If you haven't seen a five year old girls playing soccer, you're missing out. There's such a wide range of personalities from the tomboy to the princess that doesn't want to get dirty. At this age, its just four on four, with no goalies. The concept of passing is completely over the kids heads. They just try to teach them to kick the ball, don't hurt each other and where the right goal is. If you look in the first picture, you'll see a teddy bear hanging in the net. That's because one of the girls broke away and had a great shot, but scored in the wrong goal. So her mom brought her stuffed animal and hung it in the goal for the next game (and for the rest of the season). At half time, one of the girls switches it to the other side - just to make sure they're aiming for the right goal. In case you're worried about the bear, the girls don't kick hard enough or high enough to hurt it.
In the first picture, our niece Janelle, broke away and we thought she had an easy goal. She drove all the way from the other goal, was looking great and then suddenly forgot to dribble as she was getting close. This is a shot of her remembering she needed the ball and trying to get back to it before the opponents closed in on her. No good they swarmed her before she could score. She was able to score later in the game. That's three goals in her first three games.
Her team, the Cheetah Girls, won 10-1. They even tried to not run the score up. Todd's brother, Chad, is the coach and benched the best player before it was her turn to rotate out. When she scored her fifth goal of the game (she has 12 goals in three games), he told her to go sit on the side. She resisted and when he got on his knees to talk to her, she put her hands together (like she was praying) to plead and beg to stay in the game. The sidelines roared with laughter. He had to physically pick her up and carry her off the field. He relented later and she scored a sixth goal and then got benched again!
The suspense of not knowing when the twins will be born and the incredible desire to see our babies, but not being able to, is driving us crazy! Hopefully, they'll be born within the next week.
Madelyn stays on bed rest in Medical City until they get here. Fortunately, the nurses are incredible! They're all knowledgeable, helpful, nice and compassionate. They've been a huge blessing. Todd's also learning his way around this labyrinth of a hospital - huge accomplishment.
Todd thought Friday would be the day, but was obviously wrong. The kids watched A&M get destroyed by the Miami Hurricanes Thursday night and must have been too depressed to come out!
