A note on her name: I named her Madeline, I call her Madeline. (And when I write, it's usually just M.) Most other people call her Maddy, which started in grade 4 when there was a Madeleine (Mad-len) in her class. My beautiful girl is 13, in grade 8, and the first thing you would notice is her beautiful smile. Or maybe her loud antics, if she was with her friends. Or maybe that she's 5'11. Whatever you notice, she's no wallflower.
This was her first year playing soccer with ACFC, one of the 4 clubs in the Regina Soccer Association. We've always played community soccer before, indoor and out, but with two weekly games and no practices, mostly arm-twisted parent coaches, and very little instruction, combined with M's growing love for the game and desire to take it further, we decided to try out this other league. It was definitely worth the money, as she was on a team with girls that all got along, and with an experienced coach with the right balance between letting them enjoy themselves and working them hard to see growth in skills. Hopefully most of the girls will be back together for the outdoor season.
Basketball is her other main sport at this point. Last year their team won nothing, and this year I think they might have been undefeated. I overheard the coach saying it was tough because they don't fit well into either of the leagues, but being in this one with smaller schools and having a winning season sure was great for M's confidence as a player! It was great to watch the games and see her score so many points. She has developed a lot since grade 6, and I'm pretty proud of the great team player and leader she's become.
Sports are just a part of my girl - I think she'd rather be singing than doing anything else, and has a brain that is a trap for artists and lyrics and tunes... very NOT like her mother. She does not like taking piano lessons, but we are enforcing that for now as we know it will benefit her in the long run, and really, the 20 minutes of practicing in the morning before she gets on the bus will help in whatever music she pursues in the future.
She has one great friend, Julia, and a whole crew of others that are mostly great but who sometimes prove they are more fickle than faithful.
She would much rather shovel snow than rake leaves, and was trying to bargain with me just yesterday that in the fall, she will watch Nolan while I rake...
This summer she will likely do basketball and soccer camps at the University, as well as going to camp out at Katepwa Lake - can't miss that! She'll also be going on a ministry trip for the first time with the youth from church, and is pretty excited about that. Combined with going camping, to family camp and to Winnipeg for a week, she's got a fun summer lined up.
And there's a snapshot of our M for you. :)
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