Just for kicks

Emma had her first soccer game today. She loved it! She ran around the field with this HUGE smile on her face the whole time. It was too cute. She even got her foot on the ball a few times.

I didn't get any pictures because it was pouring down rain. Which of course made it even more fun for the kids!

This was a tough decision for Emma. The rule around here is that the kids can pick one thing to do at a time. She really weighed her options for some time and had it narrowed down to soccer or gymnastics.

I'm glad she picked soccer after seeing that smile on her face today!

I feel like there should be a punchline here: Soccer shoes - $$, smile - priceless.

But.... the shoes were free so I can't even make that comment. Of course there is a story though....

On Thursdays, the soccer association has a skills session that is open to all players. So of course we wait until Thursday morning to get Emma's soccer shoes. We go to the sporting goods store, she tries on a pair that are one size too big, but says they are comfy and she runs around the store to prove her point. She picks out pink soccer socks and we are good to go.

They get off the bus Thursday afternoon. The neighbor boy gets off the bus here with them on Thursdays. So they were busy playing with him.

It was getting late and his parents weren't here yet so I was trying to get my kids ready to go to soccer practice. I ask them if they want to eat dinner before soccer or after soccer. They both quickly say, "After!" and continue playing with the neighbor.

I call Emma back and tell her to get her soccer stuff. She *got* it - and then dumped it in the living room. I said - a little louder this time - "Get your soccer stuff ON!"

She gets a snack instead. I say, "Emma, get it ON! You wanted to eat after soccer, it's almost time to go! You don't have time to eat now!"

In the meantime, the neighbor comes to pick up her son. As she is there, Luke is making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and Emma is eating yogurt.

She leaves. "IT IS TIME TO GO! GET YOUR SOCCER STUFF ON RIGHT NOW EMMA!" screams some crazy lady who looks and sounds just like me.

She tries, but then says, "I can't get it on!"

"Get over here!" I say - admittedly a little too loud, I mean perhaps I was trying to talk to the neighbor who just left and is now 2 doors down??

I help her get the stuff on. At least I *tried* to help.

Well, let me tell you, soccer stuff is hard to get on. I put the shin guards on but when I tried to pull the pink socks up over the shin guards the shin guards would go up over her knees. And I had very little patience left at this point so I was *really* struggling with this stupid soccer equipment.

Not to mention I'm trying to have a persuasive political speech with a 5 year old about how important it is to get to soccer on time and soccer is starting in 2 minutes and we are at least 5 minutes away and we are never going to make it on time and why were you eating a yogurt when you should've been getting your soccer equipment on??!!

I finally get those goofy shin guards and socks on and it's time for the shoes.

"OW!" Emma squirms. "Those shoes hurt my feet!"

"Emma, these are the shoes you just bought today, knock it off. Put your shoes on!"

"I can't!"

Here we go again.

"Let me do it, for crying out loud!"

"OW! They hurt my feet!"

It is then that I realize the stupid soccer socks are thicker than the socks she had on at the store this morning.

Crap.

"Luke, go in the garage and get your old soccer shoes."

Luke goes to the garage for a split second - and I mean, he's lucky if it was even a split - "I can't find my old soccer shoes."

"Luke, they are there, your sister has on your old shin guards which she just got out of the garage and were next to the shoes. GET ME THE SHOES!"

The shoes magically appear from the garage, landing in his hands.

I look at them. They are a size 1. Emma's shoes that are too small are an 11. A 1 will never fit. So being the sane, totally in control mother that I am at this very moment, I throw the shoes.

Now before you call CYS on me, I didn't throw them *at* anyone. I actually threw them down the steps toward the garage.

"IN THE CAR, NOW! BOTH OF YOU!" I scream.

"Where are we going?"

"Soccer practice!"

"But I have no shoes!" Little Miss says between sobs.

"Emma, you are already 5 minutes late to soccer, but we are going to get you new shoes at the store and you WILL go to soccer practice!"

"But what do I wear now?"

"I don't care, get something on those feet and LET'S GO!"

She grabs flip flops. You know this is going to get even worse.

I call the store while in the car on the way there. "Hello, can I help you?"

"I bought soccer shoes for my daughter today and they are too small. They are XYZ brand, black and pink, and I need a size 12. She is already late for practice, so could you please have those at the front of the store, I will be there in 2 minutes."

"Please hold for the shoe department."

"They're not in the shoe department, they are in the soccer department."

"Sorry, ma'am, please hold for the soccer department."

"Hello, shoe department, can I help you?"

Seriously?!?!? I tell him my story. "Sorry, ma'am, I can't help you, please hold for the soccer department."

On hold I go. Again. Nice elevator music, really. But I'm in your darn parking lot now already! I hang up the phone and grab the kids out of the van.

While in the van, my very late soccer girl has taken off her soccer socks and shinguards to get her flip flops on. I FLIPPED!

Now I am trying to have a political persuasion speech with a 5 year old about how important it is to get to soccer on time and soccer started 10 minutes ago and we are at least 5 minutes away and we are never going to make it on time and why were you taking your soccer equipment off when you should've kept it on because it is so hard to get on??!!

IN THE SPORTING GOODS STORE! And let's just say I was not in the mother-of-the-year-tone-of-voice either. I know people are staring me down but I am on a mission to find these %@#&*! shoes!

We march to the soccer department. They have no 12's. Of course they don't. So we hustle to the front of the store. I apologize to the 18 year old cashier and tell her, "I know this is not your fault but I am really mad because these soccer shoes don't fit even though they fit this morning and now I have to return them and you don't have a bigger size and she is already 10 minutes late for practice and I don't know what I'm going to do now! Grrrrrrrr!"

Yes, I think I actually growled at her.

She half way smiles and says, "Then you'd like to return these then?"

Yes. Please. Take me out of my misery, cute little 18 year old cashier girl.

Emma starts to cry. "But I have no soccer shoes! How can I go to practice?"

"OH, we are GOING! You have never played before, you will sit there and watch and learn so you know how to PLAY SOCCER!"

So we get there. Finally. There are literally no less than one million 5 year olds running around on the field. And one coach. God bless that coach, I am telling you what. We sit down to watch.

"Hey!" Emma says, "There's Alex playing soccer over there on that field!" Swoon. Swoon. Alex is the love of her life who is 8 and plays on Luke's hockey team.

"EMMA! WATCH THE PRACTICE ON THIS FIELD, NOT OVER THERE!"

Now the soccer moms are looking at me the same way the people were in the sporting goods store. Oh. Good. Grief. People! Have you never had one of those days??

So we watch the less than 30 minutes that are left in practice and head home for dinner. Joe gets home from football practice a few minutes after we get home. We sit down to the family dinner I had made ahead of time. Of course it doesn't heat up well and tastes like crap. Of course it does.

Later I tell Joe that I am done with these soccer shoes and he's going to have to take her shopping at the other sporting goods store in town. He says, "Hey Luke, go get your old soccer shoes." "They're too big" I tell him, being the know-it-all that I am.

Luke gets the soccer shoes. "Come here, Emma" Joe says calmly. He puts them on.

They fit. Emma says, "Ooooo! They feel so good!" and she runs around the dining room table.

Of course they do.

Of course.

And we all lived happily ever after and Emma had a smile on her face the entire time she played soccer and the shoes fit perfectly and didn't even fall off in the rain.

Oh yeah - and I had a glass of wine and lived happily ever after too. :)

Note to self: Soccer shoes run small. Very very small.