Soccer

*Soccer, or is it football, or even footie? Regardless of its nomenclature, its where we've been spending many a fall morning or late afternoon watching all three of the Johnson Girlies in China kick around the ball.

Its a sport that grows expenentially more skilled as the ages progress... watching first the three to six year olds battle it out in the baggy uniforms of the European professional leagues, then the seven, eight and nine-year-olds, followed on Monday nights by the secondary girls. They began the season like a swarm of busy bees... all buzzing around the ball in a frenzied pack, and have progress beautifully into something akin to a proper playing stategy.

We, like so many parents, where teaming with pride, but also bursting with the wonder of doing something so "normal" in a country where most everything else is outside our usual comfort zone. It was a fabulous six weeks, with fall weather that was gorgeous for all but one blustery Saturday morning. MGJ's team will continue to play on later into the season, but the little ones will be putting away their cleats and shin guards for a while, and finding a spot on the shelf for their mini trophies, and a space on the wall for their team photos!

*for the record, I prefer "footie"