Having a ball

Miss Lu has been asking to play soccer for quite a while now. So I decided to sign her up for the fall season (which will conveniently wrap up just as baby brother arrives).

Her team of 5–6 year-old-kids practices two afternoons a week for 45 minutes. No games. And that's plenty. Miss Lu, of course, if possibly most excited about getting to wear a shiny uniform twice a week. (Every time we get ready for practice she poses in front of the mirror, grinning at herself.)

Her coach is great: the kids play all sorts of games to get them used to kicking the ball, running while dribbling, and touching the ball with everything except their hands.

My favorite part occurs every time they have some sort of race with rules (e.g., kick the ball only with your left foot). All the other kids take off across the field, hurrying to win. And Miss Lu is at the back with a look of intense concentration on her face as she makes absolutely sure not to touch the ball with anything other than her left foot. She may be moving slowly, but she's determined to make sure she does it correctly. 

And the uniform's pretty cute too :)