madelyn's first softball practice

we were all holding our breath a little to see how softball practice was going to go. madelyn doesn't love athletic endeavors. she doesn't like sweating. and, much like her mother, has a difficult time not being good at something (by the way, i have mostly outgrown this, but i was super self-conscious as a kid), and thought that soccer took too long. she really wanted to play last year, but wasn't old enough. she wasn't as excited this year until i told her that it was at the same church where she has been taking her stage acting class and reminded her that it was just for girls. 

so tonight she was nervously excited. and i was nervous about keeping the boys occupied for the hour and a half in addition to keeping them there until bedtime. matt is in kansas to golf with his parents before a work conference that happens to be there tomorrow and wednesday. he was bummed to miss her first practice.

first team huddle

they started with team cheers and how to encourage each other.

 and then they broke out into drills.

love this kid.

the big boys spent practice playing with their soccer balls. manning had mixed spans of attention. there was a period where i was just trying to get him to stay off the field. i had brought him coloring materials and stickers but the wind blowing in the storm was unbelievable! we ended up snuggled up together in the blanket i had brought for us to sit on.

practice ended 30 minutes early because the rain finally came. madelyn said it was pretty fun and it seems like her coach's personality will be a good fit for her. we are looking forward to the season! love.

the wildcats