And so it begins...

Gray has officially joined the world of organized sports. He's playing soccer and his team held one practice last week and had their first game on Saturday. They chose their team name (the Sooners, very original) and numbers (Gray picked 2) and suited up to take the field.

He's most excited about wearing his new shin guards and cleats. The practice and game were very chaotic and entertaining to say the least. There are no refs at this age and the coaches stay on the field to help get the players going in the right direction.

We don't keep score or really follow any other rules except boundary lines and taking turns. There's also no goalie yet, and of course, that's the position Gray is obsessed with so it's been a challenge making him understand that he can help defend the goal, but he can't be the goalie yet.

Our team was short one boy which gave Holten a chance to sign up late so he and Gray can play together. The way the age bracket goes, Gray is on the older end and Holt is on the young end, but they can be on the same team.

This was at their first practice which had to be inside because of the recent rain and mud. It was so crazy and hilarious. The coach is really patient, but it's going to take a village to keep these kids on task. Michael jumped in to help herd the players, but they were still running in all directions. 

Here are a few shots from the first game:

Here's the team "warming up." Their jerseys are reversible and we were the home team in white with red socks. Gray's in the middle with #2 on his back. 

Hudson and Holt strategizing about who knows what.

Gray about to inbound the ball. 

Gray and Holt did really well for their first game. We don't officially keep score in this league, but our team didn't score and the other team had a boy whose dad played semi-pro, so you can guess the outcome. Our boys still had fun and learned a lot. 

Holtie and Gray enjoying a post-game snack. This is the good life. 

I'm so excited to see how the team progresses as they get more practice under their belt. None of them have played before and it's fun to see them learning and getting better each time. I'm also very thankful that none of the other parents on our team are crazy intense or acting like this is the World Cup. 

We have five more games over the next month, so I'm sure there are more stories to come.