Congratulations, my little soccer stars!

Dear Sofia,

I am so incredibly proud of you for sticking through Soccer this year. I understand it's hard to get into a new sport and have such enthusiasm for it, but you did fantastic! Sure, sometimes you ran from the ball, or pulled a Daria, but when you loosened up, you really participated. You've been hit in the face, in the gut, in the leg, and hardly cried about it. Seeing you get hit and not being able to run to you was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but I knew you'd be alright. You sucked it up and kept on going.  You're a tough girl, after all.

I just want you to know how proud of you we are. I hope you enjoyed Soccer enough this year to want to continue for next year. I'm sure you'll do even better and maybe even make a goal! The important thing is, even though you asked me quite a few times to quit, you made the most of it and started to enjoy it. Grammy would be very proud to know you stuck with it.

We love you very much!!


Dear AJ,

I am also so proud of you for sticking with it as well!! You were amazing, and got right into it. You made a few goals, and more importantly, had a blast. You gave us all a laugh when you constantly told your coach you were hungry and asked if it was time to eat cheeseburgers.

You never once showed that you were afraid of the ball. You got right in there and kicked the ball away from your opponents, while still making sure you were as kind and gentle as could be. You didn't throw it in anyone's face when you took the ball from them or scored a goal. You enjoyed playing against your cousin Joey, even if you did spend a lot of time kicking the ground and talking to him.