Soccer Camp

Brynn is playing soccer this fall and she's really excited about it...so she went to this SEMO soccer camp a couple of weeks ago. 

The first night started out a little rough...We got there on the first night and thought that they were going to break up the Pre-K and K kids from the older kids (they were up to 8th grade).  So Brynn runs out all excited but they keep ALL the kids together and the coach starts barking out orders and kids are running around everywhere and Brynn looks at us like "oh my gosh what is going on here and I could cry at any moment."  Part of me was thinking "it's so good for her to experience this" and then another part of me was like "dude...some of these kids don't even know how to dribble and he's yelling stuff I don't even know how to do!"  Every single water break she would slowly run over to us and Ryan would give her her water bottle and she would just LOSE IT.  But somehow before the water break was up she'd slowly make her way back out there.  I'll admit that I was SUPER proud of her for that.  My parents and my sister went that Sunday night and we were all like "wow, Ryan great pep talk!  How did you get her back out there?"  He says "I just reminded her to keep it up and we are going to Paglia's after this and then I"ll take her to Target!"  HA!  #greatparenting

Slowly but surely she got a little more confident and then the last half hour they broke up into age groups...she LOVED that part.  

The next couple of nights we knew what to expect so it went much smoother...we just talked before we went how she would have to play with the big kids for the first half and then she'd play soccer games with the younger kids, and she was great.  The SEMO soccer team girls were SO SWEET to stay with her and help her and I'm really glad we pushed her to stay out there and not quit.    

Wow...she was doing great!  (And obviously by great I mean...she was nowhere near one of the better younger ones, but for her to get out there and try her best...we were really proud!)  As she gets older and starts more activities it's easy to see how people get caught up in wanting their kid to be the best.  Of course I want her to do well in things, but I just pray that she sees us as the kind of parents who are proud of her no matter what.  I'm sure some things she will be really good at and some things she won't be so good at, but I want her to know that we are proud of her no matter what.  If she finishes last in something or she doesn't make a certain team (I'll just warn her not to try out for choir if she has my genes...lol!) then we will still support her just the same.

And Emory...oh this kid...

Here's what she thought about watching soccer camp...

I was SO THANKFUL that our friends were there and their little boy Alex was also doing soccer camp!

The kids got to meet Rowdy the Redhawk the last night!