I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family. I have 3 nieces and 1 nephew, all of whom are healthy, intelligent, and well-loved by their parents. I love being able to see them and watch them grow – they have brought an enrichment to my life which I didn’t even realize was missing!

My sister, Shelly, has 3 children as many of you know. Lately she has been even busier than usual after signing up Kyler, her 2nd child, for YMCA soccer. A funny story – when she signed him up, the coordinator called and asked if she would be interested in coaching. Now, Shelly has never coached soccer. I don’t think she has even seen a game! So of course she told the coordinator this information, and he said, “OK, so… are you interested?”. Shelly said that she could be an assistant coach, and again he asked her if she would still consider being a head coach! Again, she reminded him of her lack of experience, and yet he persisted. So, Shelly said that if he was absolutely desperate and NO ONE else would sign up, then she would do it.

A few weeks later, she goes to the Y to check Kyler in for 2-3 year old soccer, and the lady says, “OK – yep, Kyler, you’re all signed up. And your coach is… Shelly.” My sister was like “What?!” She said to the lady, “Shelly? That’s me!” I thought this was hilarious. Shelly was the coach, and coordinated things beautifully, despite never having done it before. She did say that coaching 2-3 year old boys’ soccer was like trying to herd a bunch of cats, but that everyone had fun. And isn’t that the most important thing when it comes to kids’ sports?

Her oldest, Elaine, is in dance lessions (ballet and tap). Last week was a flurry of rehearsals and recitals, every evening from Tuesday – Friday or Saturday. It was a lot of fun, but very busy. Elaine was so excited about it, though, and talked for weeks about her dresses. I think every time I talked with her she told me about getting to wear her “blue dress” and wearing eye shadow. That’s a pretty big deal when you’re 4 years old 🙂