Soccer and Water Play

Let the games begin....Ava's 2013 soccer season has begun.  We are already in the middle of our first tournament.  I wish I had all positive things to say, but Ava did not react to soccer as she does to dance and gymnastics.  After her first practice I asked her if she liked it and she said "no not really, it's a lot of work and I didn't score a goal".  I had to remind her that she has to go after the ball in order to score a goal and her response was "there's too many people going after the ball and I'm afraid I'll get hurt".  I can't say I blame her, I had the same problem with soccer.  Dan has been working with her in the evenings and she is now going after the ball a bit more, but we still have a long way to go.

These pictures were taken right before her first game. She can pull off the look of a soccer player...

She even requested I take a picture of her while she "pretend" dribbles.  I just wish she was as excited about actually playing the game as she is about pretend play.

 While soccer has taken up some of our time, along with gymnastics which has also resumed, we still have a lot of "down" time together.  It has been an amazing summer for parks, bike riding and just being outside, but a bit on the chilly side for swimming and sprinklers.  We have missed a majority of our swim lessons this summer due to rain or cold temperatures.  Last Friday the high was only 82 or so, but the humidity was high.  We chose to try out the fountain park near our house.

It felt a bit warm when dry, but apparently once you get wet it got chilly.  I wouldn't know...I stayed dry.  Chilly or not, it didn't stop the girls from getting soaked and of course...posing.

I'm pretty sure Ava is the only kid that comes to this park wearing goggles, but what is one suppose to do when they hate getting water in their eyes?

Gavin even got in on the fun...

These little fountains were perfect for him.  They would bubble down to almost nothing and then they would slowly rise to about his chest.  He would get pretty close when the water was down...

and then run back to me laughing when the water rose up.  It's a perfect example of how he has been getting so independent, but at the same time he's still my "mommas boy".

Ava enjoyed standing under this mushroom of water.

Like the other fountains, the mushroom fountain would spray out wide and then slow down to a trickle.    While the water was down Ella thought, well if Ava can so can I, she ran over and hugged the same pole...

 However, once the water started back up again...

She took off for her towel!  There was a lot of giggling, but she never returned to that fountain. 

Over the weekend the girls wanted to brave the water a little more.  We made a trip out to G-ma and G-pa F's house, and while it was too cool for me to swim, the girls spent almost the whole day in the pool.   Ava is good at sending out that sweet little girl vibe...

and then pulling a 1-80 and becoming "your worst nightmare". Lol :)

My sweet Ella

Luckily there was an adult willing to swim with the girls, Aunt Courtney endured countless shots from a water gun to her head, but stuck it out in the pool the whole time.  Thank you Courtney!!

With the cooler temperatures I preferred to keep Gavin out of the water.  What was he doing while the girls swam you ask???  Playing dress up with high heeled shoes of course!  Having only two older sisters is taking its toll on him!  Don't get me wrong he is loud and rough, he throws, he hits and he is very much a boy.  But he is a boy who loves shoes and it doesn't matter if they are meant for girls or boys, any shoe is a glorious shoe to him!

One week left before school starts!  We'll see what we can get done in our last few days of summer.