I was surprised at how huge the group was! Dave said they didn't even do a roll call or anything. This photo is just half the class.
Gabriel seemed to have a good time, being his usual self and going with the flow.
Still, he has a very strong sense of order. When the coach lined up half the kids to kick into the goal, Gabriel happened to be first in line. But a few kids broke ranks and went ahead, and then Gabriel got lost in the shuffle. He told the coach that he was supposed to be second, but the coach didn't do much to keep the kids in order. Eventually Gabriel just went anyway, and never got a clear shot. My heart tugs hard when I see his utterly sincere face boldly telling the coach about the injustice! But he didn't cry or get upset, and just went with it. My tough little cookie.
One thing I can already see I don't like about soccer is some of the other parents. Many of them instruct their kids from the sidelines, and some of them don't even bother with the sidelines. This dad hawked over his poor kid for the simplest of exercises. Is this what we're in for with school too?
My little sportsman! I can't help but to be proud of Gabriel's jumping right into it, no complaints, no issues, just pure unabashed little-kid "ok let's do this." He might not always feel that way, and that's fine. But I've always appreciated his enthusiasm and willingness to try new things, just like when he was a 4-month-old baby in swim classes.
Julian played with Dave in the meantime, oddly not jealous of his older brother's activity.
After Dave brought the boys home this morning, it was clear Julian needed a serious nap. Sleepover is great, but we sure pay the price the next day. Julian was edgy and obnoxious, crying and complaining and throwing fits (and fists) at the slightest provocation. Somehow I got him to cooperate for a nap, and he slept for a good 3-1/2 hours.
Even more incredibly, Katrina took a good morning nap, and then set a personal best for the afternoon: a solid 2-1/2 hour nap, all overlapping Julian's!!
This nap windfall meant I could finally tackle some nagging cleanup needed in the garage. I'd intended just to clear a few things off my workbench, but it developed into a feeding frenzy, a full-on war on clutter. Sentiment was lost in the purge, and I was further fueled every time I found duplicate stacks of "just in case" items.
In the end, the driveway was full of junk destined for the dump tomorrow. And that's just in a small area in the garage, barely a tenth of it! Oh my does it feel good to get rid of things. Much of the things I'd kept made sense in my previous life, but nowadays I don't need to hoard shop rags or oil-catching plywood scraps.
Yes, that is a dismayed pack rat you see in the photo, gravely concerned that the contents of the bags might contain some scrap that could be useful someday. This sweep never would have happened if Dave hadn't been out at the time!
A productive day, topped off with a short and not-so-productive skate practice. But non-productivity just adds balance.
3/31/07
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