Stereotype Complete

I entered a new phase of my 'mom' stereotype today. I've already been well-entrenched into the stereotype by wearing stretchy pants almost every day, driving a mini-van, and finding 'luxury' items at Walmart...but now, I am: The Soccer Mom. Lucy started U4 indoor soccer today and was so excited. Last Tuesday, we went to watch Auntie Sarah play a soccer game and Lucy came away from it saying, "I want to do that too!" We had always planned to get her involved in soccer, and so we made some phone calls and found out that the U4 indoor soccer season had already started, but she was welcome to join. Every Tuesday morning at 10:45 she joins 6 other kids at the Spray Lakes Sports center. We went out on Friday and picked up some shoes, shin-pads, socks, and shorts for her to use, as well as a cute pink bag to carry it all it. (All the other items were bought in neutral black and white, so her younger brother can use them in the future). When we got home, we got her dressed up in her gear and she practiced kicking the soccer ball around the living room. Tyler explained to her that she's not allowed to touch the ball with her hands, and she has taken that rule so seriously, that she won't even pick the ball up if it gets stuck somewhere. Every day since we signed her up she has asked, "Is it Tuesday yet?"

This morning, after some quick breakfast, we headed to Spray Lakes and got Lucy geared up. At first, there were 5 boys, and Lucy. But another little girl showed up partway through practice. Lucy's still at the age where she doesn't really care about boys verses girls (except when it comes to her dolls). The coach (Juliette) was very nice and welcomed Lucy and introduced her to the other kids. (Lucy is # 10)(In this picture, the coach told the kids to line up on the white line. All the other kids crowded together and Lucy kept her distance)

They played Simon Says, did some stretches, ran a few drills, which included learning to stop the ball with your foot, and then played a mini-game of 3 on 3. Lucy spent most of her time behind the pack, not because she doesn't know what she's doing, but because she's just not that good with confrontation. Max enjoyed watching, although he tried to sneak onto the floor a few times to join in. "A soccer too mom!" and a few times he yelled out, "Go Lucy!" They ended practice with a game of duck-duck-goose and then it was time to go. Lucy has been pretty much exhausted the rest of the day, but she keeps smiling. I'm looking forward to getting a bit of exercise in her. I brought my camera, not sure if that was allowed, until I saw all the other mom's pull theirs out too. We had fun, and I didn't even cry. (but I came close - I guess that completes the stereotype).