that's my baby!!!

yuppers...the time is here! she is old enough to play soccer on a real team. a real soccer player on a real team...like for real. like we get up early on saturday mornings, take a trip to dunkin' donuts, talk sports, ie team work, do your best, we love you...yada yada yada!

this is only our second week and only my first posting of this huge event that has changed things around here a bit. i didn't post last week because we had pictures of a little girl, our girl, upset and confused as to why only one ball was being used. we tried to explain that she needed to run fast, push herself to run faster than the other little kids to get her chance at kicking the ball...needless to say-no pics.

this weekend was a different story though...after some practice with daddy, beckham, and me...peyton was confident and prepared to do what she had to do. she informed me that she, "won't cry this time, mommy because daddy said big girls don't cry during soccer games." what a sweet girl. tears or not, we are proud of her and her new sport.

truth be told, the first time she had control of the ball and she was running full steam ahead to the net...tears threatened to make a showing...yes, i felt pangs of pride. pride for her courage, her speed, and determination. mostly what i was thinking was...this is my baby. my little baby. growing up. becoming more independent everyday. stop-kinda, but not really. here are some action shots from saturday morning...

yeah...she has a number too! #3. i know that this will be the number that she will wear for many years if she is anything like me and gets stuck on sentimental things like her first sport's number and things like that...


jido and beckham were there to cheer on little peyton!


coach and daddy gets the team pumped up!!!!

first some practice shots!

"i in the net, mommy!"

peyton did so well and had soooo much FUN! here she is running and kicking that ball for what seemed like 5 minutes.

beckham wanted daddy, so jeff coached with becks on his hip! *look who has the ball...just sayin'!

becks wanted to play too. lol on the little girl wondering why becks was on the field!

taking a break...

so proud of you peyton. we love you so much sweet girl. we are very thankful that you are our daughter and that we get to watch you grow up.
xoxoxo


finally, we are the parents sitting on the side lines in our fabric chairs, drinking coffee, and cheering one of our own children. up until two weeks ago, we had cheered on nephews, cousins, friend's kids...important people indeed, but now here we are listening, waving, encouraging, comforting, willing, loving our kid on the field.

whatever she decides to do...hip-hop is next on her list or a trip back to ballet (my dream, but i had to let that go last year when she decided she had had enough), playing a musical instrument, tumbling in gymnastics, just being creative,...we will be there for her, 'on the sidelines' so to speak, loving and encouraging her in whatever it is that makes her happy. so much to look forward to.

i know i am rambling a bit. i think so much about how far we have come since bringing this little one home from the hospital. thinking we had SO MUCH TIME before these moments. so much time to teach, mold, and prepare. yeah, yeah this is only four year old soccer, but i am thinking that high school is coming quicker than i planned...lol.

sitting here on the couch, cutting ribbon. white ribbon with little red hearts on going down the length of it. cutting out a few more red and pink construction paper hearts to attach to the fifteen little valentines that peyton will excitedly put in all her little friend's shoebox mailboxes! all the while thinking that next year we will make everything homemade and knowing that next year at this exact time, peyton will be a year older and able to spell and print her name out without assistance, but LOVING the scribbled name she painstakingly wrote on most of her heart tags today.

i'm also thinking it is late and i am one to many cups of joe into the night, so g'night and enjoy the little-ness of your babies. they grow so fast.

missing this little baby SO much, that it hurts sometimes. this little baby that used to want to nurse every two hours like clockwork, wanted to be held non-stop, hated being in the car, loved her swing to cradle rock her, smelled like baby powder, loved to be out and about more than staying put at home...i could talk about baby peyton all day.

love this baby because she is growing up to be the sweetest little thing, and because out of no where she comes up to me throughout the day and sings, "I love you, mommy!"

today i said, "peyton, you will always be my baby. always and forever."

she asks, "i'll always be your baby, mommy?"

"yup. always," i say.

she says in her most matter-of-fact-i-thought-this-through voice, " okay, mommy. mommy, i'll always be your baby, but a bigger baby because i'm big. because i eat my vegetables!"

loving this girl so much!