Soccer - Ethan taking one for the team!

Soccer season is now in full swing. I just got a new camera and didn't realize I hadn't set the date stamp. So these picture was taken today 3/28/09 not in January. But it was cold enough this morning to feel like January. Originally Ethan wasn't going to be playing this spring because his club team disbanded at the last minute a few weeks ago. He has a good friend that plays on a comp team and asked if he wanted to practice with them. So yesterday, they called and said that one of the players wouldn't be able to play this season and wondered if Ethan wanted to fill the opening...Yep!!! He is also helping Jared coach Rachel's soccer team too.

Back to today's game, great game...we won 7-0. Big difference from last season. Anyways there was a moment before halftime that I realized that some of my traits I have truely passed down to him...one in particular I would not have wanted to. My face, growing up, was like a big target for any kind of athletic ball -- soccer ball, tennis ball, racquet ball, softball - my first black eye, you name it. I got knocked off my feet in the MTC from a stray volleyball hit from another court right into the side of my face. Anyways, last fall season during one of the last games, sure enough Ethan got knocked off his feet from a ball hitting right square in the nose. I was clear across the other side of the field and trotted over to see the damage. Didn't look too bad.

So today, here I am with my new camera, trying to take photos. I just took a couple of shots and was putting the camera down in my chair, when I looked up to see the assistant coach helping my son over to me with blood dripping down his nose and out his mouth and all over his hands. I thought he busted his lip too because of all the blood. He had just thrown in the ball, another opposing player got to it first so Ethan quickly ran up to get it back. Less that 2 feet away, face to face with the other player, the other player tries to "chip" the ball over Ethan's head. We'll just say that he misjudged.... Ethan took it like a trooper. He started the second half and played the entire rest of the game. When the game was over, his teammates started mentioning how cool it was to have "war wound marks - aka blood streaks" on the front of his jersey. Believe it or not, he actually tried very hard to not let me wash it out so it could be on there for the rest of the season.

Funny part is that I still don't come prepared with tissues or something...just his jacket. Way to go Ethan - taking one for the team!!!!