Oh soccer season, you have come and gone. Again.

I had plans to put Porter in a real soccer league all summer.  I wanted PG to be able to really learn the sport, to see if he really enjoyed playing it.  I had the super-professional website bookmarked and I was ready to sign him up the second registration opened.

And then I forgot.

Until I received a reminder on Facebook that the old neighborhood league he usually plays on was now open for registration.  I hurried over to my super-awesome soccer league... and they were full.  Crap!

So back to the neighborhood soccer team we go (I may or may not refer to them as the "hippie league" since they don't keep score and everyone wins a metal at the end of the season).  But the awesome part was that Porter got to be on his best buddy's team.  Yay!

Here is a condensed version of Porter's best moments... with only my favorite pictures.  Because it's my blog and I can, that's why.

   
Water break!

I really, really loved PG's coach this time.  He made sure to rotate the players through every position.  Porter happened to prefer the high-action ones.  He seemed to get a little bored as a sweeper and goalie...

Porter's cheering section...

And when Wyatt gets mad that he can't run around free-as-a-bird in the street?  Momma makes a phone call to Nana and let's Wyatt talk away to her :)

When you give your ten year old daughter your camera to take pictures, you get awesome shots such as these:

And 500 more just like them!

See what I mean?  Hippies! :)

And yes, my son is wearing a Rolling Stones hat.  I am a horrible mother.

Now that soccer is over, we are in heated debate over the next sport he'll be playing.. any suggestions for a ball-hogging six year old?

Allow me to introduce the future Mr. Beckham

I mean, look at those rippling biceps.

Porter Pot just finished off his neighborhood soccer season, and he is now ready to go pro.  Seriously, you best watch your back Oh Mighty David Beckham; Porter Merrill is up and coming.

He didn't care too much for being the goalie...

Not enough action there.  Also, he really, really just wanted to kick the dang ball (we may need to focus a little bit more on team playing and passing the ball).

And he may or may not be wearing his pajama shorts. We couldn't find his grey-and-black soccer ones, so he just went in what he slept in.

Desperate times, people.

He also already has his very own cheering section. 

As you can see, they were watching his every dynamic move on the field.

Good game, buddy!  Next season we're gonna put you in a more competitive league!

Game Over

The girlies had their final soccer game Saturday. It was a double header- two games right after another. They did pretty well considering they pretty much ran for two straight hours!

Piper was very focused on the game...

This is Adi's "Killer Face". It means that whoever has the ball had better move or they're about to get their shins kicked and then shoved down... (if you can't see the face, you have to zoom in, it's hilarious)

The girls sometimes forget that they are on the same team...

Waiting for the game to start (and Adi is begging for a time-out).

At the end of it all, they both got a cookie, a Capri-Sun and a trophy. It made their day.

And then they found out that they get to keep their uniform and that made their week.

The funnest part of soccer (at least for me) is watching my tiny-baby-girls shove their way to the ball- they aren't afraid of getting hurt. All they are focused on is getting the ball into the net (sometimes into the wrong net *ahem Piper*) but still very, very focused and very, very tough. The boys they played against had no advantage on these tenacious creatures!

Soccer Mom

It was COLD. Snotty-noses kind of cold. I was bundled-up under a fuzzy blanket, trying to stifle my whines.

And then there were my girls. Out there on their little field playing their hearts out and loving it. I think my heart just about burst with pride watching these two little monkeys playing without fear or hesitation. Were they afraid of the other kids? NO. Were the afraid of getting kicked in their shins like their mom was when she was their age? NO. They fell, they got right back up, grinning. They LOVED IT.

Adi scored 3 goals (and had 3 almost-goals)

Piper, who was her own worst enemy out there as she tripped herself constantly, scored two goals.

We weren't always sure that the girls remembered that they were on the same team...

Even Nana and Papa braved the cold weather to cheer on the girlies!

And little Porter-Pot even did some cheering (while trying to sneak onto the field)