Take us out to the soccer field?

The weather should be getting cooler soon, the Aggies are playing, school is in session and soccer has started! After talking to Radley about how serious he wanted to be about soccer, Ryan and I decided to sign him up for the academy team of our local club organization.

(That's a total lie - Ryan decided he needed to play at a club level because that's all Ryan knows.)  

I wasn't so sure about this decision - I go back and forth between the necessity of club sports. The value. The purpose. And honestly, the access. I really want any kids that want to play a sport to have access to that sport and not every family can afford the price that comes with these leagues. We lucked out with soccer; compared to other sports but it's still a financial commitment. 

But, I must admit, watching him these past few weeks at practice and hearing him come home with excitement has been awesome. My favorite moment was when he came home from practice so excited about this drill.

Rad: DAD! We had to do insert some explanation of a soccer drill here

Ryan: Yeah, buddy. I had y'all do that last year.

Rad: Yeah, but this year it's gonna help us at the game. 

Ryan: Yeah, buddy. It helped you last year, too.

Rad: Yes, but.... 

(Gotta love when they listen to "coach" over "dad" even though dad said the exact same thing).

I love that he's playing with other kids that want to be there. I love that their games are really scrimmages against their own teams and that the coaches coach the whole time. They paused the game to give praise or teach a lesson. I especially love the improvement in uniforms. 

:) 

It's fun to see how much he has grown on that field. 

And it's fun to see what these girls come up with to keep themselves entertained. 

He really gives his all and plays his heart out. Those fields are so dang big y'all - I would definitely not be able to run up and down the whole time.  

And it was so stinking hot even at 8:30 in the morning. Look at the girls hair!! (And that cute little butterfly they made friends with). 

Black ended with a W and Rad even got a goal which made all that sweat more than worth it. 

Looking forward to another great year on the field!