Soccer Season

We're in the midst of  fall soccer with only a few weeks left of the regular season and then a tournament in mid-November.

 

Soccer has filled up our schedule, with numerous practices during the week  and multiple games on weekends. We're always on the go!

 



Both Corinna and Drake are playing well and building strong friendships with their teammates.

 



We have met a lot of families we otherwise would have likely never met.

JJ is head coach of Corinna's team and here he is with a few of his girls.

 



 

Drake continues to sharpen his soccer skills.

He plays his heart out every second on the pitch.

 





Corinna's learning how to play good team soccer.



Her skills are improving with every practice and game.

 



We have done a lot of traveling to games from Charlotte to Seagrove to Wilkesboro and Burlington and to several towns in between.

 

 Here's a take of Drake heading it into the goal.

 

 

JJ even makes them practice in the rain when scheduled practices have been cancelled!

 

Although there have been times (more than one) that I have complained that soccer has taken over our lives, the benefits are many.



 



 

Corinna and Drake are staying active and learning the imprtance of teamwork and commitment.

 

 

And JJ sees his involvement as a coach as a personal ministry.

 

 

 These last pics are from the second day of a tournament in Burlington a few weekends ago. That Sunday was cold and wet but the tournament went on. The semi-finalists and finalists were determined by shootouts.

 

 



 

Here's Drake and his young college-aged coach, Tyler.

 

 

Guess which team one the shoot out?

 

 

WE DID!!!  Way to go United!

My Fair Lady (and Gentlemen)

I do not recall the last time our children went to the fair.  It was probably when Corinna was confined to a stroller.  It's just not something we normally do.  But this year, I splurged, and took them to the Dixie Classic Fair.  I even checked them out of school early (gasp) for the special occasion.  We arrived around 1:00 and stayed til nearly 9:00.

I bought the unlimited ride bracelets and they did get their fair share of rides.  Next time (if there ever is one), I won't purchase one for myself.  In my older age, the rides are just not as exciting. My days of mindless spinning on the Tilt-A-Whirl are over! Plus, my backpack wouldn't fit on most of the rides. 

I did ride a few rides like the ferris wheel and bumper cars, but spend most of the hours taking pictures and watching my children thoroughly enjoy themselves.  I took lots of pictures but most of them were unfortunately lost in cyberspace somehow when I thought they were saved on my computer. Thankfully, I had taken a few pics with my phone.

When the kids go back and read this post in the years ahead, they will have to rely on their memories more than this poor documentation.  The ride all three of them liked most was the Fireball.  It went high into the air and spun them around til they were screaming and laughing hysterically.  There were a couple of rides Corinna couldn't ride on because she wasn't tall enough.  That surprised me since she could ride most of the rides at Disney two years ago.  Nevertheless, she got over it after shedding some tears.

 

About half of our time at the fair was spent in the rain.  There were a few rides that had to be shut down, but the kids had already had the opportunity to ride them prior to the storms. I even paid for fair food such as chicken, burgers and fries and deep fried oreos.  I resisted the temptation to purchase a Krispy Kreme burger.  During the last hour, I allowed the kids to play some games.  I bet I heard 50 times thoughout the day, "Hey mom, let your kids play.  They are guaranteed a prize!" Well, indeed we came home with some stuffed animals (just what we needed) and a few crazy critter hats.  I guess they'll be fun to wear when/if it snows this winter.

By the time we got home, we were all soaking wet!

This one was taken shortly after we arrived but I'll end with it since my pictures are limited.  We really did have a fantastic time. Fare thee well!