Weekend Wrap-Up On Wednesday

We're in Soccer season now. Pink has lost all interest in the sport, so I only have two little players to juggle. Rella's only 6, so it's still "rec" soccer and more fun and cutesy than competitive. Tink's constant begging over the past few years convinced us to let her graduate from "Rec" to "Travel," which means more practices, longer practices and (as the name would suggest) traveling.



So, Fall for me means sitting on a soccer field four days a week between the three practices and two games. And when I sit on the soccer field, CB sits on the soccer field.  Rain and shine, cold and heat, she sits on her lawn blanket with her bent up flash cards, a few strands of beads and a raggedy pom pom.



Saturday, we got caught in a downpour watching Tink's game but CB hung right in there.



It used to be a bit more of a struggle for her (and for me) in the "old days." I would physically dread going to soccer practices and felt the knot in my shoulders and neck after I came home. I guess she's been sitting on the sidelines for so many years now, that it's become part of her routine. For me, it's getting better because my kids are older and more independent. More importantly, it's better because everyone knows CB now. And I believe on some level, she feels more part of the community every day she goes out into it.

In fact, the other day CB jumped up and pulled another mother by the hand to sit with her. And that mother did. She just plopped right down on the grass with my daughter and had a little one-sided chat. They sat together almost the whole practice.

That kind of thing?  That's the best. To feel like CB is a member of this amazing community, known for who she is, and cared about... that is all I ever wanted. It makes everything that feels nuts and chaotic and nearly impossible so totally worth it.