Water, Water & More Water

The first week of July was much anticipated at our house. The Dandelion had been eagerly waiting until he could go to camp and play soccer. He was so excited he even got himself dressed in his "soccer clothes" - a very nice LONG sleeve shirt for a day that would end up being in the high 90s by noon. But there was no changing his mind - he was wearing his soccer shirt to soccer camp!

Day one went was a little rough, with both kids coming off the field for extra water breaks and not listening to instructions well. The Tumbleweed got into the swing of things by day two, with the coaches remarking at the end of practice that she had done really well with her passing during the scrimmages (something most kids her age haven't learned yet). However, the Dandelion struggled in the heat. He was pretty content to watch his friends from his chair on the sidelines, but then was sad when he got home that soccer was over. Too bad three-years-olds don't understand the concept of time very well :(

Day three was the much anticipated "England Day" at camp. This is the day that the kids bring "something English" to camp. The Tumbleweed had just received a new "Beefeater" bear from Papa a couple weeks ago and was eager to take it to camp. When it was her turn, she showed the bear and then sang "London Bridge" while making the bear dance. She and her Pinkalicious soccer teammate won top honors! The coaches said it was the song that put it over the top ;)


Days four and five went better for both kids. With a few incentives (a new water bottle, spray bottles with fans and a Talking Buzz Lightyear) and some pep talks, the Dandelion finally got out and played for most of the time. He really seemed to enjoy himself while he was playing, but every time he caught sight of someone or something on the sidelines he would come right back over. He didn't really listen long enough to understand most of the games, but he did like dribbling the ball across the field and kicking it into the goal!


By the end of the week I was completely exhausted from the early mornings, water bottle filling, cleat tying, 3-year-old chasing, picture taking and just generally being in the heat. We all worked hard, but it was worth it.