a 15 minute game against another team of 3 year olds. During some of the drills, the coach & other parents/grandparents watching would say "wow, he's really good; he can kick real far." I didn't say anything, but just thought to myself - OF COURSE HE'S GOOD, HE'S OUR COLLIN!

Finally, it was time for the game. By this time, his team of 6 had dwindled to a team of 2 (Collin & the coach's son). The kids who had left had been totally uninterested & were crying, didnt' want to participate, etc. His coach came up to us and asked if we were leaving. I told her no, that the game is the only thing he wants to do. She was all emabarrassed because our team of 2 was going to play a team of 7. I told the coach that Collin thinks he is a team of 1, so it will be ok. So our coach tells the opposing team's coach that we only have 2 players. The other coach was real nasty & just made a remark like "oh well." It was a little disheartening to see the other coach act like this in a 3 year old little league setting, but oh well I guess we just have to get used to it if Collin's going to participate in sports.

So the game is started, Collin has the ball & everyone is telling him to kick the ball. We see him pointing at a little girl & telling her something. Then the little girl starts crying & sits down on the field. Then we see Collin pick up the ball and move it away from the kids and then kick it. (When asked what happened with the little girl, he replied "she was in my way and I told her to move or she would get hit.") He kicks the ball down the field and scores a goal. Then, the other team gets a turn. Tony yells, "Collin, go get that ball." And out of no where comes Collin & he steals the ball away. He makes another goal, but in the wrong net. Anytime Tony sees Collin standing around, he would yell at him to get that ball. Each time, Collin would kick it into high gear and steal the ball away. Collin ends up making another goal and his teammate (the coach's son) makes one too. Of course each of the kids would try and pick up the ball, but they got the main jest of it. While all of this is going on, the other coach is acting very rude that her team is getting beat. The game ends with Collin pulling a little girl down by the arm when he was trying to steal the ball. At which, the other coach says "It's not football!" The other coach then complains that "my team of 7 got beat my a team of 2." The final score was 3-1 & don't forget that the only point the other team got was the one Collin GAVE them. ;)

I told Tony that before this week's game, we need to work on: Not touching the ball & Don't tackle the kids. After the game, Collin asks "Where's my trophy?" Tony told him he had to win more games to get a trophy. Tony then took us out for a victory lunch where Collin got an ice cream for dessert, he was happy! Later that day Collin told us "It was a great day today." We have already watched the tape of his soccer game a few times. He loves to watch himself play and to hear us (& the coach's husband & mother) cheer him on.

First Day Of School

Today was Collin's first day of school. He was excited, but a little apprehensive because he has a new classroom, new teachers & of course new kids in the class. But once he got to his room, he ran to play with the toys and he never looked back at me. When I went to pick him up, he told me that he had so much fun. I asked him if he wanted to go back and he said YES!! Here are some pictures I took before he left for school. The last picture is what he calls "my angry face."

St. Augustine Trip

Here are some pictures from our Labor Day trip to St. Augustine. We had a really great time. Collin really enjoyed staying in the hotel. He kept asking us "Is this our new home?" The hotel had a pool. playground and hot tub. Collin said his favorite part was the hot tub. When it was time to leave, he cried and cried and said he didn't want to go home.  Tony told him that we would come back another time and that made him calm down. We went to Historic St. Augustine and went to the fort and walked around the shops. Collin really enjoyed the fort, especially the cannons.