I'm officially a soccer mom!

This weekend was a fun one. We started with Aidan's first soccer game Saturday morning(the team had a game last weekend but we were driving back from Charleston so this was Aidan's first official game). I have never seen my child experience so many emotional highs and lows in such a short period of time! When the game started, Aidan was unsure as to what to do because no one had told him what to do during an actual game. You can see from the picture that he was just watching, but after a few seconds he figured it out and actually scored the first goal! That was a HUGE mistake because then he expected to score every single time he kicked the ball and we all know that isn't what happens in a soccer game between a bunch of 4 year olds! He kept his composure the first half but by the second half he was getting tired (there are only 4 kids on his team with 3 of them being on the field at once so no one gets much of a break, there is another kid on the roster but he has yet to show up). The breaking point came when he scored a goal and he was SO excited but then me and my BIG mouth pointed out that his team's goal was at the other end of the field(yes, he scored a goal for the other team and I should have told him "great job" and left it at that) and he lost it. He then wanted to go sit by Nan and not go back on the field. It took some smooth talking from Derek to get him back out there but he went. A few minutes later he missed a goal and then the other team scored which led to another flow of emotions. He came and sat in my lap,which I of course did not object to, but Derek whispered in my ear to stand up so Aidan couldn't be so cozy in Mama's lap. More smooth talking from Daddy got Aidan back on the field and (miracle!) within seconds of getting on the field he gained control of the ball and kicked it all the way downfield to score! We were sure he would be fine but then the other team scored and you could see it on his face that another breakdown was inevitable. He did manage to finish the game and scored several goals total(I have no idea how many goals or even which team had the most goals, not that it matters to 4 year olds..only to their parents!). Afterwards, Aidan said he had fun, which is all that matters! Derek, Pops, Nan and myself had a great time watching Aidan play and I'm sure next game will be even better. We had a nice visit with Nan, she stayed most of the day and, of course, she and Aidan played trains. Aidan spent Saturday evening with Pops and Namaw while Derek and I went to the UAB/Troy football game. UAB had a easy victory over Troy but I had to listen to "In your face Pam" all night from Derek's business partner, Bryan. I did get my undergraduate degree from Troy but I completed many classes for my Master's from UAB, which Bryan didn't seem to care about. He used his little catch phrase anytime UAB did anything noteworthy on the field. It was all in good fun because anyone who knows me knows that football does not rank anywhere on my list of "Things I Really Care About". I was really only at the game because Derek and Bryan have skybox tickets which means lots of free food. I was a little disappointed that the dessert tray was not bigger but hopefully next week that will be corrected.
Sunday was a fun day for us. Derek and Aidan spent most of the morning playing and later in the day we visited a walking trail. It was fantastic weather for being outdoors! The trail was short but we walked a bridge that spans the Cahaba River which was a pretty view. Mo was with us and he seemed to enjoy the outing as well. We also went to playground for a while. Derek and Aidan acted out several scenes from The Polar Express. It's always fun to watch Derek go down the slide and crawl through the tunnels!
We have a busy week and another soccer game Saturday which should be interesting!