Well the summer is officially over. I know that is the case when we transition from the summer sports to the fall sports.

We had a fun summer, with all the kids in soccer.

Sam, played on Team Argentina. He was a fantastic little goalie, had a ton of energy and was one of few that made constant contact with the ball. It was very cute watching him play every week – they are still at the age where many kids don’t really know which way they should be running. Not Sam. He was on it and on giving directions to his team mates. He had great team spirit, even though his team wasn’t so hot…. They got a medal nonetheless!! I guess thank goodness for the push of our generation of parents that think every kid should get a medal:)(Not sure I agree with this philosophy but it worked this time!)

Here’s a few action shots and Sam with his medal!

Josh, was also on Team Argentina (just higher age range). He informs me he had 22 goals this season. Their team did really well all season, but then unfortunately were short a few players in the finals and they lost. Josh, is extremely passionate about soccer. And I mean passionate. I came home the other day and he was practicing shooting for 2 hours with his left foot (he shoots with his right). Every day he is out there. He wants to be a professional soccer player (although insists he would like to play for Italy but can’t figure out how to do that as he wants to live at home. Cheaper that way. I explained to him he’d have money to buy his own house. He’s on the fence about what he’d do). He actually was scouted out and will be playing at a much higher level next year (starting in winter for training). A lot more stress and commitment for us as parents, but Josh has some raw talent, with some serious motivation, which the coaches feel is a great mix.

A couple of cute pics (with his good buddy Will too). Some of the action shots are blurry because I am still having camera issues!

Check the gorgeous sky on this one:

Posing with his medal (his smile is fake – he was one sad camper)

Zach played for Team Germany. They had a fantastic year – although were just inched out in the playoffs which was disappointing after such a great season. Zach was thrilled that his Dad was the coach, and his best bud Charlie was on the team. He played midfield, and was proud of his 7 goals and many many many assists. He was great at setting up some great plays. Their games were so fun to watch and had me biting my finger nails many times. Zach has worked so hard this season at improving, and had such great sportsmanship – really shone as a team leader. He too wants to be a professional player, so we’ll see what the future holds….

Zandra played for Team England this year. They played a few times against Zach’s team so that made it hard to cheer! Although we just celebrated with both sides. Zandra is an awesome defense girl. She does a great job and can really kick that ball hard! She also has such amazing energy and team spirit. However, she also really enjoyed being off on the sidelines and chatting with her new friend she made on the team. I think she enjoyed heading to the park with her friend after the games too…

Gabe also played on Team Germany (older division) and I have to say he was initially not pleased about it. They sucked at the beginning! It was pretty frustrating for him. Gabe is a great player – but needed the support of other teammates too – which wasn’t always there. He scored one of the few goals his team had all season! Gabe is also a very aggressive player – so got warned a few times by the ref. He didn’t mean to be (right Gabe?), but got carried away I think and surprised by his own strength. Despite being on a not so hot team intially, somehow they pulled it together and made the finals! They played a great game but ended up coming in 2nd. Champs!

So proud of all these guys. They each have their own unique talents and strengths. As they get older, we are starting to see their interests diversify – which is fun and exciting. I’m looking forward to some baseball games, more dance recitals, some music recitals, tennis matches and of course more soccer next year:).

Now onto the fall/winter activities!