In May, Eric wrapped up his very first season playing soccer! And what a great season it was!!!
FIRST PRACTICE/GAME!
We were so excited for his season to begin! Not only was it beyond cute to see him in his soccer gear, but we were so excited for him to be part of a team and try out his very first sport!
From the look on his face, we weren't the only ones excited!!!
The day just kept getting better when he saw some of his buddies out on the fields, like Collin!
During his first practice we learned he was a natural! He was loving every second of it, which made us smile from ear to ear seeing him have such a great time with it!
And then the game started. And it was a completely different story!
No lie, this is how he spent the majority of the first game. Arms folded with a very sad look on his face! He couldn't understand why they weren't passing the ball directly to him (like they were during practice), and why when he finally did get possession of the ball, someone would come up and take it away!
There were lots of pep talks from coaches and umpires!
And lots and lots of sitting on the side lines with his best bud and side kick, Paul!
And some, man to man, talks from Daddy!
Needless to say he stuck it out like a champ and finished his first game! And for nights to come we had lots of explaining to do about the game of Soccer!
And if the concept wasn't hard enough for him, it didn't help that the age of his team was 4-6! So most players not only played before, but were two years older, and about a head taller than him!
And if the concept wasn't hard enough for him, it didn't help that the age of his team was 4-6! So most players not only played before, but were two years older, and about a head taller than him!
VISITORS!
As the games went on, he slowly began to like it more and more! The more he played, the more comfortable he got with the concept of it all. But nothing helped quite like the encouragement from the side lines!
He LOVED that Grandma & Grandpa and Uncle Paul & Aunt Kelly were able to make it out to a couple games! And he loved that no matter what he did on the field, if he was trying his best, we were all giving him so many cheers and thumbs up of encouragement from the sidelines! This made him SO proud!
GOLD MEDALS!
As the games went on, he was recognized for his hard work and received his first Gold Medal! He carried that medal around with him for weeks! It's now months later and he's still so proud of it!
ALL SMILES!
Sure enough, he went from being sad, to nothing but smiles out on the field! Not only that, but he was charging the ball! Though he didn't always get possession, he was right there in the action! Nothing was stopping him! Not even the times where he'd fall! He'd get right back up after seeing all our cheers for him on the sidelines!
INJURIES!
He even played through his first injury! Sure it was because he bit his nail too low and not due to the game of soccer, but still! Hahaha!
SIDELINES!
The only issue with him loving the sideline support as much as he did...the second he'd do something great, he'd stop what he was doing to turn and give us a thumbs up! Hahaha! So there was never much follow through to his great play! Hahaha!
PICTURE TIME!
Team Photo time!!! His very first team sport photo!
SARA, ERIC'S BIGGEST CHEERLEADER!!!
Not only was Eric a champ during his soccer season, so was his biggest cheerleader, Sara! At first we would make sure our phones were charged so she could watch some Minnie Mouse, but after a few games, she never used it! She had a great time watching and cheering him on!!! She's such a go with the flow girl!
SPRING SOCCER RUNNER-UPS!!!
Sure enough, his team went all the way to the Championship Game where they placed 2nd!!!
We couldn't be more proud of the progress Eric made through the season! He had such a great time with his best bud Paul each and every week! And learned that things may not always go your way, but if you try your hardest, that's all that matters! We are so proud of our little Soccer Star!!!
