Score! Caleb is Four!

Yesterday was Caleb's fourth birthday. 

Four years old already...sigh...Wasn't he just Reid's size?

My big boy started out his special day by sleeping in, but when he woke up, Daddy had some pancakes ready to go. Caleb asked if he could have some with strawberries in them, so Mommy quickly whipped up another batch and he was one happy boy.

The rest of the morning was spent playing with toys and getting ready for his first ever soccer game!

I signed Caleb up for a group called "Kiddie Kickers" a few weeks ago after I received some information about the local soccer association from the preschool fair I attended recently. I'd heard that the kids could start playing soccer at four years old last year when I was looking for something to sign him up for, but wasn't sure when registration started. Though it was already past the cut-off date when I got the info this year, the division commissioner for his age group is actually a lady who attends our church, so she said he could still get signed up this season despite the missed deadline.

Since you have to be four to play, Caleb was really cutting it close. Needless to say, he is definitely the youngest player on the team since his birthday was the day it started. A lot of the kids involved actually started playing last fall and already have a season behind them, so he was really a rookie compared to them. Others are just getting started like he is though, so I guess it's a mix.

When the kids first started practicing, it took him a few seconds to figure out what the coach was telling them to do, but then he got a ball and took off like the others.

The next thing I knew, he kicked the ball into the goal and took off running for the neighboring soccer field where a couple of other teams were warming up for their game. They told us in advance that the parents were supposed to stay and be involved with the kids at this age level, and I guess this is where the participation part began for me, because I had to chase after Caleb, hollering for him to come back to the field where he was supposed to be. I think I even spotted a little smile on the coach's face as I got my son back where he needed to go.

Standing on the sidelines, Dave and I tried to give him quite a few more directions as he wandered about in his own little world not quite sure what he was supposed to be doing. But, he's young and he'll get there.

Finally, I told Dave I thought maybe we should be quiet and just let the coach help him so that's what we did - sat back and became spectators. 

Kick it, Cay-Cay!

Look at him go

His jersey number is 13. Mom said her and my dad started dating on the 13th, so I think it's a good fit for him.

Caleb didn't quite grasp the idea of the huddle. We repeatedly encouraged him to go over to listen to his coach, but he kept getting distracted.

Aunt Courtney said she thought maybe he had more trouble figuring it out because he wasn't in school or preschool like a lot of the others, which might be true. I think he just didn't know what to expect and neither did we. Next time we'll  be able to prep him a little better beforehand.

Turn around, Buddy!

We brought Hadley a ball too so we didn't run the risk of her trying to enter the game since she's always trying to get the ball from Caleb at home. It was cold and wet though, so she mostly just wanted to be snuggled and held.

Where is Caleb in this picture? He is the kid with the blue hoodie running the opposite direction of the other kids. See him?

Come back, Caleb!

There he is! He was just running over to the sidelines to grab his ball...but oops! All the kids are running the other way now. (He's so cute. Too funny!)

Here we go...now he's doing what he's supposed to.

Stretching...but I'm not sure Caleb is getting much of a stretch. At least he is following directions and touching his toes, right? (I didn't even realize this until I looked at the pics...haha)

Go, Caleb, Go!

Still distracted but getting better at this huddle thing

It was so cold out and Reid was super cranky, so I took him to the car a bit and then Dave took a turn with him. While I was gone, I grabbed Caleb's coat for Hadley. She was pretty satisfied though snacking on some treats I brought.

Now he's moving. (Far left)

You can do it!

Hooray! He scores!

About ten or fifteen minutes before they ended for the day, Caleb walked over to tell me he was tired of playing soccer. Thankfully, about the same time the coach told everyone to run over for a water break. While I thought I could reroute him and get him back to the field, he was done. He just kept saying things like: "I'm hungry...It's just too cold!...I already played too much soccer..I want to go home."

Up to this point, the coach had them just practicing, but now he was giving all the kids pennies to wear and actually starting a game. I tried to point out what was going on and how much fun the kids were having but he wanted no part of it. There was no convincing that boy and I didn't want to force him or make him upset, especially on his birthday, so we just stood by and watched the rest of the time. (Later, he told me he wants to go back but it was just too cold and he'd had enough for that day. At least there's hope for next week!)

Afterwards, we had planned to stop by the pet store to look at a few animals, but Hadley and Reid were tired and cranky so we just stopped to grab some lunch and decided to go to the pet store later. My cousin Stacey told me about a drive-thru special at a local burger joint called Spelunkers - a Jr. cheeseburger, fries, and freeze for $2.50. You can't beat that, so we tried them out and came home to eat.

Caleb loved the freezee drink.

Later that evening, we let him help pick what he wanted for supper and finished with these fruit covered cake cups.

I planned to take him to the pet store after dinner, but he decided that he'd rather just spend the evening in, playing a little Abcmouse.com and hanging out. That was fine with me and we still some special treats, including a visit from NaNa, who brought some of his favorite snacks, and his birthday present from us.

Caleb loves The Magic School Bus books and shows, so bought him the complete series of DVDs (which I've held on to since Christmas). I like them too because he's learning a little science while he reads and watches.

At the end of the day, we laid in his bed together and talked about what he liked best about his birthday. Finally, he wrapped his little arms around my neck and said, "This is my favorite part."

Me too, Caleb. Me too.