Soccer

This is Ali.

Ali recently started soccer, and enlisted the help of her Uncle Jeff to give her a few fancy footwork pointers.

Jeff won't admit it, but I think he was pretty excited about the request.

Maybe that's because at least SOMEONE still thought he had some skillz.

So we all headed to the park, and Ali and Jeff quickly got to their lesson:

Unfortunately, Kaeden kept getting in the way.

But I mean, c'mon. They were playing with a BALL.

Why wouldn't he be invited?

So Kaeden and I went off to find out own fun.

We discovered the wonders of chain-link fencing.

And did a LOT of running.

Can you tell he was having the wide-open-mouth type of fun?

One thing about Kaeden is that he's obsessed with collecting leaves. Anytime we are outside, he's crouching and gathering them.

Imagine his excitement when he found this.

Tumbleweed. A toddler's best friend.  I think his face says it all.

While Kaeden ran around and had fun, I sat on the grass and tried to find some fun pictures in my surroundings. I really enjoyed this one. To me it just says "Draper". From the factory looking thing in the background to the big expanse of grass leading up to the library. I like it.

After the lesson Jeff and Ali sat to discuss what she had learned, and went over her "homework." Yes. Jeff gave her homework. Because he's serious like that.

Ali looks so grown up in that picture. When I first met Ali, she wasn't even 5. And now here she is, playing soccer, pulling her hair out of her face like a full-fledged pre-teen.

This girl is definitely going places. Just you wait and see.