GOOOOOAL!!!!

Alright yall, get ready...soccer season is in full affect! We've finally gotten a few practices under our belts, now that the rain has finally subsided. And today was the first game of the 2007 Fall Season.

You know I couldn't let the season start without getting a few pictures (more to follow). But I thought this was a cute shot of our soccer star having "Coach Daddy" help her put on her super fast cleats.

Here are a few more "before the game" shots.

She's a mess, isn't she? This kid loves to pose...even with a soccer ball in hand :-).

OPENING DAY: Let me start by saying the forecast for opening day was HOT!!! Jayla's game was at 10:30 this morning and we baked under full sun...real nice like! I think it was in the high 80's by the time we got started.

Once again, the Lil Stingrays are about 11 strong, 9 of which are girls. This season, they all moved up to the U8 league, so now the rules are a little different. Score is still not kept at this level, but they are now actually playing real positions, such as goalie. And they do throw ins, corner kicks and goal kicks. I was amazed at how they all got the hang of it so quickly. Could be because just about all of them have been on a soccer field for one reason or another, since they were babies/toddlers. So they have an idea of what all that means.

Here's Jayla and Coach Daddy kicking around a few before game time.

I love this picture of Jayla. She looks so focused and determined. Look at her hands. This pic was taken as each player approached the goal before the kick off of the game. They had to dribble the ball twice and take a shot. What form!

Here, Jayla is checking out the competition on the next field. In U8, they play 5v5, so they split the teams up between 2 fields. The field next to the one Jayla is on started a few seconds beforehand, so Jayla was checking out the flow of the game :-).

Time for a much needed water break.

I LOVE this picture. This is Jayla and the head coaches daughter, Ashlee. These two beauties have been playing together since they were 2 and playing soccer together since age 3. Ashlee played goalie for the first time today...she's following in her brothers footsteps. He plays goalie for the Stingrays. The girls had just given eachother a high-five right before the game started.

Jayla scored her first goal of the season today in the 2nd half. You should hear this girl cheer when she or someone on her team scores. And in the midst of her cheering, she runs to her daddy, gives him a high-five, a big hug and tells him she loves him :-). Then she looks over at me on the sidelines to make sure I saw that she scored.

I was all ready for opening day today too. Check out me and Jayla's matching foot wear :-). You see, I also made myself some fashionable soccer ear wear...lol. I know, I'm such a soccer nerd mom. :-)

This last shot is another super sweet one. The cute blonde, Gracie, has also been a team mate of Jayla and Ashlee's since they were toddlers. Gracie's brother also plays on the Stingrays. The girls are sitting on the bleachers after their game eating snacks and watching their brothers play their first game of the season.

And speaking of the boys/Stingrays, they played AWESOME today. Boy, I sure wish Markell had been there. The boys beat their opponents 8 - 0 today! What a way to start off the season.

Well, it's on now!!! I absolutely LOVE soccer season. Sure, I complain about the heat, the rain and cold sometimes. But it's all so worth it. The kids also love it...I think THAT's what makes it so fun. I'll be sure to keep ya'll posted on both teams' standings. So far...so good!!! Enjoy the rest of your weekend.