***
For example, soccer happened. It all started on or around our anniversary, and it finished up in May. Greg graciously coached again.
At first, the season was basketball all over again. Painful. What happened to all the progress David made in the fall? And what happened to all the fun? Then, one day, David was back to himself--the fun-loving, enthusiastic, wonderfully mediocre soccer player that he is. He even scored a goal in the second to last game. (Or so I heard--I was in the port-a-potty with Mary. Painful.)
I finally brought my camera--to the last game. Mary immediately grabbed it from my hands and took this very important picture.
(I added the text. It was at the end of the soccer season last fall that I discovered the beauty of store bought cupcakes. I may never go back.)
Mary also got this action shot of David.
Once I wrangled the camera from her, I took a few pictures too.
Key players here:
A girl from Mary's class at school happened to be on David's team. Evalyn was one of the stars of the season. There she is out front, as usual. She was a joy to watch because of the big smile that always plastered across her face. Evalyn is one of the kindergarten age students in Mary's class, and she has been a mentor to Mary this year. Mary and I loved to come cheer on Evalyn (and David, of course!).
David's team played his best friend's team in the final game. David and Bailey are adorable together. Anytime they are near each other on the field, they start cracking up, just as best friends should. I believe they even passed the ball to each other a few times. (Again, I was in the port-a-potty with Mary. Again, painful.) Aah, I love kindergarten soccer.
Then, of course, there is my favorite player of all, good old #5.
And here he is again, in action.
I like that picture. Something about it captures the chaotic, joyful essence of kindergarten soccer.
It was a good season.
Who's ready for soccer camp?
***
Now, if those soccer pictures weren't enough, now I'm really going to blow you away with our family's athleticism. (I assume you can sense a bit of sarcasm. These are the children who lie down on the sidewalk when forced to walk more than two city blocks.)
David and Mary ran their first race! The Montessori Mile!
Even though it was for Mary's school, David was a super good sport about it.
The runners, waiting for the race to start. (I was volunteering at the finish line.)
Thank you to our sponsors.
Soon they were off.
Here comes Mary! Behind her is a guy in an orange shirt. After that, you can just barely make out Greg in red and David in blue.
Mary sprints across the finish line! Woo-hoo!
I had to include this picture of Mary and David goofing around with Evalyn (of soccer team fame) after the run.
So it may be a few years yet until David and Mary are running like their dad. But this was a good start!
***
I'm thinking about ending this post now...because if I don't blog about this one last thing then it didn't really happen right?
This here is a picture of David and his Primary teacher, my dear friend Skye.
Skye's little girls, Kaelyn and Kylie, are some of our very favorite play mates. They like to come clean my house.
Skye and her family moved to Seattle a couple of weeks ago. Those bums! Don't they know that we're the family who moves? I'm not quite sure what to do with myself being the friend left behind.
David sure misses his Primary teacher. She definitely won him over. One afternoon Skye was with me when I picked David up at school, and he proudly introduced her to his friend as his teacher at church. When he found out she was moving, he was heartbroken. "But, Mom, I loved ALL of her lessons!!"
Mary loves to have Kaelyn and Kylie over to play. I owe so much to those girls. They have expansive imaginations and will play for hours on end without stopping. They literally taught Mary how to play. They dug out toys that hadn't been touched in years, inspiring my kids to find joy in the stuff they already have. Once Kaelyn turned 5, she became "cool" in David's eyes, and I could see that David appreciated her imagination and sense of adventure. Oh, how we miss them.
Skye is loving, down-to-earth, patient, friendly, competent, and fun. Most of all, she is faithful. This next step in their lives is quite a leap of faith. But you can see the peace Skye and Jon feel in following their hearts, in following the Lord. What a wonderful family! We miss them and wish them the best!
(By the way, Skye was my visiting teaching companion. That's how we met. I love visiting teaching! There are so many friendships I owe to that program.)
So on that bittersweet note, I'll conclude this post.
We're off for a quick trip to Chicago. Greg and I couldn't shake the feeling we ought to visit the temple. Life has felt hectic lately. I think we both need to chance to regroup and refocus on what's most important.
Have a good weekend!
P.S. I still might sneak in another post about May. Tio and Tia were here after all!
