So proud

So we - I mean Ali - had her first real game today. I tried to encourage her to try her best by offering some positive reinforcement. On the way there I told her if she tried her best to run towards the ball we would take them out for dessert after dinner. Sammie asked, "Ice cream?!" I said, "Sure."

So the game started and Ali took off running! I mean, she wasn't really near the ball, but she was near the pack. I was very pleased. "Go, Ali!" I shouted. Each little break I tried to encourage her. She kept giving me this big smile and she seemed to be flexing a little. She also gave a little grunt. As the game progressed she continued to run after the ball. She took some nasty falls and picked herself right up. I was very proud of her for that. That's pretty huge for her.

The other team had more players than we did and the same kid on our team (mentioned in the previous post) refused to stay on the field.

At one point Ali got pretty close to the ball. I yelled, "Get it, Ali! Kick the ball!" Somehow the ball got right in front of her and she started dribbling the ball! Then she started pulling away from the rest of the kids and she dribbled it all the way down the field in the right direction! I ran down the field yelling, "Go, Ali!" All of the parents were so surprised. They were yelling for her, too. Devin, the best kid on our team, was right behind her and she kind of sort of passed or lost the ball to him and he almost scored a goal! As I ran along side her this sense of pride just filled my heart. It was so great. I ran onto the field and said, "Ali, give me five!" I wanted her to know how proud I was of her. Don't get too freaked out. The other team had two parents on the field the entire time. They were both dads, so it's probably more socially acceptable for them to be there. One dad kept picking a little guy up and turning him in the right direction. I then turned around and saw Sammie in the middle of the field. She had followed me onto the field! Poor Sammie. She kept asking me to sit with her. It's hard for me to sit, Sammie! One of the grandpas grabbed her and brought her back to our picnic blanket. If you're wondering what Sammie does, she eats from the moment we get there until the game is over. And when everyone passes out snacks she eats some more!

Her coach kept saying, "Good job, Ali!" I could tell he was pretty surprised. The same grandpa that rescued Sammie said, "Someone lit a fire under her!" Other parents kept telling me what a good job she did. We were all pretty surprised at her efforts.

Later on she stole the ball and dribbled it down the field again! This time Devin got the ball and scored! It was kind of an assist. She definitely helped. She fell again. This time it was pretty hard. She came over to me and showed me her knee. There was no blood, but she was sad. She teared up, but tried to hold it together. I held her for a couple of seconds and she was able to join her team. Nice!

At the end of the game they lined up and gave the other team high fives.

Here are some pictures:
Ali and Nikola - the only other girl on our team.

Resting in the shade before the game. It was a really hot day.
They love each other. This is what the girls do during the game!
Coach Jonathan entrusted Ali with the ball!
She kicked it to Ikeika.
The game is almost over. She's letting the wind cool her off.
Here you can see she's trying to get to the ball!
The end of the game handshakes

I didn't get any pictures of her dribbling the ball down the field. Maybe next time. Yes, we took them to the mall for Ben and Jerry's. The new mall is open! It looks really beautiful, but there aren't any stores I like except for Banana. Our requests are for a J.crew and an Apple store. Guess who wants what?