Avery had his final soccer game of the season today. We’ve had a lot of fun the past couple of months attending his practices and games, and watching him develop his skills and confidence on the field. The season started off rough. Practices were fine, but the first two or three games were a challenge just to keep him on the field and get him to go after the ball. He’s got a gentle nature, and isn’t that competitive. With a bunch of other kids chasing after the ball along with him, he preferred to just stay out of it. We started to consider whether he should even finish out the season. Maybe he should only attend practices this year – he really seemed to dread the games. There were a lot of tears. How much encouragement was too much?

But then one day halfway through a game, something clicked in him, and the next thing we knew, he was playing along with the other kids, going after the ball, and he looked like he was having fun doing it! This was a big lesson for us as parents to give our son time and trust that he will come around at his own pace. Avery has always been an observer. It’s not his style to jump into something before he knows exactly what he’s doing. Understanding this about him and watching his transformation throughout the season helped us learn a lot about our son.

Here are some pictures from throughout the season:

Practicing before a game

Not sure he wants to play

The snacks afterward are good though

And he’s off!


Little bro Kieron cheers him on with Mommy


Home Depot buckets repurposed


Team photo

Avery covers his year when the team yells “Go Orange Crush!”



Playing in the leaves after a game


With Grammy

At the park

Grammy & Mommy