SOCCER!!

Katelyn is taking instructional soccer thru the Erie Rec. Center this fall. All I can say is that she absolutely LOVES soccer-it may be her favorite sport, although she really liked T-Ball too. And I've signed her up for instructional basketball this winter. So we'll have to see what sport ends up being her favorite. (We can't forget swimming either-she's getting to be a great little swimmer too.) The bottom line is I, MOM, could not be more pleased that Katelyn loves sports. I was never good at sports. You know the kid who was usually picked last for kickball teams? Yeah, that was me, so I never developed any confidence when it came to sports. And I dreaded P.E. class, we're talking loathe & despair. The worst memory I have is trying to climb that damn rope and reach the top. Our P.E. teacher had that frickin rope sectioned off by color, and so the goal was to see how high you could climb the rope and that would determine your color. White for those of us who barely made it off the ground & purple for those who could make it all the way to the top. And there was red, green, and blue in the middle. Or something like that-it's been like 30-33 years since I had to climb that frickin thing. Amazing what we don't forget, isn't it??

Anyway, I always had a book in my hands and preferred to escape into a good story over anything else, still do in fact! It's true that I tried cheerleading in Jr. High, but I was on the C squad which translates to I sucked! And it's true that I gave tennis a whirl in highschool, but I wasn't very good at that either. When it comes to good coordination, I just didn't get that gene. But Katelyn takes sports very seriously and really wants to do her best. And if I may say so, she IS athletically inclined. It's a dream come true for me!! I really want Katelyn to be athletic and to pick a couple sports she loves and really develop her skills. I never want her to deal with the weight issues I have had in my life. I know if she falls in love with sports now, that love will carry her through her lifetime.

But even as I write this blog, she's sitting in the family room reading "Go, Dog, Go" aloud and of course that makes me equally as proud. I mean isn't that really the goal? To have well-rounded kids that enjoy all sorts of things. Who do well in school, but also love to play as hard as they work? Well, I think so anyway. I love that Katelyn enjoys reading because we have that in common. I love that she LOVES music because we have that in common too. She will begin piano lessons on Thursday. We have a piano and it's been another dream of mine that she would want to learn to play. I found a wonderful teacher who does small group instruction at Katelyn's age instead of 1-1. The program's called "Kids on Keys" & is grounded in all that brain research that shows a direct correlation between music instruction and learning in school.

It's a great joy for Mike & I to see Katelyn's face light up as she tries and accomplishes someting new. We feel very blessed to have the resources to give her new experiences as she discovers things she wants to try. My own childhood may be long in the past, but I am having a blast living vicariously while Katelyn experiences hers!



Just look at that smile-that's what "proud" looks like!


Get a load of that concentration!

Watch me make this goal!!

Of course having dad there to cheer me on is the best!!