Flower child

Big day today, with the official start of Michael's journey into organized sports.
For so many years (okay, like three), it has always been Jason's activities. Today, it was Michael's turn.
He has been wanting to play soccer for several months, and today, couldn't wait for his first practice and game. I think I even pulled him out of a tantrum mid-scream to remind him we were heading to the soccer fields.

The practice was a lot of fun. Michael was very into the action. He dribbled the ball, and kicked it into the goal, just like the other kids. Here he is, deep in concentration before a kick.



Then a funny thing happened when the referee blew the whistle. He started to notice how beautiful it was outside. And, while I've never seen him pick a flower before, nor have I ever seen him hold it up to his nose to take in its scent, I saw it today. On the soccer field.



He was enthralled with the flora surrounding him. Actually, they would be weeds, but he didn't care. He even gathered some friends to pick flowers with him. All of us parents of those flower children were screaming, "Run after the ball! RUN AFTER THE BALL! PUT DOWN THE FLOWERS! THE BALL IS OVER THERE!"

Mercifully, Michael started to get the hang of it and the screaming on our parts subsided a bit.

Until next week.

This day was all about sports. Before Michael's game, we had pictures for Jason's team. The Atlanta Braves. Doug is one of the coaches, and both of course are thrilled to be a part of such a great organization. :)




We're dreaming big here. Hope you have a great weekend!