August 8th, 2016

It may take me all of August to catch up on this blog after three weeks of visitors and adventures…slowly but surely! Happy August everyone!

Fußball (soccer) wrapped up for the boys July 15th…one day before the grandparents arrived. Our youngest LOVED it! The older one was hit and miss, depending on the day. His experience was definitely different since he had an extra weekly practice and played at a more competitive level than his little brother. Though teams are determined by birth year, we were still shocked watching the fancy footwork and athleticism of E’s peers. After dragging him out of the house for his extra practice a few times, we decided to let him make the call. If he got ready when we told him to, we drove him. To our surprise, he continued putting on his shin guards and cleats. I was proud of him for not giving up in the midst of the hard. In just two short months of playing, we saw both of the boys improve in their skills.

Soccer was a great outlet to use up some of the boys’ never-ending supply of energy (they always amaze us with how much they have). It also became a time to hang out with our friends! S loved seeing his little buddy each week. These two would play around on the field while their older brothers were in practice. THEN, they would go to their practice!

We would watch practice from some concrete steps that look down on the fields.

On the last day, the boys’ teams went through a series of drills to test their skills. At the end, they both received certificates, pins and treats. They surprised us with how well they did! The head director of the soccer program translated for me…so helpful! Here is E with his team. (He is wearing a white shirt, sitting left of center, near the front).

 

Below is S after he got his certificate. The woman with the blond hair is the coach for both boys. In S’s team photo, he is sitting almost in the middle. There are a couple of older boys sitting in the back, on the left. They are helpers. S really looks up to them!

 

Afterwards, S’s team played a scrimmage. He was in his element!

 

This past week, my friend Amy told me that the boys’ team pictures were in our local newspaper/magazine. I quickly went out to the mailbox and picked up our newest edition. How fun it was to see their faces! I’m grateful for the opportunity to become a little part of our village through this global sport.

 

As of now, E wants to play when the season starts up again. S likes the idea too. It looks like we will be doing fußball in the Fall!