cw, then and now.

last spring. today.
aw is # 4.

i never fully appreciated the sanctity of saturdays until today. it is an actual free day. a day when i do not have to set the alarm and take the boy to kindergarten. i do not have to wake the baby from his four hour nap to pick the boy up from kindergarten. we just kind of went and did what we wanted. all day long. after too much red meat last night at fogo de chao, we fell asleep full and totally exhausted at 10:15p. and awoke bright and early to take the kids to their first soccer game of the season. they looked great! aw's shirt was about five sizes too big. as we hurried out to the field i noticed that her shirt was hanging out of the bottom of her shorts. we were a few minutes late and so the kids sat the first period. aw lasted about two minutes. she stayed glued to cw's side and when he broke for the goal and she got lost in the shuffle she decided she was done. she walked off the field crying quietly and complaining that none of the boys would pass her the ball. she had no desire to make a play for the ball herself. so she sat with me and ate yogurt. cw was a little timid at first, staying on the periphery and figuring it all out. and then he was off. this is the same kid that sat in the bleachers and ate snacks during the games last spring. he was always willing to take a break, get a drink, sit one out for the team. but this year . . . it is quite a different story. as not to bore everyone with the mundane details i will give a brief overview. he realized that if he stayed on the outside of the "herd huddle" and waited until the ball was near the edge he could grab it and brake for the goal. the fantastic part was that he didn't score his goals right on top of the net. he kicked a couple from ten and twenty feet out. he followed the ball and scored twice off rebounds. we got such a kick out of watching him get so involved. i have never seen cw so aggressive. he scored six goals. and he was pumped. he threw his fists in the air after each score. and after he scored a few he started passing to his teammates. i mean seriously. he totally got it. aw got all over him after the game because he didn't pass to her. so apparently she will make sure he never thinks he's better than he is.